Brian’s Reflection: Tuesday, Dec 22, 2009

You can't let yourself be pushed
around. You can't live in fear.
That's no way to live your life.

Guess Who? (I’ll tell you later)


This raises some interesting questions, yes? As I understand “pushed around”, if that means that you should not let others demean you, I guess I agree. Because of the dynamic of oppression or force. No human beings should use whatever power they have to oppress or control others; that’s what I think. Jesus never did that. He shone a “light” on issues – but His nature was to lead others to see what would or would not enhance their humanity positively, and then to make a choice.

But should one use “violence” to prevent being “pushed around”? I don’t wish to be a violent person. Would it surprise you to know that I own a gun? I do. For two reasons. One, I was threatened by gaybashers on 7th Ave near the Village in NYC years ago. After that, I purchased a gun as a symbol to myself that I would not allow myself or anyone to be the victim of homophobic violence. And, in a perverse “stance”, two, I thought, “If it’s American to have the “right” to own a firearm, then I will”. Owning the gun is purely symbolic. It remains locked up and I would never carry it ….. at the moment - though if I had to live in Texas, I might!

Not “living in fear” is a big issue for me. “That’s no way to live your life”. And in America, we live in a very violent society. People live in fear around most of this land. The Gospel is clear, in my view: fear is one of the primary things that deprives one of Life. Christian theology says that the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus is primarily to “free us from the power of sin and death” so that we are free to Live. The alternative to fighting those who would deprive you of Life is to live without resistance to violence and to accept death rather than violence. I’m not there ….. yet. But think I would like to be.

I firmly believe that it is not loving of oneself or others, nor faithful to God in whose loving “image” we are made, to allow people to disrespect our common humanity. Love demands that we not enable others’ hate or indifference or (false) sense of superiority or value above others. The Gospel is clear that we “ought not to think of ourselves more highly than of others”.

It was Bernhard Goetz whom I quoted. It was on this date in 1984 that he shot four black youths on a Manhattan subway whom he felt were going to mug and rob him. I make no claim to know what really happened that day, or what assumptions were real. But my point is this: we should not have to live in a society of fear.

We need to work to change America, or wherever we live.

Brian+