Another week in which I feel like an alien in my own culture.
We play games instead of talking . . .
I love lions. I don't think people should hunt them unless they are hunting us. When a rogue lion kills people it is time to call a safari and bring the beast down. Lions and sharks. They are killing machines - let them kill in their domain but once they make sport of humans we should make sport of them. Unless they are a threat, hunting a lion seems pointless. It is a ridiculous accomplishment to say you followed a lion from a football-field-sized distance and shot it with a gun. Yay for you.
Of course I am referring to Cecil the Lion - a lion that was on a preserve that was shot by a Dentist on vacation. A lot of people are really angry about this. I have seen a lot of big-time rage about the lion with all the associated profanity-laced tirades about human-centered arrogance. I think it is stupid to pay $50,000 to go to Africa and shoot a majestic creature just so you can have a stuffed animal on your wall . . . but I don't know if I am ready to spit nails and rage about it.
Especially since last week we had a similarly senseless act brought to our attention in the haggling over human baby parts. If you have watched the video, there is no doubt a woman is negotiating over 'specimens' - even musing about the delight of a lowball figure paid for body parts. While eating lunch. Gross.
So what was the reaction to that?
Crickets.
Where is the outrage over this? Maybe I am weird but I think the selling of human body parts trumps whether a lion on a preserve gets shot and killed.
I wonder if it is because of years and years of this being a decidedly Christian issue that people don't want to wade into the waters on this because it will instantly become political. Is it possible that people of faith have fused morality and politics so much that those who disagree with the politics but might agree with the morals behind them can't say yes to either? Maybe people are afraid to weigh in on it and say that it is sad and disgusting because there might be a chorus of people saying, "I told you so." Or even worse - that there will be a moral tsunami pushing for prayer in school and The Ten Commandments in City Halls and new biology textbooks. So in this case silence is better than discussion for fear of the larger argument.
That is sad. Playing games instead of pursuing the truth together.
In my house when we have a problem we talk about it.
When there is an issue we confront it. The estrangement from my culture that I feel grows from examples like this in which no one is willing to speak the truth because it would translate into a bad move in the broader game of political chess that we are playing.
This is equally gross.
So how do we move on? How do we approach the truth?
Well for one, we can stop being so childish. Stop playing political games in our conversations. We may never win arguments but we can come to the truth through listening. Listening doesn't mean you have to agree. Not agreeing doesn't mean you hate. I have a friend who has very different views about that video than I do. She is passionate about her support in this area. I have twice sent her a message saying I would like to hear what she thinks of it all. I doubt she will reply - mostly because her fear of being checkmated is stronger than her desire to want to dialogue and perhaps form a new truth. I hope and pray that she one day is open to a discussion. A discussion where I can learn just as much from her as she can from me.
Because until then we are just playing games.
No comments:
Post a Comment