Post-Election Hangover

I'm not an American, but like many other Canadians, I found myself glued to the screen until late in the night watching CNN call state after state (don't get me started on calling a state before any ballots have been counted) for one candidate or another. As an informed citizen of the world, I had my own little opinions as to who the best candidate would be, and how the next 4 years would look in the ole US of A. At the end of the day it doesn't matter whether I was with Obama or Romney. First of all, I couldn't vote, and secondly, the election is over and the results are in.

I'm left this evening reflecting on the honest truth that if I had been in the US, I'm not sure who would have gotten my vote. As in Canada, we always seem to be voting for the lesser of two (or in our case several) evils. When we pin our hopes on human beings and proclaim their policy to be divine, we're bound to run into troubles. The fact is that after all these years, I've given up on the idea of a Philosopher King (sorry Plato. What a tease). There is no human being who can act in all ways perfectly according to how I believe God would act. There are elements that we cling to, and find enough of an anchor of faithfulness to morality that we'll wear a pin, put a sign up on our lawn, and even debate vigorously for our candidate in the streets. I find it tough to get so engaged in any one politician. I see positive and negative policies on all sides. Social justice, right to life, healthcare, education, all of it. No one candidate has it %100 right. So we wake up on election day to a close split and a promise to work together and go back to campaigning when the dawn breaks. There is no Philosopher King, just a collection of people as broken as we are struggling to figure out what's right, what's important, and what will get them or their party elected in another 4 years (or often less if you're Canadian).

I guess I'm a little disillusioned with the obsession with politics. Don't get me wrong, I believe strongly in civic involvement, and have never missed an opportunity to cast my ballot after careful consideration. I do not, however, act like the Apocalypse is upon us when my candidate isn't elected, nor do I thank Sweet Jesus like it's some kind of deus ex machina when I pick the winning team. Rather, I think what we could all consider doing is saying a prayer for whomever finds themselves holding the balance of power, that they would use it carefully, rightly, and with deep charity for the people who entrusted them with the guidance of their nation, state or province, town, or municipality.

At the end of the day, politicians will create their policies, fund their projects, cut this that or the other thing, and do their best to do what they promised to do in election speeches. So what are we left with? How do we change the world, like so many politicians promised us over the years? My thought is that all we can do is start with ourselves. If we want the world to be more Christian, we need to look inside our hearts and figure out what that really means, and then be Christian. Not halfway Christian when it's convenient, but Christian with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. That kind of Christianity doesn't offend people, because real, authentic Christianity is by its very nature a daily expression of love and charity, but done in humility. It is the act of being unafraid to speak the truth, but being able to do so with kindness, love, and gentleness. That kind of love attracts people. It doesn't lead people to call us extremists. That kind of love sets others ablaze with love. It inspires other people to look deeper into themselves, to re-evaluate who they are in the world.

Don't believe me? Look at Mother Theresa. Every time you see a video of her tending to the poor, sick, and helpless, don't you feel a little accusation in your own heart, and a call to be more than who you are today? Now, I know that you and I are no Mother Theresa, but that doesn't mean we can't inspire someone today, and change our world a little bit at a time. Imagine if we all embraced the true call of our faith, how simply being who Christ called us to be could really change the world. Politics can only take us so far, and often not that far at all. If we want to see the poor fed, the naked clothed, widows and orphans taken care of, and people in crisis supported, we are the ones who need to step up, organise, fundraise and finally share our own wealth as we can to make sure no one is left feeling forgotten. There are no Philosopher Kings. My only King is the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. He's the model I want to follow, He's the one who will work with me and through me to bring about real change.

The vote is cast. The election is over. Time for the rest of us to get to work.

Across the Divide

Tonight I had the great pleasure of attending a screening of the Salt and Light movie called Across the Divide. I can't say enough to really summarise it (you really ought to see it if you can), but it features the students and staff of Bethlehem University and its unique place in the middle of the conflict between Palestine and Israel. This documentary was educational, inspiring, and difficult. At the end of the documentary, as well as the discussion panel that followed, I was left with one overwhelming thought: The conflict in the Middle East will not be resolved by some sort of deus ex machina like in a play, it will be resolved by educating the youth and raising them up to be the leaders of their generation who have a thirst for peace.

During the question period, a woman asked what exactly the makers of the movie were doing to help resolve the conflict. The truth of the matter is that as a Church we can speak of peace ad justice, but we can't bring the people who really need to hear our message to the table. We also can't become another side in the conflict, waging a war with guns, bombs, and foot soldiers. Even if we had the manpower, the resources, and the skill to win a physical war, we as a Church are not called to that mission. As Jesus was in the garden about to be taken away to be tried and eventually crucified, Peter struck one of the soldiers with his sword. Rather than encouraging Peter to fight bravely for his faith by any means necessary, Jesus rebuked him and said that those who live by the sword die by the sword. Jesus didn't come to be a warrior, He came to be the Prince of Peace, and peace isn't found at the end of a sword.

As we read back through the Scriptures, we read of the longing for the Messiah, who will come and free God's people from slavery and oppression. It's understandable that over the ages the image of the Messiah became one of a warrior: Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, Joshua and the Army bringing down the walls of Jericho, David and Goliath, and the list goes on... Our God is a God of action. He's changing regimes, taking down walls, freeing slaves. So then Jesus comes on the scene. Contrary to all expectations, He's not going to lead the Zealots to take out the Romans. At best He turns over the tables at the Temple and curses a fig tree. When questioned about paying taxes, He says to give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. Insofar as a political, warrior Messiah is concerned, Jesus is an outright disappointment.

The truth of the matter is that Jesus didn't come to fix the complex political situation of the time. That isn't to say that He didn't come to wage a war, because He did. He came to wage a war within our own hearts and minds. He is fighting to change us, to make us more like Him, so that we can be His hands and feet to the rest of the world. In that light, we can look at the work of Bethlehem University as an essential work for peace in the Middle East. You might wonder how a University in the midst of so much turmoil can be an agent for peace. I think the most impressive aspect of this University's curriculum is that they require all of the student population, (which is 2/3rds Muslim and 1/3rd Christian) to take a course together on both the Christian and Muslim faiths as taught by a priest and an imam. In that setting both the Muslim and the Christian students get to learn, without propaganda or misunderstandings bred by lack of understanding, the fundamental aspects of each other's faith traditions. That knowledge, as well as the friendships they develop, makes it possible to remove the "us and them" mentality that is essential to any conflict.

One student at a time Bethlehem University is helping to raise up a new generation of young people armed with the understanding that the peace is possible. While they watch their leaders struggle, they have the memory of the peace that they lived on their campus. War found its way to their doorstep and beyond. There are holes in the walls of one of their buildings from direct missile hits. But within the minds of the students who learned alongside each other, the University is at its heart an oasis of peace. Just like Christ, they will overturn a few tables, but at the end of the day it will be their voices speaking an authentic message of peace and true justice that I hope will spread as they stand up to become the leaders of their generation. It may be hard to see the holiness in the Holy Land these days, but the Prince of Peace became flesh in Bethlehem, and out of the University founded in that Ancient town can come peace that will still speak to our hearts and minds today, as it is entrusted to these young people.

Not Too Occupied To Occupy

Believe it or not I still find time to watch the news. Or a least get the snippets from my twitter feed. The Occupy movement sweeping North America has me thinking. Firstly it has me thinking how unsurprised I am that more people on my feed were up in arms about their Blackberry service than the state of our country. But I digress. As I was pondering the state of our country, with its crumbling social services and an electorate that cannot be bothered to come out en masse to select its government, I stumbled across an article at Parent Central that surprised me. It spoke of a recent study from UBC that showed young families are struggling to do more with less money than their 1976 counterparts, even amongst 2 income families. Did you hear that, folks? As our housing market creeps up, as the price of commodities sky rocket, we're stuck with a minimum wage that is rising slower than I could waddle at 42 weeks pregnant.

Our government is standing by while we are drowning and the best life life preserver they can muster is a few more daycare spaces and an embarrassingly low maternity leave for those qualified. It's no wonder so many stay at home Moms are racking their brains for marketable talents, business ideas, or ways to monetize our blogs or become product testers. While a few are very successful, I'm sure there are many more skipping meals so they can afford a box of no name mac and cheese for their kids. We became stay at home Moms so we could raise our kids, not so that we could spend our days trembling with fear that our mortgage (if we're lucky, more like rent) cheque will bounce. Or staring down our budget trying to decide if we can put off paying our power bill one more week. Or standing in line for a payday loan just so that we can buy a carton of milk.

Our generation of parents is more aware than ever of the necessity of good nutrition from organic food sources instead of cheap processed foods, safely crafted toys, time reading and playing. We understand intellectually that our kids deserve from us every opportunity to succeed and be healthy. And yet many of us simply can't afford the best of everything. So we compromise. And compromise. And the kids lose. And we lose. And we sit up at night full of guilt and worry and fear.

How, then, can we be complacent? Why aren't we rising up demanding more? More free programming. Higher minimum wage. Lower food costs, especially for the healthier, local selections. We don't make the time to join movements like Occupy or Mom the Vote because we ourselves are occupied with the demands of our daily lives. We fight every day to survive our circumstances while giving our kids those advantages we can. That's important and needed. But we can't stop there. More of us need to speak up and join together to make our voices heard. I felt during the last election that maybe we could make a difference. The Mom the Vote movement caught the ear of our media and politicians. Why did it have to stop when the ballots were cast? I truly believe it didn't. Our activism can continue between diapers changes. A few of us could step up and make a movement for real change. If our voice is authentic and we can engage the parents just like us fighting every day to make ends meet, we could make some real change. Change that could make our lives better and give our families a chance to live in a country that seems them as an asset worth investing in and not just a prop for a photo shoot. So to all you Moms, Dads, guardians, grandparents and those who love the families struggling in your community, I say let's not be complacent. Let's not be too occupied to Occupy. Let's find our voice and let out a cry so great the powerful in our country hear us and heed us.