Us and them
23/06/16 05:30
There is something in us that wants to see the world as “us” and “them.” We want to externalize conflict, blame others, and identify enemies. The problems in our national government are caused by other people who don’t agree with our values, principles, or policies. We make similar distinctions and divisions in many other arenas of life. I hear similar words inside of the relatively small institution of the church. We talk about what “they” are doing or what “their” agenda is.
In that light, the discipline of our lectionary is revealing and a good teacher. Every third year we read through the stories of 1 and 2 Kings that report on the broad sweep of the history of Israel from the first united monarchy under King David (ca 1000 bce) until the fall of Jerusalem and the beginning of exile (587 bce). It is always good to review the story of our people and remember events that brought us to this point in our life together.
The Hebrew Scriptures , especially the historical books, have this amazing way of telling of the complexity of human experience from an insider’s point of view. In the books of Kings there are evil and unfaithful leaders as well as dedicated prophets. There are those who are about centralizing wealth, fame, power and information and those who stand up for the poor and dispossessed. There are villains and heroes, narcissists and self-effacing people, egomaniacs and humble servants - all in the same book. And all are part of our shared story. Unlike many histories, our people have kept the good and the bad and remembered the internal tensions. Despite our human tendency to see things in terms of “us” and “them,” in the stories of Kings, we discover that “they” are part of “us” and we are them.
The evil king Ahab is shown as a leader who lacks confidence and who is easily manipulated by the scheming Jezebel. The courageous prophet Elijah who stands up to all of the priests of Baal is also the same person who becomes so deflated and depressed that he lies down on the ground and begs to die. The good and the bad exist not only in the same book of the Bible, but even inside of the same character.
Over the past twenty years we have devoted significant energy to pursuing relationships with our neighbors that push us beyond racism. Ours still is a world where racial politics effect the every day lives of too many people. Injustice is evident in many aspects of life. Working to overcome racism and reach beyond the divide between Native Americans and those of other descents is a long and slow process. Trust that has been shattered so extensively isn’t restored easily or lightly. In our conversations, we have had to learn that it is easy to identify racism in others, but more meaningful to identify our own internalized racial notions. When I was in my twenties, I set out to change the world. Now, in my sixties, I realize how much I need to change about myself.
Pogo, the possum hero of Walt Kelly’s comic strip of the same name, said it well: “We have met the enemy and he is us.” The punchline came from a strip drawn for Earth Day in 1971. Pogo and Porcupine are walking in the woods. Porcupine says, “Ah, Pogo, the beauty of the forest primeval gets me in the heart.” Pogo responds, “It gets me in the feet, porkypine.” In the next panel, the forest is strewn with trash. Porcupine says, “It is hard walking on this stuff.” Pogo responds, “Yep, son, we have met the enemy and he is us.”
It changes our perspective entirely when we begin to understand that evil is not an external force, but a struggle within our own community and within our own selves. A lot of time an energy can be saved by avoiding the time of blaming and pointing fingers and getting down to identifying the steps required for genuine change.
That awareness, however, makes listening to the polarizing rhetoric of the current political climate even more painful. As candidates scramble to avoid showing any vulnerability, admitting any mistakes, and harboring any mixed feelings, they become caricatures of humans. We are never allowed to see a complete human being. Slogans and catch phrases tell only part of the story. By encouraging us to think simply, campaigns encourage us to think inaccurately.
A wise mentor once advised me to approach conflict for looking for the similarities between the person with whom I was disagreeing and myself. “You may be surprised to discover that what you don’t like about that person is the same as what you don’t like about yourself.”
The amazing honesty of our biblical story is refreshing, especially when read in the context of a year of politics that are anything but honest. The story of our people is a mixed record with wonderful achievements and terrible disasters. We have had great leaders and a few that were pretty awful. We have stood up for freedom and justice and we have acted in ways that were unjust and resulted in diminishing the freedom of some of the most vulnerable of our people.
And we read these stories in public. We tell them in a regular cycle of readings that has us returning to them over and over again, lest we forget who we really are.
As I grow older, I have learned to appreciate more deeply the value of repetition. When I look again at the familiar stories, I discover new nuances of meaning and insight. The reason why our people have treasured these stories for thousands of years might not be apparent upon the first or second reading. The ancients told these stories over and over again until entire groups of people had them memorized word for word. That deep familiarity with our stories produces a depth of understanding that is not available to those who read lightly and skim over the surface of our texts.
I am grateful for the words that reveal more and more about the world each time I read them.
In that light, the discipline of our lectionary is revealing and a good teacher. Every third year we read through the stories of 1 and 2 Kings that report on the broad sweep of the history of Israel from the first united monarchy under King David (ca 1000 bce) until the fall of Jerusalem and the beginning of exile (587 bce). It is always good to review the story of our people and remember events that brought us to this point in our life together.
The Hebrew Scriptures , especially the historical books, have this amazing way of telling of the complexity of human experience from an insider’s point of view. In the books of Kings there are evil and unfaithful leaders as well as dedicated prophets. There are those who are about centralizing wealth, fame, power and information and those who stand up for the poor and dispossessed. There are villains and heroes, narcissists and self-effacing people, egomaniacs and humble servants - all in the same book. And all are part of our shared story. Unlike many histories, our people have kept the good and the bad and remembered the internal tensions. Despite our human tendency to see things in terms of “us” and “them,” in the stories of Kings, we discover that “they” are part of “us” and we are them.
The evil king Ahab is shown as a leader who lacks confidence and who is easily manipulated by the scheming Jezebel. The courageous prophet Elijah who stands up to all of the priests of Baal is also the same person who becomes so deflated and depressed that he lies down on the ground and begs to die. The good and the bad exist not only in the same book of the Bible, but even inside of the same character.
Over the past twenty years we have devoted significant energy to pursuing relationships with our neighbors that push us beyond racism. Ours still is a world where racial politics effect the every day lives of too many people. Injustice is evident in many aspects of life. Working to overcome racism and reach beyond the divide between Native Americans and those of other descents is a long and slow process. Trust that has been shattered so extensively isn’t restored easily or lightly. In our conversations, we have had to learn that it is easy to identify racism in others, but more meaningful to identify our own internalized racial notions. When I was in my twenties, I set out to change the world. Now, in my sixties, I realize how much I need to change about myself.
Pogo, the possum hero of Walt Kelly’s comic strip of the same name, said it well: “We have met the enemy and he is us.” The punchline came from a strip drawn for Earth Day in 1971. Pogo and Porcupine are walking in the woods. Porcupine says, “Ah, Pogo, the beauty of the forest primeval gets me in the heart.” Pogo responds, “It gets me in the feet, porkypine.” In the next panel, the forest is strewn with trash. Porcupine says, “It is hard walking on this stuff.” Pogo responds, “Yep, son, we have met the enemy and he is us.”
It changes our perspective entirely when we begin to understand that evil is not an external force, but a struggle within our own community and within our own selves. A lot of time an energy can be saved by avoiding the time of blaming and pointing fingers and getting down to identifying the steps required for genuine change.
That awareness, however, makes listening to the polarizing rhetoric of the current political climate even more painful. As candidates scramble to avoid showing any vulnerability, admitting any mistakes, and harboring any mixed feelings, they become caricatures of humans. We are never allowed to see a complete human being. Slogans and catch phrases tell only part of the story. By encouraging us to think simply, campaigns encourage us to think inaccurately.
A wise mentor once advised me to approach conflict for looking for the similarities between the person with whom I was disagreeing and myself. “You may be surprised to discover that what you don’t like about that person is the same as what you don’t like about yourself.”
The amazing honesty of our biblical story is refreshing, especially when read in the context of a year of politics that are anything but honest. The story of our people is a mixed record with wonderful achievements and terrible disasters. We have had great leaders and a few that were pretty awful. We have stood up for freedom and justice and we have acted in ways that were unjust and resulted in diminishing the freedom of some of the most vulnerable of our people.
And we read these stories in public. We tell them in a regular cycle of readings that has us returning to them over and over again, lest we forget who we really are.
As I grow older, I have learned to appreciate more deeply the value of repetition. When I look again at the familiar stories, I discover new nuances of meaning and insight. The reason why our people have treasured these stories for thousands of years might not be apparent upon the first or second reading. The ancients told these stories over and over again until entire groups of people had them memorized word for word. That deep familiarity with our stories produces a depth of understanding that is not available to those who read lightly and skim over the surface of our texts.
I am grateful for the words that reveal more and more about the world each time I read them.