Welcome to The Willing Fool. I'm your host and lead fool, Paul Tremble. This is season four, and I, like probably many of you, this is coming in November 2023, have been overwhelmed and following at a distance things going on with the Israel Hamas conflict in that area of the world and thought for a long time about Talking about that, talking about what I'm seeing, processing, um, in, well, what's real time to me anyway, Uh, in the context of the podcast, and, uh, as I thought about doing that, I've been filled with Uh, trepidation, hesitation, all those sorts of things, and I actually was, uh, in a church service not too long ago, and the speaker was kind of indirectly referencing these, these world events, and trying to track what's going on, and just the overwhelming feeling that you can get through, particularly social media, media in general, um, in doing so, and this, the speaker.
Made some remarks. I won't I won't quote them and I couldn't quote them But basically the summary how it felt the summary came out of all that was Really? I don't know what to think about it. So I'm not gonna think about it I'm just gonna believe the Bible. I think what we need to do is just believe the Bible and In the moment and since then it really didn't sit right with me And I had a couple conversations with people afterwards, just trying to do my own processing of that.
And, and the more I thought about it, the more I just thought, man, that just really doesn't seem right. While at one time I have empathy, um, for where that kind of statement comes from. And I myself have experienced the same sort of feelings of being overwhelmed and not knowing how to process I really just couldn't believe it at that.
And then since then I've gone on to just from many different other angles had the same sort of reservation. Like, don't, don't worry about things too big for you, you know, just stay in your sphere. You know, I don't have any qualification, uh, none whatsoever to speak on this matter. Um, and I recognize that.
And at the same time, I've been listening to so many other people, so many of their voices kind of weighing in, giving different perspectives. persuasive arguments information And some of them are helpful, you know, some of them They get under my skin or annoy me in different ways or when people are very strident or arrogant um, that's a that's a turnoff for me and The last thing I would feel like I would want to do is be another voice like that It just can imagine people being annoyed at me in the same way that it's possible for me to be annoyed with others um, and even just the fear that You know, when you venture into something sensitive and difficult, it's entirely possible to be shouted down, shut down, insulted, all those sorts of things.
It's just not, it isn't necessarily my personality to want to wade into territory where there's a lot of conflict or potential conflict. Um, and for that matter, just as I said, I'm unqualified. Any new thing I learn tomorrow could substantially change what, what I think, you know, about the entire situation.
My viewpoint, all that sort of thing. And, um, And so, in spite of all those probably very reasonable hesitations, I'm going to go forward anyway. And as I do that, my main concern is not directly affecting the outcome of this huge geopolitical situation in any way that would be substantial or observable or anything like that.
My main concern would not even be To try to inform or persuade you as a listener on this particular issue, like you need to think the way I think about this, but, but really different than that, my goals and, and I thought about, you know, I just thought about Jesus walking through in his day, the streets in the fields of Galilee, being on foot through The countryside of Israel, Judea, and Jesus thrust into this maelstrom, this cauldron of tension and hatred that he was born into this time in this place in his life and you know he's at sometimes he's talking about consider the birds of the air and the lilies of the field and don't worry and he's saying these things and then at other times he's Speaking directly, you know, to the heart of the monster, these forces holding political power.
These people jockeying and positioning this part or that part of the geopolitical landscape. You know, and there was just, I don't even know how to put together those two scenes that I just described. You know, this is Jesus. He enters the fray from what seems like the complete margins. He's not a power broker in any sense, until he is.
And he's often intentionally avoiding the spotlight of his day. He's trying to shrink and not grow his platform at times. Uh, at other times he seems to be growing his platform, if you want to use the modern terminology. And all this time he's drawing on a rich tradition and history that, that We tend to think of today as a sort of private realm of religion, but in his day, there was no such partition.
These things were all part of the same, uh, the same bucket that was just life. There was no division between your private devotion and spirituality and the geopolitics of the day. That's not how it worked for them. It never was. No, but it was all of life was touched on and addressed by. What you thought about who God was and what God was up to and Jesus knew a secret
It was buried deep within him Like a seed gets buried and deeply in soil, and I'm not I'm not just talking about his unique Identity and vocation as you know, the Son of God the Messiah. I'm talking about something that is Just as available and accessible and real For you and for me. And this secret drove him, fueled him, directed him, guided him.
And I, I think that we have completely forgotten and lost track of this secret. I've listened now in the past couple weeks here. I don't know, to maybe a hundred plus hours of Um, videos, podcasts, people talking, people recounting, you know, uh, past history, what's going on currently in the Middle East, uh, in Palestine, all kinds of takes and opinions, problems, options, arguments, persuasions, narratives, all of those things, trying to learn, listen, understand better.
And honestly, I don't think that a single one of them, not one for a second. I even touched on this, what I'm talking about, uh, it is so far outta sight out of mind and perhaps seemingly irrelevant that it would probably just get laughed out of any discussion in the public sphere dismissed as, uh, fantasizing, hopelessly naive or impractical.
I'm convinced that it is not, I'm convinced it is the only. Source of hope
in the most difficult places like this, uh, and these situations that are like a horror show come to life. I am convinced that it is really, really hard for God to get our attention. Really really hard for us to listen, to put aside our preconceptions, our stubbornness, our coping mechanisms. That we may cling to however reasonably out of fear, anxiety, uh, the narratives that, that we strain everything through.
I think it's really hard for God to penetrate that armor to get us to really listen.
You know, and if anything would, would be difficult and frustrating enough. To give us pause to make us stop to make us slow down to make us think maybe I need to listen differently I would think it would be something where it is this hard where we've just and I'm saying we in the most collective sense, obviously i'm not directly involved, but Everybody who's been involved has been frustrated It just despair If anything would get us to throw up our hands in desperation and pain and cry out And think maybe we're missing something.
Maybe business as usual will not work. Uh, the normal channels have failed and are failing and will fail. Maybe I should listen better and harder and more openly. Like my life depends on it. And maybe it does. Maybe our lives depend on it.
Sounds crazy, but I think that may just be true.
Have you ever noticed a shift in yourself? In your inner being, in your heart, your spirit, when your heart grew a little bit cold or calloused towards someone or someones, you were hungry, you were tired, you were hurt, you were worn out, and you felt that little sliver and shiver of ice advance in your heart, you know like, I'm not going to care so much, I can no longer afford to, I don't have it within me, there's just not enough.
Love and care and attention here to go around. So, forget these people. I gotta draw a circle around me and mine, whoever that is, and however you define it. And that can happen in an instant. It can happen without so much as a conscious thought or a single word uttered.
And that is the moment at which the world can end.
If there was a button in front of you in that moment that said push this and your pain goes away But someone else is really gonna get it
There's a moment where you would gladly Push that button
To be done with that pain Who among us wouldn't do it who among us hasn't been in a place? psychologically mentally emotionally spiritually physically where you would do it I know I have. And maybe that should be the starting place for all of our conversations.
On these impossibly hard things. Like, I know I personally am disqualified to speak on this. Because I would gladly push the button that destroys the world. To escape a little bit of pain. But right now, here's what I'm thinking.
We're dealing with a situation here where Regardless of your perspective, the people involved have experienced horrific trauma sometimes, in many cases for generations. And all that comes with that is in play. The fear, the anxiety, the self preservation mechanisms, coping mechanisms, the fact that because of the way God designed us, parts of our anatomy and brain shut down parts of their functioning when we're in that self preservation mode, it's a different mode of being
people even looking on from the sidelines. Maybe they're not in that mode, but they're projecting their own trauma. And fears we're doing that, or at least our narratives are paradigms onto the situation that they're not directly involved in, regardless of how well those paradigms and narratives fit the situation
and beginning to understand. Um, we, we should start at least with aiming at maximum empathy and anything that edges away and bites into that empathy has to be perceived, have to want to see that, want to be aware of it and recognize that as the enemy of understanding and empathy. And at the same time, we can't just leave it all right there, you know, and say, well, then, you know, it's all a wash or I can't say anything or it's irrelevant or it's everything's the same.
There's no distinctions to be made. I don't want to hurt anybody. I don't want to offend anybody. I don't want to disagree with anybody. I don't want to. That doesn't necessarily accomplish much either unless you're there providing direct medical treatment or therapy to people directly involved. So, then the question is, well, then how do I process?
How can I listen and learn? How can I maintain empathy while at the same time having the ability to make distinctions and discernments that are within the bounds of wisdom and love? How can I think in more than one way and more than one paradigm and look at something that is in fact quite complex through multiple angles and multiple layers?
How can I maintain my humanity? And my regard for the dignity of all other people in this arena that so easily can damage and disillusion and dishearten and callous anyone who wades in. What does it mean to be a good human in all of this? Which raises the question, just what does it mean to be a good human?
And here we're back to Jesus's secret. That drove him to be able to, on one hand, talk about the birds of the air, the flowers of the field, not worry,
and to speak directly to the seat of power
and pierce the most difficult things of his time and age and place.
He didn't always directly, volitionally choose to be put in those situations, but when he had, when he was, he had thought it through.
He was listening.
He was considering,
and I think it is not wrong for us, but it in fact is wisdom for us to try to aim for the same.
I'm going to unpack a lot more with trepidation. with fear and trembling.
But what other option is there?
I hope that you'll join me. That's going to be it for this episode. So I'll see you next time.