🔵 By Timothy Brunner. Photo by lauragrafie.
I spend more energy trying to avoid talking about politics than I am ever willing to waste partaking in such discussions. I don’t even like watching political news, which seems to be all that is available to me in this microcosm in which I live. I do often think about political matters, though. I was thinking about such things during a discussion following a session of centering prayer. This discussion was to reflect upon a reading from “Imitation of Christ” by Kempis which was on superfluity of words. (Ironic that a lesson on shutting up was the topic of discussion!) In the reflections of others, as I listened in silence, I heard exactly the superfluity, the unnecessary voicing of something just to be heard, that was supposed to be avoided.
I have often found, through my own writing, that such a use of words reveals more than one intends. Revelations abounded.
I have struggled for a long time with religion. I guess it’s not surprising that in my rejection of any authority over my behavior I would profoundly detest the moral strictures of an all-powerful authority. I had difficulty accepting any principle or codified belief tat was supposed to be accepted unquestioningly. I was too familiar with tyranny and violence to enforce a rule to accept anything on faith. With no faith, religion is a struggle.
Over time I came to see religion in a different light. I now believe that the choice of religion is an intimately personal decision that cannot be coerced. Much to the chagrin of proselytizing pastoral prophets and preachers, such coercive conversions are often only temporary. I think this is because religion is a codified set of principles that began as a founding member’s principles, which followers eventually codified. Choosing a religion, then, is more a process of finding a formulaic expression for the principles you already hold within you. As such, no person’s faith fits perfectly to their religion. Still, the religion serves as a unifying structure for like minded and principled people to form a purpose driven community.
So.
To return to my initial point of silently contemplating the errors of using words unnecessarily… I listened to members of my religious community reveal how differently we look at the same principles. The point from the reading being commented upon was the virtue of having conversations with like minded individuals as opposed to the useless banter of idle conversation.
I listened to a few people in our group comment on how they ignore other views or walk away when they are disagreed with or argued with. Another theme that was common was in the superiority of looking down on the many special needs inmates in this particular facility. (My prison has been designated the “Mental Health” institution for the Western Region of Pennsylvania. With political motives closing many actual mental health institution in PA, those individuals in need of treatment are arrested and incarcerated here.) The elitist and self-righteous attitude of these views irritated the principles that I believe are codified in my Roman Catholic faith, so I broke my silence, without superfluous words, to propose the principle that follows.
It is not our differences that divide us. It is our refusal to accept those differences in others that drives us apart. That brings to mind American politics, today, which are so divisive that one party will sacrifice their own agenda simply to go against their opponent. That is the antithesis of a principled act. Such animosity through action is no less hateful in its spite than any other form of extremist vitriol.
The views espoused by so many people where one belief is better than another simply by virtue of it being attributed to any particular being is absurd. I always found it odd that my religion teaches that “Catholic” translates into English as “Universal”, yet remains so populated with closed mindedness and xenophobia.
I do not propose an anarchists permissiveness here. Neither do I place myself on a pedestal. I am only pointing out what I see as an error. I believe it ot be an error because I know that the men being judged and written off by my community members look like me a short time ago. At that time it wasn’t the self-righteous preachers who showed me a better way, it was a man who lived by his principles. I do not preach a religion to people. Not here, in my writings, nor in my daily life. Any place where I am, I live my principles and pray that my God accepts me. This is the example I wish to give so that those sharing my principles can join my community. At the same time, I accept the differences that must exist because we are each one. I thank God we are not all the same because stagnation is the first stage of rot. As a community, we need differences to grow.
I also wish to acknowledge that the freedom to choose the religion that best suits one’s inner life is not universal. I do not take my American/Western privilege for granted. I pray for any so oppressed, that even under the heel of evil their spirit remains free. I know that it is possible.