Listen…

You know, I can’t even remember the last time I sat down to write anything here.  I think that’s partially due to the fact that I haven’t been overly angry about a whole lot over the past several months.  Now, that’s not to say that I’ve avoided dissent altogether, or that I only write when I’m angry, because neither is the case.  That being said, I will say that this has often been a place of release, likely because of nature of blogging in the first place.  It’s here that I have the illusion that someone is listening because I can say whatever it is I need to say with little to no judgement.  And so somehow, I feel a little bit better and a little less mad at the world.

But today, I thought I’d get right back on track and offer a few thoughts about the state of the world we are living in and how much it chaps my hide.  Specifically, there are a couple things on my mind that I wanted to share, and then, in an effort to be a bit more disciplined, especially in writing, I’ll be back next week to continue the conversation.

Have you ever felt like no one knows how to listen anymore?  And not just the kind of listening that is quiet until I finish my thought and then you say whatever it was you were planning to say, but truly listening, conversing.  As far as I can tell, there are very few people in my life that are good listeners.  That’s not to say I’ve got it down either, but selfishly, I would rather blame someone else at the moment.  I’ve recently come to realize that I am not at all a good listener, though I’m more of a quiet, gentle natured person.

And isn’t it true that it’s easier for us to poke holes in other peoples character to match the holes we have, rather than taking responsibilities for our own flaws?  At this point in my life, I do not need someone to tell me what to believe, or how to live.  I’m not interested in being manipulated.  I just want someone to listen, in the fullest, most deeply relational sorts of ways.  My wife and I have had an ongoing conversation that one of the things that we most desperately need is for a community of people to love us just as we are, without condition, ever.

Thus, I can in some minor ways relate to the oppressed group of people that Derek Webb talks about in one of his more powerful songs.  The song title is What Matters More, and its highly likely that I’ve referenced it before.  Derek speaks a powerful critique against the religious behavior that isolates the gay community as perceived outcast, dysfunctional members of society.  It is because of that overtly judgmental attitude and demeanor that I have of late, had great difficulty associating myself with any sort of organized religious order.  Lately, I’ve shared the same sentiments as Anne Rice, but I’ll save that for another post.

Needless to say, Derek Webb’s prophetic voice speaks specifically to the anti-gay segment of evangelical christianity, yet I’ll include the lyrics on this post because I believe it also speaks to the notion that we’ve got everything figured out, who’s right and who’s wrong, and we refuse to sit down and truly listen to and engage in conversation/relationship with those people to who we most disagree.  And specifically, I’m speaking to evangelicals and the hair brained notion that Jesus came for us to work tirelessly to convince everyone around us to think like me.

It is within that process of thinking that I cannot, and will not associate myself with that group of people.  I do not know all the answers, nor do I presume to.  It is also not my ultimate calling to convince everyone around me to think exactly as I do, refusing to listen and learn in real and powerful ways from those around me.

So, I conclude this lengthy (sorry) post with the lyrics to What Matters More and I ask that you consider with me what kind of person these words challenge us to be, religious or not.

You say always treat people like you’d like to be
I guess you love being hated for your sexuality
You love when people put words in your mouth
About what you believe
Make you sound like a freak

‘Cause if you really believed
What you say you believe
You wouldn’t be so damned reckless
With the words you speak
You wouldn’t silently consent
When the liars speak
Denying all the dying of the remedy

(Chorus)
Tell me, brother what matters more to you
Tell me, sister what matters more to you

If I can see what’s in your heart
By what comes out of your mouth
Then it sure looks to me like being straight
Is all it’s about
It looks like being hated
For all the wrong things
Like chasing the wind
While the pendulum swings

‘Cause we can talk and debate
Till we’re blue in the face
About the language and tradition
That He’s coming to save
And meanwhile we sit
Just like we don’t have give a shit about
Fifty thousand people who are dying today

Food

I figured today, I’ll keep in line with the namesake of my blog and steer away from the directly, or traditionally religious jargon I’ve been known for lately.  That’s assuming I’m actually “known” in the vast landscape that is the blog-o-sphere.

So let’s discuss food.  Have you ever considered where your food comes from?  Have you ever considered the purpose of food?  Is there any sort of spiritual, or even sacramental element to food?  (by sacramental, I mean, a window into the sacred)  Is it possible that there could be some sort of connection between the previous questions?  I’ll offer up a simple scenario and we’ll see where things progress from there.

If we consider the current landscape of food, especially in western culture, primarily in America, food closely reflects the values of society as a whole.  We want it now, we want it cheap and we really don’t want to have to participate in any sort of long term interaction with anyone in order to secure the purchase of these commodities.  Essentially, we accept our lot as excessive consumers and food becomes nothing more than another industry, a product, something else we buy and consume.

In my opinion, there are several issues with that line of thinking.  I’ll try to be as concise as possible here.

First of all, when we choose ignorance, we are just as guilty as if we are willfully disregard something as true and beneficial.  This refers to my original question, “have you considered where your food comes from?”  Are you aware that much of the food you “enjoy” is brought to you by the sweat of slaves?  Products like coffee and rice, among others, are largely farmed, grown and harvested for pennies on the dollar.  Many of those farmers don’t even make enough money off their product to put food on their family’s table.

Another large portion of the food we eat contains corn, and it’s probably true that most everything has some sort of corn related product in it.  You may be thinking, well, corn is a vegetable, so at least I’m getting some veggies.  That would be a solid argument if the corn that’s in everything was actually a natural product.  It’s been so massively genetically modified, that it will no longer grow in the the wild.  I mean, do you really want to be eating something that is also used to fuel your vehicle?

Then there’s the issue of the meat we eat.  The beef and chicken we eat are fed the leftovers of the corn crop.  The reason for that is we can grow them to market weight in a third of the time that natural growth allows.  That’s then were the antibiotics come in.  Animals aren’t given those to fight off infections, they boosted with antibiotics and steroids to keep them alive long enough to get them to the market for the maximum price.

Okay, so all this begs another question.  What is then the purpose of our food?  It’s my opinion that it was originally intended to bring life and healing to our bodies.  But now, I think it does just the opposite.  It sucks the life from our bodies and really doesn’t offer any sort of healing properties.  I mean, what would we look like, if when we caught a cold, if we sipped herbal tea and ate only dark, leafy greens and naturally dark colored fruits and vegetables instead of popping a pill and washing it down with a glass of hormone laced milk and genetically modified (what’s labeled as) chicken noodle soup?

That brings me then to my third question, is there something spiritual about food?  My answer is yes.  There is a connection between all these arguments.  When I am aware of where my food is coming from, purchasing only those products that were fairly produced and traded, I am participating in the life and well being of the farmers who produce my food.  I’m making sure that I’m not enjoying a delicious meal at their expense.  That is a deeply spiritual experience.  Further, when I consider the purpose of my food and the nutritional value, or lack thereof, it becomes some much more than just a routine filling of my stomach.  When we think about our food either bringing life or sucking it from me, either through bloating or Montezuma’s revenge, I’ll always choose those things that give life.

We all want to know what our purpose here on earth is.  I believe that one of the elements of our purpose is to bring life, and that, across the board.  Food is one of those ways.  I choose to support local or fairly paid farmers, I choose not to eat beef and chicken, mainly because the production of those “foods” does not in any way bring life because of the massive amount of pollutants emitted during the production process.

So, do I know where my food comes from?  For the most part, yes.  Have I considered the purpose of food?  Absolutely, and I feel so much better eating naturally, organically and fairly traded.  And do I believe there is some sort of spiritual element to food?  Without a doubt!  Would I rather be intimately connected to a farmer and his family or a production machine and hospital bed.