Happy Blog Birthday! October 31, 2007
Posted by Matt in blog.Tags: birthday, blog, yahoo 360
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I remember two years ago when I brought you into this cyberworld, kicking and screaming and with a lot of bad writing. We’ve struggled through writer’s block and poorly written poetry together and I, for one, am really glad to have you as my outlet to the world.
Yahoo 360 has been good to me over the last 2 years; I’ve had the opportunity to meet loads of fascinating people and was even declared “Interesting” myself once. Now, though, we stand at the proverbial crossroads on this site and I’ve decided that I will soon be moving on. The new world of WordPress beckons and I must soon answer its call.
But today is the day for a cyber-celebration, so break out the party hats and champagne and play that funky music – Words of Wisdom is still going strong after 730 days, 651 posts, and 247,000+ hits. Thank you everyone for visiting the ol’ blog and I hope you stay around for the punch and cake and forthcoming transition. I really, truly appreciate all of you that take the time to stop in to read and say hello.
Halloween and the Essence of Zen Dudism October 30, 2007
Posted by Matt in humor, random.Tags: buddhism, dude, halloween, the big lebowski, zen
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Originally Posted 10/30/07
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51472171@N00/1881904067/
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We attended a Halloween get-together this past Friday night, for which we all dressed up in various amusing costumes. In the picture above, you can see my attire.
Now, many fellow party-goers looked upon my strangely comfortable garb and, with a befuddled look, questioned me, asking, “Who are you supposed to be?”
With a bit of self-righteous indignation that was hopefully not apparent, I would answer, “Only the greatest pillar of philosophy that my generation has seen, the Dude.”
You see, I’m convinced that The Big Lebowski contains the essence of all philosophy, that it is a fountain of meaning and purpose in a world filled with chaos and uncertainty. Our prophet, of course, is none other than the Dude.
Given his general countenance, you could safely assume that the Dude has found some sembelance of inner peace, zen, if you will. Though he doesn’t profess Buddah as his religious leader, his words and actions show a certain enlightenment through which, perhaps, he may even become a Buddha himself.
Buddhists believe in four noble truths, which Gautama Buddha realized during his own experience of enlightenment and then bestowed upon his followers. These four truths are as follows:
1. The nature of Dukkha – suffering exists in life
2. The origin of Dukkha (Samudaya) – suffering is caused by craving
3. The cessation of Dukkha (Nirodha) – to eliminate suffering, eliminate craving
4. The way leading to cessation of Dukkha (Magga) – To eliminate craving, follow the eight fold path.
In the beginning, the Dude seems to already be well on his way to Enlightenment. He owns little, but seems to be well at ease with his life situation. Soon into this piece of cinematic excellence, though, a situation erupts that threatens to imbalance the Dude’s equilibrium – two men break into his home and urinate upon his valued rug that “really tied the room together.”
Giving in to the Dukkha after losing this valued possession, our hero journeys to the home of Jeffrey Lebowski, the preferred target of the “rug-pee-ers,” where, in a very un-Zen-like moment, he uses some deceit to gain yet another rug. This new rughg, though, is soon taken and the Dude begins progressing through the four noble truths, coming to the conclusion that perhaps the rug itself does not really matter. By the end of the movie, he comes to the final enlightenment, a state of perfect peace and an absence of craving, in which he, deep within the bosom of nirvana, gives his final pronouncement, “The Dude abides.”
There are several more lines throughout the movie that also shows our hero’s adherence to Zen:
In the face of an angry, agressive Jeffrey Lebowski, berating him as a jobless bum, the Dude keeps his nearly everlasting cool, muttering just three words, “Ah, f*** it,” before removing himself from the situation.
The Dude tries to calm his bowling partner, Walter, down as he gets pulls a gun on their opponent, Smokey, by saying, “So, his toe slipped over the line a little, it’s Smokey.” It is through this pleading with Walter that he attempts to bestow a bit of his illuminating wisdom by saying that some things are more important than winning and losing. Later in the scene, the Dude proclaims himself (and Smokey) to be pacifistic, another pointer to the peacefulness of Zen Buddhism.
Later in the bowling alley, their upcoming adversary, Jesus Quintana, exclaims that “Liam and me, we’re gonna f*** you up.”
The Dude answers, “Yeah, well that’s just, like, your opinion, man.”
With this short statement, the Dude gives the idea that reality may be relative to the individual. In Jesus’ mind, he may seem actually victorious, and the Dude realizes this, in his enhanced awareness. Jesus’ self-created reality obviously differs from the Dude, for, by speaking with a tone of absolutism, he betrays the fact that he has yet to attain the ultimate wisdom.
The Dude’s conflicts with the trio of nihilists is again symbolic of the Zen way of life turning away from a depressing worldview in which people, “believe in nothing.” His answer that, “That must be exhausting,” again shows that he, in a state of enlightenment, has found that perfect peace that others lack.
When asked how he is doing, the Dude again answers in a very Zenlike manner, “strikes and gutters,” showing his acceptance that sometimes things proceed as planned and sometimes events occur outside of your desire.
This theme is repeated with the Buddah-like stranger who accords him a tidbit of wisdom that is surely worthy of inclusion within one of the sutras, “Sometimes you eat the bar and sometimes the bar eats you.”
And there are many, many more instances…
So what do you think? Is our protagonist on another, more enlightened, plane of consciousness. Is he perhaps in touch with the inner power of Zen?
P.S. I’m not really a Buddhist, but the religion is very fascinating to me and the Dude just puts me in that mindset.
Lessons From Linus October 29, 2007
Posted by Matt in love.Tags: halloween, linus, peanuts
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Originally Posted 10/29/07
I just finished watching that Halloween classic, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, with my girls and, as always seems to happen, I was struck by the sparkling dialogue between the featured children that goes far beyond conversations normally found in works of animation. Most notably, I find myself drawn to the unbridled optimism of Linus, who, with his tattered blanket and impressive vocabulary, carries you along on his mission of faith and hope in the face of opposition and scorn. I think we can learn quite a bit from this figure whose genesis came at the tip of a pen.
I love the first scene of the show, where Linus and his sneering sister Lucy roll a pumpkin into the house, where Lucy summarily grasps a knife, slices away the top of the large gourd, and scoops out its innards, dumping them upon the floor with a plop. Linus, though, in his innocence and respect for life wails out, “You didn’t tell me you were going to kill it!” His high estimation of the worth of life, even that of a pumpkin, is a commendable trait, especially in our current culture that tends to revolve around our own pleasures, regardless of the cost to others. It’s a message that should resonate with us as we blindly support the mass killings of other human beings that we will never have to see in an attempt to improve our quality of life or as we buy products produced in sweatshops by what amounts to little more than child slaves.
At a later point in the show, due to the condescending looks and exasperation of those around him, Linus comes to another sad but true realization, “There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.” Once again, the musings of this boy ring true for us in our world today where the quality of discourse on these most important topics has devolved into slanderous screaming matches. In America today, the Christian world has been beguiled by the false “health and wealth” gospels espoused by charlatans like Joel Osteen. In many circles, the ideas of peace and servitude have been replaced by anger and an abhorrence of those who see things differently. Many tend to still hold to the wayward belief that this world can only be divided up into black or white, right or wrong, alienating those who realize that everything cannot be divided into two boxes, and, with their overly aggressive claims of absolute truth, they further debase the God who they claim to serve. The devaluation of honest discussions is perhaps no more prevalent than in the political world, where contumelious talk show hosts spew forth a malicious malignancy upon the public who, like those cheering on the savage lions in the Roman colliseum, desire nothing more than to see blood spilt upon the ground.
Another admirable trait about our young protagonist is his willingness to admit error. At one point during the show, he takes a flying leap into a newly raked pile of leaves while holding a lollipop, leading him to bestow upon us yet another masterful quote, “Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker.” Though many times we may come across a thing, an item or activity that we believe may endow us with great pleasure, it is not always wise for us to indulge in it. Whether it is food or drugs or sex or an assemblage of fallen foliage, there are always consequences for our actions.
While I could continue to extol the grear virtues of Linus, perhaps his greatest character trait is that of faith. In the face of opposition, as friends and family mock him with adjectives like “stupid” and “strange” and “blockhead,” Linus keeps on believing. Even though the object of his fealty is something silly (the Great Pumpkin) the idea remains the same. Strength of character is not found in fulfilling our selfish desires, regardless of the cost. It is not found in shouting down and belittling opponents in attempt to prove ourselves right. It is not found in riches and fame and glory. Rather, the strength of our character, our conviction, is found in how we handle ourselves when our strongly held beliefs are contrary to those around us. Even when others turn away, we grasp the faith tightly, and love them despite their animosity toward us.
Old Friends, Football, and Birthday Cake: A Weekend in the DHT October 15, 2007
Posted by Matt in beebe, growing older.Tags: beebe, birthday, homecoming
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Originally Posted 10/15/07
Ever since we moved away nearly 4 years ago, there has always been this strange duality of feeling regarding return visits to my beloved hometown, Beebe. It’s always great to see my family and friends that I grew up with, it’s nice to settle into one of the front porch swings and enjoy the clean country air, looking out over a multitude of little-disturbed greenery while relishing the occasional sight of a majestic deer or a swift rabbit, and I enjoy the small-town talk of who’s doing what, but a few days is generally enough for me, before I start itching to get back to the convenience of the city.
We rolled into town around 7:30 Friday evening after a few false starts in our attempts to drive away. D and the girls dropped me off at the Homecoming game and they drove on to my parents’ house to relax for the night. One of the luxuries of having your entire family employed by the school and knowing the ticket-takers very well, is that entrance to the stadium is always free, so I stolled through the gates about midway through the first quarter and headed for the bleachers to find a seat. Along the way, I ran into a friend of mine (and former housemate) Jonathan, who is running for State Representative and stopped to give him a hard time about the fact that he is stumping as a Republican. Of course, since I’m not a resident of the state of Arkansas, I wouldn’t be able to vote in the election. I can’t say that I would cast a ballot for him anway, given the fact that he’s on the wrong side and because of our time living together I know way too much about him. I walked on from there and had the chance to visit with three old friends of mine from high school who I played football with and with whom I spent countless nights camping out on Turkey Mountain (it’s actually more of a small hill). After a few minutes of visiting and good-natured jabs, I moved on toward the bleachers that were nearly bursting with people. Along the way, I visited for a moment with fellow blogger Coleman and, though we talked about visiting later, that would not come to fruition this time around due to busy schedules. I finally made my way up the concrete staircase to the spot where Jeff (my brother), Nancy (his wife) and Mac (some dude from off the street 
) were sitting and they made a space for me.
There is something really special about small-town football games, especially Homecoming, where it seems as though the entire population of 5,000 people turn up in droves, dressed to the hilt in red and white, to cheer on the boys. This year there is something special about the team this season, a certain electricity that cannot be easily explained, that had led them to a tie for the league lead with a 6-0 record, setting up last Friday’s showdown with Blytheville, who were also undefeated on the year. The lead bounced back and forth between the teams, and the excitement continued to build with every fumble and touchdown, but, after 4 hard-fought quarters, the overmatched Badgers faltered, allowing their opponents to walk away from Bro Erwin Stadium with a hard-fought victory.
At one point during the game, I was climbing the steps to return to my seat when I saw a familiar face just a few rows away from our chosen spot. I moved a little closer, a bit unsure of myself as to whether this was who I thought it was, and called out, “Aaron.” The man turned and looked at me for a moment quizically, then stood up with his arms wide open – an embrace I was sure to return to another old friend of mine. I’ve known Aaron since our pre-Kindergarten days at Ding Dong Campus (you old-school DHTers know what I’m talking about) and for years in our childhood, the two of us, along with Andy (my recently married friend in Mobile) were nearly inseperable. We remined fast friends over the years as we grew into adolescents, participating in things such as overnight sessions of Dungeons & Dragons and Jr. High Band excursions. As we entered high school, though, Aaron and I began taking different paths in life and started hanging out with different crowds – I turned to the football player/jock clique and he went another way. Though we still hung out a few times after graduation, we continued to drift apart through my time in college and afterwards to the point that, prior to Friday evening, I hadn’t seen or talked to him in years. Aaron has lived a hard life and has gotten himself in a lot of trouble over the last several years with drugs of various sorts, but he is back at home and seems to have his life in order now.
And I really, really hope he does. I received a special surprise when he said that he has been reading this blog, which he stumbled across after Googling my name to see what I had been up to. Aaron, if you read this, I am very glad that we were able to reconnect this weekend and I hope that we will be able to get together some time in the future. Send me a message sometime.
After the game I made plans with Jeff and Mac to meet them for breakfast on Saturday morning at some little greasy spoon restaurant in town. That evening I hitched I ride with Jeff back to my parents’ house and visited with them for an hour or so until everyone was ready for bed.
The next morning, Mac and Jeff arrived around 7:00 and we headed over to a small, local spot for breakfast where I engulfed a dish called “The Rib Sticker” consisting of biscuits topped with white gravy, topped with eggs over easy, and hash browns on the side. It was one big, glorious mess of fat-filled goodness. Afterwards, we journeyed across town to the Beebe shopping mall (aka the Sale Barn/Flea Market) where we searched through piles of junk hoping to discover a nugget of gold, a diamond in the rough among the heaps of objects many people would proclaim worthless. I came away with a few records to add to my collection (including one each by Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra), so the trip was an unrequited success for me. I then headed back to my parents’ again, where I lay on the couch in a half-asleep stupor for much of the afternoon while my ample breakfast digested and watched football (Way to go, Kentucky! I always like to see an underdog win – unless Arkansas is the favorite).
That evening, Jeff and Nancy came over again and mom fixed a big meal to celebrate my upcoming birthday – country fried steak, mashed potatoes, tons of white gravy, green beans and rolls. It was a gigantic plateful of artery-clogging country excellence. Once the meal was finished, she then brought out a cheesecake with cherry topping for us to again gorge ourselves on. So I again crawled over to the couch, fat and happy, and we settled in for that night’s debacle, the Arkansas – Auburn game. Could Arkansas’ offense have possibly played any worse? Is there any possible way that Houston Nutt will keep his job after this disastrous season?
Sunday we went to church with the family, ate lunch and then D and I left for home that afternoon. Rachel is on Fall Break today and tomorrow, so we left the girls with my parents for a couple of extra nights and we came home for some peaceful evenings. Did you all have a nice weekend?
Dancin’ With Mr. Brownstone October 10, 2007
Posted by Matt in concert, music.Tags: alice in chains, concert, guns n roses, music, velvet revolver
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Originally Posted 10/10/07
Real, honest to goodness rock music is built on one concept that everything good (or bad depending on your perspective) stems from – rebellion. All of the sex, drugs, and crashing guitars basically come down to this one spirit of revolution, an insurgency of sorts against parents and other authority figures just for the sake of doing it. It’s about going against the grain, defying a status quo deemed to be oppressive (but most often is nothing of the sort) and resolutely affirming our independence with a big, single-finger salute. Whether it’s through swiveling hips or thumping basslines far beyond the endurable threshold of the human ear, every generation drives the older ones crazy with it.
And that’s what we love about it.
I remember as a preteen kid in the late 80’s being introduced to bands like Guns N’ Roses, who totally blew my young mind with their heavy riffs and incredibly (at least for me at that time) vulgar lyrics. It was music that set my young pulse ablaze and left me always yearning for more. As the 1990’s dawned and I entered those teenage years that are so rocky and unpredictable for boys (and I’m sure for girls also), the music scene changed and my cassette tape collection expanded to include this new brand of music stemming from the Pacific northeast that included everything from the nihilistic screams of Kurt Cobain to the straight-ahead rock of Pearl Jam, from the dirge-like sounds of Alice in Chains to the always-changing Stone Temple Pilots. And I played and played and played these albums and songs over and over again, never tiring of the sounds of my seemingly hopeless generation. It was before file sharing and Ipods, when even CDs were still in their fledgling state, and it was an incredible era to live through.
Last night I was able to relive some of those memories.
As you’ve probably read on here the last few days, I was given two tickets to last night’s Velvet Revolver/Alice in Chains concert in the city we now call home, Southaven. My anticipation for this show was as high as any in memory, even though I don’t generally listen to music of this heavier genre much anymore. In case you are unfamiliar with them, Velvet Revolver is the combination of some of the former members of Guns N’ Roses (Slash, Duff McKagen, and Matt Sorum) along with the former lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots, Scott Weiland. Alice in Chains’ lead singer, Layne Staley, died from a drug overdose several years ago and they have just recently reformed with singer William DuVall from the band Comes With the Fall.
D and I arrived at the amphitheater around 7:00, with plenty of time to grab a $5 (whew!) beer and find a nice, unobstructed spot on the hillside from which to watch the upcoming spectacle. At 7:30, AIC hit the stage with a vengeance, tearing through songs like “Grind” and “Sludge Factory,” with incredible ferocity. Jerry Cantrell’s guitar sound was heavy and deep, like a dropped-D tuning played in a big pool of mud. Shortly thereafter they ripped through back-to-back versions of “We Die Young” and “Them Bones,” with the enthusiastic crowd belting out every word, “I feel so alone, gonna end up a big ol’ pile of them bones!” Mike Inez pulled out all the stops on his bass with the opening line to “Rain When I Die,” literally shaking the solid ground beneath our feet with an unbelievable heaviness. They tore through everything you would expect, “Angry Chair,” “Would,” “Man in the Box” and the crowd devoured every heavy, gut-rattling note. For the final number, Slash joined them onstage for their biggest and final song, “Rooster,” while the video screen behind them flashed pictures from Vietnam (which the song is about) and our current conflict in Iraq, complete with pictures of our illustrious president and things like, “Bush lied, thousands died.” While I’m not big on political statements at concerts, I’ll cut Alice some slack because they flat-out rocked.
After waiting an hour after the final chords from Cantrell’s guitar faded away into the Mississippi night, Velvet Revolver walked onto the stage and were greeted with a deafening cheer from the thousands of devoted fans. Slash looked nearly the same as he did 20 years ago, when G N’ R were just a group of LA rockers hitting it big, with his oversized tophat, long black hair, sunglasses, and a requisite cigarette hanging from his lips. Weiland was a maniac onstage, running about like a madman and climbing onto every surface he could find. He strutted like Mick Jagger and then glided along the stage and atop the amps like a sleek cat looking for its prey. The band tore through several of their tunes, “Set Me Free,” “She Builds Quick Machines,” and “Fall to Pieces,” (to name a few), with Slash churning out riff after lumbering riff with the precision of a Ginsu knife. Their version of STP’s “Vaseline” was killer with the screen flashing psychedelic images at a breakneck pace while the band galloped along, before they slowed things down a bit for a short acoustic selection that included “Interstate Love Song” and “Patience” – which painfully showed Weiland’s vocal limitations compared to Axl Rose’s (he could not get anywhere near Axl’s screamed, “I’ve been walking the streets at night…). As one of their final songs before the encore, the band ripped up G N’ R’s ode to vulgarity, “It’s So Easy,” leaving the crowd yelling for more.
Soon, they returned for an encore that brought the whole arena down, beginning with G N R’s “Mr. Brownstone,” immediately followed by “Sex Type Thing,” and again the crowd went absolutely crazy. Weiland then went on some strange Jim Morrison-esque tirade of bad beat poetry set to a beat from the band that I just didn’t really get, but the final song, Velvet Revolver’s “Slither,” was a rollicking good time and we left drained of energy, but satisfied that we had just witnessed one of the last truly great rock bands.
Dealing with Uncertainty October 7, 2007
Posted by Matt in postmodernism, science.Tags: physics, postmodern, quantum theory, uncertainty
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Originally Posted 10/7/07
My college years were a tough time in my life, as I was forced to deal with not only being somewhat on my own, but also a newly acquired learning disability stemming from a car accident and life-threatening head injury that you can read about here if you so desire. That being said, I was not quite able to learn and retain all that I would have really liked too, most notably in those classes that involved much memorization (thank God for graphing calculators and my low moral standards). My time in Physics was especially tough for me and I feel as though I never really gained a good understanding of the subject itself and its place within the pantheon of knowledge.
Recently, though, I have rediscovered the subject both through Itunes’ incredible new ItunesU feature that enables you to download the audio of entire university courses and through some books that I have picked up from the local library. The first of these was Natalie Angier’s excellent tome of scientific knowledge, The Canon, which takes readers on an excursion through the basics of several scientific fields in order to increase curiosity and perhaps cause someone to look into a subject deeper than they would have previously. For the past two weeks or so, I’ve been completely absorbed in F. David Peat’s volume on 20th century scientific history, From Certainty to Uncertainty. Peat describes the fascinating journey from the concreteness of Newtonian physics into the mysteries of Quantum Physics and Chaos Theory, their disregard for absolutes, and the subsequent relativity of postmodern thought. Here is an excerpt for you to ponder over:
Newspapers write of fighting crime, the war on drugs, the war on want, and now the war on terrorism. Docotrs speak of taking aggressive measures in fighting a disease. Issues are to be challenged and confronted. The rhetoric of combat, conflict, and aggression is all around us and seems unnecessarily violent, considering that these are issues regardind social and medical matters. It suggests a mindset desperate to retain control over each and every situation, so that deviation from a preconceived plan, goal, or ideal is seen as involving something akin to a moral lapse that requires correction and punishment. Action of this nature cannot tolerate uncertainty. It uses language of confrontation, a language in which problems are to be dominated and overcome. Such rhetoric is also used to whip up support at elections by suggesting that a wrong or inherent evil has been pinpointed and, like an enemy, is going to be beaten to its knees. This same rhetoric places issues and problems as lying outside of us. It seeks to apportion blame to extraneous factors and is tailor-made for the creation of the “other” – ethnic, social, economic, or religious – group that can then be blamed for all of society’s ills. Scapegoating has been going on for millenia. It is easier and more convenient to lump people together under a flag, skin color, or religion than it is to take into account the wide range of human individuality and diversity.
Once again we encounter a central issue of this book. It is that of objectifying the world and attempting to stand outside a system as a supposed omniscient observer. It is the action of distancing oneself and seeing the world in terms of “problems” and “solutions,” instead of realizing that societies, cities, nations, and economic systems are immersed in complex webs of meaning that give them their cohesion and from which they take their values. People may be good or bad, stupid or creative, ignorant, uneducated, traumatized, or in some cases simply evil. We can never place ourselves outside the system as observers; our behavior, goals, and values are always set within that matrix of meaning that emerges out of the multilayering of family, group, society, global economics, and so on. Any policy or plan, any action taken, unfolds out of this matrix and its accompanying values and meanings. In turn it acts back upon it. Going to “the heart of the problem” may be important, yet it can also mean ignoring all the factors that gave rise to that situation in the first place, or to those factors that are ameliorating the situation at the present moment and causing it to persist. When we look at the world as object, or “problem,” we forget that we too are an essential part of the pattern we see around us.
Peace in a Violent World October 3, 2007
Posted by Matt in god, peace, war.Tags: human nature, Jesus, nonviolence, peace
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Originally Posted 10/3/07
We are a violent people.
From the first moments our ancestors emerged from the primordial sludge eons upon eons ago, they were involved in single-celled scuffles, struggling with all of their might for dominance and survival. Time and time again, throughout the multitiude of millennia and across our small, insignificant-seeming blue orb, our savage natures have resurfaced. From the Genensis legend of Cain and Abel to countless wars to today’s ever-present street crime, our Darwinian predilection toward self-propagation is ever-present in our thoughts and deeds. Our bend toward ferocity premeates even the smallest cells of our physical body as antibodies engage in battle with whatever pathogens attempt to invade the sacrosanct space they defend from harm. Every part of our being seems whoop out a brutish war cry.
But, regardless of this, we are called to be different.
We believe that God dwelt among us in the form of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who came not with fists and swords and AK-47s, but with love. We believe in His example, in which he laid down His life without retaliation.
We are called to not just love our neighbors, but to also love our enemies, regardless of the consequences. It may seem naive to those bent on their own subsistence, looking to survive by any means necessary, but it is the way. It is the path to which He calls us and that, by accepting Him, we choose to walk.
Involuntary Support for Death and Destruction October 2, 2007
Posted by Matt in god, war.Tags: costofwar, god, thoreau, war
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Originally Posted 10/2/07
Following Congress’ allotment of $128B this week to continue funding the current war of American imperialism, I’ve found myself in quite a predicament of mind and conscience for which I have no solution. To date, we have spent over $450B on our conquest of Iraq’s fields of black gold and many analysts are forecasting the final cost of this US foreign policy blunder to approach $1 trillion. Therefore, we have contributed about $1,500 per capita with much more on the horizon.
But my concern isn’t for just the vast amounts of American treasure being poured down the drain, my apprehension is directed toward the actions we are funding. As an avowed believer in the nonviolent stand of Christ, it burdens me greatly to think that money from my hand may have paid for the bullets and bombs used to murder Iraqi children and civilians. How can we, as Christians, possibly support such draconian acts of brutality in the hope that things may eventually stabilize and improve?
So, I was pondering my tax dollars and the monetary support I am giving for a cause I don’t support, and the questions continued to nag me like a contentious woman – What, if anything, can be done?
In the book of Romans, Paul talked about Christian support of their governing body –
“1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” Romans 13:1-7
Should we always honor and respect our government, though? As much as I hate harkening back to the founding fathers as so many today do, I can’t help but thing of the American insurgency against the British governing body. If this passage was truly followed, then that time of Revolution would never have occurred. Two centuries later, if everyone had completely submitted themselves, we would never have had the Civil Rights movement. There are several other examples of great men and women who led the charge against overbearing government policies and brought about changes for the better, but, because these were in opposition to policies and laws, were they acceptable in the eyes of God?
So, what is the correct Christian response? Do we act as Henry David Thoreau and refuse to pay our taxes and support our government (his reasons stemmed from an opposition to slavery and the Mexican-American war) or do we humbly submit? When is civil disobedience acceptable?
