My, oh too human, prism

Prism

I so, so wanted to! I really did. Was just itching to go online and share something I found very, very politically uplifting in the day’s news.

Sharing this news tidbit with whom?

THEM! People with whom I so vehemently disagree. That’s who! OMG, the temptation to do so just swept through me like an electric current. I could hear a loud “whoopee“ in my mind. Just a magnetic draw…

I didn’t. I couldn’t. I can’t.

Sigh.

Yep, blame it on my damn values! Geez, couldn’t I just sneak around my values with that one poke in the eye for those who disagree with me?

No.

Damn.

OK, OK, OK. Are you planning on telling me why you’re being such a good girl? A good girl when the attraction of digitally poking someone in the eye might feel so incredibly satisfying and justified?

Let me begin by blaming the Quakers, of whom I’ve been an active member for 21 years. Yep, it’s their fault! (Not mine!) I’ve allowed myself, during that period of time, to become indoctrinated (me, indoctrinated!) by a pillar of the Quaker faith. Ready?

“Walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone.” George Fox

In everyone? (No, no I don’t want to!) Everyone. Even those folks who I’d like to digitally poke in the eye?

Yep.

Oh, but wait, the Quakers cannot take sole blame for my (mostly) good girl identity. Gonna spread that blame around! I grew up Jewish. I need to be fully honest. My Jewish upbringing imprinted on me - no, no, the imprinting did not hurt - a belief in Tikkun Olam. “Repairing the world.” In other words, “Hey, girl, get out there and improve the world and promote social justice.”

Do you now see the burden I bear? Between “repairing the world” and “answering to that of God in everyone,” digitally poking someone in the eye, although massively tempting, must first work it’s way through my Quaker-Jewish sieve.

Now, I’ll be fully honest with you (well, mostly) my Quaker-Jewish sieve ain’t perfect. You know why? (Big sigh.) Because I’m also human. An imperfect human, at that.

Oh, you’re imperfect, too? Great! At least, I’m not alone. But where do we, and our human imperfections, go from here?

The late Leonard Cohen had a thought about that:

“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in…”

So, if some incredibly teeny-tiny digital eye poking manages to get through my Quaker-Jewish human sieve, I’m still OK?

Yep, but don’t make a practice of it!

Such a relief….