I confess that I don’t understand tribalism very well. Though I am Canadian, I don’t really identify as one with any degree of potency. My father was born in Ireland, and I often point to my Irish roots, but that feels more like a gesture of respect for him, and possibly in this, there is a bit of a longing for identity…but I have never been to Ireland, nor have I found any substantial feeling of identity with it.
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The political arena functions much the same for me. I was courted for politics decades ago, but remember deciding that I had no affinity for being a “whistleblower” or official status as the “opposition”. I see good in the left, and good in the right…and I see when extremes take us to dysfunction in either direction. As someone once said, “I am not really left wing or right wing – I am more for the whole bird”.
Whether you believe in a Creator, or a spontaneous combustion of material – – all theories agree that we come from one source. Red, yellow, black, white / left or right – matters not in the determination of human value. If we have arrived at a place of holding even the smallest amounts of wisdom, we are quick to confess that there is FAR MORE that we don’t know than we know. In fact, overwhelmingly, there is far more that we don’t know that we don’t know (ponder that a minute).
What a tragedy that we let events and opinions lead to broken relationships: tribe against tribe, nation against nation, neighbour against neighbour, sibling against sibling…and so on. Yes, there are corrupt/bankrupt character and hidden agendas – all of which lead to a broken society of broken relationships. Whatever may happen in the future, are we not short-cutting a straight path to broken relationships when we let our opinions divide?
So, Trump is President, Trudeau is Prime Minister, and Castro dead. We will all be dead one day. All will return to the bare essence from which we came – yet that essence still exists within us, from creation through eternity – and it could serve to unite, if we can come to see past the surface of personality, opinions and events.
I don’t know if it is a good thing that Trump is President, or Trudeau is Prime Minister. I have some opinions, but I don’t truly know what I don’t know. I do know that the source of all creation is alive and well – or I would not still be breathing – and I believe that I can trust that source for all eternity, and that is far more compelling to me than any political platform.
In consideration of our opinions of good and bad events – consider this fable (one of my favorites):
A farmer had only one horse. One day, his horse ran away.
His neighbors said, “I’m so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.”
The man just said, “We’ll see.”
A few days later, his horse came back with twenty wild horses following. The man and his son corralled all 21 horses.
His neighbors said, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!”
The man just said, “We’ll see.”
One of the wild horses kicked the man’s only son, breaking both his legs.
His neighbors said, “I’m so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.”
The man just said, “We’ll see.”
The country went to war, and every able-bodied young man was drafted to fight. The war was terrible and killed every young man, but the farmer’s son was spared, since his broken legs prevented him from being drafted.
His neighbors said, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!”
The man just said, “We’ll see.”
Be blessed in peace.
