Compromise

There's a fine line between being willing to compromise and being a sell-out.  But it's often the fine lines in life that need to be walked, rather than running to the extremes on any end of a spectrum.  Recently, the University of Texas made several concessions to a number of student athletes of color who had petitioned the school regarding the institution's racist history.  I wrote in a recent blog post (Whitewashed History ) that there's a real danger in failing to understand history in its historical and cultural context.  Imposing present cultural and even moral norms on people of history is unfair and ultimately leads to misunderstanding the past, rather than being able to properly evaluate it, learn from it, and grow from it.  We don't have to agree with everything that people of bygone eras did, said, or thought, but to dismiss their humanity and their genuine search for life's meaning, not to mention their laudable accomplishments, is disingenuous at best and short-sighted hypocrisy at worst.

Like individuals, institutions are a mixed bag.  There are things in any institution's past that are commendable and other things that are lamentable.  Rather than destroying every imperfect institution, a more measured and positive approach is to be willing to change the things that need to be changed and to celebrate and maintain the things that have served the organization well.  I believe that's what the University of Texas has done and the leaders of this fine institution should be applauded for their willingness to listen to the student athlete's concerns and to address those concerns in a way that honors the university's past and present, and paves the way for a better future.  There was certainly some level of compromise that had to be reached, but this compromise will allow for continuing civil discussion on how best to proceed in the days to come.  If you are interested in the specifics of the changes made, you can find them here. The Longhorns Respond

We live in a complicated world and we live in confusing times.  What will serve us best as we face the present and plan for the future, is not to destroy all our shared histories, but rather to honestly and fairly evaluate the past so that we might chart a better course for the years to come.  And hopefully, future generations will be fair and kind to us when they evaluate our world. - Shay

Whitewashed History

When I was studying history in college, one of my professors made the point that as students of the past, it is imperative that we don't force the moral standards of the present onto those in history.  This doesn't mean that we can't make moral judgments regarding the actions taken by those who have come before, but we must seek to understand them and their actions in the historical and cultural context in which they lived.  Again, this doesn't mean that we must endorse all that our forefathers believed, said, wrote, and did, but that we gain a truer understanding of history, and the people of history,  when we at least seek to show some level of empathy with those who have blazed the trails that we stroll along.

One of the fascinating things about Biblical history is that the actors within the Biblical narrative are not portrayed through rose tinted glasses, but are instead put on full display, warts and all.  We often learn what not to do, rather than what to emulate when we study these real life characters.  The Bible doesn't tell us the story of what might have been or what should have been, but what was and what is.  It deals with reality, realistically.  Abraham was at times a cowardly liar who slept with his wife's servant.  At other times, he was a brave, loyal, warrior who rescued his nephew's entire city from foreign oppression.  Jacob was a slimy, scheming, duplicitous Cretan who screwed over his brother more than once.  And yet, he was also one who strived with God, was given a new name, and became a new man later in life.  King David was a hot headed, vengeful, violent, murdering, adulterer in some moments of his life.  But he was also a man after God's own heart and he was the king that all the other kings of Judah were compared to.  He was the king that the Messiah was meant to emulate.  Do we overlook the flaws of these figures and do we seek to justify their bad behavior?  Absolutely not!  But, do we fail to admire these men for the good that they did and the importance they played in God's story of redemption?  Only at our peril.  Like these forefathers of the faith, we are all flawed in more ways than we'd like to acknowledge.

In our present climate, it seems that an awful lot of people want to re-write our history.  It's recently been said that any person of antiquity who either owned slaves or who ever had a racist thought should no longer be honored for even the good that they accomplished for their nation.  People have even suggested that Mount Rushmore should be blown to bits.  Were George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln perfect?  Of course not - they were human after all.  Did they sometimes fail to live up to their lofty words?  Absolutely.  Would we have behaved better if we were products of their time and place?  Maybe, but I would hesitate to be so certain.  Like those who have come before us, our generation will be judged by the generations of the future and I can assure you, there are areas where we will all be found lacking.  And for all we know, the people of antiquity, if given all that we have received, might have done far more and far better than we ever will.

It also seems that some sins in the present are now unforgiveable.  That if a person falls from grace in certain areas, then they are branded for life with no hope of redemption.  But isn't the road of grace and redemption the most important part of the paths we tread in order to become the best possible versions of ourselves?  Who among us doesn't cringe at some of our previous words and actions?  Who among us isn't in need of restoration and transformation?  Let's look at our world critically, but let's seek to empathize with others and give grace where we can. 

I believe Jordan Peterson's advice to "set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world" is timely, as well as his admonition to "compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today" is worth considering.  Jesus said it like this, "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.  For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.  Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye."  Words worth living by. - Shay