What Was I Thinking?

Every Tuesday we have a health care vigil in front of Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. We, as DM Catholic Workers, believe that health care is a human right. Therefore, people, or corporations, that stand in the way of that human right, are doing an injustice. For example, Wellmark. So, we stand out front with a sign, and we hand out fliers on the street corners and in the skywalks.

Whenever I'm in the skywalks, I get so many people that glance at me, then immediately get a stern look on their faces and tighten up their lips. "No thank you," they quickly say, then whisk past me without looking at me again. I can understand why Wellmark employees would do this to us--we sort of are attacking their corporation, and indirectly attacking their jobs. I think we should be aware of the impact our jobs have on society, but that's for another blog. For this one, let's just assume that Americans love their jobs and take great personal pride in them.

Regardless, I doubt that everyone who walks past me and tightens up is a Wellmark employee. I think many of these people live cushy lives and don't want to be bothered.

Well, what the hell?

Is it that we, as activists, just think a whole lot more about the world around us? I'd really like to know what it's like to live as another person for a little while--to see inside their heads, and to see what reality looks like from their point of view.

I don't think that I reflect on and engage with my world as much as I could, but look at where I've ended up. Does that mean that people that don't seem to "get it" as much as I do, (and I'm not saying that I totally "get it," but I'd like to think I at least "get" a few things...like that there are homeless people and that we shouldn't be at war...) engage even less with their world than I do? Oh man, I hope not.

I hope I engage in the world the least of anyone because I know that there is more richness, more love, more life to be, had than I have. There's more to experience, and I desire that everyone else would experience that, also. I desire that I would experience it.

So do you think that you can experience all of the life that God has for you, and all of the life that God has created specifically for you, by living in your hometown your whole life? By getting married at age 20 and never traveling the world? By living on the streets selling drugs your whole life?

What does the Lord desire of us? Anything? Or does He just hope for us? He needs nothing from us, and yet wants us to experience what He's created...right?

How do we do that? Does it require thinking to a deeper level than I normally do? Does it require engaging more than I tend to engage?

Just a few thoughts for your Wednesday morning. I'd intended on teaching school today, but it was my prayer last night that I wouldn't get a job if God wanted me to take an intentional Sabbath today. I didn't get a job...and I checked online every 10 minutes for an hour. No luck. This is what the Lord requires from me today--a day spent with Him, learning from Him, listening to Him, and speaking with Him.