This past Sunday afternoon, I made it downtown to check out the Occupy Charlotte gathering. I wish that I could say that I did this on my own initiative but the truth is that a gentleman in the church had been discussing the situation in a class that he was teaching and had come to me seeking some direction on how he and others might reach out to these people in an appropriate way. I told him that I thought that idea was great and that I wanted to support his class in any way that I could. It turned out that the best way was to physically go with him to meet and talk with some of these people.
Initially, the plan was to provide a simple worship experience on site for those who might appreciate it. However, when we arrived, it became clear that this was not the best way forward. Instead, we sat with a group of people who were actually having something of a strategic planning session. They were using the technique of role-playing to think about some of the challenges facing their goals. It was really quite interesting and inspiring. Because it was clear that they wanted to express their concerns without breaking laws and drawing negative attention to their efforts. The role-playing helped to reveal some of the traps that would likely emerge simply because of the many different people involved.
After about 40 minutes or so, the training session was over and everyone left their "character" parts to discuss more practical matters such as their weekly meeting--they called it a General Assembly. The woman who was leading the training assumed that my friend and I were reporters because we had not really introduced ourselves yet. I explained that I was rather a pastor and explained the story of how we came to be there. While the people were very nice, it was clear that there was an undercurrent of suspicion. It reminded me that Christianity still has a long way to go in terms of restoring its reputation among many people. However, the more we talked the more comfortable everyone became. We stayed a while longer and then turned back toward our car to drive home. As I was leaving, I was struck by the difficulty of their path and the remarkable dedication that it is going to take to accomplish some of the change they and many others are looking for.
There were only about 20 or 30 people at the site when we were there. There were eight or so of us in the middle of the grounds working in the role-playing session--a couple of folks on chairs, the rest of us sitting directly on the ground. There were three or four folks standing near the street holding signs and the rest of the camp was doing other things such as working with the main shelter that held food and other supplies and simply talking amongst themselves.
Every few minutes, someone would drive by and shout something negative from a car--predictable things like "Get a Job you lazy..." To which one or another person from the camp would shout something back at them. At one point, after this had escalated somewhat, one of the women in the training session said, "Don't feed the trolls." Her statement stood out. It was clear that she was trying to encourage the camp to stay focused and not let the movement and the people drift to a lower level of purpose. She didn't say anything more or harangue those of the group that had let their frustration get the best of them but she did make her point. Shouting back negative things at cars was not going to accomplish their goals.
Don't feed the Trolls... I am not even sure I know what that phrase means but it immediately made sense to me. It reminded me of my own temptation to return fire with fire, idiocy with idiocy, hate for hate. And it is hard sometimes because trolls (and they come in many forms!) can truly get annoying. But the fact is that feeding them just encourages them, doesn't it? Seeing the rise out of us fuels their appetite for destruction and negative energy. Seeing us loose our composure and sink a level or two only serves to assure them that there suspicions about us are correct.
This was something that the early Church constantly had to struggle with. It is something that the Church always has to struggle with. The world is watching. And there are those who enjoy nothing more than catching Christians behaving badly. BTW, there are trolls in in the church too.
So what do we do? I don't think the point is to simply take the abuse (though, according to the Sermon on the Mount, it might be). But we do need to be careful about how we respond. Because the message always includes the package that it comes in. Sometimes folks are simply not listening. Other times, they are just hoping to drag you down. It is at these points that we must resist the temptation to feed that negativity. Because the fact is, it's just tough to change the world by shouting at passing cars.
For those who are curious, I respect what folks are trying to do in the various Occupy sites. I sense that they are facing an enormously uphill battle. But I like the fact that people stand up for what they believe and what they believe in. It seems to me that we are living through some challenging times and we really do need some change. I do not know what is going to come of all this but it is my sincere hope that it does not turn us all into trolls.
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3 comments:
One the great evils of the age in which we live is that good faith disagreements of opinion are no longer acceptable. Instead, far too often we attack others, not on the merits of their postion, but on the basis that their opinions arise from character flaws. Simple disagreement is no longer sufficient, instead we must impunge the character, integrity, and motives of those who disagree with us. In a society where civil discourse is seen as a weakness, we no longer seek compromise, but demand submission to ultimatums while insisting it is the other person who is unreasonable. To paraphase Shelby Foote, Americans like to think of ourselves as uncompromising, but our true genius lies in our ability to compromise. If we abandon compromise in our political system, then we will have lost what made us great.
In religion compromise is a vice, but in politics, compromise is a virtue. If we adopt religion as our political standard, then we are removing the element of compromise from the art of governing. Without compromise, politics becomes religion to the detriment of both.
Upon further reflection, there is something profoundly sad about your encounter with the Occupiers. When I am in the hospital, I always look forward to and welcome visits from the chaplain, regardless of denomination. I do so because I assume he has come to comfort me and pray with me. The notion that such a visit would be to evanglize me never even enters my mind. But should this same person show up on my doorstep, I would have to grit my teeth to be polite, so sure was I that he had come to convert me from (what he thinks are) my pagan ways. And so it seems with the Occupiers. When they found out who you were, they jumped to the conclusion that you were there to convert them, rather to support/comfort them and pray for them. Being faithful to The Great Commission and not being condescending are a tough pair to pull off together.
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