Hello from my little corner of Main Street,
The holiday weekend has begun, and it’s been an eventful week, a charged one, and yes, a difficult one. Some part of the difficulty is undoubtedly self-inflicted because I spoke out passionately about my beliefs and my position about the ongoing federal crackdown in my former home, the Twin Cities. Because someone I love deeply posted alternate views from me on my feed, things got heated. And at this point, I think it is fair to say there is significant tension within the family. Additionally, college classmates wrote some pretty personal things about people who are certainly different in their viewpoints than me, but are nonetheless incredibly dear to me. I think it’s only the second ever I have deleted things posted on my feed. I actually wrote to my college friend and noted they had crossed a line, noting “they poked a bear” (or I would add here a family of bears). The reality is this: the country is as polarized as I have ever experienced in my life time, and the partisanship that has characterized most of the 21st century is possibly at a tipping point. I actually posted on my wall that I wish to calm things down, and with the painful, and noticeable, exception of one person, that has happened. Thank goodness.
What I am struggling with is profound, complex, philosophical, and, for me, a sense of ought, to use Immanuel Kant’s understanding of the categorical imperative. It is about consistency, and again, I realize my perception can be different than others, it comes from my study of Bonhoeffer and his argument that considered the action of being the “spoke in the wheel” was not only appropriate, it is necessary and the faithful thing to do. The profundity of now is actually about how to maintain peace and justice. The complexity is such that I am not sure where to begin or what would be sufficient if I had even an inkling of how to begin. The philosophical struggle boils down to two things for me: first, what allows for peaceful protest or peaceful response to any stressful situation? And second, has 250 years of being a beacon come to an end because of the administration’s response to Venezuela, Iran, Greenland, Denmark? I do not have a final answer, to be sure, but the daily news, the President’s Truth Social feed, and the reels from multiple social media sites seems to demonstrate we are, to a significant degree, in uncharted territory. Certainly imperialism is not new, and our national penchant for inserting ourselves into some other country for oil is nothing unheard of, so Venezuela is perhaps just a reshuffling of the same deck of cards. Discord on our streets, with a heavy dose of blaming the other is not new, those in power who are obsessed with keeping their power have rolled out this script since we became a country.
The illusion of our being a beacon is something we were taught from an early age as we stood up each morning to pledge our allegiance, when we had pictures of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln framed on the wall on each side of the clock we stared at suffering each minute until the final bell of the day rang. I believed with all my heart that we were the “good guys” in the serial Western movie. We cared about democracy and doing the right thing. Those words of all being equal, that liberty and justice were for all, meant that. Ironically, I think I first learned that there was more façade to that than imagined when I was in the military. I was an immature 17 year old as I stepped onto the yellow footprints of MCRD. By the time I got out of the service I saw the world much differently, and my understanding of geopolitics had been altered substantially. And yet, as I aged I still believed in the basic tenets of our grand experiment. Currently, thanks to my Danish friend, Hans Christian, the father of my exchange student, I still maintain some hope.
Is my current curmudgeonly disposition merely a consequence of age? Is it because the polarization, which I have been sucked into in a serious degree the reason? Is it my own disillusionment with both my country and myself that has created this morass? Fortunately, I have one person that will offer me feedback honestly and lovingly and they noted that sometimes my tone, intended or not, comes off somewhat pontifical. My researching background and my contextualization, and I would add the structuring when paired with my passion (as they noted) comes off as authoritative, and that can cause people to feel defensive before I begin. Let me offer this first, I agree completely with their assessment, even if that is not what I intend. I do believe that argument has structure to be effective, and Toulmin’s theory of argumentation is something I was steeped in during my doctoral work. So I guess it’s not surprising that I find myself using that process. Should I expect the same from the other side? I might wish for it, but I have no right to expect it, and therein is the rub perhaps.
That leads me back to some of my initial thoughts about expectations or where I have begun to understand my place in life at this time. Even as I write this, President Trump has decided to raise tariffs on seven European countries to force the issue on Greenland (and by extension, Denmark). His argument is China and Russia want Greenland, but if Greenland is a territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Denmark is in NATO, wouldn’t that invoke Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty should either of them attack? I ask because I am not versed in international law. Second, if I am correct than the reason to take Greenland is not safety, and recent comments by the Former Foreign Minister of Denmark lay out quite nicely the treaty that was signed in the early 2000s about the safety and sovereignty of Greenland. I offer this not as a political statement, but to note a difference between current foreign policy and how it seems we have acted as a country post-WWII. On the more personal level, it seems much that I expected (in the sort of American dream manner) and retirement is a myth. I read two statements in the last couple days from something posted on a college classmate’s feed, and they rang true with a sort of vengeance when I consider the last 18 months. Retirement is not a reward, it is a reality check. And second: Aging does not hurt your body first — it hurts your illusions. Both of these statements are painfully accurate. In my first couple years at Bloomsburg, one of my colleagues passed away in her classroom, in front of her students. That was tragic for everyone involved, and certainly not something I would wish for anyone, but she was in a class she created, and teaching what she loved. Up to the very last minute. There is something poetic and beautiful in that. I was part of that tragic event, and I remember thinking I would never want to work to that end. I also waited longer than some might have imagined (a few weeks shy of 69), but there are moments I wish I was still working in the academy on some levels. I miss students; I miss the interaction and when the light goes on. I miss some of my colleagues. Indeed the reality of retirement is where you plan, but enough or how one plans is part of that. Second, while I did some significant work over the last years I worked to prepare, I believe we might be wise to begin much earlier. How much? Maybe in your late 30s and certainly by the time you are in your 40s. I wish I might have had a mentor much earlier. As importantly, the change in how you live life daily as well as how you fit into where you were is significantly different. I am not sure if there is some sort of change that happens to us when our birthday reaches certain numbers, and I do not feel old, but somehow the age of 70 has affected me as much as any age. The other age that hit me hard was 25. As I noted more than once as of late, what I expected in life and how it has evolved is not really anything I expected, and I am not sad about the life I have lived to be sure. Health has been a major part of my life, and particularly from the time I was diagnosed with what would eventually be Crohn’s in my late 20s. The complications from living with an IBD have been numerous, but each time I have been blessed by competent care and capable medical professionals across the country. My medical life is something that takes more time than I sometimes appreciate, but it is my reality. While I had the childhood diseases and the proverbial colds typical for an Iowa winter, it was not until I was 28 that a normal trip ended with blood and changed my life.
Some might question my title, and it is something I was reminded of lately (which is sometimes how I find my titles, and often back in the day how I would come up with sermon titles). Bees and flies seem to have a couple of common traits when it comes to our human response. We are either afraid of them or annoyed by them, and getting someone to change their opinion about either insect is difficult. As it is when it comes to getting us to let go of our expectations, to the realities or the myths that seem too often to influence our planning, our living, or our beliefs. Each of these things are quite different when we ponder them, but nonetheless, they have a profound effect on what we do. I am stunned when I consider the power of expectation. Expectations be they societal or individual, we often accept them as givens, as a sort of truism. It is the way it is, it is the way it’s always been. The reality of the bees and the flies has a second level. As the saying goes, if the bee could speak with the fly and convince them honey is better than dung do you think it would change the fly? In theory, it would seem the flies would change, but what we see is that is not the case. Should we expect the difference? All we need to do is look at our own actions. Our expectations be it on how our lives should transpire or how we believe our world should work are always open for reality checks, and yet too often we do not like those checks, be it from someone we love or be it in merely how things happen. I am grateful to my niece who keeps me grounded more than she knows. She is so incredibly insightful; she is demurring, but fierce. She is brilliant, but often self-deprecating. She always brings her A game to everything she does, and she will always brighten your day. It’s been a tough week, but as always a learning experience. Learning to love first is not always easy, but it is what we are called to do. Is life merely a dream to live out? When I was in seminary, Heart was one of my favorite bands. Seeing them in concert in the 70s was memorable. I saw then after their Dreamboat Annie album in Sioux Falls (a concert I remember with such fondness); I saw them a second time after their Barracuda album in Ames, and then I saw them when I was in seminary in the Twin Cities. What makes this particular song somewhat unique is that Nancy, rather than Ann does the lead vocals. The video has a Salvador Dali vibe for me. Dreams are important, but they can be fleeting.
Thank you as always for reading.
Michael
thewritingprofessor55 