Much of the life we live seems out of focus. We believe something (ephemeral) is present for us, but if in focus we would discover the photograph is somewhat different than we imagined it to be. We look for life and meaning, knowing that life is real and that it has meaning, but so much seems jumbled and we want it sorted out. We yearn for simplicity, but become aware that there is irresistible complexity. To gain composure we find a scenario, or look for one, that reduces perceptions to a lowest common denominator. It is a lesson we learned from our math teachers the first or second day we dealt with contractions. Get the matter to the least difficult explanation for what is reality. Life begins with one to one, Adam and God. Very soon there is a fraction created, one God, and mankind fractionalized into two, Adam and Eve. The individual has become a part of the social, capable of expansion with the consequence of fractions that both serve and defeat the interests of the individual unless there is loving, careful and agreeable management. To manage these fractionalized human beings, we create institutions like marriage, tribes, educational and business formulations, government institutions (armies, laws, controls, etc.) and private organizations like cultural centers (churches and clubs, etc.). Inevitably the enlarged management leads to conflicts between the increasing, perhaps difficult, fractions. Those conflicts are sometimes worked through by wise individuals who learn the secrets of cooperative and balanced effort. Conflicts may be resolved by those who choose negative solutions like divorce, evasion, bankruptcy, and social actions of various intensities including warfare, cheating, force, falsehood, competition, failure – and the story list grows long.
The individual possesses the seeds of conflict within, but lonely without other persons. We live out life blurred by blaming faulty society for our problems and the conflicts. At this writing in the early part of a new millennium, the enormous problems of my country are not resolved well, caught as they are in a conflict of partisanship that pits one party against the other. Both major parties miss the low common denominator. The answer is conflict that points to the next election, seen as peaceful warfare with the objective to gain power. The weapons are words, postures, accusations, misrepresentations, malaise and unclear elections. The main point, a program for the benefit of the society, is relegated to the back burner. The scenario carries over into nearly all conduct for marriages, businesses, general society or personal benefit. Complexity includes contending ingredients. Persons believing in freedom and equality may deny it to some of the citizens. Our revered forefathers were guilty of hypocrisy, but covered by general cultural beliefs some believed compelling. Our generations fuss about or neglect problems in gaining even the lowest common denominator for all human beings. In the ongoing of civilization matters have improved somewhat, but not as extensively as we hope for. The human awards become mixed, and human conduct may become ugly. During my adult years, ministers have been jeered for encouraging minority citizens to register to vote. The photograph of freedom and justice becomes foggy – dark clouds interfere with sunshine. The prime leader for friendship solutions is in Jesus Christ, offering the best for all and proving it in a special ministry rewarded by mankind with crucifixion. History has been bloodied by those who tried to follow in his train. Even some Christians miss his loving, peaceful message and model. All this confusion contributes to personal and social loneliness. God affirms his friendship.
Democracy sometimes fools us with fairness fantasies. We want to be fair if we believe in equality. In the move away from former values, laws compel domination for all in new paradigms. The Christian may, from Scripture and historical context, find abortion abhorrent. In some contexts the physician is expected to perform abortion, and is penalized in some way if he or she does not do so on request. The new movement in law is to find value in the opinion of an activist public, without protecting freedom of persons of conscience whose purpose is to reverence life. Until we find ways of peacefully protecting all who will keep the peace, providing civil exceptions so to play fair for equality, we can’t create affirmations from former rejections. Some changes are not supportable in the logic of our values. It seems odd that law may permit human abortion and may be violated if a fertile eagle’s egg is deliberately broken. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020