Today is Easter. I’ll get to that. But first an apology.
Last Sunday’s post (The Strangest Dream) disturbed some readers. It was intended as satire, which is “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics.”
Some readers didn’t see it that way.
Some saw the humor but thought it was in poor taste. Democracy is under serious threat. And that’s not funny.
Some thought I was advocating violence to save the United States from MAGA. In my dream, Biden, taking advantage of his opponent’s claim that the president has “full and absolute immunity from any crimes while in office,” shot his opponent dead and then, in quick order, assassinated certain notorious icons from the obnoxious right. In my dream, they, not immigrants, were the ones “poisoning American blood.”
(Ha! Good one!)
Some thought I had made coolheaded Biden out to be a closeted tyrant, untrustworthy, sinister. In my dream, he ruled America like a king, but benevolently. “You can call me Uncle Joe.”
(Ha! Good one. Do I detect a subtle reference to Joseph “Uncle Joe” Stalin?)
Actually, I thought the piece was ludicrous—and funny—with an edge. Nevertheless, I don’t want to make things worse for anyone barely hanging on in these stressful times. And if I did, I am sorry.
These are troubling times.
In fact, one reader, a self-avowed Christian, confessed that she’d leave the country if the antichrist is reelected. And that led me to think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Bonhoeffer was a German pastor. During the rise of Hitler, he was a student in the United States. He could have remained here. But he returned to be with his people in their troubling time—to stand with them against the horror.
Bonhoeffer wrote The Cost of Discipleship (1939). Jesus, he said, calls us to take up our cross daily and follow him, to make good trouble in troubling times, to stand courageously against injustice while (somehow) loving our enemies.
Participate, don’t spectate!
Bonhoeffer died daily with Jesus and rose daily with Jesus to confront injustice with love and courage. He joined the resistance. For that he was hanged at age 39 on April 9, 1945.
Today is Easter. Let love arise. Take hope. Take joy. Be fully alive. Jesus rises daily in the hearts of countless souls making good trouble.
The call to be part of the change you want to see. Participate. As you said “ballots not bullets” Happy Easter.
I’m reminded of the vehement reaction that the English elite gave the publication of Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”. Briefly, since most readers of this blog probably recall studying “Proposal” in school, Swift ventured that the best way to solve the “Irish problem” of chronic poverty and literally starvation was to fatten children for slaughter by creating a niche cuisine of suckling child and then adding this new delicacy to the Irish gross national product. Many of English upper curst would have gladly had Swift, an Englishman raised in Ireland, hanged and quartered if they could’ve got away with it. Some at first took it literally. However, most of the negative reaction was to having their conscience piqued because they knew that the luxurious life they were enjoying resulted from draining the natural resources of Ireland, including literally the physical land itself, for their own benefit. (Of course, there was a hefty dose of religious bias against Catholics at play here as well.) So let’s give three cheers for social satirists. They do us a great service. Then we can cease to rest on our laurels and get about the renewal that Easter promises. Beauty is blooming in profusion all around us. We survived the winter in order to live and fight another day. Transformation is waiting for us once we get off our duffs and set about making this a better world for all to live in. It doesn’t take much. Remember. “Drops of water turn a mill.”
He would die daily, & rise daily… making good trouble; and like Jesus, he was hanged for it.
I would like to be that brave – to choose to face down evil on a daily basis.
It scares me; it saddens me daily.
It seems the best I can do is rise daily; some days I shine…other days I struggle to find the light…
I see the light in others and it feeds my soul. I do a simple kindness and it feeds my soul.
I don’t look for trouble, because it’s there and I know it.
I look for the Peacemakers…
I admire the brave ones… I cheer them… I recognize them.
Bless the Peacemakers…and Bless us all…
Another thoughtful morning with the Devils Gift !
Easter, at least to me, is more about life after birth than life after death. The symbolism of an empty tomb points to the possibility of a full life—that is, being fully alive to the pain and glory of life and walking in “newness of life.”
One manifestation of this “newness” is, when misunderstandings occur, the grace to apologize and correct any possible misinterpretations. An apology takes sensitivity, humility and openness. Thank you for embodying that spirit on this Easter morning and “making all things new.” Happy Easter!
I will share my thoughts, oh lovely people. You make me happy. Thank you for the apology, but it was just a dream (nightmare?) The point, The ex-president said “a president should be immune to everything”, so the sitting president took him up on it to make a point. The vision of Joe doing a shooting…though…probably wasn’t a good vision for us in this complicated, confusing time, but we get it…you are forgiven, Randy, you didn’t mean to disturb anyone. And you have the democratic right to have that dream, and share it with us. And we got to share what we thought about it. We are also all very sensitive these days. I have decided (recently) to watch democray at work and try not to rant and rave. It is painfully slow and messy as Obama has reminded us, but democracy is out there…in the Jan. 6 committee, in the Liz Cheney’s, In the many judges, the many unamed citizens…in us. An ex-president was arrested with a well researched conviction… he is out on bale, free to create big circus rallies with the money of his “don’t tread on me” supporters. (democracy) He was to pay a huge fine (he says he has the money) but it’s been revealed in huge public display, that he does not have the money, no one wants to loan to him, his assets look too risky. (he’s a loser) We are watching DT (an accused criminal) made to appear in court like any citizen. Albeit fanfare and bravado with the black limos and chest thumping outside the court room (democracy again). With all it’s complications, time, lawyers, and research, the tasks are being done. And we the citizens, are allowed to scrutinize. That is democracy. That court system isn’t treating DT like a King or JC. They are chipping away. All kinds of citizens (like me, right here) have a voice. I am going to watch us vote, probably the most deligent voting ever, and we will see if democracy can prevail and we can all talk about it. Thanks for the space.
On an Easter morn years ago, when I was in good sitting if not standing in the Presbyterian church, a group met across the river, walked down the towpath to an accessible river plot. We prayed. We sang. We peered through the morning fog. Seeing what we could and imagining what we could not. We were a community on the move, then standing, then moving anew. My hope is that our community, our America will do the same.
Currently, we are knee deep in the mud. Kind thoughts and forgiveness for those who trespass against us are tough to come by.
“Consider the source” was the first advice I got from Mom for dealing with adversity. I didn’t know it was adversity per se. Back then, it was playground upmanship over important kid stuff. “Your mother wears combat boots” was a powerful retort.
In these times, our playground bully has a $60 dollar Bible in one hand and anger in his heart. He is desperate and afraid, wailing away in hopes of saving himself above all others.
For me, on this day, I will try hard to abide by the counsel: Let love arise. Take hope, Take joy. Be fully alive. But I can’t make any promises on how I will feel tomorrow.
Rise daily
For the least of these
Rise for peace
Live for love
Love one another
To follow Jesus
You gotta carry a cross
The Good News
Is that the cross is love
Happy Easter!
Today, Easter provides a ritual among all sacred practices that declares a universal truth: All human beings are given, freely, the opportunity for personal reflection, reclamation, and integration of our light and our dark energies and our shadows (that contain both) so that we may experience personal resurrection from “death of the old self.” It is meant to be a glorious time of transcendence, of palpable internal change as we progress on our sacred journeys. If we were all whole as adults, there’d be no need–and no need to be here! This interconnected community is an invaluable “Humans’ Gift,” as together, we present a whole human face of the sacred. Reflections, minus judgments or apologies, remind us of the the need and the gift of transcendent consciousness, made possible by “the greatest of these, Love.” I am immeasurably grateful to be part of this conscious Love Fest today. Happy Eastering to All. 🙏🏼
Oh – thank you. “Let love arise. Take hope. Take joy. Be fully alive.”
A beautiful quote from Gerard Maney Hopkins at the end of an editorial by Marilynne Robinson today in the Washington Post: “There lives the dearest freshness deep down things.”
May it be so.
I didn’t see your last post, but I understand wanting to saterize the crazyness that is going on today. My granddaughter left the USA two years ago because she was afraid the man would get elected again. Two years in Thailand, and now she’s moving to Greece! I think about Costa Rica, but so are many others. And gosh, I’m 82! Would really rather not move again. So yeah, I can see many are distressed to the point of not being able to make light.