Author: Carl Setzer

Walking this evening, I was looking at these houses in Lynnwood. These houses from the 50s and 60s garages have itty bitty garages. Today’s cars don’t fit. And I remember those 50s, 60s, 70s vintage cars. They were a tad bit bigger than cars today. Clearly, garages were for storage, not auto storage.

Anyway, I’ve been around these houses most of my life. I’m rather fond of them, quirks and all. Actually, the quirks add delight, to me, at least.

Murder in Paris, rage boils over on the internet. I sit next to a Muslim friend while the vilest invective floats through my phone, rationalizing his death. The perpetuation of this murderous cycle. The cries against Muslims vary only slightly from the cries for the blood of the westerners. Their hearts are the same. Their heartbeats pulse from the same rage.

“Love your enemies as yourself”, and many other such words of Jesus, ignored by his followers. Rage so dominant a drive, we lose track of compassion and dignity. 

Over the course of the evening, I couldn’t stop watching or reading. I ran head long down the most horrible of rabbit-holes. Laden with brutality, with disrespect, frothing with corrosive invective. Chasing down other topics, equally ugly, our inability to dialog with other views. Both sides, neither able to express themselves gracefully, and each descending fast into the realm of personal insult. There were voices of reason, generating hope for me, for humanity. 

However, this mad blast of rage gives me deep pause. I will not be part of this brutal back and forth, of name calling. Empty posturing. Pretty much nothing of substance. I think I shall post peace centric messages: Jesus, MLK, Rumi as a response. And work to add thoughtful, graceful dialog to this swamp of outrage.