Extraordinary ordinaries

The memorial services for John Lewis remind us of what an exceptional man and a real hero he is. Not measured by wealth or good looks or celebrity or physical performance, but by character, integrity, courage and a moral compass with an eye always on the right thing.

 

Not everyone can be a John Lewis, but I am convinced that the strength of America lies in what I call the extraordinary ordinaries. They can be found among firemen, sanitation workers, teachers, nurses, plumbers, salesmen, clergy, day care workers, artists, salesmen—all occupations. These men and women do their jobs with commitment, love their families, care about their country, are good citizens and are people of character.

 

I have seen and known many extraordinary ordinaries, and believe there are many more of them we suspect. It’s in them that I find hope for America.

Protests

Can we come to a productive understanding of the anatomy of a protest? Though each protest is different from another, can we find similarities and patterns that would help to them to reach their intended goals?

 

Some thoughts:

1. Any protest is composed of large numbers of individuals representing multiple viewpoints on an issue. Complexity at the start.

2. Protesters usually lack the leadership and governing rules that police forces do.

3. Consciously intended or not, unfortunate tensions are created that can precipitate violence with one thoughtless act.

4. In a crowd of passionate individuals, it is hard to maintain respect for the role and the beliefs of the other.

5. Historically, peaceful protests can result in violence and looting. This possibility needs to be acknowledged and thwarted at every turn.

6. The goal of a peaceful protest should be the conscientious meeting of all sides to resolve the issues. The goal of a protest is not a protest.

7. A protest should come only after efforts have first been made to clearly define and address the problems.

8. Police deserve protection, but they don’t need to come armed for the worst possible scenario.

9. News coverage should be balanced and objective, and not attempt to turn the situation into a spectacle. The news should give adequate time to leaders and organizers and not excessively to their own reporters.

10. Every individual in the protest drama brings their own life history and passion to the protest. This is an intensely human experience that can never be fully controlled.

11. Both protestors and law enforcement will have rogue players who must be appropriately called out for the sake of the success of the cause.

12. City officials must be prepared to respect and work with protestors at the earliest stages to prevent escalation.

 

OK. Enough. Anyone who believes large crowds on a mission can predictably be managed, doesn’t know history. But there must be ways to prevent violence, maintain respect and resolve problems.

Barr hearings

I’m watching the Barr hearings, and it’s a frustrating experience. I know hearings are hearings. If they are to be of value to the American citizenry, the complexity, the vast cast of characters and the dredging up of recent political history bring no real enlightenment. If they are for the House to come to some fair perspective on Barr’s tenure, the obvious strategizing, the excessive politization, the slinging of slogans and sound bites, the snide remarks and the breaking of agreed upon rules didn’t shed any light on the subject.

 

Barr was not allowed to respond to Democratic questions, which kept Democrats from actually confront him on his responses. Instead, each House member, Republican or Democrat, had to hit on their own personal agenda. There was no sense that the hearings had a real purpose, searching for truth and aiming for some resolutions.

 

There is no acknowledgement that the protests come in all varieties. That they are peaceful and violent at the same time. That there are good people and bad people in all situations. That we can actually learn from this unique national dilemma if we can avoid trying to name a villain and try to do better in finding solutions.

 

One last thing, I would like to see all the House members take an oath of loyalty just as Barr was required to. This was one more example of a chance to get at some truth turn into partisan theater.

Privilege

Black Lives Matter has forced a discussion of white privilege. But there are other kinds of privilege, some more toxic.

Wealth privilege: Money talks and money buys and personal values are on the market.

Power privilege: Above the law and out of reach.

Pretty privilege: Looking good and being beautiful gets all kinds of perks and special circumstances…and some envy, too.

Hunk privilege: Put time in the gym and you are worshipped and exude intelligence and self-confidence.

Education privilege: The doors open for the pedigree degree.

Influencer privilege: A relatively new category, but if you can sell it, fame is yours.

Celebrity privilege: Not only fame and money in entertainment and sports, but sponsorships, sales pitches and lots of fawning.

HC #9

Holy Church of Get Off Your Ass and Do Something

Sermonette #9

The old adage says: Actions speak louder than words. We live in a world full of words: slogans, jingles, marketing fluff, commentaries, newspaper articles, books, and on and on.

But there are words that will make you drop your chips and dip, your craft beer, your soft taco. They will make you jump from the couch and go out and change the world as best as you can.

Listen for these words. Act. And as powerful as these words are, the actions these words propel will truly speak louder.

I'm an American

I’m an American, so I can exercise my freedom without responsibility.

I’m an American, so I can eat and drink crap and not exercise and expect excellent free health care.

I’m an American, so I can put my wants ahead of your needs.

I’m an American, so I can expect others to work cheap to support a better life for me.

I’m an American, so I can choose not to vote but still have my representatives be responsive to my needs.

I’m an American, so I have a right to carry my AK-47 in bars, churches and schools.

I’m an American, so I have the right to be as ignorant as I want.

Fears

We are the victims of our own fears.

We fear another race when we ought to fear the consequences of our racism.

We fear LGBTQ when we ought to fear the prurient and distorted portrayal of heterosexuality in our culture.

We fear the loss of privilege when we ought to fear what too much privilege can do to our souls.

We fear hell when we ought to fear the hell we create for others.

We fear our loss of comfort when we ought to fear the complacency that comfort can bring.

We fear the loss of convenience when convenience is burying us in trash.

We fear losing our freedom when we’ve given true freedom away to irresponsibility and ignorance.

Means and end

Things work best when:

Money is the means and not the end

Government is the means and not the end

Education is the means and not the end

Art is the means and not the end

You are the means and not the end

A serious work of art

A serious work of art is always up for interpretation. Otherwise, what is it good for? Otherwise, how can it endure?

A serious work of art expects to be discussed and argued over. After all, it is offering what has not been seen before.

A serious work of art doesn’t mind making people uncomfortable or confused. That’s not necessarily its intent, but confusion starts the discovery process.

A serious work of art penetrates complacent reality to open up the world. And who alive doesn’t want a bigger world?

A serious work of art is the goal of every artist because the art is the measure of the artist.

Privilege

It’s obvious that privilege is not equitable in America. What’s not understood is that privilege is not always a positive thing.

The arrogance of privilege chokes compassion.

The greed of privilege chokes generosity.

The inequality of privilege chokes empathy.

The comfort of privilege chokes the understanding of suffering.

Privilege can be a roadblock to genuine humanity.

New books

New books just out:

Chicken Soup for Assholes with a special chapter on COVID-19

Don’t Flush: My Years Leading the Senate by Mitch McConnell

Is This Gun Big Enough: How Killing Endangered Wildlife Built My Self-esteem by Donald Trump, Jr.

The Big Book of Public Apologies: from Black Face to About Face

Trophy First Lady: An Inside Look at Melania’s Closet

The Yes Man Cometh: My Special Time in the White House by Mike Pence

Too much art

There’s way too much art in this world. And them damn artists ain’t stopping for anyone. They just keep makin’ more and more. The worst part is it’s provocative and don’t make sense. A lot of it ain’t even pretty. You can believe me because I’ve actually seen it.

There ain’t enough money in the world to buy all this art, and there ain’t even money to give these artists a decent living. So they make all this stuff in hiding, like it’s not a real job. I don’t even know what they do with all this art.

I never see any of it in the newspaper or on TV. On youtube I can learn about how to put a roof on my house, how to catch trout, how to cure toenail fungus; but I can’t find out about what the hell art is and why it looks like that.

That’s why I don’t put art in my household budget.

HC #8

Holy Church of Get Off Your Ass and Do Something

Sermonette #8

We must all admit that the image of God sitting on his ass on the Throne of Heaven makes no sense anymore.

God is out there, everywhere, stirring up good trouble. Getting people of good heart roused up. Infecting them with the energy of true justice.

So if God is off his ass, you’d better be too. Do something.

Trump statues

New policy on erecting statues of Donald Trump. These are the approved designs.

1. They are built to be torn down as soon as they are erected.

2. The Trumpster is standing on his head eating a taco.

3. He is standing tall while little figures of Putin, Kim, Balsonaro and Duterte surround him with admiring looks.

4. He is standing in a pool which pumps splats of paint on him every 5 minutes.

5. He is bending over while the Statue of Liberty shoves a golf club up his ass.

Coaching Joe

If I were coaching Joe Biden for a debate with Donald Trump, of course Joe would need to be up on current issues and policies. But this would also be part of my strategy.

1. The Republican presidential candidates thought they were in a debate, but Trump behaved like he was the 7^th grade school playground bully. I would make sure Joe was prepared to be the skilled teacher who could handle the bully and come out as the respected leader.

2. Trump will focus on Joe’s “failures.” Joe must be prepared to note that Trump had more failures in 3 years than Joe had in 46 years.

3. Biden needs to clearly define leadership and demonstrate that he has a record of leadership that Trump can’t touch.

4. Joe should not get defensive, but just keep hitting Trump’s failures.

5. Trump will try to hit on Joe’s sometime confusion in speeches, but Joe must be ready to calmly identify Trump’s flubs and lies, rolling out a scroll listing every documented one of them.

6. Joe should demonstrate his competence and experience in world affairs by asking questions that would stump the Trump.

7. When Trump comes up with his likely snidy “nicknames” for Joe, Joe needs to point out how unpresidential that is.

8. Joe needs to be prepared to laugh out loud when Trump is absurd.

9. When Hunter Biden comes up, Joe should say that he will be honest about his Ukraine issues if Trump is ready to be honest about his Ukraine issues.

10. Joe needs to call voter attention to the Trump’s circle of friends: crooks, former staff who are in prison, nepotist and incompetent family members, dictators and sycophants.

Stories

Human beings love stories. Stories are the way we figure ourselves out and figure out the world we find ourselves in. Good stories are filled with symbolism and metaphor. That’s the way they reach beyond themselves.

In fact, each of us is a story that reaches beyond ourselves.

Consequently, it makes no sense to read our stories literally, whether it’s Mother Goose or the Bible. A literal reading of a story nails it place. It can’t roam or explore or fly.

Creativity

We are told we are made in the image of God. Of course, this means we are creators. We are creators of culture and of life. It also means that creativity needs no justification.

Creativity is the agent of change. So when we fear change, we fear our own God-nature.

Freedoms

I’m no expert on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. But I don’t think freedom of assembly meant mobs or a few folks hanging out shooting the breeze. I think it meant the right to come together to express and discuss all ideas concerning the nature of our political, cultural and religious lives.

Freedom of the press certainly didn’t mean the National Enquirer and other gossip rags. It meant serious and conscientious reporting of events of interest and consequence.

Freedom of speech did not mean unrestricted speech that was free of responsibility and consequence. It meant speech that intended to present meaningful ideas and thoughts. Since it was speech, it could come in any language, including visual, written and musical. It didn’t mean money talks.

The meanings of these freedoms has been eroded, and we see the consequences in their careless and trivial use. America does not stand for anything goes, but for the protection of the responsible voice.

Art now

I have been making art, teaching art, critiquing art and writing about art for more than 40 years. I continue to be amazed and frustrated.

Amazed at the range and vitality of the work currently being made by artists. Frustrated that the public has such little understanding and appreciation of this.

Amazed that the work of so many different artists is so powerful and professional. Frustrated that interest in this work can be so easily passed over by a system that cares more about big names and big price tags.

Amazed that so much contemporary work is so intelligent and so timely. Frustrated that media just don’t see this and profile it in their broadcasts.

Amazed that visual imagery has become a primary language. Frustrated that the public are not educated enough to appreciate and use it.

Fake news

A number of years ago I reserved Fountain Square for an art performance. It so happened that local Democrats wanted to have a rally that day. They asked my permission to hold the rally, and I said sure.

Something like 8 speakers each got up to give a brief speech, and the event was filmed by a local TV station. I watched the TV coverage that evening, and noted that the film crew did not film the audience. If they did, the viewing public would have seen what I saw. An audience of just one man at a table eating his lunch.

That to me was fake news. An event staged to be news, and coverage that failed to tell the whole story.

Marketers, event designers and all kinds of organizations know how to manipulate media. Media package the news in quick, digestible bites. Reporters must be seen, often blocking our view of the location and action that are the news. Reporters must reinterpret the comments of those they interview. Criminals get more airtime than individuals whose work has positive impact on the community. Coverage of the courtroom is often more coverage of the courtroom drama than of the processes of justice.

Even if news is not fake, it is staged, without context and does come with the full story. It becomes the task of the viewer then to unfake the news for themselves.

HC #7

Holy Church of Get Off Your Ass and Do Something

Sermonette #7

It’s been 400 years since slavery was brought to America.

And how many asses just sat on the couch?

It’s been 2000 years since Christ preached on the earth.

And how many asses just sat in church?

It’s been 100,000 years since it dawned on homo sapiens that they could be human.

And how many asses just sat around the fire in the cave?

We are not born human. We aren’t even born with the desire to be human. It’s the job of our teachers at hand and our teachers through the ages to awaken and guide us. But it’s our job, and our job alone, to get off our asses and do something

The heart

News media rush to be first to report on an event, leaving the full context to come later or maybe never. A young black girl is killed by the stray bullet from the gun of a black man. The story is news for a day. A black man is killed by a white policeman, which results in extensive coverage. Blacks for generations have been victims of slavery and discrimination. Black ancestors sold their fellow blacks into slavery. Whites cower in fear of losing their privileges. Blacks struggle under inequities in law, economics and education. These are deeply rooted and complex problems. Human problems.

Organizations like Black Lives Matter, Southern Poverty Law Center, NAACP, local governments and the judiciary all commit themselves to making things better. But every institution has its own objectives to focus the thinking and actions of its followers. The organization becomes the engine of change.

But individuals are individuals. Situations are individual. Individuals must be free and prepared to respond as individuals, but individuals who have mastered their hearts. The kind of heart that knows how to manage disappointment and frustration. The kind of heart that is empathetic, intelligent, generous and wise in experience. It’s only this kind of heart that has a chance to conquer injustice in the world. And how do we recognize such a heart? It aches for plight of others first.

Dualities

Much of Western thought has been built on the idea of dualities, pairs of elements in opposition to one another, separate and competing: good/evil, male/female, light/dark, heaven/hell and so forth.

The contemporary world has seen the destructiveness of these dualities when they are consider in an inflexible way. Morality is full of grays, and good and evil can flip flop in the context of cultures and circumstances. Male and female are fluid in a world of multiple sexualities, genders, gender transformations and the increasing equality of the sexes. The concept of race is under question. Heaven and hell have lost their residences in an expanding and complex universe.

These kinds of fluid interpretations can create anxiety for some. But they are inescapable reality. They challenge our comfortable perceptions, but they bring us closer to understanding our human selves.

Party

I am increasingly convinced that thinking of Democrats as liberal and Republicans as conservative has become misleading and meaningless. Rather, I see Democrats as the party of conscience and Republicans as the party of no conscience. Conscience wraps it arms around justice and equal opportunity. No conscience believes that money solves all problems.

Statues

Throughout history, statues have been erected to honor the contributions and accomplishments of individuals. They have represented religion, culture, politics and power. They stand for what those in charge see as significant and as messages to the society of who and what to believe in.

But societies change. Power shifts. Ideologies become obsolete. Statues fall. And that is what we are seeing now, with admirable intent, but in rash and indiscriminate ways.

Perhaps this is a good time not only to give more careful thought to the removal of statues, but also to give serious consideration to how we choose our heroes. We invest in comic book heroes, celebrities who represent wealth and fame and athletes who entertain us. Wealth is an outsized component of the way we pick our heroes.

Who are the heroes of compassion? Of spiritual growth? Of intellectual accomplishment? Of contributions in the arts? Of bravery? Of the accomplishments of the common citizen?

Intuition

Intuition is a necessity for the artist.

It’s either an innate gift or it comes with hard work.

Intuition is a friend who doesn’t give up on you.

Intuition doesn’t worry about failure, though it knows it can fail.

Intuition spends much of its time in the gut and arises from there.

It can take criticism in stride because it believes in itself.

Intuition may take a holiday sometime but it always comes home

Make America Confederate Again

Donald Trump’s new slogan: Make America Confederate Again

He is collecting old Confederate flags to be sewn into a ball gown for Melania to wear at the 2021 Inauguration Ball.

He has ordered that all statues of Confederate generals be moved to Mar-al-Lago, where they will mark the golf course tee offs.

He remembers reading somewhere that Gen. Robert E. Lee rode all the way to Gettysburg on his famous horse Tonto, and the crowd was the biggest in American history up until that time.

God loves you

God loves you. But it’s not hearts and flowers. It’s not what you think.

Because God loves you, he sends you pain and suffering to build the character, endurance and patience that love requires. He’s teaching you how to love.

Facing pain and suffering builds the courage to love. And the courage to love leads to putting your love into the world.

So when God loves you, it’s not to give you love. It’s to prepare you to love others.

Strange

If you’re a creative person, you’re strange. I am. And it’s something to embrace. You could proudly wear a button that says, “I’m strange.”

Strangeness is a sign of pushing past routines, demanding a fresh look, calling attention to the pleasure of mystery.

And that’s not strange. It’s a gift artists offer to the world with sincerity.

HC #6

Holy Church of Get Off Your Ass and Do Something

Sermonette #6

So, what is the worldview from your couch?

Is the world a better place because you’re sitting on your ass?

How do you act like a good citizen when your butt is glued to a recliner?

What is the message sitting on your ass gives to the world?

Get up!

July 4

July 4^th should be a time of celebration. Instead it has become a time of vigilance and national soul searching. We have done a poor job of protecting ourselves against COVID. We have been forced to confront the festering problems of racism and inequality. We suffer under failed leadership, incompetence and deception at the highest levels of government.

The Constitution is under assault. Freedom of the press becomes fake news. The right to bear arms becomes: You want a weapon, you get it, no problem. Freedom of speech becomes hate. Freedom of action comes with no consequences and no responsibilities. The right to vote is compromised as much by lazy citizens as by legal restrictions.

This July 4^th is not only a time to chill and grill but a time to strengthen our will.

Spiritual

These days it seems hard to see the world in a whole and complete way. We see it as fragmented, broken, falling apart. And this is manifested in contemporary art. A social issue, a style, a personal obsession, a tradition or a medium becomes the artist’s focus.

Artists often don’t see beyond their own work, and sometimes beyond their own selves. And I think this happens when art no longer engages human spiritual yearnings.

A perspective that engages the spiritual by its nature concerns itself with the human condition. A perspective that engages the spiritual also concerns itself with the cosmos and its mystery, which is at the end of all science.

I've crossed the equator

I’ve crossed the equator in a ship, but I’ve never been to China.

I found a dead person, but I’ve never killed anyone.

I never said “fuck” until my late 20’s, but I like saying it now.

I made a First Friday Novena, but I look for God other places now.

I’ve been on top of a mountain, but I still haven’t seen far enough.

I’ve had sex, but I’ve never been voted world’s sexiest man.

I’ve had a mental illness, so now I’m very suspicious of reality.

I’m not afraid of dying, because I’ve accepted my place in the universe.

I know what quantum mechanics, the General Theory of Relativity and the Theory of             Evolution by Natural Selection are, and I still think the universe is mysterious.

If I tell you I know who I am, it’s a lie.

I love children, so I cringe at what we do to them.

I like to think, but I don’t always have the courage to believe what I think.

I need things, but I make sure they don’t control me.

I know there are voices that must absolutely be listened to and others that should never be heard.

I believe in love, but I have a hell of a time figuring out what it really is.

I’m compelled to believe in God, but God keeps shape shifting on me.

Backpack

It’s probably time to check your backpack and see what’s in it, what you’ve been carrying around all this time. We all carry around a backpack full of stones. Sometimes it’s light enough that we barely know it’s there. But sometimes it just wears us out and slows us down.

Some stones get put in during our childhoods. Some stones we put in ourselves. Some stones are big, and some stones are small. Some stones we cherish because they build character. Some stones we carry in our own small martyrdoms. Sometimes we can’t tell the difference.

It’s the nature of life to keep adding stones, but it’s the nature of spirit to want to fly.  It’s probably time to check your backpack and see what’s in it, what you’ve been carrying around all this time. Take a stone and talk with a friend about it. Take a stone and throw it into the pond and watch it sink. Take a stone and another and build a little shrine. Do whatever you have to get your backpack in order and move on in life with lightness in your step.