The Particular and That Which Transcends: Truth in Both/And
DOMA overruled. Zimmerman acquitted. Major changes to abortion clinics in Texas. Voter Act decision. Obama's climate change address. The 500th execution in Texas in June.
If you know me well, I have probably shared with you--whether in plain words or otherwise--that I often find myself caught between two opposing (or are they opposing?) ideas, arguments, ways of thought. I own that although I think my ability to hold and understand differing perspectives (whether views on spirituality/philosophy, navigating environmentalism while living in capitalist America, or the line between productivity/"doing" and groundedness/"being") is a gift I have been given, I sometimes think that it would be so much easier if I could think in more a black-and-white picture. "I understand what you mean..." can only go so far sometimes.
That being said, I have learned again and again that life is paradoxical in many ways. Nuanced by shades of gray, the tensions of life-- if we allow them to-- can add an element of beauty to our experiences of daily life and relationships.
A paradox which I've been intensely reflecting over since my junior year of college and that has re-captured my full attention periodically since that year, is the tension that exists in the ways that individuals, communities, and governments make decisions like the ones I listed in my opening paragraph. From a broader perspective, connected to my identity as a person of the Christian faith, this tension also informs the way I/we understand who God is and what that means for us.
We can understand systems and structures as protecting or implementing broad-based values like equality, justice, compassion, responsibility, etc. You know, like those "pillars of character" posters slapped on the walls in elementary school. From a theological perspective, I think this is where we understand God as that which is transcendent--the great uniting Being, Force, Energy, Benevolence which makes no distinction between gender, orientation, race, socioeconomic status, and every other kind of human-created division.
Call me postmodern, but we can also understand these systems and structures as advocating for the particular--for approaching problems or situations from the particular experiences of the individuals affected by those situations. To address the faith aspect again, this is where God's immanence is stressed--the God which is present and near to each and every particular situation of creation, and who takes on the fullness of human reason, experience, and emotion.
Each is problematic when left standing alone. When put together in a space where each is honored, respected, understood ( to me, sort of like the greeting "namaste," which literally means "I salute your form") they can be extremely effective.
I'm probably boring you, or at the very least am not making much sense. It's just that I find this concept of paradox so deeply fascinating. Troubling. Possibility-bearing. Rich. Beautifully inescapable.
I once heard the director of an organization I belong to say that every situation, no matter how difficult or complex, offers an invitation. Maybe all of this reflection that's been stewing around in my brain on such a seemingly bizarre notion is an invitation... an invitation to not just me but my friends, colleagues, fellow dreamers and schemers, to envision the world in a way that is not either/or. The paradigm of either THIS or THAT can be so limiting, I think. Perhaps there needs to be room for the both/and. I'm not meaning a casually tossed, buzz-word, hippie-esque (though I do love the hippies) "let's all hug and love each other" kind of both/and.
I mean the gritty both/and that dares us to step into the shoes of the olive-skinned immigrant we have been conditioned to view with suspicion while also honoring the risks taken by soldiers and all of our public service people. The both/and that takes us into the places where illnesses like diabetes and heart disease inflict the wrath of a food system that values money over health, while enjoying the feel-good coziness of the "foodie" movement. The both/and that is equally saddened by the loss of an unborn child and the lack of understanding for mothers denied education, resources, or adequate support. The both/and which mourns that the color of my skin indicates that I benefit from a system of exploitation that has caused others to be isolated, excluded, and harmed while celebrating the God-given dignity and belovedness which binds all of humanity as sisters and brothers.
Let's all of us explore this, shall we?
If you know me well, I have probably shared with you--whether in plain words or otherwise--that I often find myself caught between two opposing (or are they opposing?) ideas, arguments, ways of thought. I own that although I think my ability to hold and understand differing perspectives (whether views on spirituality/philosophy, navigating environmentalism while living in capitalist America, or the line between productivity/"doing" and groundedness/"being") is a gift I have been given, I sometimes think that it would be so much easier if I could think in more a black-and-white picture. "I understand what you mean..." can only go so far sometimes.
That being said, I have learned again and again that life is paradoxical in many ways. Nuanced by shades of gray, the tensions of life-- if we allow them to-- can add an element of beauty to our experiences of daily life and relationships.
A paradox which I've been intensely reflecting over since my junior year of college and that has re-captured my full attention periodically since that year, is the tension that exists in the ways that individuals, communities, and governments make decisions like the ones I listed in my opening paragraph. From a broader perspective, connected to my identity as a person of the Christian faith, this tension also informs the way I/we understand who God is and what that means for us.
We can understand systems and structures as protecting or implementing broad-based values like equality, justice, compassion, responsibility, etc. You know, like those "pillars of character" posters slapped on the walls in elementary school. From a theological perspective, I think this is where we understand God as that which is transcendent--the great uniting Being, Force, Energy, Benevolence which makes no distinction between gender, orientation, race, socioeconomic status, and every other kind of human-created division.
Call me postmodern, but we can also understand these systems and structures as advocating for the particular--for approaching problems or situations from the particular experiences of the individuals affected by those situations. To address the faith aspect again, this is where God's immanence is stressed--the God which is present and near to each and every particular situation of creation, and who takes on the fullness of human reason, experience, and emotion.
Each is problematic when left standing alone. When put together in a space where each is honored, respected, understood ( to me, sort of like the greeting "namaste," which literally means "I salute your form") they can be extremely effective.
I'm probably boring you, or at the very least am not making much sense. It's just that I find this concept of paradox so deeply fascinating. Troubling. Possibility-bearing. Rich. Beautifully inescapable.
I once heard the director of an organization I belong to say that every situation, no matter how difficult or complex, offers an invitation. Maybe all of this reflection that's been stewing around in my brain on such a seemingly bizarre notion is an invitation... an invitation to not just me but my friends, colleagues, fellow dreamers and schemers, to envision the world in a way that is not either/or. The paradigm of either THIS or THAT can be so limiting, I think. Perhaps there needs to be room for the both/and. I'm not meaning a casually tossed, buzz-word, hippie-esque (though I do love the hippies) "let's all hug and love each other" kind of both/and.
I mean the gritty both/and that dares us to step into the shoes of the olive-skinned immigrant we have been conditioned to view with suspicion while also honoring the risks taken by soldiers and all of our public service people. The both/and that takes us into the places where illnesses like diabetes and heart disease inflict the wrath of a food system that values money over health, while enjoying the feel-good coziness of the "foodie" movement. The both/and that is equally saddened by the loss of an unborn child and the lack of understanding for mothers denied education, resources, or adequate support. The both/and which mourns that the color of my skin indicates that I benefit from a system of exploitation that has caused others to be isolated, excluded, and harmed while celebrating the God-given dignity and belovedness which binds all of humanity as sisters and brothers.
Let's all of us explore this, shall we?
Rich thoughts, Eva.
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