Politics and Faith

I have been watching the recent political scene with some interest. In part because I work with vulnerable people who are often the pawns in the entire political process, and in part because politics reveal so much about us spiritually. I have been fascinated by the recent polls that say that the GOP is better at the economy that the Democrats, in spite of the numbers which show the average American does way better under the Democrats economically. I am also stunned that people want to go back to the very policies that drove us into the current recession. Reminds me of the old AA adage, "insanity is continuing to do the same thing an expecting a different result."

What on earth are we thinking? I have decided that it is because we as humans have an incredible propensity to look for the "easy answer." When change is needed. When we have gotten ourselves in a bad place, we want the quick and easy way out. We don't want slow and difficult. And so we reject the hard way, and grab for the easy way. Right now voters don't want to believe there is no easy fix to our economy. They don't want to believe that the way out is difficult and slow, and will entail real changes to the way things have been. So they are grabbing for those who promise a quicker easier solution (trickle down economics, benefit the rich and eventually it will help the poor? Pleeeeease). This quick easy solution doesn't work. It has never worked, but. . .

The tendency we have to grab for the easy, and yes, external solution is evident as well in our faith. When we are unhappy, when life is not going well, we tend to do the same thing. We look outside ourselves, for the quick easy solution. More stuff. Substances. Power. Sex. Whatever it is we can grab that will give us the quick fix.

Only the fix is only quick, but not lasting. And sometimes there is not "fix" at all, just faux relief. Usually the real relief comes as we day the inner road, the slower road, the more difficult road of really looking at ourselves, and making real and sometimes difficult or painful choices.

As Jesus noted, the way is sometimes narrow, and sometimes difficult. But the good news is that real change is possible.