PLGRM

I operate on the belief that there are very few situations where a concrete, absolute “Right and Wrong” principle applies. In the world of ethics, I don’t know if that makes me a “relativist” or a “situationist” (and I’m not sure how much I care, tbh), but I do know that I have a short list of non-negotiable truths about humanity that I live by:

We violate the image of God in others and ourselves,
accept lies as truth,
exploit neighbor and nature,
and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care.

Presbyterian Church USA, A Brief Statement of Faith

That list may look like a clear cut list to you, but to my eyes, I see all sorts of places where we need to argue out what something means. What does it mean to “violate the image of God in others”? It’s a bad thing to do – no doubt – but what is it, exactly?

Since May 2, 2023, the Writers Guild of America has been on strike, and SAG-AFTRA joined in last week. The television shows we know and love aren’t coming back in the Fall, movie productions have ground to a halt, and we’re just gonna have to be okay with that. I’ve got a catalog of streaming shows I can binge. I have a library card. You do, too. We’ll all be fine.

Beyond annoyance, a lot of people have strong opinions about the efficacy of something like a strike or boycott. I grew up among people who talked of things like collective action and unions as if they were dirty words. It wasn’t until adulthood that I started to see things differently, and I did so because of Leviticus 19.

You may not have Leviticus 19 memorized, but I bet you dollars to donuts you know what part of it says:

 You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

(Emphasis mine)

That bit at the end is pretty important, isn’t it? Some guy kept saying that, I think… 🙂

This part of the big instructions given to God’s people teaches them that, as full human beings, it is our obligation to teach one another how to treat us. “You shall reprove you neighbor.”

We get to set boundaries around how others will treat us. We get to say that somethings are acceptable and some things are not.

Other people may have opinions about whether what we’re insisting on are right and fair, but human beings have the privilege and responsibility to work with one another to ensure no one is being exploited and everyone is treated fairly and respectfully.

When some folks look at a strike or collective bargaining they think one side or the other is being greedy or mean. They may be, but the act of one group of people saying to another “Here’s the way we expect to be treated” is just a way of doing what Leviticus says.

Neither party can truly claim they are right about the position they are taking. They may be, but that’s not the point of what they’re doing. I can believe I’m “right” all I want, but the question is: “What can I insist on from you and what am I willing to give up or walk away from in order to ensure I’m treated well?”

And, sometimes, it takes a pretty hard stand (like a strike) to get another party to see what they are losing in the relationship. Not fun, but necessary on occasion.

So cue up another rewatch of Murder She Wrote and The West Wing. Cuddle up with your well worn copy of A Wrinkle in Time. It’s gonna be a long Fall.