Brian’s Reflection: Thursday, June 18, 2009

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest
is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can
do anything you decide to do. You can act to change
and control your life; and the procedure , the process
is its own reward.

- Amelia Earhart, omni-talented woman, who on this
date, 1928, flew from Newfoundland to Wales


This is what Jesus did. Which is why so many admire and love Him. And the Buddha. And lots of other people – many of whom we call “saints”. (In the Episcopal Church, a saint is someone who has really tried to be a full human being, unlike the RC church, where you have to have done or aided something “supernatural”.) In Gethsemane, Jesus was just confronting the “paper tigers”. He was sure of what He had and wanted to do. We all have to. The fearful paper tigers seek to deter us all the time.

There are consequences to deciding. There always have been. Take, for example, Dr. Tiller. Or MLK. There are always those wackos – especially in America which intrinsically because of our warped religious context breeds wackos – who will be trying to shoot you, aided by the insane American policy of perverting the “right to bear arms” amendment so guns are available aplenty. Along with a military that will beat the shit out of you, just like other countries we hypocritically condemn for being “totalitarian”.

Christians are called to decide to love. And there are a fair number of us.

The World has about hit bottom in terms of human ugliness. Isn’t it time?

Brian+