Gossamer Threads

I found an unpublished blog today.  I had intended to come back and refine it and add some sort of ending.  But as I look at it today, it says what it needs to say.  These words are as relevant this week as they were then. _______________________ Years ago, I had a professor that would not teach about Richard Wagner or his music.  What it boiled down to was that my professor was Jewish and Wagner had been deeply anti-Semitic.  At the time, I wondered why it wasn’t possible to separate the person from their work.  Couldn’t we appreciate great art without condoning the immoral and unethical choices of those that created it? I think I understand a little better where my professor was coming from.  I’ve actually thought a lot about it in the years since. Where is my line?  Who gets a pass and who doesn’t?  Why?  Should I have refused to see the movie Ender’s Game because of Orson Scott Card’s  beliefs and ...

This was originally posted on May 17, 2016 on a now defunct blog called Exploring Sainthood.  I was reminded of it when I read my friend's post today titled "Seeing the Good, Speaking the Harm" . Please take the time to read her post.  It is what the world needs more of right now. Our world is a difficult place to be at this point in time.  We are living in a world of amazing growth and beauty. We are living in a world of extremely damaging actions of individuals and broken systems.   It is both at the same time.   As a people, we cannot deny that the pain exists and just focus on the good. If we do that nothing ever changes.  As a people, we cannot just call out all the injustices and fail to see what is working well.  Noticing what works helps us to shape our vision of a better future. We need people that see the good and that bring it to our attention. We need people that show us how we are broken. And we need people, like me, who are calle...