Choose to Wake Up

April, 2013

Escalating gun violence. Hundreds of inner city residents killed. Thousands of youths, our future, gone. A member of the Texas justice system and his wife charged with assassinating two other members of the justice system and the wife of a District Attorney. Pervasive school shootings. Innocents and innocence gone. Conversations about armed personnel in schools, and how to constrain mentally ill people from acquiring guns. Violence on college campuses. Gun legislation rebuffed by Republican Senators and some Democrats. See the April 17th vote at: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_113_1.htm

“I haven’t done anything meaningful in so long it’s almost meaningful to do nothing.” Excerpted from Nikki Giovanni’s “Being and Nothingness”

In the midst of chaos, stop. Get present with what is going on. Get grounded and centered. Go back to the beginning. Go back to the early sacred texts, the early words; the initial writings and teachings. They are simple and clear. In the midst of confusion we do need clarity. With so much noise we do need simplicity. Because I am a Christian, I am recalling the Bible scriptures I’ve learned about leaders having responsibilities for making wise decisions. We live in a pluralistic society and there are probably similar precepts in other sacred texts. However, I will respectfully avoid incorrectly citing similar passages from other faith texts, and encourage you to insert what’s applicable right here.

Leaders are warned about the ethics of not taking bribes.i But we see that lobbying groups have more influence than citizens. Leaders are encouraged to be courageous, and adhere to the way they should follow in order to bring the nation to the place of promise.ii Everything will be provided.iii Leaders are warned about listening to the wrong voices.iv Nations are warned about deviating from the higher purpose.

Turning the momentum towards the positive end of the continuum demands that we take time to consider the narratives, the stories that people hold. What is our greater and higher vision for our country and our communities, individually and collectively? Consider what we need to do to get there, individually and collectively. Where is our cynicism? Where is the great fear? Who and what are leaders listening to? What voice do leaders hear?

Revisit the ancient texts. Many speak of ethical behaviors, the good of society, and how individual actions affect the broader environment. This is not rocket science. To create a conscious culture, one that is mindful of the broad effects and implications of the decisions we make, we must make a choice to first wake up.

i Exodus 23:8, Isaiah 1:23

ii Joshua 1:5-9, I Kings 11:38

iii Deuteronomy 10 and 11

iv Numbers 14:31-33, Deuteronomy 11: 16 & 17, Ephesians 5:6

Keywords: Choices; Eradicating ethical blind spots