My List

Where has the truth gone? This question has been nibbling at the corners of my mind for a long time now.

I see the things happening in our government that makes me want to scream and shout from the rooftops, “How can you be so blind?”, but instead I just whisper to myself, “Where has the truth gone?”

Not Me

I wonder if the problem is with the government, but then, I look at society at large, the 24-hour entertainment news cycle, the uninformed voter bloc that seems to make up the biggest majority of voters in the country that accept, at face value whatever is spewed at them by the press. I look at the people commenting on things on the internet, and the volumes of negativity that pours from people's keyboards, tearing down anyone from any party or group which they are “supposed” to dislike, regardless of if they're speaking the truth or not.

An Internet troll (interwebus stupidus) in his natural habitat

 I look at all this, and again, I murmur,”Where has the truth gone?”

So maybe the problem is with society, the culture? Partly, I suppose. But then, I look at the center of the communities: the churches. I see, on ones side, the super-traditionalists, the ones that believe in rules over religion, so to speak, the ones that believe that the Gospel can only be held at the point of authoritarianism. The ones that punish people for what is on the outside, while the inside rots away from lack of sustenance. I know this type of church very well, and can attest to the fact that a system like that almost unavoidably is taken over by the corrupt, the power-hungry among them. And, lest I am misquoted, let me point out that this is an indictment of individual churches from almost any denomination, not any specific denomination.

I look across the aisle then, at the churches that are caving to the pressures of the aforementioned society, forsaking certain parts of scripture because they just aren't “cool” or politically correct anymore. The ones that say we no longer need to preach certain parts of the Bible, because it's more convenient to believe we don't need to strive to not sin, but are “automatically” exempt thereof once we say the magic words. The ones that cherry pick Bible verses in order to push their agenda that a saved person no longer needs to be accountable for their actions. 

I look at these different sides of the religious spectrum, sigh, and again, wonder, “Where has the truth gone?”

Then, I start putting two and two together, and I have to think about what one of the ministers in our church points out a lot, and that is the fact that changes in society start first in the churches...if the churches stray from the Word, and become corrupt, it will bleed into culture and society at large. I would take that a step further and say it begins with the individual within the church.

I don't presume to know what the answer is in all these situations... Lord knows I have my own personal battles to fight, and I'm guessing I have, throughout my life, contributed more to the problems than the solutions. I can only know what I need to do, to do my part.

I made a list (for you super organized melancholy personalities out there) of what I need to do to help change myself, and thus the culture:

1. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Not everyone I disagree with is stupid...they may just be viewing things from a different perspective.

2. Keep my commitments. This can be a tough one for me...I always mean what I say, at the time I say it, but then, with the passage of time, the commitment can become less and less important to me

3. Never seek to humiliate anyone in front of other people. If I have a problem with someone, I will try to speak with them privately. This includes correcting other people, even if I know they're wrong. Another toughie...nothing feels better than setting the record straight, then and there. But unless the information this person is giving is dangerously misleading, either physically or spiritually, usually there's no harm in letting them be wrong...at least until I can discuss it privately. I might even find they aren't wrong after all, when I'm presented with new information.

4. Try to focus more on what other people need, rather than what I need

5. Let myself be happy. Lately, I've found I don't look forward to things as much as I used to, and I get less enjoyment out of them as well. Maybe if I realize that even though it feels like the world is going somewhere I can't mention, in a handbasket, happiness is still a state of mind. In the words of Roger Miller: “You can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd, but you can be happy if you've a mind to!” And now, you have that song stuck in your head. You're welcome.

This is just the top 5 from my list. I may publish an extension at some point. But please realize, that this is my personal list. It's things that I truly hope to change about myself, not a list I made to try to change you, or you, or you. If you gain some insight from it, so much the better, but your own list might look very different from my own. I will be even happier if this list inspires someone to write their own.

I will close this post with a quote that's a particular favorite of mine...it was originally said to have been written by an unnamed monk, sometime in the 1100's, but it stands as true today as ever, as all great quotes do:

When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.
I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.

God Bless, and keep pursuing the truth.