The rising tide of animosity...or another look at the dividing lines....

So I've been thinking a lot this week about one of the subjects I generally try to avoid...Politics. If you happen to look at my facebook profile under politics it says that I "prefer to stay neutral"...and most of the time I try to stay out of conversations that involve politics altogether because in most cases it goes from being an otherwise pleasant talk to an after school on the playground knock down drag out fight in a matter of minutes once the slightest inkling of difference is discovered. Why is that? What drives us to fall back on preconceived notions and prejudices once we learn how someone feels from a political standpoint? I don't necessarily have the answers to those two questions but I do feel that they're important to ask, especially in the world we live in today where things change so rapidly and attention spans get shorter by the second. They also serve as a jumping off point for what I'm going to focus on: my recent observations and what I think about the political climate in our world today.

As previously stated, I really don't like to talk about politics. When I look at the people around me everyday and watch the news...and read snippets and blurbs online....it becomes increasingly clear that politics is one of the topics out there that has an almost immediate dividing, polarizing effect on people the instant it enters into a conversation. While it can be humorous to think of two otherwise ordinary office coworkers stripping down and dueling it out over political views ala Fight Club, the sad reality is that it often does lead to strained relations in one form or another when politics get involved. In American society in particular it seems that we're only allowed to have two sides, Republican or Democrat, and once someone learns which side of the fence you're on then automatic assumptions are made. If you're a Republican then you must be a right wing religious fundamentalist hold over that has sold everything out to the corporate special interest groups. If you're a Democrat then you're obviously a left leaning liberal who's main interests involve humanist new age philosophy, homosexuality, and the expansion of government into all sectors of the populace. And if you just so happen to fall into one of the smaller political groups then it's just assumed you're a special brand of nut that doesn't really get any real representation or acknowledgment. I may be exaggerating the details just a bit, and it certainly sounds funny....but the sad fact is that people do judge each other with their own set of preconceived notions about a particular political view.

We had a Presidential election in 2008...and we all know the outcome. We have all been watching and talking and debating and in some cases shouting and cursing. The reactions have been both surprising and ridiculous. I have watched different people from all segments of the population and how they've reacted to our current leader in Washington DC...and I think those who have saddened me the most are my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
How can I say that? Well I guess I just don't see how pissing and moaning about our President is doing anything for the cause of Jesus. I have a hard time believing that Jesus would be spending any more time worrying about our current President than he did worrying about the political rulers of his day...which is to say, he didn't. He went about doing the work of his Father. He spent time with his disciples teaching them about the Kingdom and reaching out to the sick and the poor and the hungry. We, as followers of Jesus, should be doing the same. we should be reaching out to our friends and neighbors. we should be praying for them. we should be praying for our President, not hoping that he fails. If we believe that God has everything under control and has a plan for this world, then wouldn't Barack Obama as President be a part of the plan?

There is quite a bit more I could say...but I think it would just be me rambling. The main point I really want to make is that we need to get rid of politics altogether. it shouldn't matter if it's conservative or liberal, republican or democrat. what should matter is what's best for people. for all people. what can we do to make our country and our world a better place? It starts with people throwing out their prejudices and assumptions and talking to each other about what can be done and finding the common ground. it means that those of us who have claimed the name of Jesus as his followers start acting like it and start living the way he taught us to.

that's all for now....comments are always welcome....

Love God...Love Others...Love Yourself...

see you where the sidewalk ends....