I've had a rough day. It follows a rough bunch of days and a rough couple weeks and a few years which have been pretty rough. So, fair warning: what follows is a full-on rant, delivered out of those rough places and triggered by the quotes below. It may be only vaguely coherent. It may appear political, because it is, but you'll see that politics is not the point. Also, I'm really not interested in a debate today, so if that's your first inclination in response to rants, now would be a good time to stop reading. I left the comments on, and the delete button.
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Detroit Free Press 3/26/19: "Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday defended deep cuts to programs meant to help students and others, including eliminating $18 million to support Special Olympics, while urging Congress to spend millions more on charter schools.
"We are not doing our children any favors when we borrow from their future in order to invest in systems and policies that are not yielding better results," DeVos said in prepared testimony before a House subcommittee considering the Department of Education's budget request for the next fiscal year.
"In the case of the $17.6 million cut to help fund the Special Olympics, a program designed to help children and adults with disabilities, DeVos suggested it is better supported by philanthropy and added, "We had to make some difficult decisions with this budget"."
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This is the person who holds the title and authority of Education Secretary, folks. Build more bombs. Fuel more wars. Construct more walls. Line the wealthiest of wealthy's (her) pockets. Segregate our kids more. Oh, and hold a bake sale for "your" Special Olympics, or rely on people like .... DeVos?!!. Sorry; these special kids and adults are OURS! And in terms of "borrow from their future," thank YOU Mrs. D. and friends for handing OUR kids a multi-trillion dollar debt, a dying ecological system, and a petulant divisive rhetoric. Difficult decisions in this budget? I think the phrase is "decisions that serve me (DeVos and friends) better."
I work in philanthropy. The idea that Special Olympics is the responsibility of philanthropists is ludicrous. It's ALL of our PRIVILEGE to participate in the achievement of these amazing kids and adults, and our responsibility to protect the opportunity. I'd much rather my tax dollars go to Special Olympics than one inch of that stupid wall or one second of flight for that deadly drone or one more minute in detention for that refugee seeking asylum. Supporting Special Olympics would be the better future; finding a real place in our world for folks like our son Ben would be the better future. (yep, it's personal)
Here's the thing, folks. All these "defensive" maneuvers on the part of our administration, and frankly the breadth of our politicos, are actually offensive maneuvers which not only undermine our democracy, but ultimately shred our humanity. It is the denial and loss of humanity which breaks my heart.
I'm fed up with the way bureaucracies hide behind policies and platitudes. In our federal and state governments, particularly. Sometimes in our local government. Oh, yeah, and in the church (talking to you CoB). When rules become substitutes for being human with one another, then they've stopped being useful. When leadership smacks of self-preservation, promotes self-aggrandizement, and reeks of self-righteousness, it's leadership toward death. That's leadership that I can't respect and frankly want nothing to do with.
I honestly don't care what your politics are. What I really care about is what your humanity is. Imago Dei. In God's image. Everyone. No exception. No exceptionalism.
Put that in your budget and your rule book. Better yet, put it in your daily actions.
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I am blessed to have a fantastic group of friends visible on social media and present throughout numerous intersections of my life. That means that I personally know and treasure and share love with a lot of really great humans!
I've also hurt and been hurt by some of those same friends. The pain convicts me of our shared humanity, as does the healing that blessedly follows. But I've also been treated as less than human by some of those "friends", which is different than being hurt by them. It's much harder to heal from being dehumanized. Perhaps some of my friends feel that I've done that to them (you) as well, in which case I am deeply sorry, and I would be open to correction and amends.
Being human means making mistakes and doing our best to own them and overcome them. This process is the resilience of being human. For us Christians it's what we mean by confession, repentance, and grace. It's one reason we bother with Lent. Ultimately grace isn't what makes us holy, but it's what makes us human in a way that we can recognize God within us, the Imago Dei.
Right now I am angry and lonely and afraid and exhausted. I am also determined not to lose my humanity, and not to take away anyone else's. I am determined to love and serve and suffer and prosper to the depths and edges of humanity, to the fullest possible view of the Imago Dei.
And you?!? What are you determined about?
