A quick note on government [and my criticisms thereof]

When I highlight and point out mistakes, horrors and problems with Governments I do so for several reasons:

1) To raise awareness

Almost everyone believes government is necessary, or at the very least a necessary evil. This attitude is so taken for granted and pervasive, that it often leads to de-facto censorship and ignorance regarding the alarmingly profound injustices perpetrated by those with legal and political authority. Often this unfamiliarity and refusal to acknowledge these injustices stems from our own endorsement and support of government. It is difficult to accept that we support institutions that actively hurt and harm individuals that deserve grace and compassion. By raising awareness, I aim to awaken people to the reality that we support oppressive systems—systems that are cruel, that upon accepting the certain realities, one begins to question its necessity.

2) To provoke and encourage creative and innovative thinking

Immediately following my first goal, I hope to stimulate the minds of my readers so that they may begin to think about different, righteous and just solutions to both the problems perpetrated by Governments, and the problems that require the Government's response. For example, in criticizing the Government's treatment of prisoners, I hope to inspire both new approaches to the treatment "criminals", as well as new approaches to the societal causes of crime.

What I do not wish to do:

1) I do not wish to languish in the stale, bitter land of static criticism:

Everything is a lot more complex than it appears. I do not wish to be the cynic who has a problem with everything because everything is far from perfect. There are many problems in the world and this means that there is a lot of work to be done—there is a also a lot of good in this world, and an endless supply of people who actually care and are constantly addressing aforementioned issues, there are also a countless number of good ideas to explore and to try when dealing with those problems. While there is much bad, there is also much good and everyone—everyone deserves grace and understanding in their faults. A government like the United States often comes off as faceless because of the overabundance of faces supporting it. It is always important to remember that all of those faces are actual human beings with similar hopes, fears and faults. Not everything is black and white as it is made out to be—even as I make it out to be. Please know that I am a glass-half full of water & the glass is half full of air too...and several grains of salt always come in handy.

While I would call myself an anarchist (see linked blog post), I am also (first and foremost) a follower of Jesus Christ. It is actually because I am Christ-follower that I ascribe to anarchism. The mixture of these two results in a tedious balance between respecting those in the government, and acknowledging that they my equal, and that all are equal with the capacity to be corrupted and with the capacity to love. The current unjust and unequal system can only be subverted with total and unabashed love and care for our brothers and sisters—regardless of their position in life.

The Bad and the Good: Romans 6:18

I have a lot to talk about--but this will be a short current-events-sort of post. I had a good conversation slash interview with Oregon PeaceWorks director Peter Bergel which invigorated me and inspired me. I also went to a talk here at Willamette U. given by a man named Jeff Ferrell who is a sociology/criminology professor, who is also an anarchist. He gave a very interesting and informative talk on dumpster diving, a subject I will devote a whole future post too.

--a couple days later

I'm sitting here in the dark sharing a drink with myself and my thoughts, and I suppose you as well.

I screwed up a little bit this past week. I spoke when I should have listened. A small group of us friends have been going through a book titled UnChristian, a book that explores why the new generation of Americans are rejecting traditional, institutional Christianity. Chapter 8 (I believe) is on Politics. One of the reason why people are rejecting the Church and Christianity, the book says, is because Christians are too political. I thought the chapter for the most part, got it right...but it still was stuck/and came from a conservative ideology/bent. When we came together to talk, I came down from my lofty pedestal of being a politics major and unhinged my jaw to let loose a whole sleuth of personal beliefs, conclusions and convictions. I've been informed since that I came off a little arrogant and prideful, this is completely against how I wanted to come across and frustrated me and made me very disappointed in myself. I ended up having a long talk with my best friend Sam and we went back and forth awhile and it was good for me, I have great trouble with disagreeing and having conversing with humility. When I look back now, I realize I should have admitted and confessed my fallible nature and complete lack of all the answers and followed it up with a small bit from Jesus Radicals.com, then I should have closed my lips and listened and engaged in whatever direction the dialogue took.

The bit from Jesus Radicals:

When Christians engage with the political arrangements of the world, be it communism, socialism, capitalist republics, they have often claimed that their political option is the Christian one, and demonized other arrangements. This is the nature of politics, to divide and conquer. Beyond this, when Christians engage in politics they often sell out the Gospels, particularly on the issue of violence. They claim that Jesus did not mean for politicians to love their enemies, only the average person, and even the average person does not have to do so under some circumstances. We believe this approach to politics gives too much to the nation-state and is not distinctively Christian. Following Jesus is not a vocation or something one does in one’s spare time. It is a total life commitment. If we are to engage in politics, we must do so as Christians, but without baptizing the political order or trying to make it Christian.

This is where anarchism may come in for Christians. Without claiming that anarchism is Christian or that one has to be an anarchist to be Christian, we claim that if Christians are to engage with the world, the best available option is anarchism because it opens up space for Christians to engage without selling out their primary allegiances and core commitments, especially to peacemaking and nonviolence. Yet violence is not the only issue at stake in politics. All governments operate on a model of ruling over people. But the Gospels claim that Christians should model Jesus’ suffering servanthood. These are fundamentally incompatible outlooks. Anarchism, at its best, is a commitment to systematically critiquing all structures that place one person or group in a position to dominate others or creation. So anarchism, as a political philosophy holds some promise for Christians because the two share a commitment to critiquing the power structures and working towards a more level playing field.

I really feel like I should almost add that as a preface to my original post regarding the Church, the State and Anarchism.

I frequently get overwhelmed by the sins of the state, and the sins of the society.

What Sins of the state?

Well you could probably take a meander over any post and find things that I've outlined, described and cited in past blog posts. But a newer example may NY city's taxation of those who take refuge in homeless shelters. Yes, the homeless will be taxed.

Another might be the accidental murder of some Afghan students who ranged from 12 to 18 years of age at the hands of U.S. special forces...who were tied and bound and then shot point blank, only for the soldiers to realize that they had blundered in their mission and that the school sleeping quarters were not a militant hideout and weapons cache. Link here.

The modern political states of our world are fundamentally founded upon and maintained through violence, coercion and false authority. The very antithesis of Jesus who embodied love, grace and (the ultimate) true authority.

The Sin of our World?

A new report has revealed the slave like conditions of Chinese youth working in a Microsoft factory in China. Link here. With a shrinking, globalizing world...everything is connected. Sin is constantly overlooked and underestimated in its profound ability to disturb and destroy. We may not think it is sinful to buy a Microsoft product...but in reality, a fraction of our money translates into the exploitation of teenagers who work in hellish conditions. In ignorance essentially fall prey to continuing the cycle of violence and sin (and I am under no illusion that Apple is any better, they too have been accused and found participatory in using sweat shops for iPods). This small story is but the tiniest fraction of a microcosm of the sin our world.

As a follower of Christ, I wish to renounce and refrain from supporting anything which is evil; anything which might inflict pain and suffering—whether it be emotional, physical or spiritual—upon my brothers and sisters. Instead, I wish to follow in the footsteps of Christ in loving and blessing my neighbors equally and unequivocally, regardless of their position and disposition.

There is a quote on my facebook, by Albert Einstein who said (actually I'd recommend taking a brief look, 2-3 minutes top, at this page regarding the interactions between Einstein and Gandhi)

I believe that Gandhi's views were the most enlightened of all the political men in our time.

We should strive to do things in his spirit: not to use violence in fighting for our cause, but by non-participation in anything you believe is evil.

Non-incidentally, and not as widely known, yet which I like to constantly tell people...is that Gandhi was strongly influenced by the words of Jesus, and his teachings articulated by both Tolstoy and Anabaptists (just as much, if not more —it's disputed—as he was by hinduism).

But I really like Einstein's phrasing of "non-participation in anything you believe is evil"...to flip that around, "participation in everything you believe is good"...which I think is very much about who God is. God, who is love and who is righteous. Following in the footsteps of our savior, I love the words of Romans 6:18 which I put in the title...which says:

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

SLAVES TO RIGHTEOUSNESS

Here are some slaves, who are not Christian (as far as I know...they actually very well may be flaming devotees of our God who are but humble in their faith):

I really like that there are people like this man, Narayanan Krishnan who quit his job as a 5 star hotel chef to founding a non-profit company called Akshaya Trust that feeds destitute 400 homeless and poor folks in India.

And people like Marcia Merrick from Kansas City who feeds her homeless friends every single day, 60 hours a week.

I also just watched a video on TED.com which discussed the creation of the site Patientslikeme.com. The website connects people, connects and collects data and reflects it back to its users...who are al (I believe) suffering from some sickness, chronic or otherwise. The website developed out of a love and compassion for a blood brother who suffered from ALS and whose condition slowly deteriorated. To someone like me, who thoroughly enjoys connecting with people in similar physical condition and who also yearns for more information and feedback in regards to the advancement of medicine, AND who knows and requires information to make better and more important life decisions regarding health etc...this website is truly Godsent.

These three inspiring stories fill me with creativity and spark my imagination with endless possibilities.

How can I help those around me? What has been done, what has worked, what has not worked, and how can I do things differently so that I can improve the physical/spiritual/mental condition of my sisters and brothers who inhabit this Earth.

I guess my conclusion now, may be a little abrupt, but a little different as well. I really don't know if I want to "convert", so to speak, people to my political views of anarchism despite my conviction that is the most theologically et. all, sound. Honestly as a follower of Christ I really should and want to be focused entirely on the cross/empty tomb and for me that means spreading His goodnews of love and blessings for all peoples. If I have come off as too proud, too sure in my position, please accept my apology and forgive my anxious and troubled heart.

In peace, to love and serve the Lord

Sharing

How joyful it is to share with one another. What great privilege it is to help and to heal our brothers and sisters in need.

1 Timothy 6:17-19

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Matthew 25:34-36

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

In this day and age, sharing is always positive...to a point. You are expected to buy into the materialism and commodification of life. While sharing is looked kindly upon, we are expected to have a healthy dose of greediness—though it will be cloaked as necessities.

I recently watched a documentary with some friends called No Impact Man. The movie title was a little misleading as it's really about a family made up of two wealthy couples, with a young daughter, trying to live sustainably and ethically. Living in New York City they slowly and painfully transform into a family that uses a little electricity from a solar, no diapers, nothing plastic, no new possessions, no TV, no caffeine, candles, locally bought food, no cars etc. You get the idea. They begin to invest in a local community garden, they end up spending much (MUCH) more time with their young four year old daughter and they grow closer as a couple. It made an impression on me.

The movie spurned more thoughts throughout this week. I believe we need (and I'm not the first person to say this) that sharing means more than just allowing others to use our resources/possessions, but it also means sharing our time and it means sharing our attention, our love, our mindfulness and care. It also means, really, the cliché "sharing the planet". The more possessions we accumulate, even if it's to share at our own discretion, the less other people have for their own survival. I was listening to some anarchist tapes that were critiquing the waste of Capitalism—how markets dependent upon the wind and whims of demand of the rich and frivolous creates absurd and arbitrary (and potentially useless products). To make my point, one just has to think of the kitchen. How many different tools and small pieces of equipment are specifically designed and sold to perform one specific function...I freely admit that many of them legitimately make cooking, cleaning and storing easier and save time, but generally other generic and generalized tools (such as fork/spoon/knife) can perform the same functions. By refusing to buy and indulge in the clutter, you effectively are refusing to buy into a system that encourages the wasteful creation of dust collectors, bobble-heads and clutter.

Moving on, I watched a video last night showing a firewood making machine. The machine is pretty cool, and it resonates within me some part of pride in the accomplishment of humanity...but what if you look at what's doing, the machine essentially turns a whole tree into stacks of firewood in a matter of a couple minutes. It ultimately disturbed me, because I began to think of how long it took for that tree to grow. The trees the machine was eating through, each probably took a good solid 15-25 years to grow. It took all those years of gaining strength, of weathering rain and sun and providing shade and shelter. And it took us 4 minutes for us to convert it into something for us to consume for our own heat and shelter. I was talking Sam to her, and she pointed out that we need lumber to build houses and to keep us warm. I think this is a very valid point, but at the same time I think we also need to be looking at all the doodads and pointless crap that's made out of wood. Stuff made out of wood that just sits around on a counter, or frames a picture or little fanciful decorations in so many places. And as for houses, countless number of houses go unused and empty even though people are out living on the street. My conversation with Samantha also led to eating meat, and how senseless it has become, and how wasteful and disconnected it is. If you watch this video regarding a slaughterhouse where chickens and cows are processed, like pieces of metal to be shaped into things for us to use. A cow is led into a barrel like chamber, is rattled around and then shot in the head. Then turned upside down and water is blasted into it it's body to clear all waste and blood out of it.

So how do we start sharing? How can we really, really start sharing life with one another..not just our possessions, but something deeper, how can we share our existence with those around us and with those who will come after us (the generations who will come after you). Here are some suggestions, list style! These are just suggestions for you to consider and mull over.

1) Start living a little simpler. When you buy things, ask yourself if you need it. What will it be used for? Can something you already own, be used to perform the same function? Can you make it for yourself cheaper? How often will it be used, who will use it? What are the costs of buying and becoming an owner (will it prevent you from using money for something better, does it come serious harm to a neighborhood/community/nature?)

2) Consider becoming a vegetarian or at the very least, start eating more vegetables and less meat. Don't shy away from reading books like Food, Inc. (a book I believe I own or owned at one point from my first college English class) and informing yourself of the consequences of your eating habits. Read up on how the cow industry uses up and wastes huge tracts of land and pollute waters. Read up on how we kill 1 million chickens every hour in America. Read up on how certain fishes are becoming extinct due to overfishing. Your children, and your neighbor's children, and their children would like to know what eating fish is like.

3) Looking into and consider joining one of the many websites and groups of peoples who are envisioning and creatively rethinking their way of life in the world. People who are trying to share. Here are some people and organizations that I've come across. Check them out, maybe consider signing up or at least looking into.

--Relational Tithe

"RelationalTithe.com is an interactive platform for connecting and meeting needs across socioeconomic and geographic barriers. It is also a place to explore, to meet, to share dreams and ideas, to ask and discuss questions, to learn and to grow together."

--Vittanna.org

"In most countries, student loans just don't exist. The Vittana community is enabling students around the world to get access to higher education for the first time."

--NeighborGoods

"Welcome to NeighborGoods where you can save and earn money by sharing stuff with your friends! Need a ladder? Borrow it from your neighbor. Have a bike collecting dust in your closet? Rent it out for some extra cash!"

--FreeeBay

"FreeeBay is dedicated to gift economy on the Internet. Apart from connecting people to give and get for free, our web site also serves as a library of useful contributions about anarchism, gift economy, and the Internet."

All three of these options have been explored by various strands of Christianity, but the mainline Church throughout history has been far from freely choosing to live out such ideas and ways. I was heartened to have found Relational Tithe, since it came out of (I believe) an even that the Simple Way hosted on Wall St.

I will end here, please know that I love you all and that I'm constantly being challenged. I've been meaning to write a good, solid post and I think this qualifies as one that will engender much thinking and brain buzzing for at least a few days. Please pray for Samantha's (my girlfriend) MCAT exam this Saturday!

In grace and peace,

And Now, for Something Completely Different

Here's a transcript from a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's worth reading twice. First for the humor, second for the analysis.

Here is the video if you'd rather not read it:

[clop clop]

ARTHUR: Old woman!

DENNIS: Man!

ARTHUR: Old Man, sorry. What knight live in that castle over there?

DENNIS: I'm thirty seven.

ARTHUR: What?

DENNIS: I'm thirty seven -- I'm not old!

ARTHUR: Well, I can't just call you `Man'.

DENNIS: Well, you could say `Dennis'.

ARTHUR: Well, I didn't know you were called `Dennis.'

DENNIS: Well, you didn't bother to find out, did you?

ARTHUR: I did say sorry about the `old woman,' but from the behind

you looked--

DENNIS: What I object to is you automatically treat me like an inferior!

ARTHUR: Well, I AM king...

DENNIS: Oh king, eh, very nice. An' how'd you get that, eh? By

exploitin' the workers -- by 'angin' on to outdated imperialist dogma

which perpetuates the economic an' social differences in our society!

If there's ever going to be any progress--

WOMAN: Dennis, there's some lovely filth down here. Oh -- how d'you do?

ARTHUR: How do you do, good lady. I am Arthur, King of the Britons.

Who's castle is that?

WOMAN: King of the who?

ARTHUR: The Britons.

WOMAN: Who are the Britons?

ARTHUR: Well, we all are. we're all Britons and I am your king.

WOMAN: I didn't know we had a king. I thought we were an autonomous

collective.

DENNIS: You're fooling yourself. We're living in a dictatorship.

A self-perpetuating autocracy in which the working classes--

WOMAN: Oh there you go, bringing class into it again.

DENNIS: That's what it's all about if only people would--

ARTHUR: Please, please good people. I am in haste. Who lives

in that castle?

WOMAN: No one live there.

ARTHUR: Then who is your lord?

WOMAN: We don't have a lord.

ARTHUR: What?

DENNIS: I told you. We're an anarcho-syndicalist commune. We take

it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the week.

ARTHUR: Yes.

DENNIS: But all the decision of that officer have to be ratified

at a special biweekly meeting.

ARTHUR: Yes, I see.

DENNIS: By a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs,--

ARTHUR: Be quiet!

DENNIS: --but by a two-thirds majority in the case of more--

ARTHUR: Be quiet! I order you to be quiet!

WOMAN: Order, eh -- who does he think he is?

ARTHUR: I am your king!

WOMAN: Well, I didn't vote for you.

ARTHUR: You don't vote for kings.

WOMAN: Well, 'ow did you become king then?

ARTHUR: The Lady of the Lake,

[angels sing]

her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur

from the bosom of the water signifying by Divine Providence that I,

Arthur, was to carry Excalibur.

[singing stops]

That is why I am your king!

DENNIS: Listen -- strange women lying in ponds distributing swords

is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power

derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical

aquatic ceremony.

ARTHUR: Be quiet!

DENNIS: Well you can't expect to wield supreme executive power

just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!

ARTHUR: Shut up!

DENNIS: I mean, if I went around sayin' I was an empereror just

because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me they'd

put me away!

ARTHUR: Shut up! Will you shut up!

DENNIS: Ah, now we see the violence inherent in the system.

ARTHUR: Shut up!

DENNIS: Oh! Come and see the violence inherent in the system!

HELP! HELP! I'm being repressed!

ARTHUR: Bloody peasant!

DENNIS: Oh, what a give away. Did you here that, did you here that,

eh? That's what I'm on about -- did you see him repressing me,

you saw it didn't you?

Monty Python, ever the master of in depth critique has the "peasants" talking much more lucidly, coherently and logically than the self-enamored, authoritative King Arthur. Arthur's logical explanation for his authority, to the audience, is deficient to the point of hilarity. Meanwhile, visually, at the same time, the peasants' work involves working in the "filth" or...basically making piles of mud. This speaks to the unpleasantness of necessary work that fills the life of the peasants while Arthur has the luxury of going on a wild goose chase in search of the Holy Grail (which he never finds). Finally, before their encounter ends, Arthur ends up harassing the peasant for questioning and ridiculing his right to authority.

Mercy Now

This is a cover of a song by Mary Gauthier, performed by Joe Crookston. This song was also covered at the MyPeace Kickoff I helped organize/promote.

Here's Joe Crookston singing, it's a really wonderful song and appropriate for what I cover in this blog.