Laughing out Loud for a bit

So, one of the worse parts for me these days is the ungodly amount of cognitive dissonance that's being provoked.
That doesn't mean that I'm right, and in that sense I don't think it's a particularly unique experience.

But ... here's a thing: The Conservative political camp of the USA is basically complaining about how the majority of teachers or professors or scientists and all that are 'Liberals'. They cry about it and even stoke fear - of how those "Liberals" are gonna poison their children's mind and such. But what's at the core of that ... "argument"?
Not asking for what they think. Although ... perhaps we should be asking; Because ... not assuming the worse I need a few things to be explained to me. If I had to take an educated guess ... me being liberal would be part of the problem; And hence there wouldn't be much of a conversation other than nonsensical chit-chat dancing round and about that bush.

And the same would happen if a conservative were to ask. I'm sure. I mean, in as far as the things I behold are settled in the public stage ... that's where they should position their sound arguments. But rather than having sound arguments, they hold on to an idea. Or ideal. At the heart of it, so it seems, a mantra states that Liberalism is wrong. And arguments are being thrown around trying to address why or how.
The problem starts when people who believe in that stop being considerate about the other side. When they believe in it so strongly, that they assume - or claim - the right to act accordingly.

And as the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's Dream (Book of Daniel) was made of Iron mixed with Clay ... that takes us into the modern day and age. To say ... at the end of the day we're human beings and we have our beliefs. So, a Liberal person may listen to the arguments of Conservatives ... and think they're stupid, thus continuing to be a Liberal. Which, per chance, is being inconsiderate. So much so that a Conservative might read it as an insult - and at some point maybe it actually even is. It's not like Conservatives wouldn't do that ever. And because so people stay their course ... iron and clay keep fighting over dominance.


But so there are questions I have. Like ... where are all the Conservative Teachers, Professors and such? Aren't Conservatives the party of taking care of Family, Common sense and all that is civilized? So, why am I under the impression that Conservatives generally fall into either of two camps: Underprivileged Worker and Nasty Capitalist?

And sure. That would be one pillar of Civilization - or the Civilization of the past at least. Ruler and Servant.


So, being considerate. As in "turning the other Cheek". How does that work out then, in the grand scheme of things?
There would be conservative side which assumes itself to be on the side of Law and Order - and the liberal side which would be assumed, by conservatives, to be the side of Chaos. The thing though is, that that is no absolute Majority position. Some might want to argue that this is due to foreigners. Aliens. "Immigrants" - that undermine the political rule. But at that point we're also so far removed from what the Bible deems just ... it's ironic that they also want to be known as those that do the will of the LORD.

And yea. Civilization is Chaos. Any attempt to curb that - as for instance what idea of 'Purity' had driven Germany insane just around a hundred years go - is probably going to end in failure. Sooner or later.
That sure is the Liberal take on things.
But ... rather than just taking my word on it ... there's a whole array of things ... that ... well ... 'Liberals say'. Which is just to re-emphasize that this isn't a one-sided issue. Not by a long shot!

Anyhow - the thing is this: When injustice happens, as part of a social structure ... we might call it 'systemic injustice' - that is 'the Law and Order' being part of a system that produces injustice. And ... to now go onto a bit of a tangent ... which is however also part of the main point here:


I've had some time to contemplate over the matters of the Old Testament. And it ocurred to me, that actually ... reading the Old Testament as a Christian isn't ... well ... weird. I just previously shared a part that is pretty consistent with the Christian idea; And it sure isn't the only one. Paying even just a little bit of attention reveals that it's quite commonplace.
Now, I don't want to imply that Jews are Evil and that sort of thing. I'd rather say that there's a Light and a Dark side to every Religion. On the bright side I think that every Religion intends to pander to the good in people. Some might call those "the Gullible". And I'm sure that isn't different in Judaism. But still do religions have their principles. Their bedrock. The foundation. And when reading that passage I just shared ... there's ... that also. In a lot of places the 'Sabbath' is the focal point. And yea, those places I would say are in fact weird to me.
Not that I can't make sense of them, but ... it doesn't ... gel well with the Christian framing. And I think the same also applies to Judaism - just that ... the situation is reversed.
As for the Sabbath however ... I personally must say that I CANNOT take a ... well ... 'Old Testamentarian' position. Which is also kind of the point I'm getting at here. I mean ... for once I can think of Hollidays just in general, which are cool. Some Translations, like the German one I'm using (Einheitsübersetzung), Isaiah 58:13 reads as "if you don't do business on my holy day" where KJV reads "from doing thy pleasure on my holy day". And since I'm not anywhere near proficient when it comes to translating this stuff ... I take it as ... [shrugs].
Which is where I also rather ask you to come to your own conclusions. Which may then be us at large ... as we figure out what all this means to us, collectively. As we can culturally make sense of it. And some form of Sabbath keeping, I think, is in everyone's best interest - lest you're a "workaholic" Capitalist "Slaver" I presume.

More to the point then, I would then return to "familiar grounds". Where I imply that there's a struggle, in a sense, between the dogmatic and the common sense positions one might take. Sometimes the common sense position is more straightforward; And other times it is not. Which then also takes me back to the matters with injustice.

I would say, eventually all things aside, that if the System so is injust, any kind of expression from people that want to voice grievance over one thing or another, may produce friction with this System's sensitivities.
So, speaking of justice or injustice - the matter is clear that while most people stand in favor of justice, some matters of it seem to be just barely, if at all, taking root in our geopolitical whole. So, it'd be a difficult ask in some ways. And if we want to ask, and get opposed by the forces that be - that is already friction happening. Friction that would put the people who want to side with "Law and Order" onto the side of the System.

I've been following the situation with the protests going on in US Universities a bit ... and one of the prominent things that stuck out to me is the role of so called 'Adjutators' or how to write it. The thing being that people would effectively go out of their way to 'disrupt' those protests; In a manner that insists on their right to be in certain places where currently protests are occurring. One common sense position would be to tell them to STFU and take a tiny detour instead of ... well ... grieving over other's people RIGHT to protest. But instead those conditions are taken to paint the protesters as the transgressors.
And the simple question turns out to be: Who has to yield?

The thing with turning the other cheek however is, well, that it doesn't say that you should 'go away'. No, instead you brace yourself for what injustices might be committed against you - in the hopes that people see it and change is being encouraged.


In other words: Ever so often, I worry, Dogma is being used to override logic and reason. Dogma - or say: Law and Order - may have a legitimate interest in being regarded and respected and all that. But to me, a core tenet of Christian thought and belief is to not let that stand in the way of justice.