The Bunny in the Bramble Patch

The Blog March is on! Organized by Robin Renee, we are blogging in celebration of freedom of expression, knowledge and information.

Each Day in May, a new writer will join the March. Visit Robin Renee’s blog to read more about the Blog March, and find the master list of blog marchers.

May 1 is Kevin Patterson, and May 3 will be Domino Valdano.

I’m the marcher for May 2. Thanks for marching along with me.

Yesterday was May First. Celebrated as International Worker’s Day, it’s the cross-quarter day between the Vernal Equinox and the Summer Solstice.

When I was a child, we celebrated May Day by creating paper “May baskets” and hanging them on the doors of neighbors and loved ones. Later, I discovered this tradition was a holdover from the Pagan celebration of Beltane, or Beltaine.

As a young adult, I began celebrating Beltane with my friends, complete with a Maypole. When my son was born on May 4, Beltane became a time to celebrate his birthday, too.

For my son’s third birthday, my friends and I agreed to gather at Kettletown State Park in Connecticut for a celebration. There would be birthday cake and games for the kids, guitars, drums and wine for the adults, and a pot luck picnic for everyone.

We all brought colorful ribbons, and my friends who had a truck brought a large pole.

The Maypole dance was the focal point of the day. We laughed, danced, drummed and chanted our way around the pole, weaving the ribbons in and out. Kids blew bubbles and pulled their younger siblings in wagons around the outer circle, joined by our family dogs, gleeful to be part of the festivities.

Afterwards, a few of us walked up to the meadow beyond the space we had claimed, where we saw another group also celebrating Beltane.

This group was dressed all in black and white robes.  Their Maypole was a solemn affair, with black and white alternating ribbons. They moved with precision, creating an equal balance of light and dark as they danced silently with each other.

We marveled that, in this small Connecticut town, there were two groups celebrating Beltane in the same park. Our two groups could not have been any more different. One, somber, precise and traditional, in black and white. The other, playful and colorful, in tie-dye.

At the end, one Maypole stood woven in black and white, the other was a mishmash of rainbows.

Neither of these was the right way to celebrate Beltane, nor was either the wrong way.  One way appealed to my friends and me, the other way appealed to our new friends.

Our two groups enjoyed a conversation and a beverage together, and then we each continued our own celebrations.

We didn’t argue about the one true way to celebrate Beltane, nor suggest that anyone’s deities or ancestors might be offended. We shared a drink, enjoyed our commonalities and honored our differences.

Folks all around the world seem to have a hard time doing what we so naturally did that day nearly 23 years ago – enjoying the things we have in common and finding ways to work together despite our differences. In some ways, our divisions seem to have a dangerous new intensity. Worse, those divisions seem to be fueled by the proliferation of fake news and alternative facts. When truth is only a matter of opinion, it’s easy to confuse people into swallowing a party line rather than making reasoned decisions.

There are many unprecedented components that seemed to have contributed to our current state of division, as a nation and as a planet. Digital media, the 24-hour news cycle, and significant wage disparity all seem factors in our growing division and distrust.

There is also a longstanding aspect of human nature that may require some evolution if we are going to become a peaceful planet with a sustainable future.  

That aspect is our binary world view. We are trained to view everything in terms of good versus bad, and us versus them.

Binary is a basic concept of our existence. As young people, we learn about opposites in absolute terms. The black and white ribbons and robes of the Maypole express this energy of balance between opposites.

When we look at today’s problems, and perhaps, our problems throughout history, we see that much trouble may come from that polarity of our thinking which naturally divides us.

Sometimes we don’t find solutions in the black and white, we need to look to the full spectrum for answers.

We see the obvious problems with a binary world view in our own American two-party political process. Perhaps America is too complex to be labeled as simply “conservative” or “liberal”, “red” or “blue”.

That polarity led us to our unwinnable election. With all the talent and intelligence in the United States, we ended up with a choice between the Pumpkin and the Pantsuit. It may as well have been a choice between Zap Brannigan and Mom from Futurama, or President Snow and President Coin from The Hunger Games. South Park echoed our frustration with a plot line about an election between “Giant Douche” and “Turd Sandwich”.

Maybe the system of absolutes, where your only options are on or off, one or zero, male or female, up or down, doesn’t always work in a diverse world.

Perhaps as we evolve as a species, binary needs to break down. Perhaps we need more than two major political parties. Maybe we need to find fluidity between two poles, rather than being stuck on one end or the other.

That fluidity can be helpful in navigating the wide set of human experiences. When it comes to separating fact from fiction in our world of fake news and alternative facts, though, fluidity doesn’t seem to serve truth.

One of the greatest of all binaries is true versus false. It also the one to which people are most likely to add artificial fluidity when it serves their agenda.

There are different kinds of truths, too.

There are quantifiable truths, such as how many people attended an event.

There are philosophical truths such as “all people are created equal” which, clearly some do not hold as truth.

There’s the truth of what happened in a particular moment, where each person’s perception colors their version of the event. We see this on a grand scale when we watch the news-as-entertainment cable stations each highlight and present news stories in a way that obviously favors their political leaning.

We all experience things differently, and perceive things differently.

Pete Seeger used say that truth was like a “rabbit in a bramble patch.” You can point at it, you can circle around it, you know it’s in there somewhere, but it’s impossible to get your hands around it’s furry, squirmy body.

That we can’t always identify truth scares some people. Those people often find comfort in dogmatic religions and authoritarian leaders – the very things that suppress the truth by feeding us doctrine.

As a society, we complicate our search for truth by raising our children to confuse myth with fact, training generation after generation to believe the fantastic over the logical.

There is something within us that causes us to long for answers, to feel safe identifying with a group, and to cling to stories that support our beliefs, even if neither the stories nor beliefs reflect actual truth.

In the end, our survival as a species may depend on our ability to move beyond our “us and them” mentality, and to understand that we will never all share the same perspective, and we will never agree on what is true. Yet, we can still find a way to live and work together.

As black and white breaks into the spectrum of rainbow possibilities, there is only one binary set that remains. It’s not the eternal struggle between good and evil – that has always been a false construct based on perspective.

The one binary that becomes defining of our precarious future is love versus fear. These are true opposites.

If we focus on fear, those loose boundaries will terrify us, perhaps, ultimately, to the point of our own extinction.

If we focus on love over fear, we can maybe agree on the important truths, like basic human rights. We can learn to tolerate our differences around the smaller truths, like how we worship and what we value.

Some of us had, at one time, imagined and longed for a future in the crunchy granola world that Marlo Thomas sang about during the 1970s; that land where we were all free to be you and me.

That future vision turned out not to be so one-size-fits-all.

Now, when we look to the future, our vision of utopia needs to be replaced with a new paradigm where we simply get along and respect each other.

Perhaps, If we each strive to love more than we fear, we can end this time of division, and all agree that the bunny is alive and well in the bramble patch. 

Thanks for joining Blog March 2017! Make sure you march along each day this month to see what all the contributors have to say!

An Eagle Needs Two Wings to Fly

I usually enjoy election season. Voting is like being a soldier in a bloodless revolution every few years. Of course, my chosen candidates don’t always win, but, to me, that’s not really the point. I don’t think patriotism can exist without participation, and voting is the clearest way to actively participate in the process. That sometimes less than fifty percent of eligible voters actually show up at the polls sickens me. So often, those who don’t vote still manage to loudly voice political opinions, without realizing how badly they, themselves, have failed their country by avoiding their electoral responsibility.

I have always loved political discourse. Over the past few years, that sort of intelligent conversation with people who share differing views seems to be less and less possible. Where once we seemed to understand that free speech meant listening to each other rather than yelling at each other, most forums of discourse (including presidential debates) now resemble kindergarten sandbox brawls.

I’m embarrassed by our behavior on the world stage. I am stunned that necessary compromise is often seen as weakness instead of strength, and that growth in understanding is often seen as disloyalty, as if, once formed, opinions should never change or evolve.

One thing that strikes me is the amount of name-calling and disrespect that people hurl at each other over political differences. When I ask proponents of particular ideologies to enumerate their opponents’ reasons for disagreeing with their stances, the answers I hear, invariably, are insults that show no understanding of the issues.

“They don’t agree because they are stupid.”

“They are simply filled with hatred”.

“They are lazy people who want free stuff.”

“They are evil”.

“They just hate America”.

If a person cannot make an argument for their position without name-calling and finger-pointing, how valid can their position possibly be?

If a person doesn’t take the time to understand their opposition’s point of view, how can they effectively represent their own interests, and how evolved can their own stance really be?

It’s impossible to consider American politics without thinking about the political spectrum which we describe as right and left, or more recently and more divisively, as blue and red.

I think all countries function best when there is a balance between the left and the right, and when both sides can compromise and work together. That we have villainized those who try to cross the isle in Washington to do just that is a sign of how sick we have become.

The question is, how did we get to this place of pedantic name-calling, and how can we fix it?

I believe the political spectrum describes natural human traits, all of which are needed for the survival of the community.

Virtually every American has the best interest of their country at heart. We may disagree about what is best for our country, but we all want our country to be the best it can be. We have to use that understanding to treat each other with the respect that has sadly gone out of style.

Imagine a small village in ancient times. Within that village, different people would have different personalities, and would be concerned about different things.

Some folks would be primarily concerned with the safety of the village. They might worry that a neighboring village would invade. They might be concerned that the village would have enough food and fuel for the winter.

These folks, concerned with security and basic resources, would take responsibility to guard the village, and make sure the food storehouses were full and safe.

Other folks wouldn’t find it in their nature to be so worried about safety. Their primary interest might be the general well-being of the population.  They might concern themselves with educating the children, entertaining the community and providing care to the sick and injured. They would be able to effectively minister to the well-being of the community because those security-conscious people kept the community and its resources safe.

The security people, likewise, would understand and appreciate the value that the education, medicine and entertainment brought to the community.

In our modern American society, those concerned with security are likely to identify as Republican, or “Red”, while those concerned with health care, education and general well-being are likely to identify as Democrat, or “Blue”.

In our mythical village, it is clear that neither type of person is evil. It’s clear that the community needs both types of people to thrive.

Here in the US, we have plenty of Blue people, and plenty of Red people. So why aren’t we thriving?

I think there are three specific reasons our precious eagle’s wings are so battered we can’t fly.

1.       Dumbing Down America

There was a time in our nation’s recent history when we really valued education. After Sputnik, the race to the moon was on. We won that race by making quality education a national priority. Arguably, an unintended secondary result was the youth movement of the 1960s. Since then, education has been vilified as “elitist” and “unnecessary”.

2.       Changes in News and Media

Cable news and the 24-hour news cycles has removed all hope for unbiased reporting, and replaced it with news-as-entertainment. This forms the conversations we have at the water cooler and online, without actually informing anyone.

3.       Mixing Religion and Politics

In any country, it’s often the most superstitious, extreme religious sects who want to frame and lead the national conversation. Let’s face it, if you believe that God sends natural disasters, war and illness as a punishment for particular behaviors, you are going to make preventing those behaviors a matter of national security.

While our national conversation has always honored a Higher Power, the hijacking of the Right Wing to serve the agenda of Evangelical Christianity was craftily planned and executed, much to the disappointment of many right wing politicians and moderate Christians.

In 1994, far-right Republican Senator Barry Goldwater, said, “Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them.”

 Goldwater’s words seem eerily prophetic today.

We have to respect the belief sets of others. At the same time, suggesting that we should elect officials who will prevent an angry God from punishing our nation makes as much sense as sacrificing a virgin to ensure a good harvest.

We can see how the confluence of these three problems have created the problems we face today.  Perhaps we can blame our unwillingness to fund education, to truly understand world events and to legislate according to the needs of the people rather than the perceived demands of an angry God, on one huge American problem.

What is that huge problem?

It’s greed.

Over the years, the wage gap between the heads of corporations and their lowest-paid workers has increased dramatically. We’re OK with that, because even the poorest of us is trained to admire the wealthy, and to believe that they, too, could one day be a member of that millionaire’s club.

Perhaps, the fundamental reason our national community is so dysfunctional is that we are all working to create wealth for just a few people. It happens that those people own the media, so they get to shape the conversation that keeps us in a place of fear.

We can thwart their efforts.

Turn off the television, and talk with your neighbor. Listen to people who disagree with you. Don’t quote soundbites, discuss issues.

Educate yourself about issues by reading material from many different sources. And yes, I said READ. Don’t watch cable news and believe yourself to be “informed”.

Don’t share inflammatory memes on social media unless you are willing to have polite conversation about your views, and listen to opposing views.

Resist the urge to unfriend people on social media who disagree with you. Perhaps, instead, you could find common ground with them, or learn something from them.

Honor folks with conservative values for their real concern for our safety and security.

Honor folks with liberal values for their real concern for our overall well-being.

We need both the left and the right in order to thrive. Let’s respect each other and work together. If we can learn to do this as average citizens, perhaps our elected leaders might follow our example.

It is possible to be united as a nation, even when our citizens hold diverse beliefs and values. 

Not only is this sort of unity possible, it is absolutely vital. 

Election Day

It’s Election Day. First thing this morning, I walked to the polls to cast my vote for Mosquito Control Commissioner. There were other things on the ballot, too. Jon Stewart has been having a field day with our gubernatorial contest here in Florida; I can’t say I blame him.

Election Day is always somewhat romantic for me. I remember being a child and accompanying my mother in the old-fashioned voting booth. I remember her telling me about the sacred duty that I too, would one day have.

I brought my son to vote with me. He votes now. The other day he told me that young people would decide the future of Florida. It was a proud moment.

My son votes early. Most of my friends use the mail-in ballot now. I appreciate the shorter lines at the polls.

There is something about Election Day, about the actual process of coming together with my community to cast our ballots, which feels sacred to me.

It freaks me out when people chose not to vote. They often take an air of moral superiority, suggesting that the process is so broken they don’t want to sully themselves by participating in it.

I live in Florida. Believe me; I know the system is broken.

However, staying away from the polls won’t fix the problems. Staying away from the polls only makes the problems worse.

Yes, people died fighting for my right to choose between Rick Scott and Charlie Crist. It’s a sad state of affairs.

But it’s sadder still when people chose not to participate.