What Does It Mean to Value Humanity?
When I was deeply in my evangelical tradition, we didn’t talk a lot about voting. I don’t remember much direct political talk at all. This may just stem from the fact that my tradition wanted to be separate from culture. (A weird flex when you’re trying to save the world through missions and outreach.) But apparently working on things at home wasn’t important in that way, so I didn’t get some of the pressure that I know exists in the evangelical church today.
However, I was trained well in seeing and naming “the other.” Certain activities were bad, certain kinds of people were sinful, and if I could change them and make them see it the right way, then I was serving Jesus. We must fix the other. We must show them the light. They must live like we do. Then they'll be happier, calmer, more peaceful, etc…
I won’t go into how many ways that fails. How hurtful it is. How just plain manipulative it is. But one thing I can do is work to make sure that people like that can’t create a world that erases all the beautiful diversity that exists in God’s creation. We will never all be the same, which, if nothing else, is at the very heart of the creation story. God made all these unique and beautiful things to create a sustainable, varied, diverse world. Including humans.
As many of you probably know, we’re heading into a pretty serious election season. One that may not seem as important as a presidential year, but one that could cause the foundations of our democracy to experience stress they have never known. (And no, from what I’ve read, that’s not an exaggeration.) We are in a precarious place.
One of the things that seems to be fueling this is the need for people to declare their difference and to make sure to exclude those who aren’t like them. Beyond just exclusion, we are seeing a rise in behaviors that demand other people stick to their ideas of “normal” behavior.
Much of the time what fuels this kind of behavior is fear. There is fear of being pulled off course by the existence of difference, fear of scarcity - that there aren’t enough resources for everyone, and fear of losing relationships with others if they choose to be different. That last one may seem a little weird but what I mean is, I think people are afraid of books with new ideas, people that are comfortable being different etc., because they worry if their kids (friends, or loved ones) are influenced by that they'll lose their relationship with them.
What I fail to see them acknowledge is that the failure to have a relationship with their changed child is because they refuse to change, not just because the child has changed. Their deep seated fear of having to accept someone different means they project that fear on others so they can avoid doing the work of accepting that the world has many different ways of being human.
Jason summed up the problem nicely in his essay:
We are, simply put, complex. We are prone to protective responses to the world, and we dream, imagine, and co-create novel ways of moving through the world. Are we good, are we evil, is it inherent or learned, is it passed down or created through experience? Yes, to all of those.
There is probability and possibility in all of us; there is certainty and creativity; there is reaction, response, reason, and reflection. We all have great potential, and we’ve set up systems that lack the kind of equity needed for all of us to embrace that potential.
There is an ideal world where we’re all seen with the clarity of our potential and best moments in mind, and there’s the reality of yesterday and today, which shape our tomorrows.
When we vote, how do we make space for everyone to live the way they want? I get that many people feel voting doesn’t matter. But I just want to encourage you to vote - whether you do for every election or have given up. While voting doesn’t solve all the angry messages of traditions that want to force the world into their mold, it does help our governmental structures become places that are more open to difference.
I know that may feel impossible, depending on where you live. But if each of us encourages one other person to vote, it can make a difference. Elections can have completely different outcomes with just a few thousand, and sometimes a few hundred votes.
When we look at the values of equality, equity, and diversity, preserving the right for people to show up in the way that is most comfortable for them is one of the ways we can make a difference.
When I hear the stories of my LGBTQ friends and what they have gone through, I want to create a world where they can just live. Where they can go about normal life and feel safe. Where they can be who they want to be.
On National Coming Out Day, I want to create a world where everyone has a place. Where being free actually means something. One way I can do that is to vote for my values. To consider the candidates around me and to choose the ones that are trying to do better.
The next step is to break the rule about not talking about politics. Reach out to a friend and ask if they are going to vote. And, if the window opens, tell them why voting matters to you. Sharing your story, about why it matters, is a powerful influence.
If we each take one person with us, we can make a difference.
Things can feel pretty hopeless right now. But the action of voting is something we can do to express our shared values of having a world where everyone is welcome in their beloved diversity.