Of Bears and Penguins

Debs for President

Now the story goes that when women finally got the vote, there was a dust up between my great grand-parents Lily and John. John was for Debs, Lily for the other guy. Lily asked John to drive her into town to cast her vote, and John said he wouldn't if she wasn't voting for Debs - disenfranchisement even then. Lily said that she'd just drive herself to town - good for her, I appreciate a strong-minded woman. At any rate, she cast her vote, and Debs didn't win, and life continued, and here we are in some ways asking still with him "Who shall save us from Congress?" among other things.

It really is striking how all our arguments come back around, still we are talking about socialism, still we are talking about the everyman, still there are poor little kids in the city who've never seen a live chicken, still we're talking about how to make all satisfied and wealthy. Much of Debs speech reminded me of Huey Long's speech. Maybe they should have been the ticket.

Rather than to address his many and lengthy arguments, what I found most striking was the intensely civil and warm tone. That those he has disagreed with have treated him with kindness and respect, and he apparently they. He also refrains from speaking ill of Republicans or Democrats. Can you imagine? People simply being neighborly - it seems like a fairy tale in our present and in our recent history. And I dare say that no one besides Debs has ever tipped his hat at the mention of Kansas, though my Grandma liked it greatly.

Now, despite his eloquent arguments that the time for competition has passed, that all men should join hands and bask in the strength of their work and the satisfied stomachs of their wives and children, and that this is possible when the individual submits himself to the will of the party (oh dear, someone is sure to bring up Ayn Rand in the comments now), I have to say that socialism has never, and will never work.

Though he seems perfectly clear that he believes religion or faith to serve no one, by virtue of one's service, the thing served becomes a god. One sacrifices to it to recieve favor, one binds oneself to it for protection, one exalts it because one has been smart enough to find it and perceive its wisdom.

These old human hearts are fallen. We've not in this twentieth century past managed to turn our swords into plowshares, now we've found weapons that make swords seem pitiful. We've not eradicated human slavery, we've not mastered our base desires that would see others lose at our gain. We gorge ourselves at the table while others go hungry. It is the same story as always, it is the perverted nature of humanity.

Presumably the nobility of socialism derives from the strength of the will of man united for his brother and for his children, and for himself. This is where it would derive it's admirable quality from, and yet a pig becomes no more noble simply because he stands with a large group of pigs, nay his smell is magnified, and multiplied. So we have seen also in history that in large groups man often does not become more noble, but less and this less often leads to dire consequences for someone. In order for that not to be the case, there must be something different and other than the soul and heart of man.

So where does that leave us...or rather here is my thought on the issue:

I don't think any real change to the human condition can be brought about by the election of one party or another. I believe that only an encounter with the God the Father through Christ His son can change a soul, can grant that soul a stand in nobility and grace and so give that soul a freedom in which to serve the people that soul encounters. Christ is the other the lifts a soul from it's fallen, brokeness and redeems the soul, refines and changes it, clothes it anew

And I bring this up because some have said the early church was socialist in nature. When the reality remains that the work of Christ on earth is more than can be encompassed in any political or social system. If it could be encompassed in say, socialism (or any other system), than surely through their legislative power the governments of the world by now would have provided us with world peace and satisfaction. They have not. I would say they have not because it is an impossible task for man.

What I think is that this Wednesday morning, there will still be children to serve in the city, children who need food, and warm clothes, and to know that the divine spark they bear confers upon them a dignity in their life. And I don't think that will come through legislation or mandated societal change. I believe that it comes in part through the work of the Church as the Body of Christ serving their neighbors.

Well just to wrap it up here, I'll return to how struck I was by Debs' gracious courteousy and tone. I'm sure my comments will ruffle some feathers, but I hope I've managed to state my case with a respect for the company I stand in.