Context
I'm afraid to fly, even though I've done it for 35 years. Today the pilot on my Northwest Airlines flight said he promised the crew would get us safely to our destination. Quakers take the Biblical injunction against oaths pretty seriously, as exemplified by this excerpt from the Faith and Practice of the Pacific Yearly Meeting.
Commentary
In case you didn't notice, I've changed the name of this blog. The call I'm answering with it was to open my eyes and open my mouth. Since I'm already typing instead of opening my mouth, I'm thinking that the "eyes" part can be stretched a little as well. The blog will probably still predominantly consist of things I see and hear, but if I start tasting, smelling or touching things I need to call attention to, you'll be the first to know.
For a split second, I'm almost felt reassured when the pilot promised to get me safely to my destination. Then I realized he was lying. People sometimes object when I put it bluntly like that, but to me lying describes what you say, not what you intend. Since there are an almost infinite number of things that could have kept me from getting safely to my destination in spite of the pilot's best intentions, he was lying. The most truthful thing he could have said was that he was going to do his best. Even venturing to promise the best efforts of other people on the crew would have been pushing it.
Most of the time, I pay the most attention to the part of Matthew 5:33-37 that says to just say yes or no, rather than taking an oath (this is stated more strongly in James 5:12). Today I started thinking more about the surrounding language that says there's no point in swearing by anything, because we don't control anything. I'm wondering if one of the reasons we're not supposed to take oaths is that not only are we not in control of what we swear by, but usually don't have as much influence over what we swear to as we might think.
Consider: does anyone really tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? If God helped us I suppose we could, but I know it doesn't often happen in my life. I'm not even trying to be deceitful; I've just forgotten stuff. Sometimes, without even realizing it, I've made up stuff to fill in the gaps where I've forgotten stuff. Anyone with relatives knows that either you or them must be doing that, given how different the accounts of the same event are.
The funny thing is that when I'm sitting on a plane, I'm more likely to believe a pilot, who says he's going to get me to my destination safely, than God, who says all things work together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28 NRSV). It's ridiculous how low we set our sights. Or our hearing.
What did you hear today?
3/07/2006
I saw two African-American guys at my hotel.
Context
I’m attending the SirsiDynix Superconference, which is being held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. Gaylord Opryland is a huge, enclosed facility with a hotel, shops, restaurants, a convention center, and even a river all under one roof. Or one skylight, if you will. I have seen very few African-Americans since I arrived.
Commentary
I always feel like there’s something wrong when I’m in a place that seems lily white. Some of that out-of-whack feeling may come from residing in Shreveport, which is predominantly African-American. However, I also grew up as a member of a racial minority in Mexico City, so I think being in the majority always makes me feel weird.
Yesterday, I would have told you that I was going completely the other way. It seemed like every black face I saw was causing a mental hiccup in me. “What are those people doing here? Are they supposed to be in the convention area?” So, two days away from Shreveport and I become a total racist.
It’s not that simple, though. I had no qualms at all about the two African-American guys I saw today. They were middle-aged, professionally dressed, and out and about pretty early in the morning. In other words, even though they weren’t wearing the seemingly ubiquitous name badges, they looked like they were at a convention. And now that I think about it, I was pretty uncertain about the white kids in the baggy shorts I saw yesterday, too.
The idea that in the United States we are more culturalist than racist is not a new one, but it’s often unpopular. Bill Cosby was quickly criticized for daring to suggest that some African-Americans might actually be bringing negative reactions on themselves by their language and dress. But I’m wondering if we have reached a place that was unanticipated by Dr. King, where people are not judged by the color of their skin or the content of their character, but by the length of their pants and the size of their vocabulary.
I’m not saying this is a morally superior criterion for prejudice, but it is a different one. Without the use of heavy makeup, you have no control over your racial identity. Usually, however, you can control your speech patterns and your fashion choices. Here are some questions I think we all struggle with: How much am I willing to change in order to not trigger the prejudices of people like employers, family members, and random passers-by on the street? How much is it up to them to change instead?
What did you see today?
I’m attending the SirsiDynix Superconference, which is being held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. Gaylord Opryland is a huge, enclosed facility with a hotel, shops, restaurants, a convention center, and even a river all under one roof. Or one skylight, if you will. I have seen very few African-Americans since I arrived.
Commentary
I always feel like there’s something wrong when I’m in a place that seems lily white. Some of that out-of-whack feeling may come from residing in Shreveport, which is predominantly African-American. However, I also grew up as a member of a racial minority in Mexico City, so I think being in the majority always makes me feel weird.
Yesterday, I would have told you that I was going completely the other way. It seemed like every black face I saw was causing a mental hiccup in me. “What are those people doing here? Are they supposed to be in the convention area?” So, two days away from Shreveport and I become a total racist.
It’s not that simple, though. I had no qualms at all about the two African-American guys I saw today. They were middle-aged, professionally dressed, and out and about pretty early in the morning. In other words, even though they weren’t wearing the seemingly ubiquitous name badges, they looked like they were at a convention. And now that I think about it, I was pretty uncertain about the white kids in the baggy shorts I saw yesterday, too.
The idea that in the United States we are more culturalist than racist is not a new one, but it’s often unpopular. Bill Cosby was quickly criticized for daring to suggest that some African-Americans might actually be bringing negative reactions on themselves by their language and dress. But I’m wondering if we have reached a place that was unanticipated by Dr. King, where people are not judged by the color of their skin or the content of their character, but by the length of their pants and the size of their vocabulary.
I’m not saying this is a morally superior criterion for prejudice, but it is a different one. Without the use of heavy makeup, you have no control over your racial identity. Usually, however, you can control your speech patterns and your fashion choices. Here are some questions I think we all struggle with: How much am I willing to change in order to not trigger the prejudices of people like employers, family members, and random passers-by on the street? How much is it up to them to change instead?
What did you see today?
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