What's the meaning of this?

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I've just about O.D.'d on news in the last couple of days. I watched Tuesday night (Wednesday morning) until Donald Trump made his acceptance speech. I watched PBS because they make an effort to get a variety of voices and perspectives in the conversation. I was personally surprised that we elected Trump as president of our country. I saw a couple of the debates, but didn't see any of the political ads. Watching a celebrity and reality TV star rise to the White House seemed surreal to me, yet, here we are. It's our reality. 
I'm reminded of advice from a couple of my mentors over the years as I listen to people who are excited about the outcome, and people who are devastated by the outcome. During seminary our small group was struggling with something, and one of my professors, Kate Sonderegger asked us, "What is the spiritual learning?" I resisted that question. I just wanted to be upset by whatever I was facing. I wanted to lash out, not seek meaning. 

A more recent mentor, Jim Hollis, has related to me the difference between "eastern thinking" and "western thinking" in this little parable: When people in the west have a car accident, we look to see who caused the accident; we ask, "Who's fault is this?" People in the east in a car accident may ask the question, "For what purpose have we been brought together in this way?" In short, it is a story about seeking meaning in life. What is the meaning? What is seeking to be understood by this situation, whatever it may be? 

I find it difficult to understand how Donald Trump has become president, especially because of the way he has spoken about women, minority ethnic groups, immigrants, and people of religions other than Christian (and perhaps even a narrow group of an American brand of Christianity.) My Christian, Episcopal tradition teaches me to seek Christ in all persons, and to respect the dignity of every human being, so alarms go off in my heart whenever people, especially leaders, make comments that go so directly against the understanding that of all humanity is created in the image of God. (That includes seeing Donald Trump as one of God's children, as I was reminded.)

My fear at this time is that some will use what President-elect Donald Trump said about people who are non-white-straight-male as permission to intimidate, bully, and do violence to God's children they view as "other." Part of my own meaning-seeking quest is to acknowledge my place of privilege, since I happened to be born a straight white American male, and consider how to help dismantle the systems of hatred, bigotry, and exclusion that come from our fear of the "other."  

The greatest "other" we encounter is God. God beyond all knowing; God in the mystery; God showing up in the stranger, the needy, the sick, the hungry; God emerging from these moments of confusion and discord; God who will lead us to the peace which passes understanding; God who created us all. I just quickly glanced at facebook and saw posts of graffiti swastikas and hate rallies on a college campus; these are not imagined fears. Instead of attacking what we see as "other" it is an opportunity to discover a new dimension of God's image revealed in humanity. 

The reality is we have elected Donald Trump as our president. So what does that mean for us as individuals? What does it mean for us as a nation that we have elected (if not by a popular majority, certainly by the balance of the electoral college) him? What is seeking to be understood? Do we have the capacity to seek the spiritual meaning? And as we discover the meaning, will it shape who we are as we move forward? 

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 12, 2016 at 10:41 AM

    It means that now we need to step up and vote for our families to be leaders, to live and breath compassion and love, to be servants to others, to lift one another up, to make our country th best we can. Hi! It's Jennifer Stark. I was just looking at church service times and it thought I'd check out your blog! Hot topic.

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