I have to admit, it wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit if all of the election campaigning was over and done with tomorrow. This past Tue we had yet another "crucial" round of primaries. This one, like the one before, and the one before that was supposed make things clear. I guess it depends on what you think is "clear." The saddest pasrt about this past Tue was that I actually tuned in to all of the commentary and stayed up to see who came out on top. I guess I'm just kind of sick that way.
Of course, the real fun has come in the moments and days after the Tue vote. Its amusing to all of the spin coming from the Clinton and Obama campaigns. Isn't funny and sad both at how we so often do that. People are so often just looking for an angle. Whatever happened with just standing up, looking somebody in the eye, and being straight with them? Why must there always be an angle? I would say we need to just stick to the truth, but it seems even that gets spun.
My word or theme of recent has been "authentic." I think that's what we need to be more of. We need to lead authentic lives. That means being open, straight-forward, and accountable. No pretense. Then again, maybe that's just my "spin" on things.
Chris
6 comments:
Thank you for your blog, and your thoughtful entries. I share your frustration with the spin artists we live with in the 'news' media. Instead of the news, we get propaganda. Perhaps it has always been that way, but less obvious years ago than now.
I think Jesus addressed this issue with the Samaritan woman (Jn 4:1-30) when He reminded her that our relationship with God is based on truth. The Great 'I AM' calls us to be straight with Him, and worship Him in spirit and in truth: Spirit, because He transcends creation; truth, because He only connects with the real, naked 'us'.
Well said, Bill. Thanks for reading.
In terms of "spinning an issue" I would think that it would be good to remember that it was a common practice even in the days of the ancient greeks and that even Augustine used spin on a number of issues, even when he was a Christian. He even wrote a primer for pastors to start thinking in terms of how they spin a sermon and how better to use spin. So a question I would have is whether there is such a thing as "authentic speech" or if all speech has some spin to it. Seems to fit in with Derrida's view of all speech having some background to it which contorts what is actually being said. But then again, now I'm going into postmodern viewpoints.
Rob . . . read the fourth chapter of the Gospel according to John, and then let's talk . . .
Bill,
All right, I'm game... I've read it, instead of taking the lead I'll leave the ball in your court and let you start off with getting at what you're getting at instead of taking whatever I say and debating it instead.
Thanks for the lob, Rob! I'll try and volley back to you.
The context for John 4 is the relationship between the Jews and Samaritans, which was rather prickly. The Samaritans were remaining remnants of the Jews, most of whom were deported after the Assyrian conquest of Israel in 722 BC. Many of these remaining Jews intermarried with the immigrant peoples who were brought in to populate Israel, and they created a 'temple' at Mt. Gerazim to replace the one in Jerusalem. Though they revered Moses and the Pentateuch, they rejected the rest of the OT. Even though they sought to live by the same Laws as the Jews, the Jews hated them and shunned them as half-breeds and heretics.
In several instances Jesus shows compassion for the Samaritans, and illustrated that He came to seek and to save the lost, yes . . . even the Samaritans, and not just the Jews. Jesus reference to truth in His comments to the Samaritan woman indicate that there is transcendent truth, authentic speech, apart from our prejudices and attempts to spin things to suit our situation. Jesus penetrates our constructed truth with the pure light of His eternal truth. - Ps 100:5; Jn 8:32.
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