All Options On The Table? (by Cody)

American culture is valued around the world; our movies are appreciated by the likes of Kim Jong Il. Our T.V. shows and music can be found in the far reaches of our ever shrinking planet. If you were to look at the highest grossing summer hits over the last 10 years you would notice that action movies consistently top the list. The effect of popular violence in our culture is far reaching and the consequences are deep and largely unseen. The myth of redemptive violence is not seen because our culture accepts it with open arms. On the BBC's The World, one of the men being interviewed about 9/11 told the story of his young sons reaction to the tragic events. He said that when his son saw the plane flying into the buildings he asked, "why is a movie on so early in the day?" Something is radically wrong.

Many in our country attempt to justify our extreme violence by claiming that our nations history is one of liberation and liberating. This is not necessarily the case. Our nation's narrative has been one of expansion, acquisition and consumption. We have continuously fueled the machine of violence through more creative ways to kill our enemies. Our rhetoric has escalated to the point of daring our enemies to make a move. We have been rasing a 5 year old know as Iraq and its throwing a full blown temper tantrum. Consumerism runs rampant, every desire we have is fed and if its not, we will sue. Very few Americans know what self-restraint means anymore. We demand cheap oil and we want it now. We will even destroy one location for the benefit of another thinking that this will ameliorate the problem. All of our practice has been in violence; not non-violent resistant action. If the public consciousness was tuned into non-violent strategies, more options would truly be on the table.

Sarah Palin gave her first interview to Charlie Gibson and her stance on foreign policy stunned me. She is quoted as saying of Iraq and Pakistan: "I believe that America has to exercise all options in order to stop the terrorists who are hell-bent on destroying America and our allies...” How can all options be on the table when we have zero experience in non-violent action? She went on to say about Ukraine and Georgia's possible entry into NATO: “I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help.” By "help", I'm sure she means military violent action. This interview was extremely helpful for me; I will not be voting for the Mcain/Palin ticket.

So what do we need? Our country is full of creative and beautiful thinkers. I suggest we rediscover our past. When the dirt has been shaken from the roots, its time to swing backwards in order to more further forward. I'm not suggesting that everyone become voracious readers; but they should read a little. The likes of Walt Whitman, Thoreau, Emerson, Franklin, Dorthy Day, Mary Oliver, Dr. King and the list could go on. Our country has a long history of creative non-violent solutions that are widely unknown and ignored. A single trip to the library could open the door for many in our society to reimagine what we as a society could be. Our nations literature is rich and varied; we should not ignore it. To some this may sound idealistic and naive. Yet, when the creative class rises-in any nation- the tide begins to change. Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Cockburn and Wendell Berry have had far reaching influecne in positive ways. The creative class opened the door to conversations that needed to take place. The same could be true for us today. Where are the Dylans, Springsteens, and Mitchells of our day?

My suggestion: open your eyes to the creativity of this country. Find the voices of those calling out in the desert, proclaiming peace and creative solutions. We've heard the myth of redemptive violence-we are experts at practicing it. Lets truly put all options on the table by exploring options so far ignord.

Community, Politics and America's Hope (by Cody)

By community I mean the commonwealth and common interests, commonly understood, of people living together in a place and wishing to continue to do so. To put it another way, community is a locally understood interdependence of local people, local culture, local economy, and local nature. (Community, of course, is an idea that can extend itself beyond the local, but it does so only metaphorically. The idea of a national or global community is meaningless apart from the realization of local communities)...

- Wendell Berry, Sex, Economy, freedom & Community

I watched and listened to Barrack Obama's acceptance speech last night and was moved. I then listened and read commentary, hatred, and condemnation for everything the man said. To say the least, the negativity and hatred saddened me. The quote above is from a book of essays by Wendell Berry. Berry truly does transcend the liberal/conservative divide.; he opposes big government and big business- (though some call 'transcendence' elitism, I believe that is a naive critique). I believe that there are commonly held values by Americans. The pro-life/pro-choice debate is bogged down in divisive and thwarting rhetoric. Global trade has been reduced to a morality based on monetary gain; what value is their in gaining the whole world yet forfeiting your soul? The environment has been reduced to extreme radicals (Gore/Evangelicals). Most Americans want unwanted/teen pregnancies reduced. Many Americans long for monetary, cultural, and social equity. Many Americans and people of faith (Christian, Muslim, Jewish) long for responsible stewardship of the good earth, even if its not profitable.

Community is the only third party interest that can truly transcend the liberal/conservative divide. America has many problems: lack of self-restraint, indifference to the environment, consumerism, racism and acceptance of the myth of redemptive violence. Local people, cultures, economies, and stewardship of the earth will bring about the change that this nation needs. I am not speaking of some conservative limited government/free market utopia; neither am I speaking of some liberal government program solution. I am talking about local people, citizens of neighborhoods, members of churches and lions clubs taking a stand for their commonly held values and passions.

As I thought about the many view points presented after Obama's speech I thought about my own involvement in my local community. After long hours of meditation, I was saddened. I do not participate as I should in the local economy. I do not promote peace in every aspect of my life. I do not strive to do the best I can (pragmatically) to be a good steward of the good earth, created by our loving creator. In other words, I realized I was a hypocrite. What then are we/I to do?

I believe that as a nation we must realize the importance of local economies, cultures and environments. Our military receives more funding than our endangered species protection agencies. If we are going to continue down this road I would appreciate it if the people who claim we are a 'christian' nation rip out Psalms, Isaiah, and Job. Cherishing and supporting our local economies, cultures, and environments is our only hope of achieving a sustainable, spiritually sound, and responsible solution to our nations ailments. The global/industrial economy deals in abstractions, not humanity and the common good.

Gandhi said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world". I agree. It must begin with me. Obama has been creating many realities with the use of his inspiring language but, without action it is meaningless. Through language Dr. King made possible the reality of equity among peoples of differing cultures. Through creative action he gave the empiricists something tangible to grasp; the idealist something to hope for; the cynics something to ponder. If Obama desires the highest office in the land, he will need to find concrete solutions, rooted in local communities, that will build a bridge between tradition and progress. Speeches are inspiring, action is world shaking.

Come on Obama, give us something to hold on to.

Response to "Is It Time For a Revival"

Contributor: Dustin

I must first ask a question.  What is this "common-good agenda, rooted in the moral center" that Mr. Wallis describes? For many, the ability to feed their kids good food at reasonable prices is a good agenda, even a moral issue.  And while the economy itself might not be a moral issue it can become one when people can no longer eat!  I agree that many individuals are tired of our polarized parties but these parties are so sharply divided because of "moral issues".  So, let's start talking about specifics.  Are we talking about healthcare but if so, why only American healthcare?  Is the common-good agenda directed at poverty and global warming?  Again if so, can the American government really make a global impact on these issues?  I guess if you view America as the world's lone super power.

I'm not sure that "faith" - at least how fundamentalists define it - was ever intended or should even be a part of a democratic government.  If democratic ideals and values (ex. freedom & liberty) are at odds with a faith's belief system, it is possible for these ideals and values to be infringed upon via dogmatic believers.  Can you imagine a U.S. government led by Jerry Falwell?  The gay community would be imprisoned and non-believers would burn!  That might be a stretch but you get my point.

It is my perspective that governments are intended to govern all peoples as equally as possible. Since belief systems rooted in faith differ from person to person, people group to people group, even location to location; it is important to scrutinize, even separate how faith is used in conjunction with government.  Keep in mind that it is easy to say, "Christian values are right and true and should be used to guide government," when Christianity is in the majority.  What if Islam was the majority perspective; adultery rates would go down, or there would be less hands on Americans.  I totally agree that American politics needs a revival but not an infusion of more Christian totalitarianism. 

Now that my rant is over, what do we do to address our current system?  Not sure.  Who is?  Don't get me wrong, I know what Mr. Wallis is getting at when he - using a very broad brush - suggests we need to focus on the "big issues" using a moral center.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure people are willing to make the kind of sacrifices needed to solve big issues like: world hunger or global warming.  That is unless, the solution is simple and cheap.  America could single handedly end world hunger, if Americans were willing to pay more money for their food.  We could end global warming, if we were willing to give up our big ass cars and trucks; anyone willing to part with their Yukon Denali?  No?

To be frank, from my perspective, one of the reasons we are discussing "big issues" is because of globalization.  In the 21st century technology allows us real-time access to the pain and atrocities of this world.  We are seeing death from war and poverty on a scale like never before.  Scientists, politicians, and media producers have made global warming a central issue which sits on the front of our minds.  But this does not mean that we can solve them, particularly overnight.  Take global warming for example.  Many scientists argue that solar flares and other cosmic happenings impact the warming and cooling of our planet.  Is that to say humanity does nothing?  No!  We should do all we can but stopping all fossil fuel use and ending industrial pollution does not hold the promise of success.  

Ultimately, persuasion (hearts and minds) not politics (government) will bring real change.  America cannot act unilaterally in a global landscape.  America is no longer the lone super power in the world; when we speak many do not listen.  Look at our war on terror (Iraq).  We have in one swift act alienated many counties of the world, some of them being very powerful

and influential.  Hope for change, persuade for change but do not rely on government systems and political officials to deliver it.  It's going to take a long time using grass root methodology on a global scale.