I realize this blog is a little late. I wrote it a few days ago.
I saw a Facebook status (the apparent passive outlet of choice for “passionate” college students) recently that read “Saved, therefore Republican.”
My heart was overcome with a mixture of anger and sadness.
Is this the conclusion we have come to? One party is innately better than the other?
Does this party adhere to more Christ-like standards in any way? Because it is more conservative? Christ was hardly conservative.
Not to say that he was a Democrat, either.
These parties are comprised of people. Broken, corrupt, depraved people. We all are. How can we expect a party, or even a church for that matter, to be exempt from these characteristics?
Jesus constantly challenged politics. He revolutionized society by championing the notion that one should serve God in Heaven above all else. Even the law—y’know, protest the sword if it’s not wielded well.
He even protested tradition.
We serve a King unfathomably larger than man.
Christ never affiliated himself with a political group. Why? He was something altogether different. After all, he was God. God transcends time. He transcends gender. Why would he not also transcend politics?
There are so many more important things to concern ourselves with. I think if all the time spent arguing over politics was spent finding ways to help out the poor or better yet, actually spending time with the poor, there could be significant change for the better.
Yes. You will certainly have your opinions. Who doesn’t? But you are probably not going to change anyone else’s just-as-firmly-rooted opinions with (sometimes hostile) arguing for 3 hours.
It’s enough to make anyone’s head explode.
I know I’m getting off-base, here. I’m trying to organize the thoughts swirling around in my head at the mention of this statement.
I think that as Christians, we are called to live set apart from the constrictions and labels men place on other men. We are not to affiliate ourselves with a candidate so strongly that we immediately judge someone based on what candidate they choose to vote for.
We are to affiliate ourselves with Christ and live radically, not conforming to the patterns of this world. I think one of the patterns of this world is becoming enveloped in and identified so much by a party or a candidate that we are willing to cut down others in order to be correct.
We refuse to voice our opinions with love and gentleness. Rather, we voice them with an air of arrogance and vindictiveness. Anything, even statements which merit no response, to disprove the other and have the upper hand.
No one knows how the plans of the president elect will pan out—whether they will do what they say they will do, whether what they do will be “successful” (whatever that means—more money for the US of A? I don’t know.). Maybe your candidate will be the best leader the world has ever seen. Maybe he will be the worst. Maybe we have no real way of establishing objective qualities that determine a “good” or “bad” president.
But as Derek Webb so eloquently puts it, “we’ll NEVER have a Savior on Capitol Hill.”
I am a Christ follower first, above any other category we place on ourselves. Even “Democrat.” Even “Republican.” Even “American.”
Sunday, October 26, 2008
0035.
The Tale of the Magical Wicked Parking Garage: A True Story
by Laura Fagan
October 24th, 2008.
5:55pm
Nicole and I had arrived downtown for a rally on behalf of the residents of Tent City. We discovered a parking garage across the street from our intended destination, the Metro Courthouse. The following is an account of what ensued.
We crept up the spiral ramp in order to enter the garage. Immediately we realize that this is no ordinary parking garage. Spiral staircases do not exactly facilitate escalation for anyone in pedestrian life, nor would it translate well to the automobile world.
This ramp is centered in the parking garage, seemingly connecting all of the floors (which we later determined to be untrue).
We apparently had entered upon a blue ramp, which will be important to remember for the reader.
We found an appropriate parking space on floor 4 and proceeded to the next logical location: the elevator.
After pressing the button depicting a downwards arrow, we realized that this button was clearly out of order. No light was indicating we had, in fact, pressed the button. We thought perhaps the light was just broken, but after pressing it numerous additional times and waiting a few minutes, we realized the elevator was out of order.
We found the alternative and started descending down flights of stairs. Upon reaching where the door marked "1" should be, we saw only a concrete wall. We shrugged, a little perplexed, but continued down the stairs. We opened the only (unlabeled) door and found ourselves in a concrete cave of a hallway with a door on each end. One had no signs of leading to the outside world, so we proceeded to the one marked "Exit" (non-emergency) complete with a hand written sign reading "push hard." We did, indeed "push hard" on the crash bar several times, but found ourselves trapped. In Narnia. Only it was much sketchier, and there was no lightpost in which to travel back safely through the wardrobe. After allowing ourselves a small freak-out (what screams horror movie more than 2 young girls trapped in a dark hallway in a basement of a parking garage??), we were able to go back up the 2nd floor and take a functional elevator from there.
AFTER the rally the real confusion began. We attempted to find my car on floor 4. The panel in the elevator with the floor buttons was separated into two colors, even numbers on a Red panel, and odd numbers on a Blue panel. We pressed the only 4 we could find (Red). My car was nowhere to be found. We could see blue writing and a "4" on a floor below us from where we stood, and figured we could simply enter the spiral ramp and get off at the other side, spilling us out into the blue side. Yet the red coded spiral ramp in the center ran parallel to yet another blue coded spiral. Never do the two meet. Our only plan was out the window. There is no way to get to the Blue side where we now realize my car must be residing.
Where was the elevator that went to the Blue Fourth Floor??
We wandered a bit more and found what was apparently a different magical elevator that takes you to a different realm of floors. This time the 4 was on the Blue side. We were saved!!
Sure enough, upon exiting the elevator, my car was in sight and accessible. Apparently magical elevator is the only way by which one can reach all the floors.
Now, I ask you, WHO designed this parking garage?
What was the reasoning behind combining two separate yet parallel parking garages and connecting them only by way of elevator?
Why the color coding?
Whose idea was it to make two elevators that don't go to the same set of floors?
These are the questions we were left to ponder after paying 8 dollars to experience this...
by Laura Fagan
October 24th, 2008.
5:55pm
Nicole and I had arrived downtown for a rally on behalf of the residents of Tent City. We discovered a parking garage across the street from our intended destination, the Metro Courthouse. The following is an account of what ensued.
We crept up the spiral ramp in order to enter the garage. Immediately we realize that this is no ordinary parking garage. Spiral staircases do not exactly facilitate escalation for anyone in pedestrian life, nor would it translate well to the automobile world.
This ramp is centered in the parking garage, seemingly connecting all of the floors (which we later determined to be untrue).
We apparently had entered upon a blue ramp, which will be important to remember for the reader.
We found an appropriate parking space on floor 4 and proceeded to the next logical location: the elevator.
After pressing the button depicting a downwards arrow, we realized that this button was clearly out of order. No light was indicating we had, in fact, pressed the button. We thought perhaps the light was just broken, but after pressing it numerous additional times and waiting a few minutes, we realized the elevator was out of order.
We found the alternative and started descending down flights of stairs. Upon reaching where the door marked "1" should be, we saw only a concrete wall. We shrugged, a little perplexed, but continued down the stairs. We opened the only (unlabeled) door and found ourselves in a concrete cave of a hallway with a door on each end. One had no signs of leading to the outside world, so we proceeded to the one marked "Exit" (non-emergency) complete with a hand written sign reading "push hard." We did, indeed "push hard" on the crash bar several times, but found ourselves trapped. In Narnia. Only it was much sketchier, and there was no lightpost in which to travel back safely through the wardrobe. After allowing ourselves a small freak-out (what screams horror movie more than 2 young girls trapped in a dark hallway in a basement of a parking garage??), we were able to go back up the 2nd floor and take a functional elevator from there.
AFTER the rally the real confusion began. We attempted to find my car on floor 4. The panel in the elevator with the floor buttons was separated into two colors, even numbers on a Red panel, and odd numbers on a Blue panel. We pressed the only 4 we could find (Red). My car was nowhere to be found. We could see blue writing and a "4" on a floor below us from where we stood, and figured we could simply enter the spiral ramp and get off at the other side, spilling us out into the blue side. Yet the red coded spiral ramp in the center ran parallel to yet another blue coded spiral. Never do the two meet. Our only plan was out the window. There is no way to get to the Blue side where we now realize my car must be residing.
Where was the elevator that went to the Blue Fourth Floor??
We wandered a bit more and found what was apparently a different magical elevator that takes you to a different realm of floors. This time the 4 was on the Blue side. We were saved!!
Sure enough, upon exiting the elevator, my car was in sight and accessible. Apparently magical elevator is the only way by which one can reach all the floors.
Now, I ask you, WHO designed this parking garage?
What was the reasoning behind combining two separate yet parallel parking garages and connecting them only by way of elevator?
Why the color coding?
Whose idea was it to make two elevators that don't go to the same set of floors?
These are the questions we were left to ponder after paying 8 dollars to experience this...
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
0034.
Reasons Why I Feel Like I Should Move to Mars:
1. The economy is imploding.
The Dow Jones went down 777 points, which is apparently super bad. (What is the Dow Jones and what the heck is this alleged point system?)
2. It is impossible to live above the poverty line (about 20,000 dollars a year) on minimum wage.
3. Apparently, hospitals can charge people without health insurance 500 dollars to come into an ER and receive a 40 dollar ace bandage.
4. I have no idea how to even go about trying to help fix numbers 2 and 3. Not the policies, just help those struggling with them. But I think I am going to try anyways. I just have to figure out a small way.
5. Most things about America now confuse me. The fact that we can even talk in amounts of 700 Billion dollars just blows my mind. The perpetual cycle of poverty blows my mind. The fact that I am typing on a portable computer that I didn't even buy myself and I will drive by a person who does not know if he will eat tonight blows my mind. The fact that we have tv shows in which people turn down massive amounts of money in the attempt to attain more massive amounts of money blows my mind. Crazy.
Now, I realize the solution is not running from problems that seem overwhelming. So I can't move to Mars. (That and the fact that planet can't sustain life.)
Anyways. This isn't some sort of political statement. Just a list of things that are currently overwhelming my heart & mind. I have to figure out how to get myself to start seeing others (ALL others. Across the world) as my family.
(Also I'm currently watching a commercial with Michael Phelps promoting Rosetta Stone language learning software...really??)
1. The economy is imploding.
The Dow Jones went down 777 points, which is apparently super bad. (What is the Dow Jones and what the heck is this alleged point system?)
2. It is impossible to live above the poverty line (about 20,000 dollars a year) on minimum wage.
3. Apparently, hospitals can charge people without health insurance 500 dollars to come into an ER and receive a 40 dollar ace bandage.
4. I have no idea how to even go about trying to help fix numbers 2 and 3. Not the policies, just help those struggling with them. But I think I am going to try anyways. I just have to figure out a small way.
5. Most things about America now confuse me. The fact that we can even talk in amounts of 700 Billion dollars just blows my mind. The perpetual cycle of poverty blows my mind. The fact that I am typing on a portable computer that I didn't even buy myself and I will drive by a person who does not know if he will eat tonight blows my mind. The fact that we have tv shows in which people turn down massive amounts of money in the attempt to attain more massive amounts of money blows my mind. Crazy.
Now, I realize the solution is not running from problems that seem overwhelming. So I can't move to Mars. (That and the fact that planet can't sustain life.)
Anyways. This isn't some sort of political statement. Just a list of things that are currently overwhelming my heart & mind. I have to figure out how to get myself to start seeing others (ALL others. Across the world) as my family.
(Also I'm currently watching a commercial with Michael Phelps promoting Rosetta Stone language learning software...really??)
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