I have learned through repeated trial and error that some people just can't be reached; at least not by me. I hold them in my heart and pray that someone much wiser and more clever than myself can get through to them eventually.
I’m at a loss for words or ideas. Every day that passes I’m confronted by those who give up because the person they are closest to has quit listening and surrendered to the dark side. They ask me what can I say to change their minds? I no longer have any words of encouragement for them. I just tell them they are lost causes unless something tragic happens to them and I know we don’t really want that for them but we don’t want it for ourselves either.
For me, I have reached the point where I straight up refuse to accept their falsehoods to their face, not to persuade them but to directly be a defender of the truth and a defender of all those who may not be my friends or family but who need me to unfalteringly stand up for truth and reality on their behalf. The organized manipulation of the truth for political and financial gain needs to stop. They are literally hurting people. To pretend that prosperity and politics in the name of religion is not absolute wrong is not something I will ever again be silent “to get along” and not directly call out.
John, once again you have defined the issue with unbiased reality. As one who stands with you, what hurts the most is that my "brothers in the Lord" are the ones who treat me with disdain and pity because I come from a place of love and not from a position of power. Facts and alternative facts are treated the same in our world today so as you say, it is bias and beliefs that are the foundation of judgment rather than plain honesty. To untangle the misconnections of truth to alternate truth requires going back to the basics of deep soul work. As a spiritual director I've learned to trust in the slow moving hand of God, which requires me to trust in love--just love--which is the hardest route for me to take. Thank you for your great work John.
"the only hope going forward may be to outnumber them at the polls. This may be the truth that hurts the most." Ouch! This will hurt and is really not much "hope". Endless political struggles beween right and left, increased threats and acts of violence, and seesaw battles for control of the levers of power. May I suggest another alternative? How about a divorce? If this were a marriage, one could say that we have tried our best but we are left with irreconcilable differences. A divorce would allow each side to start over. Divorces are often messy, and a political divorce would be no exception. But it may be a path forward that holds some promise. What if we dissolved the United States? Before 1790, each state was on its own. Why not try that again? Then allow each state to seek out alliances with other states that have mutual values and goals. Sometimes I think we would have been better off allowing the southern states to seceed.
I have learned through repeated trial and error that some people just can't be reached; at least not by me. I hold them in my heart and pray that someone much wiser and more clever than myself can get through to them eventually.
I’m at a loss for words or ideas. Every day that passes I’m confronted by those who give up because the person they are closest to has quit listening and surrendered to the dark side. They ask me what can I say to change their minds? I no longer have any words of encouragement for them. I just tell them they are lost causes unless something tragic happens to them and I know we don’t really want that for them but we don’t want it for ourselves either.
For me, I have reached the point where I straight up refuse to accept their falsehoods to their face, not to persuade them but to directly be a defender of the truth and a defender of all those who may not be my friends or family but who need me to unfalteringly stand up for truth and reality on their behalf. The organized manipulation of the truth for political and financial gain needs to stop. They are literally hurting people. To pretend that prosperity and politics in the name of religion is not absolute wrong is not something I will ever again be silent “to get along” and not directly call out.
John, once again you have defined the issue with unbiased reality. As one who stands with you, what hurts the most is that my "brothers in the Lord" are the ones who treat me with disdain and pity because I come from a place of love and not from a position of power. Facts and alternative facts are treated the same in our world today so as you say, it is bias and beliefs that are the foundation of judgment rather than plain honesty. To untangle the misconnections of truth to alternate truth requires going back to the basics of deep soul work. As a spiritual director I've learned to trust in the slow moving hand of God, which requires me to trust in love--just love--which is the hardest route for me to take. Thank you for your great work John.
"the only hope going forward may be to outnumber them at the polls. This may be the truth that hurts the most." Ouch! This will hurt and is really not much "hope". Endless political struggles beween right and left, increased threats and acts of violence, and seesaw battles for control of the levers of power. May I suggest another alternative? How about a divorce? If this were a marriage, one could say that we have tried our best but we are left with irreconcilable differences. A divorce would allow each side to start over. Divorces are often messy, and a political divorce would be no exception. But it may be a path forward that holds some promise. What if we dissolved the United States? Before 1790, each state was on its own. Why not try that again? Then allow each state to seek out alliances with other states that have mutual values and goals. Sometimes I think we would have been better off allowing the southern states to seceed.