Where is the Love?

 While I do like the Black Eyes Peas song, the title of this post isn't because of that.

Rather, it's because of something my father said in passing. Iirc he was talking about how people interact on social media, how they talk about politics, and he commented that the arguments and criticisms were being said without love.

Sometimes Dad has a perspective that is far different from everyone else, and when I thought about it I had to admit - he's not wrong.

I do not consider myself very religious, yet I know and accept that much of my world view was shaped by 11 years of Catholic schooling. That plus being raised by pretty devout Catholic parents. And Dad's comment about love reminded me of the old church song I heard growing up. The one that says "and they'll know we are Christians by our love."

Yeah... is there any wonder I question the 'Christianity' of Trump supporters? Not seeing the love there. Or if it is, it's a small and pitiful thing that is only for those like them.

But many people have pointed that out already, and the ones I'd want to hear it have so far seemed unwilling to see it.

Rather, I find myself pondering my own attitudes and beliefs here. Because even without going to church regularly, I do try to do love my neighbor as myself. And if I consider my father's point about how we talk to each other, I have to admit I'm not exactly showing the love either.

I am, in fact, struggling to feel it right now. Emotionally, I would put it like this.

The United States has been the shining city on the hill, one that casts a deep and dark shadow. Both are true about this nation I have loved. It has valued some grand ideals, and it has fallen horribly short of actually living up to them.

But right now, it's as though someone has started pouring a greasy, filthy, rank coating of oil over that shining city. It's dimming the parts that used to shine, and deepening the gloom in the shadows.

And as the lights keep going out, one by one, too few seem to even try stopping it.

Those so-called Christians? They're helping pump the filth in.

And I have watched as Trump politicizes... everything. There isn't even an attempt at being president for all of us. He is petty and vindictive and withhold aid from blue states, block normal procurement procedures so he can funnel resources to his allies, and basically make everyone around him angrier and smaller and pettier. 

And people cheer.

But I do feel like responding with the level of venom and hate that I have seen just exacerbates the problem. It's the Sunni and Shi'a spiral in Iraq all over again. And it also feels like Trump and his allies want that to happen. It gives them an enemy to point at, someone to blame and justify cracking down on his opponents even harder.

So I am trying to reconcile these very different points of view. I'm not sure I would even call them that, as they're not necessarily very coherent. 

Love thy neighbor.

Forgive each other.

And yet, I don't want the harm I see go unaddressed. I don't want that 'forgiveness' or 'love' to mean just ignoring it as ICE disappears people, and blocks any oversight of what's going on in their detention centers.

I don't want us to just ignore the completely unnecessary (and illegal) bombings of boats in the Caribbean.

I don't want all the slimy and disgusting filth to be covered up in some desperate bid to pretend everything is fine. 

Yet I also don't want things to turn into a witch hunt. Or rather, I don't want the pendulum of crazy to swing the other way.

 I want actual nation-wide healing. Some resolution. Some movement towards cleaning up that shining city, and even putting in some street lights so there aren't so many shadows.

And so I think a bit more, about what those Catholics schools taught about the sacrament of Reconciliation. 

Forgiveness and spiritual healing. The whole sacrament is not about pretending you never did anything wrong. It's about helping you address those wrongs, so you can reconcile with God. If you're given a penance, it's not about punishment or discipline. It's about helping you make reparations.

(You can see some similarities to discussions of our criminal justice system - and the debate over whether it's purpose is punishment or reparation.)

What I want, impossible as it seems right now, is for those who have been pouring out and spreading that rank filth to repent. And if they can't see the harm they are doing and repent - which I admit seems highly likely - I want society to have the political willpower and resources needed to address that.

Not in a "now we're the top dogs and we can punish you" way. That just makes the whole filthy mess continue, especially if it allows all this misinformation to continue. 

More in the 'Nuremburg trials' way. Something that gets at the real truth, in as open and fair and honest a way possible. One that holds people accountable, not out of hate or anger, but because sometimes the most loving thing you can do is make it clear that certain behavior is unacceptable.

That spreading misinformation (as one example) is one of those things, and that there are consequences to knowingly doing so.

That threatening to withhold resources simply because you don't like the governor of a state is another.

That nobody is above the law - something I used to think we all agreed on, but apparently do not. 

And we definitely need to address the abuse of power the current interpretations of executive privilege are enabling.

Maybe...

Maybe, if we can find the political will to address these things, we can recover from this disastrous administration.

It's hard to see it happening right now, though.