1964. Fifty-six years ago Bob Dylan came out with a song about changing times. The 60’s were to be an era of societal change toward a more utopian vision of love, peace and justice for all. The Baby Boomers protested the war. Black Panthers organized. Women’s Liberationists burned their bras. And I suppose that there were some changes, certainly not utopian, but for the better in most cases. New laws were passed. Affirmative Action sought to level the playing field. Women gained some reproductive freedom. The Viet Nam war ended, ingloriously.
But the “movement” also fizzled out. Baby Boomers became bankers and Cadillac drivers. Black Panthers lost steam. And bras actually made a comeback. Change takes time and effort. And momentum. For decades the momentum was lost. Blame it on the human incapacity to sustain focus, or blame it on disco. Maybe we are all ADHD. Whatever the case may be, the momentum has returned.
A new generation is protesting alongside some Baby Boomers who retained their idealism. Black Lives Matter has taken the mantle from their Black Panther parents. #MeToo has reminded us that women have yet to achieve the status of equals. And a new cry for justice has arisen from the LGBTQ+ community which even our nation’s Supreme Court has heard. The times they are a changin,’ indeed.
But with an eye toward the 60’s and wondering if history will repeat itself, we have yet to see if the movements in this particular moment in time will stall out, or whether the momentum will continue toward significant change. And it is not a foregone conclusion that the changes in the works will be utopian or dystopian. There are powerful forces that seek to undermine the dormant movements that are now finding their voices. There are opposing visions of what it means to be a great nation, and that opposition has shown itself to be openly hostile and violent. We do not all share the same values.
The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a catalyst for change. The virus has created a flashpoint, throwing into sharp relief the differences in values. Where the truth lies is often in the gray areas of complexity and mutuality. However, the present multiple societal crises have led to polarization of opinions as if there can only be two sides to any issue - you’re wrong, and I’m right!
Is the future to be Utopia? Free health care, education, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Affordable Housing. A Living Wage. Shattered glass ceilings. Equal Opportunity. Discrimination protections. Immigration reform. Ecologically sustainable practices.
Is the future Dystopia? Police states. Hyper-militarism. Protectionism. Isolation. Fascism. Will we govern with fear of the “other”? Will we blame our problems on the scapegoat of the moment?
I had a recent conversation that reveals the problem in values.
He said, “Diversity is a problem.”
I said, “Diversity is a challenge, but is the reality we must embrace.”
He said, “Diversity is a problem.”
I said, “Diversity is the future, and is unavoidable.”
He said, “Diversity is a problem.”
I said, “Diversity may make us a better community if we approach it with openness.”
That conversation reminded me of a line by Bruce Hornsby, “Hey, old man, how can you stand to think that way.”
I admit that it is easier to form communities of persons who all look, think and act alike. As a pastor, one of the greatest challenges I faced was to hold a community together that was ethnically, socio-economically, and educationally diverse. With a multiplicity of viewpoints and backgrounds, one must field a variety of opinions on how to do everything from what songs to sing in worship to what constitutes the mission of the church. And when you thrust that dynamic onto a diverse society which does not profess Oneness in Christ it becomes an almost insurmountable challenge. Almost.
The thing is, as we listen to voices unlike our own, we learn new stories. As we hear the songs of different cultures our horizons are widened. As we hold the hand of sisters whose life-experiences have been dramatically different we develop empathy. When we engage in relationships with brothers of a different world, our own world expands and our capacity for compassion grows.
But when we demonize “the other” we engage in the worst form of humanity. We descend into tribalism and polarization which, I believe, ultimately destroys human community.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once said that the arc of the universe bends toward justice. Theologically speaking, the kingdom of God is at hand. There are obstacles to the consummation of God’s plans for the human experiment, but the arrival of the New Jerusalem is inevitable. The times, they are a’changin’. Peace, love, and justice will prevail. As I once heard Bishop Desmond Tutu say, “The question we must answer is, ‘What side of history do we want to be on’?”
