Or put another way: based on what I think I know about the political system in America, is it realistic to think that what the “people” on the grass-roots level say or do is going to have any lasting effect on the totality of the political process as it perpetuates itself.

I will admit upfront that this is an extremely hard subject to articulate.

This afternoon at lunch with my co-workers I half humorously asked if God would have us vote for the lessor of two evils in the upcoming presidential race. They looked at me like I was stupid for even asking that question—I guess their reaction came from knowing that we have been in this situation for some time and it is about time I woke up to that reality.

And this entry is not so much a story with a beginning, middle and an end as it is one man trying to make sense of a world that on one level wants us to believe that things are getting better while at the same time we see death and destruction happening all around us—from Columbine and the Southwest Indian reservations to Iraq, Israel and the middle east in general. Not to mention the atrocities in Africa, Serbia and China.

I read that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And after that God created us, male and female and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it;”. In that statement and others throughout the Bible it is implied that we are to be “good stewards” of the earth and its’ resources as well.

Yet having said that I must also say that I am not into “dominion theology” either which broadly states that: …the kingdom of God will be established on Earth through political and (in some cases) even military means, preparing the way for or enabling the return of Christ.

Christianity to me is in reality more of a heart change inside of us rather than a legislative mandate to not have an abortion or work on Sunday’s.

I have certainly failed as an individual time and time again in being a conduit for what I believe to practically affect those around me. I have wasted energy resources, have not always re-cycled and have certainly added my share to the national debt.

In my humble opinion it seems we haven’t really been able to “totally” agree on anything since we had our single language confused at the tower of babel and were scattered all over the face of the earth.

Knowing this, how am I to believe that any political candidate is going to be able to bring peace, harmony and equality to an earth that is so highly fractured and seemingly going in different directions.

I am currently reading a book entitled “Honor: What Love Looks Like” and in the first chapter the author talks about all the broken treaties that the white government broke with the American Indians. This has, in her opinion, been a major factor in why native American’s have a high rate of suicide, unemployment and alcoholism. In this we see that the very root of governmental expansionism is full of lies and deceit.

I know this is over simplified—but has anything really changed. Systems have a way of getting what they need—if they need your land and want to call it eminent domain then who are we to argue with that.

Herein lies the rub—you have built your scenarios of what all this means and I have built mine. We can have chapter and verse back us up and still come to different conclusions. And having said that I am not saying that I am giving up hope that we can work it out. I am just going to begin to try and come at it from a different direction or perspective. I am going to work on me and not try and fix you.

In having some of this conversation with a friend the other day he informed me that he doesn’t read what any political candidate says about anything. He simply shows up on voting day, enters the booth and asks God who he should vote for. I can’t say that I am there yet but that seems like an interesting place to stake a claim.

How it all plays out I haven’t a clue. But I do remember a Dylan song that ended with this partial verse:

Will I ever learn that there’ll be no peace,
that the war won’t cease
Until He returns?

Knowing something and doing it are two different things. Hopefully our ride today will be a combination of both.