THE CLOUD OF “NOT OKAY-NESS”
We Are Not OK - Part 2
First, my apologies to any English teachers out there. I know the word “okay-ness” is not OK. Nevertheless, this “not OK” word reflects the “not OK” reality we live in.
Describing the holiday season of 2019, Dan Rather shared the following on Facebook…
It seems familiar, but the backdrop is not. Friends and family travel and gather. There are cold wars between warring factions who share the same last name…
Walking amidst the jostle of busy shopping streets, with overcoat wrapped tight against the cold, I can feel the nervousness beneath the mirth…
- Dan Rather, December 21, 2019
He continues in his New Year reflections…
We live in an age where many feel a significant weight of historical import. The daily headlines are shocking and dispiriting on many fronts, perhaps most significantly our rising threshold for outrage…
More than any one story, there is the churning discontent and disorientation of the cumulative assaults on reason, democracy and justice.
- Dan Rather, December 31, 2019
He reflects on the countless seasons of crisis he has experienced in his lifetime as a reporter: World War II, Jim Crow Laws & segregation, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, the assassinations of JFK, MLK and RFK, apartheid in South Africa, murderous dictators around the world, and so much more. In today’s world we might continue the list with 9/11, the rise of mass shootings, the global climate crisis, terrorism and religious extremism, epidemics in drug and sex trafficking, and again, the list goes on.
His point is that in every season of crisis, the world wasn’t sure how or even if it could ever move on. During World War II, there were days it seemed like the Nazi’s would win. Once again, there are days it seems like the evil of the world will simply overtake us all. Perhaps in some ways it already has.
The darkness has seeped into every crevice of our collective consciousness. Like a thief, it has robbed us of our peace of mind even as we have slept. We put on happy faces around our holiday tables, but as Rather noted, “there are cold wars between warring factions” even in our own homes. We fear saying anything of substance, either because we do not know where others at the table stand or because we know exactly where they stand and we realize nothing good can come from the argument. Our disorientation comes because we are no longer certain whom to call friend and who might turn against us without warning.
In 2016, I prayed with a woman at an Election Day Communion service. She had not been to church in several months. With tears in her eyes she shared that she was afraid her family members in the church would disown her if they knew how she voted. The polarization of our nation has only escalated since then. If we’re really honest, most of us can relate to her anxiety and distrust.
The American Adventure at Disney’s EPCOT theme park presents a beautiful, timeless and hopeful picture of American history and progress throughout our relatively brief existence as a nation. One of the most powerful songs for me describes the Civil War through the eyes of a particular family. When we look beyond the politics of war and the wars of politics we find that every tragic moment or season of history comes down to the same thing… real people and real families.
Friends, I won’t sugar coat it any longer. Our world is at war. Our nation is at war. Our communities and churches and schools are at war. Our families are at war.
Political wars. Economic wars. Racial wars. Gender wars. Generational wars. You name it, we fight about it. From our views on immigration or gun control to our opinions on the latest Star Wars movie, we will fight anyone over anything with equal passion and outrage.
This is NOT OK! We are NOT OK!
This is what I mean by the cloud of “not okay-ness” that looms over everything. No matter how beautiful we make things look on the surface, our emotions heat up like lava and we never know when the volcano will erupt. We live every moment right on the edge. There is no neutral demilitarized zone between us and the person next to us. When one person blows in this increasingly connected world, the collateral damage cannot be contained.
As I close today, I invite you to reflect on the words of the song I mentioned from “The American Adventure” found in the video below. Imagine this is your family. Your brother, your sister, your parents or children, your grandparents or grandchildren. Imagine this is you and your best friend or you and the people in your church. We may not wear blue and gray but we wear our ideologies on our sleeves just the same. We may not face cannonballs, but our words have just as much power to kill and destroy.
“Two Brothers” - by Ali B. Olmo & Tammy Tuckey
Two brothers on their way, two brothers on their way, two brothers on their way, one wore blue and one wore gray.
One wore blue, and one wore gray as they marched along the way. A fife and drum began to play all on a beautiful morning.
One was gentle, and one was kind. One came home, one stayed behind. A cannonball, don't pay no mind, all on a beautiful morning.
Cannonball don't pay no mind, if you're gentle, or if you're kind. It don't think of the folks behind, all on a beautiful morning
Reflections:
How have you noticed or experienced this “cloud of not okay-ness” in your life? What darkness is looming over your or your loved ones right now that you generally try to ignore? What shape do the cannonballs take in your life?
Consider at least one person who you feel like you walk on eggshells around, always uncertain of how they might respond to certain things. Pray for that person and for your relationship with them. Invite them out to coffee or lunch to clear out some of the unspoken tension you may feel in your relationship.
Consider at least one person you can trust 110% no matter what you say or feel. Thank God for that person and share with them what their friendship means to you.