Holy Church of Get Off Your Ass and Do Something?
Sermonette #11
You can change the world by standing on your feet. You can change the world by pushing with your hands. You can change the world by getting on your knees. But nothing happens while you’re sitting on your ass.
Throw out the recliner. Throw out the vibrating chair. Throw out the old rocking chair. Get in your car. Get on your skateboard. Hop on that bike. Scoot on that scooter.
Get up. Get out. Get into some ”good trouble.”
I need your help.
I’ve been thinking about the need for a BA degree in Human Beingness. It would be a 4 or maybe 5-year degree. Students would have to have their tuition and fees covered completely since they are studying for no career at all.
I imagine classes like: Myth and Spirit, The Nature of Evil, Love, Human Development, Human Sexuality, Mind and Perception, The Arts and the Human Condition, The Scientific and Technological Vision, The History of Social Control and The Moral Compass. Tied to all of this would be development of a language for personal vision.
In our culture we are taught to consume, to desire, to make money, to be entertained, to live through the lives of others and to expect to be taken care of. But we are not taught what it means to be full human beings.
So what do you think about this idea, the courses and the viability?
True or false:
Melania gets a new dress every time she catches Donald in a lie.
If Donald Trump put a notch on his belt for every lie he told, he would still have room for more notches.
Donald Trump’s new book is called The Art of Dictatorship.
All his cabinet members take turns as Donald Trump’s caddy at Mar-a-Lago.
Donald Trump initially thought that Black Lives Matter referred to only black Republicans.
Since he became president, Donald Trump’s vocabulary had increased by only 7 words.
Trump and Putin exchange birthday cards.
Trump has turned the White House bowling alley into a closet for Melania.
We admire the discipline, agility and accomplishment of athletes. We watch their finely tuned bodies in action. We make them into heroes and pay them generously as professionals. We wear their gear and spend time watching them play.
But we don’t equivalently recognize that creative thought is characterized by discipline, agility and accomplishment. We can’t as easily see the finely tuned mind in action. So we don’t as often make them heroes or pay them generously as professionals. We don’t wear their gear or widely recognize the significance of their accomplishments.
Why not?
Corporate marketing and advertising are the gold standard for separating you from your money. Money is the single goal. Even corporate charitable giving, propped up by ad campaigns, is a form of corporate image building leading to increased sales.
Corporate marketing is built on extensive research, extensive media reach and the creative design engines of experienced agencies. But at root, all this boils down to sophisticated manipulation of basic human characteristics: greed, low self esteem, desire, status and envy.
Greed: Make consumers want more. Convince them that their wants are actually their needs. Tie wants to becoming a better human being.
Low self esteem: You deserve to look better, feel better, have more. This will bring notice, friends, romance, all you ever wanted.
Desire: It’s all right to want what you want. After all, it’s you, and you’re the best. Wanting is only human, and you can get what you want delivered to your door the next day. And, of course, “sex sells” is never discounted.
Status: Your next door neighbors have it. Celebrities have it. Professional athlete spokespersons recommend it. Why shouldn’t you have it. It’s what you deserve, and it shows others your importance.
Romance: Oils, Creams, injections, surgeries, hair coloring, eyebrow and eyelid rejuvenation and spa treatments all make you younger looking, more desirable and the beauty of your own dreams.
Envy: Only the best have these things. Why shouldn’t you? You’ll feel better when you show others you possess them.
Corporate marketing is a spectacle of bands, crowds, jingles, slogans, logos, sunshine, celebrities, professional athletes, influencers, obnoxiously cute kids, beautiful suburban couples in mcmansions with expansive kitchens, dance numbers and funny vignettes all speaking to you as if you are their very best friend.
Pick a commercial, Unwrap it. See what you think?
True freedom is courageous, not stupid.
True freedom respects the freedom of others.
True freedom comes from deep within not from superficial desire.
True freedom thinks big.
True freedom understands systems, but is not comfortable in them.
True freedom understands the responsibilities of true freedom.
True freedom has a moral grounding.
Holy Church of Get Off Your Ass and Do Something
Sermonette #10
Brothers and sisters, do you know where your ass is now? Is it parked somewhere? Is it plopped too comfortably? Is it out getting some fresh air? Or is it in gear and ready to go?
You don’t want your ass to turn you into an ass. Nature didn’t design the ass to be just a cushion.
So love your ass. Have expectations of your ass. Make your ass contribute to a better world.
Get off your ass. Do something.
