Reflections on a Life

Reflections on a Life

Monday, October 29, 2012

The Greatest of These ~ Reflections on an Election

Photo by Lorna Dennis-Corso
A verse from the bible has been echoing in my heart during this election season - one that seems so fraught with anger.  Anger is not something to be ignored, but it seems inappropriate when it comes to who we are as a country and a community especially given the fact that when all is laid bare, we all want the same thing.  We all want to be happy.  We want to be safe.  We don't want anyone to suffer, especially the elderly, the infirm and the children.  And we want those children to have the chance to learn more and travel farther and be even safer and happier than we have been.

That verse comes from Corinthians 13 and is most commonly associated with weddings, not elections.  No matter, here it is: 

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Within a few days decisions will be made about who will be administering the laws of our land. Whoever 'wins' or 'loses' there are going to be a lot of angry people, if the papers and the social media are any reflection.

And it seems that we all have a decision to make.  Do we choose to be angry with the results if they aren't what we wanted?  Or do we choose another way?

 Angry isn't the way I want to go through life.  It isn't the way I want to be with my neighbors and friends and family based on what they believe in and why.  And it certainly isn't the way I want to react to the people elected to represent us and make the decisions about our city or state or nation.

For my part, I am praying to choose respect and a sense of wonder over anger.  I pray to remember that people I love and admire voted for the people that are elected.  I am praying to choose love over 'being right', whatever that is.  And I am praying to remember the last part of that bible verse.....

"Right now three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

2 comments:

  1. Hiya Ruth... trouble here! I have a question for you... Hitlers Social Scientists, I think it was Goebbels, said that its easy to convert a democracy to a dictatorship, but one of the first tasks is to disarm the population. Now we all know the physical and legal steps to disarm the population, its underway in the US as we speak... but more insidiously, how do we psychologically disarm a people? What if the original message of all religious leaders has been perverted almost at source? What if Jesus's teachings and those in the Bible relating to Love have been deliberatedly twisted like much else, to almost neuter a free persons capacity to defend his life and the life of those who depend on him? The message of universal, unceasing, unconditional love has been toted as the highest ideal for about 2,000 yrs now but what if it is not TRUE? and has NO Spiritual authority..? Just a thought... xx

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  2. Really excellent 'another' way of looking at it. And, there is no doubt that dictatorships are born one lie, one election at a time. Interestingly though, half our population feels that about one team vying for the presidency. Another half of our country feels exactly the opposite. Who's right? Who's wrong?

    And maybe, just maybe, what is here is meant to not last. I don't want that to be the case. And I keep thinking about what my 'other' spiritual mentor always asks: 'What are you contributing?'

    If it isn't love, it isn't helping. Gandhi stood up for people and for rights, but I think he succeeded because he did it from a place of love, not (eventually) anger and vitriol.

    Keep asking. Keep making me stretch. I don't have any answers. I'm just trying to stay free of all the muck.

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