What's the big deal?

Good question: what is the big deal? I mean, after all, we're all grown up, mature, and tolerant people, right? No, wrong. OK, we've got separation of church and state and the Constitution in the US, for example, guarantees that separation, right? No, wrong. Well, OK, we're all just good people; we know what we're doing, right? No, I'm sorry, wrong again.

We're not all that grown up or mature. Consider the fanaticism with which, say, Americans (or now the the European Soccer Championships are in full gear, we could use a lot of Europeans as a similar example) get absolutely rabid about sports. That's adolescent, I'm afraid. It's a my-team-is-better-than-your-team; my-dad-can-beat-up-your-dad mentality. Sports have their place, but it shouldn't be at the top of our priority list.

Well, OK, there's at least the separation of church and state, but that's an illusion, too. The moment Bush II can speak about faith-based initiatives from the bully pulpit of the presidency that line has been crossed. The moment that Falwells and Robertsons mobilize voters to vote their beliefs, not their reason, that line has been crossed. The moment it's about Biblical justification for the passage of laws (be it teaching of creationism or attacking Planned Parenthood), the line has been crossed. We love to point the finger at the Iranians, but it's not all that clear to me that America is much different in a lot of regions of the country.

But, we're good people, aren't we? Maybe. But how do we decide what is good? If the pope or the preacher or the evangelist shouldn't dictate what we believe, who should? Anyone? Should we really figure it out for ourselves? People like to rant and rave against Islam or Christianity, but when you consider how many Christian denominations are existant in the US (and yes, that is an American phenomenon), they can't agree on their religious beliefs, so why do we thing they would have anything to say about our moral positions? Right. We're back where we were with our thoughts about the state of political discourse these days: that would be nowhere.

Until we're ready to take "the other" seriously, until we're ready to truly listen to what someone else has to say, until we're ready to engage our discussion partner as an equal partner, we'll just keep yelling and barking and snapping at each other as we are right now. And, once again, look where that has got us.