turning over a Liberating leaf

This feels liberating!

I have been going through some changes lately, and so I have decided to update my blog a little. This is hard to do with a blog, but I want this space to be less about me specifically and more about the world around me. With that said, the way that I am making sense of the world around me is undoubtedly tied to my perspectives. But I never want to communicate that my sensemaking is somehow the right way, or the only way, or the best way to see the world. Rather, I think we each can offer perspectives that may benefit others, and we benefit most when we understand others’ perspectives, seeing how other people make sense of the world. This is why we need each other and why community is so important.

So, ironically on “election eve,” I have decided to, starting today, do my very best to avoid posts and responses that would cause division and tension. And when such issues come across the table, I am going to do my best to listen more than I speak (or in this case, read more than I write). In other words, I pledge to take on the role of “humble learner” as opposed to “arrogant debater.” For those that know me well, you know that this is sometimes hard for me to do. If you find that I am sliding back into debate mode, becoming argumentative, I ask that you gently remind what my intentions are as written here: I want to help change the world with love.

Now, I know this sounds cheesy, so it is important to clarify what I mean. In saying "with love," I mean to say that loving others includes becoming a better listener (to other people and to God) and becoming more courageous with my choices and actions. This is the kind of love I mean.

For those who have asked, the pictures to the right are people who have impacted me somehow. I have never met them, and yes they are all deceased, but their writings, teachings, preaching, activism, music, musings, fears, triumphs, and defeats have helped inform how I understand the world.

Someone in Cincinnati yesterday challenged quite a few people on the Westside of town to stop doing apathetic religion and start doing love. Thank you for that, Tim.  We all need to be reminded of what's important sometimes.