Losing our humanity

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."  Mother Theresa

The school shootings continue.  Our children are learning TOO WELL what we are teaching them.  They are getting a steady message of "look out for number one" and "take care of your own".  They are learning that beyond our immediate family, church or gang we need not perceive or live out any loyalty to anyone else, see that we are connected to them in any way, or have any concern for their well being - only our own.  It is "us" and "them".

We fail to see our connection to ALL humanity.  It used to be that kids would fight hand to hand, and when the fight was over, it was over.  Sometimes we even became friends with those with whom we fought.   Then it became knives, and the pain that was inflicted was more intense and the scars more permanent and devastating.  That struggle was still eye to eye, however, and we struggled together.   Now at 50 yards a person can just spray at the OBJECTS around them, disassociating their simple, easy action from what happens far away.  With a gun, the damage is permanent and the loss is devastating with very little effort or physical, emotional engagement. 

We objectify, vilify and de-humanize others to allow ourselves our "justified" self-centered orientation on the world.  It allows us to go unchecked in our greed, hatred, exploitation and apathy toward others around us.  It is "us", not AND, but VERSUS "them".  We see it in our politics, our economics, our denominations and congregations, our ideologies, and especially the fearful way we see the world and therefore live in it.  What is lost is open, genuine human encounters.  What is lost is relationship.  Store owners used to KNOW their customers, but now it is all about selling more to more, and people are reduced to demographic data.  We used to get fired up about OUR candidate and party, and support them while exhibiting some level of respect for their opponents, but now the "other" candidate is vilified and de-humanized in very public and ugly ways, and those who think differently are objectified and held in contempt.  Our concern for our selves and those just like us racially, religiously and economically is all we can muster.  Anyone else is "on their own".  We exploit anyone we can, and blame them for being exploitable.  We just ignore anyone who has nothing we want, or whom we perceive is no threat to us.  They are non-existent to us, which diminishes our humanity.

In the church, denominations are convinced of their own doctrinal perfection, while belittling others for theirs.  Congregations show deep loyalty to their pastors and congregations and the prestige of being associated with them, while having no concern for any others, and even perhaps seeing them as not being of the same faith.  Christians are now taught to be all about personal salvation and being blessed and highly favored for themselves.  The connection to people of other faiths, other expressions of their own faith or the poor and marginalized is of no concern, even while proclaiming love and loyalty to Jesus, whose teachings in the Gospels are ALL about denying self and serving God by serving others, and especially the most vulnerable.  Ignoring what Jesus taught and exemplified, while offering lip service praise and devotion with one's tithes is considered faithfulness.  "Getting my praise on, giving my tithes and receiving my blessings and favor" is what it has become for many, at the expense of others around them.  Their preachers are very happy with this, because they too are all about their own promotion, prestige, power and wealth, so they objectify the numbers of worshipers who write the checks and have little concern for the people beyond that.  What we learn in church diminishes our humanity AND our Christianity because of it.

Our personal survival and thriving is our only concern, so it has become our idol - our god (Paul Tillich).  Anyone we leave in our wake is of no concern to us.  Some who buy guns are just fascinating with having a killing machine.  Some who buy them thrive on a sense of superiority.  Others who buy them are so fearful that others have them that they feel they MUST.  But it is RARELY mentioned by anyone who is so fearful that their whole orientation is about self-preservation, about the horrible emotional trauma that having to kill someone would mean for them, or anything about the horrible loss felt by the family members and loved ones of the person they would kill.  "They" do not deserve such consideration.  It is only all about "us" and only our survival and thriving.  Our humanity is diminished, or even lost.

It is truly sad what we have become as seen through our children, and how they are acting this out in their schools, neighborhoods and organizations.  We cannot complain that they are not learning from us, but rather that they are learning the lessons TOO WELL.  We are losing our humanity.  We are willingly diminishing our society and our collective humanity, but pridefully throwing away our humanity as individuals, families and groups in America.

What was it that JESUS taught about our humanity with each other in the world?
God, help us to RE-DISCOVER our humanity as we have it in our connection with others around us.  
Let it begin with me.

Pastor Jamie