I went to my alma mater to see a
friend play with his band. The band was
great and it was fun being on campus, but the venue was at this place that is,
I suppose, meant to be revolutionary and different. It was dirty and there was only one bathroom
and people were allowed to write on the walls.
There was a library in which people could take the books that they
wanted without a charge or without even having to return them. The food was vegan and I had one of the worst
donuts I have ever had in my life. The
people who worked there were true to their countercultural ethos, with long
hair, tattoos, some with missing teeth, and earlobes with giant holes or
grossly misshapen. Most disturbing of
all was the mouse feces on the books and the floor.
I have always had countercultural
sensibilities. Perhaps it is an instinctive
response to the excesses of capitalism. It’s why my musical tastes were always
a bit different from many of my peers. It’s
why I thought, as an 18-year-old, guys with long hair and mystical leanings
were fascinating. It’s why homosexuals didn’t offend or shock me as they did
many of my peers. It’s why talk of revolution and racism have always been
fascinating. It’s why I don’t want to live in the suburbs. It’s why I want to
live in a house on the beach.
But I also have limits.
Cleanliness, order, and structure
are important. I think revolutionary ideas are fascinating and have their place…as
a part of the whole, as a part of the tapestry of ideas. It’s okay to “fight
the power,” to consider the ideals (if not the reality) of socialism, to “think
outside the box” socially, personally, intellectually, and spiritually. But there are two inherent problems:
The first is that thought, any kind
of thought, can lead to excess. How do dirty clothes, unisex bathrooms, animal
feces, and intentionally self-disfigured people lead to any kind of viable or
meaningful social change? How does the unchecked lust for money or possessions or
land create a better world? How does excess in anything lead to anything but
self-destruction or material for satire, misunderstandings, and divisions? People
often go too far.
The second thought is that people often
don’t go far enough. When we go through
life with a very strong belief, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, or any
other kind, and it becomes seriously challenged, as it almost always does, then
we have three choices. We can defend and
entrench ourselves further into our beliefs (which may or may not be a bad
thing). We can dismiss these challenges
as apostasy, Satan, short-sightedness, or evil (which is usually a bad thing). Or we can welcome the challenge as an avenue
to correct or confirm our way of thinking (which is usually a good thing). Most people, including myself for many years,
choose the second option.
Being challenged is uncomfortable and
scary. It makes us angry. We see this anger often in political environments,
but it’s not limited to that venue. It is said that we shouldn’t discuss
religion or politics. The reason for this is they are deeply-held beliefs and
we don’t want to even consider that part or all of them are wrong or misguided
or just not appropriate at all times or in all situations. A friend recently told me, “Question
everything you’ve ever believed.” Even
that is scary and that is the journey I am on now. It’s scary and liberating. And
it’s a journey that makes life worth living. It’s a journey that in which we
can all Get Started and Keep Going.
