Thoughts on a Monday Morning
When Hiromi chuckles while reading Japan Yahoo News (in Japanese, of course), it's worth asking "What's funny?" The answer might be a story.
Hiromi read an article this morning about how expensive it is to equip a high school student to begin a school year in Japan. It costs about $700.00, and includes school uniforms, slippers to wear inside the school building (because shoes are always taken off upon entering), and a backpack. The part that caught his eye was mention of the fact that siblings cannot share supplies since each class uses a different color. "Do you know who started that?" Hiromi asked. Here's the story.
When Hiromi was in high school, the older students had a nasty habit of reinforcing their superior position in the school hierarchy by stealing slippers from younger students. As student council president, Hiromi suggested that a strip of colored paint be applied to each slipper. Colors would vary by class. That way if a senior was wearing a slipper with the wrong color stripe, his "sin" would be obvious. The idea was implemented, and many years later, when he and I went back to that high school, Hiromi saw that the practice was being maintained. This morning he saw that it is being practiced "everywhere" in Japan.
Hiromi did not foresee this particular consequence (making school more expensive), but he is pleased that others liked his original idea.
***************
Our church learned of an unexpected tie to the shootings at the Excel Plant in Hesston several weeks ago. Several years ago a couple from our church had a young foster child named John (Jon?), who was placed elsewhere after several months. John is now four years old and was living with his father. The father was one of the three people killed by the shooter on that terrible day recently when four people died and fourteen more were injured. The shooter was killed by a policeman.
***************
Yesterday we heard about an online student of Kathy T.'s who ran away from home. She lives in the Abbyville area. Abbyville is about three miles from our home.
Kathy solicits prayer warriors who would like to "adopt" one of her 95 students to pray for regularly.
**************
My brother Lowell is headed to Nigeria next week to help conduct a pastor's seminar. He requests prayer for the preparation, the logistics, and the event itself.
**************
I read an article recently that asserted that trauma is processed differently in the brain than other kinds of experiences. My takeaway (seen through a decidedly non-professional lens) is that other experiences can be piggy-backed onto knowledge gained through past experiences--resulting in true learning, but trauma is senseless and cannot be successfully integrated into what is already present in the brain. So it's walled off instead in a compartment all by itself, and left unprocessed.
Reminders of the trauma can resurface later and, since the trauma has never really been processed, it can have unexpected and devastating results. One of the books I'd like to read for further insight is: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk.
*************
When I was a freshman at Sterling College, one of the two upperclassmen who led the orientation group I was part of was Paula. She lives in the Newton, KS area and we keep in touch through Facebook.
Paula's father died recently at the age of 94. He was a retired physician in Oklahoma, and a devout Christian. Many, many of his friends and former patients speak very highly of him.
What I did not know till Paula posted a picture on Facebook today is that the doctor who died recently was also the son and the father of a doctor. In the picture, the youngest doctor in the Graves family was being "hooded" by both his father and grandfather in an academic ceremony.
When Paula posted news of her father's death, she said this: The man who delivered me (literally), took care of my owies, took care of hundreds of other people's owies is in the presence of the Great Physician. What about you? Do you know where you will spend eternity? John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son; whoever believes on Him shall have eternal life."
My sense is that faith and service have run through this family's veins for generations, and humanity is better for it. What a legacy!
****************
Several weeks ago I read a piece on authoritarianism in relation to the present political climate in America. Today I read a more extensive article on the subject here at Vox.com. I recommend the article, which was published on March 1, 2016.
I see authoritarianism in a generally negative light. Just now I realize that this has been the case for me ever since I heard the distinction made between authoritarianism and authoritativeness. Being authoritative is a good thing, as I see it. The first definition for "authoritative" that popped up on Google is this: able to be trusted as being accurate or true; reliable In contrast, "authoritarian" has this first definition: favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom
As a governing principle, authoritarianism is expressed most authentically in totalitarian dictatorships--certainly not in functioning democracies. Authoritativeness can be expressed in government by individuals in a wide variety of roles by anyone who is accurate, true, and reliable--operating with integrity, in other words.
****************
The biggest mystery for me has been the support Trump has found among Christian people, some of whom I love and trust in matters other than politics. In what Christian universe does Trump loyalty make even the tiniest bit of sense? This man boasts about his own immoral behavior, spews vulgarities on a public stage, advocates violations of international law, belittles others while bragging insufferably about himself, and advocates banishing whole classes of people from America. This is only a sampling of the most-easily documentable behaviors. In families, churches, and schools, these characteristics would disqualify any candidate aspiring to leadership.
Another mystery is how seemingly intelligent people find the man's candidacy appealing. Words seem to fall out of his mouth completely unfiltered. He announces bizarre policy positions that don't have a remote possibility of being implemented (having Mexico pay for that 20-foot-high wall that is to be built along the entire 1,933-mile Mexico-US border) and he flip-flops regularly between one announcement and its exact opposite. Teachers of debate or graders of research papers would assign failing grades to students who presented ideas like this.
Grand promises like insuring safety and prosperity require a lot more than the force of a leader's personality to accomplish--which seems to be the sum and substance behind Trump's guarantees.
Careful linguistic analysis has pegged Trump's speeches at a sixth-grade level, based on evaluation of his vocabulary and sentence length. Even when the content is not reminiscent of a three-year-old's temper tantrum, this man's expression is child-like. Such expression is not a problem of course if you're actually twelve years old. It's not evidence of suitability for the presidency though.
What is it that makes people willing to set aside Christian values and ordinary standards of credibility and rationality in support of a rogue political personality?
One glaringly obvious thing that occurred to me recently is that when people listen only to others who support one's presuppositions, they can easily leap to the conclusion that the "whole world" thinks like this, or at least anyone who is like me thinks like this. I see big red flags if a person hears and trusts only a single news or analysis perspective. Accessing a broad spectrum of sources has great value in getting at the truth.
The article referenced above identifies another possible revelation of the mystery. It turns out that Trump support correlates strongly with a bent toward authoritarianism. A population with a bent toward authoritarianism has implications not only for this election but for many substantive issues which have far-reaching repercussions, even beyond this time and beyond this country's borders. Furthermore, in the presence of a significant threat, the appeal of authoritarianism is strengthened. What we have now in the US is a lot of fear-dominated responses--thanks in part to a plethora of fear-mongering rhetoric from news networks and elsewhere. In the late 1930s, the situation in Germany was very similar. Shudder.
One quote from the article sums up what I've often thought and sometimes heard from others about this election cycle and the Trump candidacy: ". . . what's scariest is not the candidate, but rather the extent and fervor of his support."
Who we are and what we value matters a great deal. If we are to be salt and light, our security in Christ, our love for truth, our generosity toward other people, and our commitment to living lives of integrity must be valued above any political purposes or positions. May God help us remember.
Hiromi read an article this morning about how expensive it is to equip a high school student to begin a school year in Japan. It costs about $700.00, and includes school uniforms, slippers to wear inside the school building (because shoes are always taken off upon entering), and a backpack. The part that caught his eye was mention of the fact that siblings cannot share supplies since each class uses a different color. "Do you know who started that?" Hiromi asked. Here's the story.
When Hiromi was in high school, the older students had a nasty habit of reinforcing their superior position in the school hierarchy by stealing slippers from younger students. As student council president, Hiromi suggested that a strip of colored paint be applied to each slipper. Colors would vary by class. That way if a senior was wearing a slipper with the wrong color stripe, his "sin" would be obvious. The idea was implemented, and many years later, when he and I went back to that high school, Hiromi saw that the practice was being maintained. This morning he saw that it is being practiced "everywhere" in Japan.
Hiromi did not foresee this particular consequence (making school more expensive), but he is pleased that others liked his original idea.
***************
Our church learned of an unexpected tie to the shootings at the Excel Plant in Hesston several weeks ago. Several years ago a couple from our church had a young foster child named John (Jon?), who was placed elsewhere after several months. John is now four years old and was living with his father. The father was one of the three people killed by the shooter on that terrible day recently when four people died and fourteen more were injured. The shooter was killed by a policeman.
***************
Yesterday we heard about an online student of Kathy T.'s who ran away from home. She lives in the Abbyville area. Abbyville is about three miles from our home.
Kathy solicits prayer warriors who would like to "adopt" one of her 95 students to pray for regularly.
**************
My brother Lowell is headed to Nigeria next week to help conduct a pastor's seminar. He requests prayer for the preparation, the logistics, and the event itself.
**************
I read an article recently that asserted that trauma is processed differently in the brain than other kinds of experiences. My takeaway (seen through a decidedly non-professional lens) is that other experiences can be piggy-backed onto knowledge gained through past experiences--resulting in true learning, but trauma is senseless and cannot be successfully integrated into what is already present in the brain. So it's walled off instead in a compartment all by itself, and left unprocessed.
Reminders of the trauma can resurface later and, since the trauma has never really been processed, it can have unexpected and devastating results. One of the books I'd like to read for further insight is: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk.
*************
When I was a freshman at Sterling College, one of the two upperclassmen who led the orientation group I was part of was Paula. She lives in the Newton, KS area and we keep in touch through Facebook.
Paula's father died recently at the age of 94. He was a retired physician in Oklahoma, and a devout Christian. Many, many of his friends and former patients speak very highly of him.
What I did not know till Paula posted a picture on Facebook today is that the doctor who died recently was also the son and the father of a doctor. In the picture, the youngest doctor in the Graves family was being "hooded" by both his father and grandfather in an academic ceremony.
When Paula posted news of her father's death, she said this: The man who delivered me (literally), took care of my owies, took care of hundreds of other people's owies is in the presence of the Great Physician. What about you? Do you know where you will spend eternity? John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son; whoever believes on Him shall have eternal life."
My sense is that faith and service have run through this family's veins for generations, and humanity is better for it. What a legacy!
****************
Several weeks ago I read a piece on authoritarianism in relation to the present political climate in America. Today I read a more extensive article on the subject here at Vox.com. I recommend the article, which was published on March 1, 2016.
I see authoritarianism in a generally negative light. Just now I realize that this has been the case for me ever since I heard the distinction made between authoritarianism and authoritativeness. Being authoritative is a good thing, as I see it. The first definition for "authoritative" that popped up on Google is this: able to be trusted as being accurate or true; reliable In contrast, "authoritarian" has this first definition: favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, especially that of the government, at the expense of personal freedom
As a governing principle, authoritarianism is expressed most authentically in totalitarian dictatorships--certainly not in functioning democracies. Authoritativeness can be expressed in government by individuals in a wide variety of roles by anyone who is accurate, true, and reliable--operating with integrity, in other words.
****************
I have not been able to make sense of the Donald Trump popularity phenomenon at all. I've read dozens of news and opinion articles and listened to some Trump speeches and candidate debates. The image that comes to mind is that of a loose cannon, careening wildly about, discharging volley after volley of lethal projectiles, at every twist and turn trailed by a cheering crowd--even when the cannon balls land in crowds of horror-struck and panicked people.
The biggest mystery for me has been the support Trump has found among Christian people, some of whom I love and trust in matters other than politics. In what Christian universe does Trump loyalty make even the tiniest bit of sense? This man boasts about his own immoral behavior, spews vulgarities on a public stage, advocates violations of international law, belittles others while bragging insufferably about himself, and advocates banishing whole classes of people from America. This is only a sampling of the most-easily documentable behaviors. In families, churches, and schools, these characteristics would disqualify any candidate aspiring to leadership.
Another mystery is how seemingly intelligent people find the man's candidacy appealing. Words seem to fall out of his mouth completely unfiltered. He announces bizarre policy positions that don't have a remote possibility of being implemented (having Mexico pay for that 20-foot-high wall that is to be built along the entire 1,933-mile Mexico-US border) and he flip-flops regularly between one announcement and its exact opposite. Teachers of debate or graders of research papers would assign failing grades to students who presented ideas like this.
Grand promises like insuring safety and prosperity require a lot more than the force of a leader's personality to accomplish--which seems to be the sum and substance behind Trump's guarantees.
Careful linguistic analysis has pegged Trump's speeches at a sixth-grade level, based on evaluation of his vocabulary and sentence length. Even when the content is not reminiscent of a three-year-old's temper tantrum, this man's expression is child-like. Such expression is not a problem of course if you're actually twelve years old. It's not evidence of suitability for the presidency though.
What is it that makes people willing to set aside Christian values and ordinary standards of credibility and rationality in support of a rogue political personality?
One glaringly obvious thing that occurred to me recently is that when people listen only to others who support one's presuppositions, they can easily leap to the conclusion that the "whole world" thinks like this, or at least anyone who is like me thinks like this. I see big red flags if a person hears and trusts only a single news or analysis perspective. Accessing a broad spectrum of sources has great value in getting at the truth.
The article referenced above identifies another possible revelation of the mystery. It turns out that Trump support correlates strongly with a bent toward authoritarianism. A population with a bent toward authoritarianism has implications not only for this election but for many substantive issues which have far-reaching repercussions, even beyond this time and beyond this country's borders. Furthermore, in the presence of a significant threat, the appeal of authoritarianism is strengthened. What we have now in the US is a lot of fear-dominated responses--thanks in part to a plethora of fear-mongering rhetoric from news networks and elsewhere. In the late 1930s, the situation in Germany was very similar. Shudder.
One quote from the article sums up what I've often thought and sometimes heard from others about this election cycle and the Trump candidacy: ". . . what's scariest is not the candidate, but rather the extent and fervor of his support."
Who we are and what we value matters a great deal. If we are to be salt and light, our security in Christ, our love for truth, our generosity toward other people, and our commitment to living lives of integrity must be valued above any political purposes or positions. May God help us remember.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
12:21 PM
1 Comments:
I so agree on the Trump views-what are Christians thinking when they support a man of that caliber? I've heard very conservative Christians throw their support to Trump...I just don't get it!
By
Joyce, at 3/08/2016
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