Danger Dave Ball

There is a new paradigm of social status emerging.

In the past it was appropriate to visualize social status in terms of rank. A linear hierarchy that held certain qualities or traits of greater or lesser value than others. Money, fame, status; these were (and still are, but are on the wane) seen as valuable indicators of power and ability to rear offspring.

The raising of offspring has, in the past, been fraught with dangers but has become increasingly less so in the past several decades with the proliferation modern medicine, social safety nets and public education. As such, mates no longer need be chosen by the strongest, wealthiest or most dominant traits that have served our race so well in the past.

We have reached a threshold. Barring any unforeseen plagues, or foreseen ones for that matter, the human race is here to stay. What that means is, we as a race are free to mate with whomever we wish. We can date someone because they make us laugh or are artisans which inspire us.

The continuum of traits which we had viewed (rightly, due to survival necessity issues) as a linear hierarchy may now be viewed as a plane. A flat surface where that which we personally find valuable becomes socially desirable. And because we define value ourselves, the plane resolves itself into a sphere. Everyone’s own quality of choice is at their own apex of the sphere.

I’m watching a movie called Howl’s Moving Castle. The first character introduced is a young girl who I thought had a club foot or other handicap/disability. There was mention of a story that Howl only abducts pretty girls. The story would obviously imply that the girl wasn’t pretty because of her disability but then Howl would abduct her and tell her that her beauty was on the inside and what made her lovely was her depth of feeling and her character. It’s so obvious…

Ok, so she’s not crippled. But she still thinks Howl won’t come after her because she isn’t pretty. Maybe that’s her disability. Poor self-image. Hmm?

After watching this bizarre movie where she becomes increasingly lovely, it’s easy to think that was the message: inner beauty. But this movie was so odd that I wonder if that was it at all. I would doubt they had that theme in mind.

To midwife someone into new life is a great gift. Regardless of how it is percieved. Baby is probably not happy with the Nurse. Nevertheless Baby IS.

My dad wrote this a few days ago and I thought it was really good. So I’m re-posting it here.

I hope you enjoy it!

Many years ago I suddenly realized that religion was the ‘bucket’ that gave some kind of ‘manageable/transferable’ form to faith, and that it was easy to carry around the bucket and still have no faith inside.

There are those who carry around the bucket, and decorate it with all kinds of attractive things actually believing the bucket is the real deal.  They have limited their perception because real Faith is beyond them and finally an amazing gift from God to each person, not something one can hold, contain, control,  decorate, or use to give an ego boost.

There are those who carry the bucket around to use as a weapon to wound others who do not carry a bucket,  or one that looks like theirs that they might approve of or identify as authentic.   They continue to make religious laws about their bucket and how it must be ‘respected’ or honored or supported with the best protection available.  They frequently want you to purchase a copy of their bucket or at least carry one just like theirs.

There are so many who have been wounded by the bucket or, let down by ‘bucket carriers’ with their political ambitions or power plays that they don’t want anything to do with the possibility of embracing the FAITH the bucket was intended to carry in the first place.   They don’t want to be even remotely  identified with the bucket carriers.   They sometimes live in pain and struggle with experiencing the many gifts of Faith in their lives available to them because the bucket carriers have misrepresented the one who is the origin and lover of all humanity.

But, praise be to God, there are those who are awash in FAITH.  You can feel it.  They are willing to honor even the buckets which are not their own or that they completely understand, for they TRUST that somehow God will use all the diversity that God has created to bring about more Grace and love in the world.

Those who have ‘come up from the river’  are aware that having faith is difficult because life is so scary and faith is so, … well illogically abstract, unprovable, and sets one ‘up’ for appearing to be  ‘stupid’ in the light of the world’s rational empirical standards.

Those who have been hit by the summer shower of faith are aware it is something they don’t control like they ‘owned it’.  They know it isn’t earned by anything they’ve done, said, thought or promised.  They have learned to simply open themselves at whatever level of trust they have ‘that’ day and pray that God will use their lives and give them strength and wisdom to be a ‘gift’ as they go through their day.

Those who have experienced even a mere sprinkling of FAITH are aware that faith is something that is granted by God in those life situations and occasions that need an act of trust in light of fear or threat.  That attitude of trust will hunt for a life-giving solution.  That trust will look for hope when it does not appear to be anywhere close.  That trust will understand time and patience are gifts to be honored.  They will wait on the Lord.

Those who have experienced being hit by the water pistol of faith are aware that a faithful response is something in which we may surprise ourselves.  Somehow on that day in that circumstance we are just able to TRUST ,  bringing ‘light’ to our lives and a situation, beyond any logic.  We are able to bring LOVE to a difficult situation out of some deep well or shallow splash of Grace that sustains and supports us beyond our own selfish limited spirit.

Those who experience even a small amount have a sense that faith is something fluid or even airy that LIVES and sustains our very being.  It is like the manna in the wilderness, something we must receive every morning in trust that it will be there at the right time and place in our lives to bring nourishment and joy;  move forward in faith.

“We call Jesus the Christ not because He brought a new religion, but because He is the end of religion, above religion, and irreligion, above Christianity and Non-Christianity.  We spread his call because it is the call to every person in every period to receive the New Being , that hidden saving power in our existence, which takes from us labor and burden and gives rest [and purpose] to our souls.”
Paul Tillich

Grace and Peace.
Phil