Betty Chambers Has Spoken

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Life is Political: Climate Change
Sunday, September 16, 2007

I love this time of year. I love this approaching fall season. I feel like anything and everything is possible at this moment.

Lots of people have big significant causes, or lifelong projects that get them up in the morning. I'm rarely attracted to a cause, at least, not anymore.

I've done my share of getting people to sign petitions while in college. I've been part of a handful of marches against apartheid. I went up to Harlem to see Nelson Mandela in his historic visit to America.

I can say I've been somewhere sometimes when historical events happened. But the reality is - I didn't feel as if my presence was significant. Was it? Who can tell?

I'm not the leader of the pack type of individual. I'm not a follower either. I believe in God, fiercely, but you will not find me at church.

I think if I was to be a person fiercely devoted to a religion, I'd convert to Judaism. Why not go to the source? I'm thinking. Actually, when I was kid, I wanted to study Judaism, Christianity didn't interest me. I figured if I'm reading the Bible about Hebrews, why not become one? Yet, I'm part of enough persecuted groups, why add another?

One of the most annoying things in modern life are some people's relentless search for a worthy cause. I'm not knocking them. I hate being the recipient of this patronizing proselytizing. If I'm not apoplectic about Climate Change, Ending World Poverty, Diabetes, Breast Cancer, you name it, then I'm not out to make a difference, or I'm a bad person.

I respect people who are more than willing to shed blood for their beliefs. (Come on now, I don't mean terrorists. Think Civil Rights activists.)

I don't respect those striving for moral superiority vanity points. It's not that you care, you just want to elevate yourself above others by pretending to.

There's a section in Proverbs about people who do good and not brag about it. So, when someone wants to lecture me about a cause, I'd advise them to can it. You don't know me, and you don't know what I am about, and I certainly don't need to prove anything to anyone.

Labels: Bible, Christianity, climate change, Judaism, political activism

posted by GoldenAh

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