Reflections on the SOTU

I know that the State of the Union is long over for most people by know, but there were two distinct things that came up for me in the course of watching it and the show afterwards. The first was that I don't care quite as much about politics as some other people do. I watched it with 3 friends, one of whom is extremely passionate in his hatred for George W. Bush. I understand that there are distinct reasons for his passion, and I have heard enough of his personal story to understand some of the causes. At the same time, I am not willing to completely write people off when I don't agree with them. There are plenty of things in Bush's speech that I don't like. I wish he wouldn't distort Scripture for one, or conflate Christianity and politics and allegiance to the country for another. I listened to the speech thinking that some of the things he was saying were out and out lies. At the same time, I was thrilled with a couple of things that he said. The emphasis on more responsible uses of energy makes me happy, in spite of the fact that I wish he would drop the Yucca Mountain/Nuclear energy thing unless he is willing to commit the country to the responsible yet expensive adapting of radioactive waste, so it is no longer harmful to the environment or to humans. As I was watching the speech, I was analyzing various points and agreed with some and disagreed with others. I think that the gentleman I was watching with disagreed with everything Bush said. I realized that I am not so wrapped into politics that I cannot agree with anything a person says. I am capable of analyzing the points and agreeing or disagreeing without simply responding emotionally to the person on stage.

This man is able to disagree with Bush; however, I was disturbed by his characterization of Bush as evil. I have been trained well by Westmont, and I can't say that anymore. First of all, do I think that Bush is intentionally acting poorly? No. I think he is genuinely, and if he acts the way he preaches, probably prayerfully working his way through his presidency. Do I think that means he's done everything right? Not by a long shot. Still, the characterization of Bush as evil seems to assume that he (and half of the country) are not seeking to do good (whether we agree that they are doing good or not!). It also reduces humans as created in the image of God.

Whether we agree with politicians, or anyone else, or not, they are icons to God. Icons function as windows to God. They reveal to us something about our creator. They ARE the image of God for us as they are made in his image. I am reminded of Stan Gaede's chapel talk where he answered the question, "Is it alright if I call you Stan?" In that talk, Stan tells us that we need to remember that all humans are made in the image of God and therefore that should govern how we approach all humans. He read the passage below from C.S. Lewis:

The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbour’s glory should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations–these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit–immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of the kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously–no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.

-C.S. Lewis The Weight of Glory

How right Lewis is. How right the view of the Orthodox Church that humans are icons becacuse they are made in the image and likeness of God. We have a lot to learn.