Sunday, November 11, 2012
Sunday Reflection: On losing
It's the end of election week, but there is still a lot to ponder. One thing is this: What do I make of the vote in California to preserve the death penalty there by rejecting a referendum which would eliminate it?
It is hard to lose on something I care about, enough to have spent my fall break out there working on the issue. However, I do have to admit that the mistakes we made there were not so different than the mistakes made by the marriage amendment proponents here in Minnesota. In short, we relied too much on media and not enough on empathy and talking. Further, we probably made the same kind of strategic mistake in putting the issue on the ballot at all, because the voters collective expression makes our task in the legislature very difficult. In other words, I can't judge too harshly my opponents on the marriage issue here, since in California we made pretty much the same mistakes in relation to the death penalty.
As always, I have to acknowledge that social justice doesn't come from me; it comes from the community as a whole and may end up looking different than what I think initially. Being humbled is often a good thing. It directs us, very often, to what is important and true. Faith directs us to humility, so perhaps when it comes in the form of a defeat, that is a blessing, too?
It is hard to lose on something I care about, enough to have spent my fall break out there working on the issue. However, I do have to admit that the mistakes we made there were not so different than the mistakes made by the marriage amendment proponents here in Minnesota. In short, we relied too much on media and not enough on empathy and talking. Further, we probably made the same kind of strategic mistake in putting the issue on the ballot at all, because the voters collective expression makes our task in the legislature very difficult. In other words, I can't judge too harshly my opponents on the marriage issue here, since in California we made pretty much the same mistakes in relation to the death penalty.
As always, I have to acknowledge that social justice doesn't come from me; it comes from the community as a whole and may end up looking different than what I think initially. Being humbled is often a good thing. It directs us, very often, to what is important and true. Faith directs us to humility, so perhaps when it comes in the form of a defeat, that is a blessing, too?
Comments:
<< Home
out of curiosity; how many other contentious amendments were on the ballot in California? I say that, because in Florida there were 11 or 12 Constitutional Amendments that people had to try and grasp and when there are so many, people tend to lump them all together and just say ENOUGH - I will vote No or vote Yes on all of them and not look at them individually.
In NC the Republican State legislature slammed through the Say NO to Gay Marriage amendment. An election that was 'minor' and would not draw the Democrat voters in large numbers since The President was unopposed in the primary. They were smart but underhanded in their placement of the initiative. If this had been on the November ballot it probably wouldn't have passed. As although NC went to Romney; more Democrats voted than Republicans.
Change comes in small steps; look how many times it has taken the Puerto Ricans to vote for 'statehood'?
In NC the Republican State legislature slammed through the Say NO to Gay Marriage amendment. An election that was 'minor' and would not draw the Democrat voters in large numbers since The President was unopposed in the primary. They were smart but underhanded in their placement of the initiative. If this had been on the November ballot it probably wouldn't have passed. As although NC went to Romney; more Democrats voted than Republicans.
Change comes in small steps; look how many times it has taken the Puerto Ricans to vote for 'statehood'?
I think a lot of people are uncomfortable with abolishing the death penalty because they feel in their gut that some crimes are so heinous, and some offenders so hateful, that justice requires the ultimate punishment. As Christians, we see every person as redeemable. But the criminal justice system (not to mention our government) is not a Christian institution.
Until we can ensure that the death penalty is administered fairly, we should oppose it – which may mean we go on opposing it forever. But even if we can’t abolish it, we should make sure that capital punishment (as well as life without parole, the other death penalty) is reserved for only the most culpable defenders who commit the most abominable offenses.
Until we can ensure that the death penalty is administered fairly, we should oppose it – which may mean we go on opposing it forever. But even if we can’t abolish it, we should make sure that capital punishment (as well as life without parole, the other death penalty) is reserved for only the most culpable defenders who commit the most abominable offenses.
Susan Stabile’s Creo en Dios post this morning, ‘Journey Without Maps’ and recollection of Katherine Darmer’s ability to almost instantaneously reshape a response to the opposition’s advances and achievements should warm our hearts – especially through encouragement that our mirror’s reflection, the moment’s reality, is a valuable ‘rear view mirror’ lesson.
Closed eyes and reflection instantly recreates an image, “. . . We sit on the grassy bank and watch, a gentle army.
At the bottom of the creek, in exactly that spot, is a floor of smooth pebbles. The water rushing by has rubbed off the rough edges, bit by bit, day by day. If you hold one in your hand, they can be like silk. The pebbles have been transformed by that water, into something new.”
- Sunday Reflection, May 13, 2012
The journey begun, lessons continually learned, the quest more broadly explained, “a gentle army” expanding, what more can be asked for? When voices that lead remain resolute, reflective, fluid and humble, the sooner celebration, of having “rubbed off the rough edges” from all engaged, will announce gains achieved.
With the envisioned prize beckoning, is not the journey joined and traveled more satisfying when the path followed is one of personal discovery, collective achievement and “something new” – shining light upon a ‘Prize” eventually able to be embraced by most everyone?
Closed eyes and reflection instantly recreates an image, “. . . We sit on the grassy bank and watch, a gentle army.
At the bottom of the creek, in exactly that spot, is a floor of smooth pebbles. The water rushing by has rubbed off the rough edges, bit by bit, day by day. If you hold one in your hand, they can be like silk. The pebbles have been transformed by that water, into something new.”
- Sunday Reflection, May 13, 2012
The journey begun, lessons continually learned, the quest more broadly explained, “a gentle army” expanding, what more can be asked for? When voices that lead remain resolute, reflective, fluid and humble, the sooner celebration, of having “rubbed off the rough edges” from all engaged, will announce gains achieved.
With the envisioned prize beckoning, is not the journey joined and traveled more satisfying when the path followed is one of personal discovery, collective achievement and “something new” – shining light upon a ‘Prize” eventually able to be embraced by most everyone?
# posted by 
: 11:53 AM
: 11:53 AM
Every which way one looks at it, losing is always a lesson...a life lesson. And whether harsh or uplifting, life lessons are always a blessing. Loss, more than anything else is an exercise in humility and even for humble people like yourself, losing is a grounding experience that can only inspire a new beginning. From the ground up again...only this time around one life lesson wiser, one blessing richer.
Post a Comment
<< Home
