bumpersticker wisdom

I know I wrote earlier about my dislike of bumper stickers in general, but once in a while, I see one that makes me think.

This was the bumper sticker: "Forget world peace, visualize using your turn signal!"

Okay, so maybe that's a little bit snarly given where I am going to take this, but I think that bumper sticker works well - both because it makes you laugh (and groan - I think we've all been in situations where a turn signal's use would have made a difference) but also, it works on a philosophical level.

"Visualizing" something like world peace (which I assume is different from praying for it?) is comparatively easy. And you have the pleasure of congratulating yourself on being a Goodthink Person because you're expressing a desire for something that I think any reasonable person (even reasonable people who recognize that world peace is extremely unlikely to occur, at least this side of the end of the world) has. But it's also easy.

And easy doesn't really solve problems.

It's nice to say you're pro-world peace, or pro-environment, or pro-every-child-being-fed-sufficient-food-to-grow-properly. But these are also desires that, if you were wanting to actually implement them, would be very difficult to impossible.

And another thing: one thing I've learned as an adult is that there is almost never a simple solution to a complex problem, and if there is an apparent simple solution, it will almost never work.

So, as nice as visualizing world peace is, it doesn't get much done, except perhaps stroke one's ego a bit. (I would, as a Christian, observe that "praying" for world peace - or, perhaps more along orthodox lines, for God's will to be done on earth (which, in my theology would amount to much the same thing, but it wouldn't be a sort of slippery peace where there's peace because some dictator is squishing everyone under his thumb; it would be peace because everyone's hearts and minds have been changed and put in line with God's desires) - is different. Prayer does have an impact, and much of that impact is on the individual who is doing the praying.)

But on the bumper sticker, there's the second part:

"visualize using your turn signal."

And although that does make me laugh (on my drive to work, and again on my drive to the grocery store, there are a couple of four-way stops and a couple of traffic lights, where if someone fails to use their turn signal you could either (in my case) miss a chance to move a bit early - because you know they have the right of way and you are expecting them to go straight or (in some other cases I've seen) get into an accident because you were expecting the person to go straight, you anticipated that, and you went into your turn and they went into their turn and you collided.

It also does make it hard to predict what someone is doing.

But, on a philosophical level (and why do I keep wanting to spell that philisophical? That's not right!), it also speaks to me.

Because: it's very nice to want the best for the world ("visualizing world peace"). But there are small things you CAN do - in fact, some might argue small things you NEED to do, if you care about such things as peace and harmony - that make the immediate, local world a nicer place.

And being courteous to other drivers - realizing that they can't read your mind, and so giving them a head's-up of your intentions - is one of those things.

I mean - I can, substantively, do NOTHING to improve the harmony or peace or goodness of the whole entire world. I can pray for the safety of our soldiers, I can pray for the hearts and minds of those who would do harm to be changed, but in terms of actual, tangible, on-the-ground things, there's nothing I can do.

But, I can treat the people around me with respect. I can be kind. I can follow the Golden Rule. To use the terminology from an old old song: people can know I am a Christian by my love (as long as I choose and remember to show it). I can't do a lot, globally speaking, but I can do that.

(But then again: if everyone on earth followed the Golden Rule, at least most of the time, I contend that this old world would be a better world than it is now.)

And I think what frustrates me a bit about some of the more politically-active types than I is that they don't always follow that. (I know: I'm infamous for expecting consistency in people's behavior. And people are nothing if not inconsistent). But I would think that someone who wanted peace on earth wouldn't, for example, talk about letting the air out of the tires of their political opponents. Or that they would make an effort to be respectful to everyone they worked with. Or their families. Stuff like that.

It's kind of like I opined on Ken's page (on one of his posts about the messed up whales): There are a lot of people I know who are far more willing to give money to an animal-related charity than they are to, say, The Salvation Army (or substitute your favorite non-religiously-oriented charity of choice). I've also heard more outpouring of sadness and rage when people hear of a dog being mistreated than, say, a case where a young woman is abducted and raped.

And while I'm not saying it's wrong to be outraged over people being cruel to animals - I think that's a good sign, a sign that the essential humanity in the person expressing outrage is strong, because they realize that some being that is comparatively defenseless and cannot speak is being harmed, I would also argue that that compassion should extend to humans - perhaps even more to animals.

(And no, I do not have a problem with hunting. Nearly every hunter I know is concerned with the 'clean kill' - that is, dropping the animal dead before it has a chance to realize it's been shot. I consider hunting basically a form of predation. And I don't expect cougars and wolves to become vegetarians just because it makes me sad to think of prey animals dying. And as an ecologist, I see what happens when rabbit or deer populations grow unchecked. I don't hunt myself - no interest in it at all - but I don't mind that other people do. And anyway, the famous consistency - I don't think I could realistically oppose ethical hunters unless I were completely vegan myself, and I'm not, and I'm not going to become so any time soon. I'm completely in favor of treating animals ethically (and I spend more on certain products I buy because the companies that make them are more committed to the ethical treatment of their livestock), but I don't have any moral compunctions about, say, drinking milk.)

That said - the argument that people who want good things in the world should treat other people well may be a good one. But, one thing I'm coming to learn is that the HARDEST of all the Commandments to keep is "Love your neighbor as yourself," especially in light of the fact that everyone, arguably, is our neighbor.

People are very good at behaving in ways that render them less-than-lovable. People are very good at annoying me. People around me, also, are very good at drawing me into sniping sessions or times when we sit around and complain about others around us.

And I have to admit, I don't really know where to strike the balance - I don't think we can INDISCRIMINATELY approve of everything everyone does. I want to retain the privilege of condemning behavior that I consider wrong. I don't consider that the same as not loving another person.

But it is hard. It is something I fight with every day - I get a phone call from a "difficult" person. Or a student who has done something that is wrong, and is facing consequences of that action, comes to me for help. I don't always know where to draw the line - whether to come down on the side of mercy or justice.

And sometimes, honestly, I get tired. The "kick the dog" phenomenon is still in action - someone dumps on you, you get feeling bad, and so you wind up dumping on someone else. And the cycle continues. Sometimes maybe you don't use your turn signal because "no one else is" and you're being spiteful.

And so, we all have to begin again. Every day is a struggle. And remembering, metaphorically speaking, to use our turn signals is a lot more challenging (and perhaps as not ego-gratifying) as visualizing world peace. But one thing that we maybe have to recognize is that the road to some kind of LOCAL peace (which, I would argue, again, is the only thing we're likely to get until the world is remade anew) is for each one of us to (metaphorically) work to remember to always use our turn signals when necessary.