What can we do against so much hate?

     

     There's so much hatred in the world that it feels daunting at times to even address it.  Civility, tolerance, liberty from oppression - these are all concepts our world is lacking despite claims to the contrary.  I've been deeply saddened by the slew of anti-gay rhetoric and violence that doesn't seem to be abating.  Not to mention the ways that even mainstream media and politics treats members of the LGBT community as second-class citizens.  These are our neighbors, family members, friends - human beings who are mistreated by their own communities for no good reason.  Many of us are appalled by how the homosexual community has been treated, we are just drowned out by a vocal minority who are hateful and profoundly unhappy.  I am ashamed that I haven't done more to address this human rights issue, so let me start with this: for all ways in which I have been complicit in our culture of hate and intolerance, I am profoundly sorry.  

     A couple things worth checking out if you want to stop the work of those working against the LGBT community.  Check out whiteknot.org if you want to learn how to support the equal right to marry, or GLAAD if you want to donate to support the work of those stemming the tide of anti-gay images and words in the media. For those struggling with their own sexual identities, you are not alone and despite the vitriole, there is a huge community of people who love and support you.  I'll leave you with this statement from a Christian rally in Florida that happened 2 days ago: "Too many times, religion has been used to demonize and persecute LGBT people, just as religion has and continues to be used to justify oppression of other communities. But we’re not standing for this and we’re not staying silent. The Gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to work for justice, inclusion and right relationship for all people, and all means all."

The Mechanization of Me

Haven't been blogging lately, due in part to my long weekend in Los Angeles.  I love the pastoral landscape of Northern California, where I now live, but nothing beats the vibrance and electricity of Los Angeles.  I've returned with a strong desire to push myself mentally beyond what I've been comfortable with in the past.  Been thinking through a lot of stuff lately, most of it slowly congealing around books I've been reading. Currently opened in my lap is a book by Carolyn de la Peña entitled The Body Electric.  Not too far in at the moment - halfway or so - but the author is exploring questions which have plagued my underdeveloped frontal lobe in the past month or two. The author examines the slow but inevitable explanation of "the body as a system of interlocking parts, each of which depended on the others for growth and sustainability." (23)  This mechanization of the body in our cultural psyche, along with the industrial age's desire to make the "machines" bigger, better, and more efficient led to a variety of strange invigorating technologies in the modern world.  Perhaps what is most enjoyable to me, is reading someone who doesn't feel the need to be prescriptive every step of the way.  Questions of the immanence of technology in human culture, the supposed benevolence of machines, and our evolutionary telos arise, but de la Peña shows an attention to history and its resulting trajectory that offers no easy answer.  And for those of us surrounded by so much ignorance and misinformation, it's a breath of fresh air.  I'm sure I'll have more to say later, but I have a book to enjoy at the moment.