All Things Purple

unexpected

If I were to sum up 2020 with one word, it would be unexpected. Who could have guessed our whole world would be turned upside down and shut down and permanently altered in many ways when January 2020 hit? But I also wonder who has had a year when you're not at least a somewhat new person by the end of it? As I have been considering how much has changed this particular year, I realize that each year that goes by brings a great deal of change. 2020 is no different, yet what changed and how deeply it has affected us collectively is the unexpectedness that has shocked us. Adversity seems to be around every corner with sickness, death, political strife, etc. That said, I'd like to focus on some of the unexpected goodness with a list:

1. Being able to watch streamed concerts. The first one I watched was the Easter presentation from Milan, Italy with Andrea Bocelli. I felt the goodness of God surround me as the videographers took us around the city as well as other cities around the world to see everything slowed down and even still.
2. Significantly more time with my children. This one was a challenge at times, yet overall, I believe it helped us to recognize how important we are to each other.
3. Learning to better worship God at home. Talking about the gospel became more of a daily purpose. We began going on short road trips on Sundays to listen to sacred music, scriptures, and/or spiritual addresses.
4. Cooking new things. With being stuck at home, I had more time to cook, so I began looking up recipes that use items we had a lot of and didn't need anything else from the store when possible, and we had some really great food! I made sure to print off each recipe that we loved, and I'm going to compile a mini cookbook once this pandemic is over.
5. Family History. Doing family history work had already been a hobby, but with being slowed down these past several months, I have made a point to really work at it. Over the summer, I treated it like a job where I'd dedicate whole shifts of time to the work.

These five things are simply a handful of the unexpected good I found this year; there is so much more.

The truth is that there has been a great deal of suffering; nevertheless, there has been an overwhelming amount of good to help us to carry on, for which, I am thankful. I haven't written much—at all—lately, but I hope this end the year reflection might help me learn, heal, and remember the unexpected good that came out of a hopefully once in a lifetime pandemic.

the art of swerving

On the way to school, music was filtering throughout the car, and the sun was shining on beautifully fresh blue skies. The drive is always short and sweet, but today's was really working hard to charm. I approached an intersection, one of many on the route, one I have entered many times. Just part of a regular routine. The light was green, so driving smoothly through was a safe expectation. All was well and fine.

Then, a driver coming from the opposite direction chose to make a left turn in front of me in the middle of the intersection. And not only did they turn in front of me but also the driver in the lane to me.

What do we do when someone chooses to drive through our safe path, thus making it unsafe? We honk the horn, yell, slam our brakes avoiding collision, push on the gas pedal praying for more power, sometimes cry once all is done. Sometimes, there are minor injuries and damages to vehicles; while at other times, there can be major injuries that affect the rest of your life or even worse. Although most of the time when things like this happen, we don't get injured or hurt, but we can learn what to do better or to appreciate smooth sailing a little more.

We have all encountered one of these drivers at some point in our lives, people who cut in front of our positive attitude and outlook, people who choose without thought of how they affect others. At times, we are the poor driver. In any case, we have also reacted in various ways. The gamut of responses to such offenses can be complicated—or is it?

I learned a quick yet poignant lesson about how simple our response can be from my youngest who was in the car with me.

That car was directly in front of me. With only a split second to check right, I could see the driver in that lane was farther into the intersection than me, causing the car turning in front of us to begin stopping to avoid collision, which gave me even less time to react well. So within that split second cut in half, I then looked ahead to see other options: I could hit the brakes as hard as possible and hope we didn't hit too hard and not get hit from behind or drive into the opposing traffic's left turn lane to get around the vehicle. In that split split second, I was also able to see far enough ahead that I could swerve around into the opposing traffic lane. And we made it through without causing a different major problem.

Once the danger was past, I was freaking out about how that person made it so I almost had to hit their car or hit cars in opposing traffic. I was seriously upset. And it had been literally two minutes or less when my son tells me, "Why are you dwelling on it? It already happened." I was in freak out mode, so I freaked out on him asking, "How is it dwelling on it when it hasn't even been five minutes since it happened?!" But he persisted and repeated what he had said simply and matter-of-factly.

I don't know about you, but my definition of dwelling on something is when the issue ruins my whole day or days or even longer. Not under any circumstance would I have thought that tripping on how terrifying the situation was for a minute afterward could qualify as dwelling on it. Alas, I stand corrected. That prompt to let it go without furthering the stress by pulling it apart and analyzing the inexcusable put it all in perspective within seconds. It was like a light switch was turned on, and I could see how blessed we were that I had enough time somehow to evaluate my obstacles when there was no time and swerve to safety. I was then immediately able to feel gratitude for the open lane on the opposite way, which is usually packed with a long line of cars wanting to turn left. Peace came quickly all because I didn't dwell on it for even one more second (once I listened to his advice).

Another side of this is the idea that our circumstances are of our own making. That notion only goes so far with me. I've lived for too long with being acted upon despite my best efforts to buy into that idea. However, within our choice set that is ours and from time to time pinched and even thwarted by others, we always have the choice to swerve out of the way of negative thoughts. We can choose to not dwell on things that have no worth in helping us learn or progress.

We never have to give more time to things that steal our peace. We can learn and cultivate the art of swerving.

individual responsibility to the whole

While Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience” is quite persuasive, the ability for his rhetoric to reach the masses gets diminished when faced with the faithlessness of our new society. Oftentimes, literary works are taken part and parcel while leaving the defining points unappreciated and ignored. Thoreau writes with political and religious zeal, which can be offensive to some people today. While this fact remains true, the spiritual aspects of “Civil Disobedience” have the potential to give the essay great persuasive power.

To begin, Thoreau words fit into time and space regardless of the politics or religious temperature of the era. In our post-postmodern world, the lack of respect for organized religion creeps in among the people at every chance. While the masses are rejecting “church,” spirituality has its foothold in most hearts and minds as seen from my experience. Thoreau attempts to appeal to this innate characteristic through scripture references and outright expectation of spiritual centering on the audience’s part. “Civil Disobedience” stands as an example of one of the best religious paradigms to influence such a vast audience. The spiritual perspective on a mainly secular topic catches the eye as well with great success. The world audience in favor of his essay has embraced the reminders of spirituality and the power within each person to make a difference.

As Thoreau could never know how far reaching his words would be, the power his influence for positivity seems miraculous. The simplicity of his message is the power. When addressing the audience, the importance of recognizing the majority’s goodness finds a home. He points out how a few people will never be above the majority, or in other words the lawmakers are not more important than the people they represent. In one section of the essay, Thoreau slides in a biblical reference when he states, “It is not so important that many should be as good as you, as that there be some absolute goodness somewhere; for that will leaven the whole lump” (Thoreau 5). Familiarity with the biblical reference in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 grants depth to the argument:

6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Thoreau not only expects the government to be the best it can be, but expects each individual to put forth a new and better self.

The individual’s importance to the success of the whole proves an integral point within “Civil Disobedience.” The concept persuades us to recognize the impact each individual has on the world in general. Moral, political, and spiritual responsibility come into play when realizing the many aspects of the impact each person has on others. When he says, “Cast your whole vote, not a strip of paper merely, but your whole influence” (9), the cry for individual accountability and action can be heard.

With his statement comes a question: Where has the individual fled? The media spits out what we should say, look, and act like, while many of our citizens follow its direction. The responsibility to self and country feels like an antiquated idea, yet in all reality the time to rise to the occasion has been long coming. If we want to have individual rights, the individual must act for themselves and make a positive difference to ensure those rights are secure and available for future generations. Therefore, the individual acts as a representative of the group. The necessity of having goodness within the majority of each person is the key to successful interactions on the individual level, as well as on the group or representative plane. Good society must have individuals who choose to be considerate of their impact upon the whole.

Another spiritual aspect of the individual is the neighbor concept. A neighbor can be the persons who live on either side of you or at least on the same street, yet it also has abstract implications. In Christian teachings, we are taught to love our neighbor as ourselves and so forth. With this in mind, Thoreau’s statement, “ I saw to what extent the people among whom I lived could be trusted as good neighbors and friends; that their friendship was for summer weather only” (14) holds a sort of condemnation within it. To suppose he speaks of the few families living nearby is absurd. The deeper expectations of spiritual centeredness persuade with strength, while presenting the disappointment in reality as well. Summertime is warm and full of life—some might even say summer equals easier times. Who would choose to be a neighbor for sunshine only and not help others in times of shade and even desolate winter? In all his words, Thoreau holds out hope that no fellow American would purposely choose to be such a one. The hopefulness of Thoreau’s message enlivens again in conclusion, “I please myself with imagining a State at last which can afford to be just to all men, and to treat the individual with respect as a neighbor; which even would not think it inconsistent with its own repose…who fulfilled all the duties of neighbors and fellow-men” (18).

With hope and good-will, the individual can do good things to change the entire make up of the group in which it finds membership. Government should be for the people and by the people as outlined by the Founding Fathers of this great nation. Our God-given agency also grants the ability to make a difference—to be an asset to community, society, and country. As each citizen embraces the inner need for spirituality and uses it for betterment and progress, the world in which we live can become (and remain) a gladsome, peaceful place to be. The call to rely on our Creator persuades with simple words and Henry David Thoreau gives a simple approach. In a complicated world, simplicity still has the ability to persuade with swiftness and ease as seen in “Civil Disobedience.” May we all take a moment to read or reread it with the lens of wanting to be part of the solution, part of freedom for all, part of true liberty.

Sources

The Holy Bible. Web. 28 July 2020. <https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/1-cor/5?lang=eng>.

Thoreau, Henry D. Civil Disobedience and Other Essays. “Civil Disobedience.” 1849. New

York: Dover, 1993. Print.