Death and Politics

My aunt was taking her daily walk one evening a couple weeks ago when a distracted driver ran into her in San Francisco.  She was small and passed away the next morning.  I’m sad that my auntie is gone but I can’t say that I’m angry at the driver anymore.  He was picking up his two kids, ages 4 and 10, from school and was heading home.  As my cousin (aunt’s son) said, we know what it’s like to drive with kids in the back... and there was no alcohol or drugs involved... He was just distracted (I don’t know the exact reason) and the upshot is that my aunt is gone.  He will have to live with this the rest of his life, and his kids were witness to it also.

The memorial service was last weekend, and I was working with my other cousin to arrange for flower arrangements from about 35 cousins/spouses.  He’s pretty conservative politically now, but he and I both grew up seeing each other every Sunday at my grandmother’s and we were always together like peas in a pod.  We don’t really talk politics except for one comment he made about “You never know what news you’re gonna wake up to the next morning” and he “doesn’t like Hillary.”  In all other aspects, we seem to be in sync when making decisions as children and as adults.

I have another friend that I worked with for several years in Fairfield.  She and I were also always in sync, joking about us being like Lucy and Ethel and “Get out of my head!”  We also were always in sync work-wise and even somewhat politically.  I remember she did want Hillary to win the primaries back in 2008, but has since become an avid Trump supporter.  It has strained some of our conversations and relationship and I pretty much unfollowed her Facebook posts because there were so many obnoxious memes.  I figured I would just look at her page whenever I was in the mood.  One day I saw that her mom had passed away and it was a fairly recent post.  I messaged with her my condolences and it was as if we had a moment of the “old us” back again.

With my cousin, there hasn’t ever been any animosity between us, but with my friend there definitely is/was.  The deaths of my aunt and her mom have brought a little perspective back into my mind and heart.  No matter what happens with 45, I’m praying that we (citizens on both sides of the aisle) can start to move forward together to fix some of these issues that should matter to all of us - taking care of those in need (homeless, veterans, impoverished), improving our criminal justice system so that people are treated the same despite the color of their skin, that the middle class can grow again (vs shrinking as the wealthy take all the resources), etc.  

It feels as if we’re in a political Civil War again, and it’s taking a toll on us all.  Some GOP are more reasonable like my cousin, some are “all-in Trumpsters” like my friend.  I pray that there will be moderates like myself on both sides of the aisles that can reach across and find peace.

My Thoughts on Abortion (late term in particular)

I have a Facebook  friend who posted this article on the New York law, and here’s my reply:

I know a woman who gave birth to a stillborn, knowing the baby wouldn’t survive... I  know a woman who gave birth to a child that died shortly after being born... and I know a woman who declined cancer treatment for fear of harming the baby, and the mother died (the baby was born healthy so the mom's efforts were not in vain). In all situations, I admired the women's choices, but wouldn't have blamed them a bit if they chose otherwise. In short, I honor their choice. I don't think any expecting mother WANTS to abort a child later in pregnancy. In all likelihood, they wanted their children but either their health/life was at risk or the baby wouldn't survive(and would possibly suffer). I respect the women's ability to make choices on behalf of themselves and the babies, no matter what they decide. 

Making abortions illegal won't stop them from happening, it will just make them more unsafe. If anti abortionists really want to decrease abortions (as I and many Democrats do) we should avail more free/low cost contraception and education... And we should make assistance available to young parents (and not shame them for collecting welfare, food stamps, etc). Being pro life should extend from cradle to the grave, not just having a baby born.

Lessons from 21-day Fast (No political posts on social media)

I just finished another 21-day fast with my church - no posting, “liking” or replying to political posts on social media.  That included this blog which is why I’ve been MIA.  Instead of spending time posting, I spent more time in prayer and Bible study.  I’m reading through the Bible with “ReadScripture” app which is part of theBibleProject.com. 

This fast reinforced my opinion that debating on social media is, for the most part, ineffective.  People really aren’t open to listening to each other; they’re actually trying to figure out rebuttals etc.  Republicans think Democrats are a bunch of baby-killers and Democrats think Republicans are a bunch of gun-loving racists.  Obviously this is an over exaggeration, but I think you know what I mean.  

During this fast, one FB friend posted a Kavanaugh article and tagged me and another friend in a kind of “I told you so, he’s a great man” message.  The article basically said one of his accusers admitted to lying.  My other friend responded and they had a pretty heated FB discussion; and I admit to being glad that I was on this fast.  It’s given me time to decide whether to respond or not and, while I don’t want the original poster to think I’m ignoring her, I think it would be counter productive to respond on an old post that was already heated enough.  Besides, as I mentioned in the past, most of my political opinions will be in these blogs or Twitter.  There is already a lengthy blog on my thoughts of the Kavanaugh case:  https://nokiddingimachristian.blogspot.com/2018/10/facebook-classic-experiment-and.html.

During this fast, I was also able to go to Hawaii for the first time in 20 years with a group of friends I’ve known since Junior High.  It was a great time and I was glad not to post/respond to a bunch of social media posts.  Being with people is the best gift God’s given us, and I believe one of my purposes is just to be with other folks and grow in faith.  One of my friends is an atheists, and I’m hoping he can see that there are Christians who are not Trump-supporting, judgmental and hypocritical... and that Christians can have fun.

Unfortunately, during this fast, my mom’s younger sister was hit by a car while walking in San Francisco Monday evening and she died from her injuries the next morning.  It’s been a tough week for my mom’s side of the family, especially my cousin (her son), and I was able to email and talk to him at length.  My mom has 8 siblings and our family gatherings are pretty big, so it’s been a while since I talked to my cousin one-on-one.  And yet it’s as if all the years faded away and there really was no discomfort talking with him.  He’s doing pretty well, all things considered (very supportive wife and kids), and I continue to pray for him and all my aunts/uncles.

Things at work have also been busy and I’ve been able to study up on some material that I’ll be teaching on in a week.  I also did our taxes yesterday (side note: this “tax break” we got is a wash - we’re paying just as much if not more than ever.  Also, my huge corporation is laying off people every quarter despite their tax break). This fast has helped me to prioritize all the things that need to be done (especially spending time with God), and not procrastinate.  I’m thankful for the things I’ve learned and will be more selective in how I post and respond on social media.