are we up to the challenge?
I loved Bill Moyers’ interview with Rev. Jeremiah Wright last night, although the conversation also made me sad. After weeks of bombardment by sound bites, I was relieved to be invited to listen to the man take his time as he explored and expressed his vision and practice. I loved how the reverend moved from scripture to political analysis to poetry to the lives of actual people. I loved what he shared about the community of Trinity United Church of Christ. I loved the spaciousness Moyers created that allowed Wright to speak and me to listen.
Still, as I say, I felt sad. Sad for this man whose entire life and work has been reduced to words that don’t match their context. Sad for Trinity’s congregation, so wrongly characterized . Sad for the political climate that wants us to jump to conclusions without taking the time to gather real information or to pay attention to context. Sad for all the cultural ways in which there’s no time for conversation, for a back and forth of observations, stories and thought. Sad for our children who are being trained toward a version of sound bite (answers on tests) and given so little that encourages them to think, so little that develops their abilities to bring their experience and values to what they hear and observe in ways that build intelligence instead of knee-jerk reaction.
I don’t know what effect last night’s interview will have on the election. Apparently many have listened to Obama speak about inclusion and hope as though these values were simple. But I took the words as a challenge, the real challenge we face if we are to have a chance of moving forward together. A central question of this election seems to me to be exactly this: Are we – old voters, new voters, delegates, and Obama himself – up to this challenge?