The War, Addendum Two
In the last post I made mention of how much I feel it when I see people so blatantly deceived, and thought about the possibility that a reader may ask, "Why do you get so upset about that? What is it to you if people believe wrongly about something?"
Good point, in the sense that another's problems or issues or situations just shouldn't affect me that much. After all, I'm pretty secure, I'm not too codependent--why then can't I just live and let live, as they sometimes say?
But it still gets to me, and for good reason. Well, there are a number of good reasons.
One, what another thinks and feels does affect me. We were made to feel deeply about others--to be in community. I've always considered the parable of the people dancing too close to the cliff. There they are, dancing gleefully away, yet every once in a while one stumbles, and too frequently they don't catch themselves. Over they go. This has been expressed in any number of ways through the ages-- one that is meaningful to me is Holden Caufield's "catcher in the rye."
When someone that I care for, indeed someone who is anyone gets a bit too close to the edge, I feel it. Dancing is great, but when someone doesn't pay any attention when I note, "Hey, you're too close," and he or she falls off, that hurts-- I'm not judging, I'm just telling the truth. I really think God made it so it would be that way. So yeah, when I call the deception for what it is, there's just nothing wrong with that.
Someone may genuinely say, "Hey, aren't you deceived also about some things? Can't you cut someone else a break?" Yeah, sure. I don't mind people not getting it but actually wanting to in some way. This is the essence of learning. That's great.
It is the willful even stubborn insistence on being in the deception that gets me. The main reason this is such a big deal is that other people's deception ends up at some violent end somewhere for someone. I like it when people are not at the end of violence somewhere. If I can help see that happen then good. It's a big reason I do all this blog and webzine stuff.
I once came across a young apologist in a written piece about truth say this:
"I know that I believe false things."
Huh? I'm certain he was trying to take the high road and be all "I still need to learn too." That's cool. But think about it.
How do you know you believe false things?
If you knew, you'd know they were false and you'd work to not know them as false anymore, or at least confess you don't know... yet if that were the case you wouldn't know then, would you?
It really is just a goofy thing to say. Unless you go around boasting about things you just don't know about, then it is criminally foolish.
Here in my blog and in my 'zine I long for people to call me on the things I say. Where are all those people? I'm not saying they're not out there, they may just not see my stuff. I understand that. What I still wonder in the most visceral sense is, where are all the people addressing Catholicist Nation stuff? I see it in so few places.
As it is I see people going on and on and on in The War asking questions like that asked of the latest YouTube phenomena, a lonelygirl15-wanna-be and equally vapid dweebette named GreenTeaGirlie. In the Los Angeles Times was this profound question:
"Is She For Real?"
Just by virtue of the question being asked says people are into truth even when they say it shouldn't matter. What I also think is when Truth is brought up, people get skittish and slink away. In fact I'm certain the consideration of a medium like the Times is not "Hey, is any of this really aligned with Truth?" but rather "Does GreenTeaGirlie match up with our [the World's] conception of truth?"
Where are the people who are asking what is truly True? And actually welcoming with open arms that Truth? And rejoicing in it--letting us all know they do have it, and by golly they don't believe false things any more?
And where are the people who do know about the World's machinations, but don't allow themselves to get sucked into "Ooo I'm so angry we have to yell and scream and stop George Bush Dick Cheney the IRS the CIA the LAPD the real 9/11 perpetrators the socialist/fascist whatever-whatevers..."
So yeah. I do get a bit sorrowful. It's normal. Just seeing so many smart, intelligent, articulate people just stuck in the deep black tar pit that is The War.
So many falling off the cliff.
Can I help it if I want to help them not fall off anymore? That I so want to introduce them to the One who'd rescue them from their peril yet they just don't want Him because they're perfectly fine believing false things?
Sigh.
Good point, in the sense that another's problems or issues or situations just shouldn't affect me that much. After all, I'm pretty secure, I'm not too codependent--why then can't I just live and let live, as they sometimes say?
But it still gets to me, and for good reason. Well, there are a number of good reasons.
One, what another thinks and feels does affect me. We were made to feel deeply about others--to be in community. I've always considered the parable of the people dancing too close to the cliff. There they are, dancing gleefully away, yet every once in a while one stumbles, and too frequently they don't catch themselves. Over they go. This has been expressed in any number of ways through the ages-- one that is meaningful to me is Holden Caufield's "catcher in the rye."
When someone that I care for, indeed someone who is anyone gets a bit too close to the edge, I feel it. Dancing is great, but when someone doesn't pay any attention when I note, "Hey, you're too close," and he or she falls off, that hurts-- I'm not judging, I'm just telling the truth. I really think God made it so it would be that way. So yeah, when I call the deception for what it is, there's just nothing wrong with that.
Someone may genuinely say, "Hey, aren't you deceived also about some things? Can't you cut someone else a break?" Yeah, sure. I don't mind people not getting it but actually wanting to in some way. This is the essence of learning. That's great.
It is the willful even stubborn insistence on being in the deception that gets me. The main reason this is such a big deal is that other people's deception ends up at some violent end somewhere for someone. I like it when people are not at the end of violence somewhere. If I can help see that happen then good. It's a big reason I do all this blog and webzine stuff.
I once came across a young apologist in a written piece about truth say this:
"I know that I believe false things."
Huh? I'm certain he was trying to take the high road and be all "I still need to learn too." That's cool. But think about it.
How do you know you believe false things?
If you knew, you'd know they were false and you'd work to not know them as false anymore, or at least confess you don't know... yet if that were the case you wouldn't know then, would you?
It really is just a goofy thing to say. Unless you go around boasting about things you just don't know about, then it is criminally foolish.
Here in my blog and in my 'zine I long for people to call me on the things I say. Where are all those people? I'm not saying they're not out there, they may just not see my stuff. I understand that. What I still wonder in the most visceral sense is, where are all the people addressing Catholicist Nation stuff? I see it in so few places.
As it is I see people going on and on and on in The War asking questions like that asked of the latest YouTube phenomena, a lonelygirl15-wanna-be and equally vapid dweebette named GreenTeaGirlie. In the Los Angeles Times was this profound question:
"Is She For Real?"
Just by virtue of the question being asked says people are into truth even when they say it shouldn't matter. What I also think is when Truth is brought up, people get skittish and slink away. In fact I'm certain the consideration of a medium like the Times is not "Hey, is any of this really aligned with Truth?" but rather "Does GreenTeaGirlie match up with our [the World's] conception of truth?"
Where are the people who are asking what is truly True? And actually welcoming with open arms that Truth? And rejoicing in it--letting us all know they do have it, and by golly they don't believe false things any more?
And where are the people who do know about the World's machinations, but don't allow themselves to get sucked into "Ooo I'm so angry we have to yell and scream and stop George Bush Dick Cheney the IRS the CIA the LAPD the real 9/11 perpetrators the socialist/fascist whatever-whatevers..."
So yeah. I do get a bit sorrowful. It's normal. Just seeing so many smart, intelligent, articulate people just stuck in the deep black tar pit that is The War.
So many falling off the cliff.
Can I help it if I want to help them not fall off anymore? That I so want to introduce them to the One who'd rescue them from their peril yet they just don't want Him because they're perfectly fine believing false things?
Sigh.
Comments
Post a Comment