I haven't heard many comments about my blog lately...probably because no one's reading it... So it seems as safe a time as any to share a bit of unbridled commentary.
I recently listened to a conversation about the current health-care debate. I was struck by the extreme difference of opinion. I was also taken by how quickly the tone of the argument escalated.
People who generally agree about many things can find themselves on opposite ends of this discussion and passionately so. It's been kinda nice for me to sort of sit this one out. Too often, I find myself overly invested and overly vocal about things like this. (You know, things over-which we have little or no control.) But not here. I mostly couldn't care less about whether or not the health-care system gets nationalized. It's not because I don't care about health, it's just that my expectations are so catastrophically cynical and small that it's hard for me to imagine it making that much difference one way or another.
My reasoning has nothing to do with socialized medicine. Clearly more people will get more care if it's free. I am just not sure that this is really a good thing... I must be wrong...but it seems to me that the medical industry creates more suffering than it relieves... I feel for everyone who suffers under it.
Here is what I mean...but in reverse, back-masked order:
Everyone suffers. I learned this in college. It was one of those epiphanies in my educational and spiritual journey. Suffering is part and parcel to life in this world... Of course, some people suffer more than others. But nobody misses out. Everyone has to carry or endure various crosses in this lifetime. This is not to say that we shouldn't try to alleviate the hurt. It is rather to stop ignoring some of the less obvious ways in which people suffer in this world.
So here is the deal: Of course, sick people suffer. And, of course, people who cannot get adequate health-care suffer. But so do people who sort of imagine that the health-care that they have is something great. These people are suffering and they don't even know it. Maybe not from a physical ailment but from a profound condition of self-deception. Do you ever hear people say things like: We have the best health care system in the world These are also the people who like to say things like America is the greatest country in the world... Both might actually be true but how would they know?
Consider the very phrase "adequate health-care." In the current debate we hear a lot about the need for this. But what exactly does it mean? What is adequate health-care? A recent article suggests that $210 Billion is wasted annually on unnecessary tests. This, it seems to me, is a central interest in the debate--what's the best way to ensure that more people will have access to this unnecessary testing?
Maybe adequate health-care is less about access and more about actually helping people get whatever it is that they really need. Again, some suffer because they do not have enough; others suffer because what they have is not nearly as valuable as they imagine.
Why I don't like the medical industry...
1. It's ridiculously expensive: For all the money we throw at health-care, how healthy are we, really? Or, how much is what we've got really worth? From my peculiar spot in the universe, it seems to me that a grapefruit is more valuable than a visit to the doctor. (This is not really the doctor's fault.)
2. It's consistently bureaucratic: More than anything else, medicine is characterized by waiting, processing and disappointment. (This is not really the receptionists fault.)
3. It's dehumanizing: Dealing with the medical industry makes people feel worse. Whether it is suffering the indignity of various procedures or the arrogance of the experts, the overwhelming experience of the sick is a consistent reminder that they have little or no power of the situation. (This is not really the nurse's fault.)
4. It's arrogant: People in medicine too often carry themselves with an unjustified sense of greatness. (This probably is the University's fault.)
5. It's run by insurance companies... (This is definitely our fault.)
If we could only find a way to remove this last bit from the current debate. But... So whether we move to a more nationalized system or keep something similar to what we have now, medicine will still be determined and driven by people very far from the clinic. And here too, I feel for those who have as much as I do for those who have not. Even doctors are beholden to powers that are not primarily interested in health.
Thank God nobody reads this thing...
Monday, August 10, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Rhythm and Blues
I fight authority, authority always wins...
"Authority Song" was released in 1983. The song probably represents a turning point in John Mellencamp's personal life as well as his career. Early-on, the artist recorded under the name John Cougar, then John Cougar Mellencamp and then simply his given name. "Authority Song" appears on the album "Uh Huh" during the era when John Mellencamp was using all three names.
I fight authority... is repeated 16 times during the song. Apart from the refrain, there are only two verses to the song. The first is a clever commentary on what it feels like to have aspects of your life in the hands of other people. Most of us have known this feeling at one time or another. It is not a good feeling and our response to it often takes one of two avenues. Either we force ourselves to ignore the frustration and try to get along. Or we rage against the circumstances--usually in vain. The latter is, of course, the subject matter of Mellencamp's song.
The image that comes to mind here is that of a salmon swimming upstream...straining against all odds... willing itself to some distant destination. But the metaphor is not entirely congruent. While the salmon is struggling with purpose, seeking intently to return to a specific place in order to spawn, sometimes our fights are more like a flailing against the universe in general. The energy for the rebellion is there but the cause is largely undefined.
The second verse of Mellencamp's song is a picture of this. It is the singer poking fun at himself. He can see the source of his pain and frustration but he is not quite ready to accept the antidote:
So I call up my preacher
I say: gimme strength for round 5
He said: you don't need no strength, you need to grow up, son
I said: growing up leads to growing old and then to dying,
And dying to me don't sound like all that much fun
How true...When we are raging against the world in general, we really don't want to be bothered by the facts.
The good news here is that at some point Mellencamp moves beyond his vain struggle with everything that is not right with the world. Officially dropping "Cougar" from his name, sort of marks a moment of maturity in his life. Though many of his most successful songs came early in his career when he was perhaps a bit angrier, Mellencamp has nonetheless continued to release meaningful music throughout his life. I have more than once heard people say that their lives actually parallel the stories that the artist has told of the course of his career. The same is often said in regard to Bob Seger and Mary Chapin Carpenter.
Growing up is not always linear. Even now, I sometimes just want to flail. One of the playlists on my Ipod is simply called "Blue." I even have one called "Black" to match those poignant moments of rage that still run through the veins from time to time.
But happily it is not that often. And it is not a matter of caving-in or giving-up. At least I hope it is not. I rather like to think that there is a rhythm that invites us. If we are willing... It is a rhythm that transcends the limited options that children are so easily drawn to. It is a way of living and being that is something other than mere caving-in or raging-on.
"Authority Song" was released in 1983. The song probably represents a turning point in John Mellencamp's personal life as well as his career. Early-on, the artist recorded under the name John Cougar, then John Cougar Mellencamp and then simply his given name. "Authority Song" appears on the album "Uh Huh" during the era when John Mellencamp was using all three names.
I fight authority... is repeated 16 times during the song. Apart from the refrain, there are only two verses to the song. The first is a clever commentary on what it feels like to have aspects of your life in the hands of other people. Most of us have known this feeling at one time or another. It is not a good feeling and our response to it often takes one of two avenues. Either we force ourselves to ignore the frustration and try to get along. Or we rage against the circumstances--usually in vain. The latter is, of course, the subject matter of Mellencamp's song.
The image that comes to mind here is that of a salmon swimming upstream...straining against all odds... willing itself to some distant destination. But the metaphor is not entirely congruent. While the salmon is struggling with purpose, seeking intently to return to a specific place in order to spawn, sometimes our fights are more like a flailing against the universe in general. The energy for the rebellion is there but the cause is largely undefined.
The second verse of Mellencamp's song is a picture of this. It is the singer poking fun at himself. He can see the source of his pain and frustration but he is not quite ready to accept the antidote:
So I call up my preacher
I say: gimme strength for round 5
He said: you don't need no strength, you need to grow up, son
I said: growing up leads to growing old and then to dying,
And dying to me don't sound like all that much fun
How true...When we are raging against the world in general, we really don't want to be bothered by the facts.
The good news here is that at some point Mellencamp moves beyond his vain struggle with everything that is not right with the world. Officially dropping "Cougar" from his name, sort of marks a moment of maturity in his life. Though many of his most successful songs came early in his career when he was perhaps a bit angrier, Mellencamp has nonetheless continued to release meaningful music throughout his life. I have more than once heard people say that their lives actually parallel the stories that the artist has told of the course of his career. The same is often said in regard to Bob Seger and Mary Chapin Carpenter.
Growing up is not always linear. Even now, I sometimes just want to flail. One of the playlists on my Ipod is simply called "Blue." I even have one called "Black" to match those poignant moments of rage that still run through the veins from time to time.
But happily it is not that often. And it is not a matter of caving-in or giving-up. At least I hope it is not. I rather like to think that there is a rhythm that invites us. If we are willing... It is a rhythm that transcends the limited options that children are so easily drawn to. It is a way of living and being that is something other than mere caving-in or raging-on.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Holiday Road
I have missed a few weeks--mostly because I have been on the road. This will be my son's senior year of high school. So it made sense to pitch the family on a good ole Griswold style vacation. We had already planned to return to Iowa to see family and friends but decided to go ahead and commit to the additional thousand miles and get back to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.
It was a good and noble idea but driving 6000 miles in 12 days is not for the faint of heart...really more a quest than a vacation. As Clark would say, we were on a #!*$%in quest for fun.
And it really was fun but in a different sort of way. Different from our daily routines and certainly different from the familiar avenues to entertainment that young people are used to today. Simply being within speaking distance of your children for hours at a time is a nice change and probably the very thing that we were looking for. A 6'3" kid can't hide in a Toyota, even a Land Cruiser... not for 12 hours in a row.
The other piece was getting back to the West. I love North Carolina. I love our mountains and I love the breadth of geography across the state. But I also love the West. To be able to look out a car window and literally see forty miles in every direction gives me a sense of freshness and freedom that I have not been able to find elsewhere. We hiked and camped and got tired--all things that work to remind you that fun is a much broader term than we often realize.
There is a lot to see and do in this world. I suspect that I will never be completely satisfied in my quests to see and do. But at the same time, periods of satisfaction are readily available to us--if we are just willing to give them a chance. Even though getting there was a trial in patience as well as endurance; and even though we only stayed a couple of days, I did leave renewed and refreshed. Even though it was modest, it was enough...at least for a while. It was good to simply behold and reconnect with a stretch of earth that is particularly powerful and meaningful. It was also good to spend time with my family...
Of course, there were also those moments when I could have tied Aunt Edna to the roof.
It was a good and noble idea but driving 6000 miles in 12 days is not for the faint of heart...really more a quest than a vacation. As Clark would say, we were on a #!*$%in quest for fun.
And it really was fun but in a different sort of way. Different from our daily routines and certainly different from the familiar avenues to entertainment that young people are used to today. Simply being within speaking distance of your children for hours at a time is a nice change and probably the very thing that we were looking for. A 6'3" kid can't hide in a Toyota, even a Land Cruiser... not for 12 hours in a row.
The other piece was getting back to the West. I love North Carolina. I love our mountains and I love the breadth of geography across the state. But I also love the West. To be able to look out a car window and literally see forty miles in every direction gives me a sense of freshness and freedom that I have not been able to find elsewhere. We hiked and camped and got tired--all things that work to remind you that fun is a much broader term than we often realize.
There is a lot to see and do in this world. I suspect that I will never be completely satisfied in my quests to see and do. But at the same time, periods of satisfaction are readily available to us--if we are just willing to give them a chance. Even though getting there was a trial in patience as well as endurance; and even though we only stayed a couple of days, I did leave renewed and refreshed. Even though it was modest, it was enough...at least for a while. It was good to simply behold and reconnect with a stretch of earth that is particularly powerful and meaningful. It was also good to spend time with my family...
Of course, there were also those moments when I could have tied Aunt Edna to the roof.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Curbing Enthusiasm
Caveat: I watched "Fight Club" this week--twice I think. Consequently, my psyche is a bit tortured so take what follows for what it's worth...
Yesterday I struggled to preach a sermon dealing with humanity, and especially masculinity. I likened it to trying to create an ice sculpture with a chain saw. I sort of had in mind what I wanted to get across but it was pretty chunky work--like trying to make delicate cuts without lopping off entire limbs.
We are animals at some level. Our physicality and drives are central to who we are as men and women. Indeed, it would appear that God made us this way. At the same time, this is not a license to run roughshod about the planet. As believers, or even as conscientious people, we want to be mindful and respectful of the larger world.
So what do we do with all that stuff--the thoughts, the passions, the hormones... Where's the line between appropriate expressions of manhood or womanhood and vain self-indulgence? I suspect the question is harder to answer than we realize. Some of us err on one side--overly prudish and suspicious of all forms of sexuality and worldly interest. Others of us err on the opposite side--driven entirely by one base desire or another.
It's safe to say that it's a matter of finding a balance that we can live with but the "we" here refers not only to the self but to the community around it. As we embrace our nature, we need to do so within the context of others--other people, other creature and the otherness of God. Of course, this was the part of the sermon that I was hoping would not break off as I was chiseling away at the carnal side of things. I suspect that the Church needs to hear that it is o.k. to be male or be female. And I want to be someone who is willing to say so. I just don't want to say it so loudly that people lose their minds... or their patience with me.
We are for sure earthly creatures. But there are better and worse ways to be in this world. As believers, we understand that enthusiasm is a good thing. It just needs to be appropriately applied.
Yesterday I struggled to preach a sermon dealing with humanity, and especially masculinity. I likened it to trying to create an ice sculpture with a chain saw. I sort of had in mind what I wanted to get across but it was pretty chunky work--like trying to make delicate cuts without lopping off entire limbs.
We are animals at some level. Our physicality and drives are central to who we are as men and women. Indeed, it would appear that God made us this way. At the same time, this is not a license to run roughshod about the planet. As believers, or even as conscientious people, we want to be mindful and respectful of the larger world.
So what do we do with all that stuff--the thoughts, the passions, the hormones... Where's the line between appropriate expressions of manhood or womanhood and vain self-indulgence? I suspect the question is harder to answer than we realize. Some of us err on one side--overly prudish and suspicious of all forms of sexuality and worldly interest. Others of us err on the opposite side--driven entirely by one base desire or another.
It's safe to say that it's a matter of finding a balance that we can live with but the "we" here refers not only to the self but to the community around it. As we embrace our nature, we need to do so within the context of others--other people, other creature and the otherness of God. Of course, this was the part of the sermon that I was hoping would not break off as I was chiseling away at the carnal side of things. I suspect that the Church needs to hear that it is o.k. to be male or be female. And I want to be someone who is willing to say so. I just don't want to say it so loudly that people lose their minds... or their patience with me.
We are for sure earthly creatures. But there are better and worse ways to be in this world. As believers, we understand that enthusiasm is a good thing. It just needs to be appropriately applied.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Quality and Convenience
This morning I have been on the Internet looking at albs. An alb is the basic vestment worn by clergy and others during worship. I have two albs. One is a wheat colored, wool-blend that I purchased right after I received my first appointment as a pastor back in 1989. The other is a white polyester garment that I bought with some money that my mother had given me for my birthday about five years ago. There is a marked difference in the quality between the two.
The wheat alb has held up beyond my expectations. Of course, it is worn and that is partly the reason that I am looking for a new one. But the fact that this garment has served me for twenty years now, I couldn't be more impressed. I honestly hate to replace it.
On the other hand, my white alb has been a great disappointment. I purchased it because it looked great in the catalog. Embroidered bands in the sleeves and at the bottom making make the robe look very stylish. When it arrived, it looked as good as it did in the picture. It was about twice as heavy as the wool-blend so I expected that it would hold up well. It has not. The hems are breaking down. The cloth is fraying badly. The polyester is much heavier than the wool and it breathes very poorly so the beautiful white color is now stained with rings of sweat.
By all measure the older, thinner fabric has outperformed the newer, fancier garment. As I look to purchase my next alb, I see that I am going to have to spend some money. The natural fabric costs about a third more even though it looks like it should cost less.
I suppose it is a lesson that we have to learn more than once. It is always tempting to go with the picture on the box... Besides that, it's getting harder to find the quality. Even brands that were once reputable and reliable are not necessarily producing that same stuff they were a few years back... [The difference in Ralph Lauren chinos is subtle but definitely there.] Of course, the consumer is supposedly the one with the power. Theoretically, if we don't buy the junk, sooner or later they will have to stop making it.
The wheat alb has held up beyond my expectations. Of course, it is worn and that is partly the reason that I am looking for a new one. But the fact that this garment has served me for twenty years now, I couldn't be more impressed. I honestly hate to replace it.
On the other hand, my white alb has been a great disappointment. I purchased it because it looked great in the catalog. Embroidered bands in the sleeves and at the bottom making make the robe look very stylish. When it arrived, it looked as good as it did in the picture. It was about twice as heavy as the wool-blend so I expected that it would hold up well. It has not. The hems are breaking down. The cloth is fraying badly. The polyester is much heavier than the wool and it breathes very poorly so the beautiful white color is now stained with rings of sweat.
By all measure the older, thinner fabric has outperformed the newer, fancier garment. As I look to purchase my next alb, I see that I am going to have to spend some money. The natural fabric costs about a third more even though it looks like it should cost less.
I suppose it is a lesson that we have to learn more than once. It is always tempting to go with the picture on the box... Besides that, it's getting harder to find the quality. Even brands that were once reputable and reliable are not necessarily producing that same stuff they were a few years back... [The difference in Ralph Lauren chinos is subtle but definitely there.] Of course, the consumer is supposedly the one with the power. Theoretically, if we don't buy the junk, sooner or later they will have to stop making it.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Enthusiasm and Discipline
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.” ’ (Luke 4:1-4)
It seems that we are living in a languishing age. While the earth's population is growing rapidly and resource demands are being pressed to an all time high, little has changed in terms of the way that we live. This is particularly true when it comes to understanding and utilizing energy. Oil leads a cast of familiar suspects with which we have an increasing problematic relationship. For four decades we have been hearing about "breaking free" from our dependence upon fossil fuels but the truth is our addiction has only gotten worse.
Human history is closely related to our capacity to identify and employ various forms of energy. Almost without exception this has meant burning one or another source of carbon. From the wheat metabolizing in our bodies to the wood burning in our stoves to the gasoline driving the engines in our cars, human civilization has benefited and advanced largely because of that curious atom that bonds so readily in our world.
It is a true Catch-22. We have this great thing going; and yet, we sense that we are really starting to try the relationship... Reluctantly, many of us are starting to believe that it is time to do something else--something besides burning up carbon. But few of us have even the slightest idea of where to begin.
I suspect that sometime in the not too distant future we will figure this out. We will unlock some new secret in the universe that will allow us to identify a new energy source. Odds are, it will have something to do with hydrogen--perhaps an efficient harvest of solar energy or a practical application of fusion. Of course, I don't know the details and I really have no foundation for making such a prediction--except that it seems that we are just sort of due for such a breakthrough.
And when it comes, it will come swiftly. Once practical, it only took a hundred years for the internal combustion engine to make its way across the entire planet. And the world today is vastly smaller than it was a in the 19th century.
With the change, there will come a great enthusiasm, and rightfully so. After all, we have been imprisoned by the limitations of oil for a long time now. We are addicts who have only just begun to realize that we are suffering. So the deliverance from all this can not help but come as a salvific event. We will want to be careful here. Energy is a great and glorious thing. As we have witnessed, it is something that can be easy to worship. We will want to be careful about this.
It seems that we are living in a languishing age. While the earth's population is growing rapidly and resource demands are being pressed to an all time high, little has changed in terms of the way that we live. This is particularly true when it comes to understanding and utilizing energy. Oil leads a cast of familiar suspects with which we have an increasing problematic relationship. For four decades we have been hearing about "breaking free" from our dependence upon fossil fuels but the truth is our addiction has only gotten worse.
Human history is closely related to our capacity to identify and employ various forms of energy. Almost without exception this has meant burning one or another source of carbon. From the wheat metabolizing in our bodies to the wood burning in our stoves to the gasoline driving the engines in our cars, human civilization has benefited and advanced largely because of that curious atom that bonds so readily in our world.
It is a true Catch-22. We have this great thing going; and yet, we sense that we are really starting to try the relationship... Reluctantly, many of us are starting to believe that it is time to do something else--something besides burning up carbon. But few of us have even the slightest idea of where to begin.
I suspect that sometime in the not too distant future we will figure this out. We will unlock some new secret in the universe that will allow us to identify a new energy source. Odds are, it will have something to do with hydrogen--perhaps an efficient harvest of solar energy or a practical application of fusion. Of course, I don't know the details and I really have no foundation for making such a prediction--except that it seems that we are just sort of due for such a breakthrough.
And when it comes, it will come swiftly. Once practical, it only took a hundred years for the internal combustion engine to make its way across the entire planet. And the world today is vastly smaller than it was a in the 19th century.
With the change, there will come a great enthusiasm, and rightfully so. After all, we have been imprisoned by the limitations of oil for a long time now. We are addicts who have only just begun to realize that we are suffering. So the deliverance from all this can not help but come as a salvific event. We will want to be careful here. Energy is a great and glorious thing. As we have witnessed, it is something that can be easy to worship. We will want to be careful about this.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Nagging Doubts
My sister, Angie, had her tonsils out over a week ago. Remember when this used to be a common procedure? Children everywhere lined up for their introduction to the center of modern medicine--surgery...
Turns out that something is off here or something has changed or something...Angie is just now getting better. She has been miserable for ten straight days. The only reprieve is that she has a great sense of humor so I have been able to give her a few laughs via a few timely texts about filling in for Axl Rose and Brian Johnson.
Of course, this is really nothing to laugh about. Angie told me this morning that she was working in her yard yesterday when her neighbor (an attorney) came over and said, “Now this is mostly over, I can tell you…I have been involved in two separate cases in which women died after having their tonsils taken out….Both adult women with children who bled-out while they were sleeping…”
Those who know me well have probably heard an occasional barb about hospitals, insurance or modern medicine. I can’t really say where it comes from but I have forever had this nagging suspicion about the way that our age considers and addresses health. At the very least, it strikes me as the proverbial little man behind a curtain pulling levers that produce a lot of smoke and noise. I am afraid to admit, even to myself, how I really feel about it.
You’d think that by now we would have figured out something a bit more creative than surgery. I always think of one of the middle Star Trek films in which Bones McCoy refers to our era of doctors as “butchers.” Of course, he would then just get out some kind of magic wand that he simply waved over the patient. Science Fiction...but still... Can we not come up with something a bit less invasive than the presumption and practice that has dominated medicine for the last hundred years?
Angie, sorry about your throat. Next time, you might want to just go with the vitamins.
Turns out that something is off here or something has changed or something...Angie is just now getting better. She has been miserable for ten straight days. The only reprieve is that she has a great sense of humor so I have been able to give her a few laughs via a few timely texts about filling in for Axl Rose and Brian Johnson.
Of course, this is really nothing to laugh about. Angie told me this morning that she was working in her yard yesterday when her neighbor (an attorney) came over and said, “Now this is mostly over, I can tell you…I have been involved in two separate cases in which women died after having their tonsils taken out….Both adult women with children who bled-out while they were sleeping…”
Those who know me well have probably heard an occasional barb about hospitals, insurance or modern medicine. I can’t really say where it comes from but I have forever had this nagging suspicion about the way that our age considers and addresses health. At the very least, it strikes me as the proverbial little man behind a curtain pulling levers that produce a lot of smoke and noise. I am afraid to admit, even to myself, how I really feel about it.
You’d think that by now we would have figured out something a bit more creative than surgery. I always think of one of the middle Star Trek films in which Bones McCoy refers to our era of doctors as “butchers.” Of course, he would then just get out some kind of magic wand that he simply waved over the patient. Science Fiction...but still... Can we not come up with something a bit less invasive than the presumption and practice that has dominated medicine for the last hundred years?
Angie, sorry about your throat. Next time, you might want to just go with the vitamins.
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