  Spiritual
This week: May You Live In Interesting Times... Edited by: NaNoKit  
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We are facing interesting times, in society and politics as well as in our faith. We cannot let it divide us.
This week's Spiritual Newsletter is all about division and love.
kittiara |
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May you live in interesting times.... it's an intriguing phrase, isn't it? Nobody seems to be quite sure from where it originates. Some say it's an ancient Chinese curse, whilst others think its roots lurk in Western society. Whatever the case, it seems sweet and fluffy until you think about it. It is indeed more of a curse than a blessing. A peaceful existence tends to be preferable to having to live through chaos and upheaval.
Over the last few weeks, I've had good cause to consider the saying. Times are becoming interesting in the UK. This week local and European elections will be held and there is a sense of change in the air. The growing discontent with the major political forces has sent many voters to the right side of the spectrum, pinning their hopes on a party that wants an end to open borders and an end to Britain's membership of the European Union.
At the same time, our Scottish friends are preparing for a referendum on their membership of the United Kingdom and, because of similar discontent with the establishment, it is looking increasingly likely that they will separate. I can't say I blame them, because the main political parties have indeed proven themselves to be rather untrustworthy.
All around the European Union parties who have a lot in common with the above-mentioned British example are gaining momentum. As a migrant, this affects me. Election posters throughout my nearby town are scaring people into thinking that 26 million people like myself are after their jobs, and the Internet is ablaze with anti-immigrant comments, making us out to be unskilled and uneducated and ready to breed all over the place. Then, there is the distrust of our apparently strange cultures and faiths. We are the Other. Out to undermine society. Unwanted.
Since the campaigning for people's votes kicked into gear, I have had to close down a couple of my social networking profiles due to messages of abuse, some of them rather threatening. A taxi driver I have known for years, and a couple of ladies at the indoor market where I've shopped since I moved here, suddenly found it appropriate to question me about where I come from and whether or not I am thinking of “going back home”. Someone I considered to be my friend went off on an anti-immigration rant in my presence until he remembered that I am, in fact, a migrant, too, at which point he pointed out that he is most certainly not xenophobic because, see, he even hangs out with me! It's all the others that are the problem. The others, who are too different for this country. Something needs to be done about them.
My grandfather, who sadly passed away recently, would have something to say about that kind of thinking. He lived through the Second World War and spent time in a camp. He knew all about Othering, and how dangerous it can be to go down that road. Of course, the situation isn't quite like that at this moment in time, but when times are tough and politicians and the media are eager to create a scapegoat, there are some who will buy into it. Nearly 30 percent of voters are buying into it according to the latest polls. That troubles me, because whilst it's still a minority, it is a significant minority.
I am white, and a Christian, living in a country where the majority are white, and most people of faith are Christian, so if I am a target, what about those who are Muslim, or Sikh, or whose skin colour makes them stand out? In my country of birth, a politician is expected to do very well out of running an anti-Islamic campaign. There are plenty of people who don't want mosques in their towns and cities, and who want a ban on veils.
Politics of hatred, fear and division may be popular, but that doesn't mean that it's right. Not all migrants are nice, this is true. As in every section of society, most will be good people, some will be great, some will be unpleasant and a few will be downright nasty. It doesn't do to point at the downright nasty ones and use them to define the whole.
I have written in the past about division and its downsides, and I am probably preaching to the choir because Writing.Com members are a diverse and pleasant bunch, but the 30 percent (in my country) bugs me.
Amongst this 30 percent will be people of faith. People of faith who should love their neighbours, not judge them on their background or the fact that they may follow a different spiritual path.
I do understand concerns about overpopulation, a lack of jobs, infrastructure and so on, but I feel that it is better to have a genuine debate about this and to find a solution that is fair for everyone involved, rather than opt for scapegoating and shying away from those who seem a bit different. We are all different. And we can all learn from the other. That is one of the wonderful aspects of life.
One of my favourite Biblical quotes is found in 1 Corinthians 13. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. If we are facing interesting times, let these also be times of love. We'll need it.
kittiara
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The Spiritual Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in! 
Alexis Kaye Wright  - Sounds like you should write (and take other actions maybe, whatever God tells you to do) about the subjects you mentioned (injustice, inequality, intolerance, and the unfairness of the political system (in the UK I believe you said). Let your voice be heard!
Thank you! Perhaps you are right. A couple of days ago I published a piece on anxiety disorder in the Guardian. It was scary, because from now on, when a potential employer Googles me, there it is. Still, I am glad that I did it, because so many people who commented on it thanked me for having written it. I'm not saying that to pat myself on the back - not at all. It just brought home to me that through our writing we can help people, and that's a wonderful thing.
~~~
Mia - craving colour  - HI kittiara. I enjoyed your column. It's very thoughtful, provocative and easy to relate to. Sometimes I wonder if where we finds ourselves happiest might just be where we are meant to be.
Thank you . I think you are right!
~~~
Elfin Dragon-finally published - Do I have a calling? Like your friend I can do a lot of things. I grew up in a household where asking questions of any kind was welcomed and I still love to ask them. My father and I have many philosophical debates. I grew up playing the violin, played a little bit of the recorder (a type of flute), I'm a pretty good singer and I've played some guitar. I have a knack for drawing and of course writing of many varieties. I'm a fair cook when I wish. Animals are often drawn to me, more than people; although people have a tendency to tell me their problems of their own accord. So if God has placed a calling upon me I believe it's somewhere within all the things I can do. I'm working on a biography which will tell of how to live a Christian life in the midst of problems. But I'm also writing fantasy and science fiction. I think God uses us in many different ways and all we can do is follow the road He sets before us.
Thank you! Indeed, perhaps we are not merely meant to do the one thing, but lots of different things, and all our skills and talents are unique and can be used to make our very own contributions to the world. Good luck with your biography!
~~~
Quick-Quill  - I stand beside you in line. I am the underachiever. I can cook some good stuff if I need to, but I'm too lazy. I hate housecleaning and will have to feverishly make it happen on Sat before the hubby comes home from a 3 week long absence on Sunday. Did I say I hate to clean? I did, sorry. I never felt worth anything. I was told, You are pretty {if you lost weight} I did, surgery and 120 pounds I changed. A lot for me, I stepped out to at least get in the line, even if I wasn't picked. Since Wdc I have taken my writing seriously and I feel I do a pretty good job of telling a good story. Here is the amazing thing. Out of the blue, I was asked to do the drama for our church's musical cantatas. I'd never done anything like this. I used what little background I had from watching many movies and loving the making of them to craft drama's sometimes from nothing to an hour long concert. I pray each time for God to give me one thing that will touch the hearts of those watching. He never fails. For 6 years Christmas and Easter I have written, produced, cast and directed each of these dramas. Qualified, Nope, scared to death? Yes, but I work with these volunteers with no acting experience to enhance a cantata.
Thanks for sharing your amazing story! First of all, I am glad that I am not alone. Second of all, you have given me hope. You do touch people's hearts, and I am absolutely certain that you will keep on doing so.
~~~
Prosperous Snow celebrating  - My as an individual is to know, love, and worship God, while the purpose of humanity is to carry forward an ever advancing civilization.
Thank you for writing in! I am not certain that an ever advancing civilisation is such a good thing, though. Not in the direction it's going in right now anyway. But perhaps we have to go through this stage to find a better future...
~~~
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Spiritual Newsletter Team
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Spiritual: May 21, 2014 Issue [#6334]
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