I’m reading a book with this title (above) by John Philip Newell.
The book has many insights into the struggle that we have to remain faithful to Christ’s call to follow in his footsteps.
One part struck me today – where he recounts a dream that he had. He dreamt that he was running for president of the United States, Barack Obama was also running. In the dream he was waiting to go on and be interviewed about his campaign and his policies.
He was worried in the dream about how he was going to answer questions about economics and foreign affairs etc. How was he going to be able to have clear detailed answers that would satisfy the interviewers?
In the dream he realised that he wouldn’t have those kind of answers. This is what he says “There I had my realisation. I knew what my essential stance would be on every issue. Yes of course, I would require all sorts of detailed assistance from experts in the various fields, but I knew what would guide me in every decision in the dream.
I realised I would decide every issue from the standpoint of how it would affect all of us. I would ask not what is best for us alone – for our class, nation,, species – but what is best for the whole and for the relationship between all things – for every class, nation and species. The same would apply on every issue. The heart of the matter was profoundly straightforward.
Christianity’s Struggle For New Beginnings
Five Short Words 
I’m really struggling with this, I’m sure for a number of reasons; the context of the passage, the meaning of the title of the book, what’s meant by species, why it’s based in a dream, and I’m sure so much more.
But I think what I’m struggling with most is the idea that decisions can be made on the basis of how it would effect all of us, and that this could be decided on individual issues. The world just isn’t that simple.
What’s good for a vegetarian isn’t necessarily the same as what is good for a carnivore. What is good a city dweller isn’t necessarily the same as what is good for a country dweller. What is good for a child isn’t necessarily what is good for an OAP. And so on.
The world is run on compromise and balance (although it does feel more like conflict and dispute). And because of this I would suggest that we have to “sin” to live in the world. Not because we want to, but because society cannot be all things to all people.
Just a thought.
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