I can't figure some things out. Why does my son wake up at 4:20 a.m. famished one night and not another? Why does my dog then need to go outside while it is pouring rain at 4:45 the same night when normally he also sleeps through the night? Why does my alarm still go off faithfully at 6 a.m. every morning no matter what happened the night before? Why do I get up to blog even when I'm tired and know I have a very busy day ahead? Why is the sky blue?
Some of those questions have answers. Some do not. Mostly I have given up on worrying about them, but inquisitiveness persists even when fatigue has made itself at home.
Why would someone take a wonderful idea like "let's have a panel discussion about the commonalities among Islam, Judaism, and Christianity" and turn it into an ego-fueled argument? (Susan, I'm borrowing from your blog and paraphrasing, so any wrongly worded statements are My Own.) I was really saddened by that news. I felt, as I mentioned in comments to Susan's entry, mad then sad. Later I opened up my copy of Saving Jesus from the Church, reading my assigned chapters for class Sunday, and I read the following:
Over a lifetime of ministry, I have come to believe one thing without reservation: most of the dysfunctional things we do are compensatory. Whether we realize it or not we are always trying to prove something to someone. (p 112).
Reading that did help me understand better. I don't envy Susan's task ahead of working with the aforementioned person. But reading that made me think there might be hope that the panel can go on as planned. I think it is a fantastic idea and response to what's been going on in the world these days. Whether it goes off as planned or not, I am proud to come from a church community that reaches out to others in an act of ecumenism.
About Me
- Kim
- United States
- Getting older is not for sissies. I'm not a sissy, thank goodness. I'm a physical therapist, mom, daughter, sister, friend, and I am looking forward to "what's next?"
3 comments:
After reading Susan's blog yesterday I kept thinking of it and felt bad that someone was so "afraid" that they would try to derail it. I also remembered a time in BLoomington when Jack Sibley was minister at UCC he was a member of a panel much like she was working on. There was a rabbi, a priest, Jack, and Jim Pryne can help me but someone else, maybe Jim on it too. It was a great idea and the room was full of people truly interested in what was being said.
My mom wrote a comment on one of my poems, quoting something: "It's Jesus. It's always Jesus." Is this from the book you are reading? Mom's reading it, too. It also sounds like something Gwen might just SAY. Or you, for that matter.
I too think it will be fine -- maybe this person just needed to vent their spleen, have their ego taken out for a walk around the block, and be heard, so I listened. And now next week, when we meet, it'll all work out. At least that's what I'm hoping. I don't think this person is trying to turn the panel into a fuel-driven, ego-driven argument -- I think they just wanted to turn the panel planning into that for more reasons than I can go into.
That said, your quote from Meyers is perfection.
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