Single-Handed Delusion

Alexander Lukashenko is the self-described “last and only dictator in Europe.”

He has had a strong 27-year run as the authoritarian President of Belarus. Though the nation does, technically, have an election every five years, Lukashenko has remarkably never lost.

When he was re-elected in 2010 (under suspicious voting conditions), thousands took to the streets of Minsk in protest. More than 700 people were arrested and many were sentenced to fifteen-years in prison.

So, the protesters changed tact. They would appear in the streets every Wednesday. They held no signs. They didn’t chant. In fact, they didn’t say a word.

They clapped.

Surely, no one could be arrested for clapping, right?

Wrong.

Lukashenko sent his law enforcement cronies to arrest those guilty of applause.

One such “criminal” was Konstantin Kaplin.

He asserted his innocence – as had many others – claiming he was only there to take pictures of the protest. The difference, though, was that Kaplin had proof of his innocence.

He only has one arm.

He literally can’t clap.

The police, though, were in a difficult position. Lukashenko didn’t take kindly to insubordination, so they arrested Kaplin anyways and testified in court that Kaplin was, indeed, clapping – despite lacking a second hand (an indisputable requirement for clapping).

To further the irony of the situation, Kaplin’s fine was more than double what he received from the government each month for being unable to work due to his disability.

Lukashenko (and his subordinates) weren’t driven by truth – they were driven by an ideology.

And when the truth inconveniently conflicted with their ideology, they chose their ideology. They convicted a one-armed man for clapping because it served their cause.

I know this is a crazy story.

But I’m not sure we don’t do this.

We have our biases, our pre-commitments, our ideologies, and we get uncomfortable when we encounter a truth that doesn’t align with or support what we’ve already decided we believe.

We often conveniently ignore what’s right in front of us if it doesn’t serve our cause.

Where is your ideology bumping up against reality? What truth are you ignoring?

We all do it. But when we hold fast to our biases, pre-commitments, and ideologies at the expense of the truth we will inevitably hurt ourselves and others.

Confidence

Mike Rowe is, I think, one of the most fascinating people in America. He hosted “Dirty Jobs” and produced a podcast called “The Way I Heard It.”

I was recently listening to an episode of his podcast where he referenced his role as a narrator on a television series called “How the Universe Works.”

The script said that there were 100 billion galaxies in the known universe. So, that’s what Rowe said in his recording.

The next week, scientists established that there are more than 2 trillion galaxies.

To be fair, Rowe was communicating the best information he had at the time.

But he made and interesting statement after the fact.

“I sound no less certain when I’m right than I do when I’m wrong.”

I am so guilty of sounding certain when I’m wrong. It’s usually an honest mistake.

But I don’t like to admit that I don’t know something – especially when I feel like I should.

I want to be the expert. I want to have the answers.

The truth, though, is that I sound no less certain when I’m right than I do when I’m wrong.

I’m usually not the smartest person in the room. I’m not being self-degrading – just honest. I’m smart on a couple of subjects. But I’m a novice at best on just about everything else.

So are you.

You’re knowledgeable on certain subjects but you’re a novice on just about everything else. That’s not a slight. It’s just what it is. We can’t know everything about everything.

Here’s the point.

We get things wrong. We just do. Let’s be slow to take a stand when we don’t have all of the information and quick to retract when our stand turns out to be wrong.

Let’s also be discerning in which stands are worth taking. Not every hill is worth dying on.

Think First

Val St. John and Scott Fish used to co-host a morning radio show in Florida.

The two decided to pull an April Fool’s Day prank during their airtime in 2013.

They warned the masses that local water sources had been contaminated with dihydrogen monoxide – a compound found in insecticides, jet fuel, acid rain, and chemical weapons.

They weren’t lying. The water supply did contain dihydrogen monoxide.

It’s just that if you break it down, dihydrogen monoxide equates to two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule.

In other words, it’s H2O. Water.

Fortunately, most people got the joke. Unfortunately, a small but loud minority did not.

They flooded (pun absolutely intended) the county water board phonelines demanding to know how such a lethal substance could have been allowed to pollute their water supply.

St. John and Fish were temporarily taken off the air, but their suspension was revoked, and they resumed their regularly scheduled programming.

It was, admittedly, an unwise prank.

But I imagine that the folks who called the county water board were more than a little embarrassed when they realized their mistake.

I wonder how often we make a similar mistake, though. I wonder how often we accept what we hear without considering the source or the merit of the claim itself. I wonder how often we respond emotionally before we respond thoughtfully.

Let’s be a little more discerning. Let’s resist the pull of urgency. Let’s refuse to be taken in by unwarranted fear.

Let’s think before we act.

Linguistic Fingerprints

There is a fluidity to language.

Sure, there are linguistic rules that provide structure and proper grammar and all that, but the truth is that we each use language a little differently.

Scholars call this "linguistic fingerprinting."

My particular use of language is unique to me and yours is unique to you.

For example, I lived In the South for a while and picked up “y’all.” I still say it - even though I now live in the Midwest where no one says y’all. I also have a slight St. Louis accent which means I pronounce “both” with an “l” - as in “bolth.” It’s an odd combination.

Linguistic fingerprinting is usually done by computer, as the subtle variances in language are nearly impossible to detect in daily conversation. But that linguistic fingerprint still leaves a mark.

Chances are, no one will pick up on your linguistic fingerprint. They won’t notice your use of pronouns versus proper nouns. And no one will notice how often you end a sentence with a preposition on any given day. They may notice how you pronounce that one word a little differently (as in my example - “bolth” of which have been pointed out to me), but that’s about it.

They will, however, remember how your words made them feel.

They will remember the tone with which you spoke.

They will remember if you communicated with love and grace or criticism and callousness.

"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person,” wrote the Apostle Paul.

Your linguistic fingerprints are left on every conversation, every encounter, you have.

What kind of a mark are you leaving?

Fix Your Thoughts

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, hasn’t it?

Schools are closed. Churches are moving to online services. Restaurants are limited to delivery and takeout. Gatherings of ten or more people are, if not prohibited, strongly discouraged.

There are those who feel as though the measures taken are an unnecessary and simply perpetuate the fear. There are others who want the strongest possible restrictions in place and believe every precaution to be vital. Others are firmly in the middle.

We’re not going to take sides here. In fact, we’re not really going to talk about COVID-19 at all.

Don’t get me wrong. It matters.

It’s just that we don’t know what will happen.

We know that the resurrection of Jesus did happen and that is the foundation of our calm in the chaos.

So, between now and Easter, I’m going to post a daily devotional of sorts, along with a passage to read from the Bible.

As Paul once wrote, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8, NLT).

So, let’s fix our thoughts in these coming days. There is nothing more excellent or worthy of praise that Jesus – our God crucified for the forgiveness of our sins and raised to give us newness of life.

Lessons from Aidan (Part Two)

I met Aidan Mackey in England a couple weeks back. He has long been considered the foremost scholar on G.K. Chesterton. I was in Oxford for a course on C.S. Lewis and Chesterton had an enormous impact on Lewis, so Aidan joined us for a number of meals.

Aidan stood up on our last evening together and asked if he could share just a couple of parting thoughts.

“People often think that because I speak with an English accent I know more about any given subject than they do. They are wrong.”

We all chuckled because, well, he was speaking to a group of Americans.

But, what Aidan said was true.

We are all so easily be taken by people that sound intelligent.

I assume that if they speak with a sophisticated accent or use big words or have a string of letters behind their name, they must know what they’re talking about.

I even do this with people who simply sound confident.

I assume that if they speak with such great conviction, they must have really given their position the thought and consideration it deserves. They obviously must know what they’re talking about.

But, is that really the litmus test for truth?  Of course not.

It can’t be.

Aidan is intelligent. But, all the more so because he knows that there is more to intelligence and more to truth – than just sounding intelligent. There is more to truth than just claiming something, wanting something, even willing something to be true.

The measure of truth is the Author of truth.

The wise – like Aidan – know that.

We shouldn’t assume that people who sound intelligent are. Or those who speak confidently are right. We shouldn’t assume that every truth claim is truthful.

Let’s, instead, be wise. Let’s submit, first and foremost, to the Author of truth and the Source of all wisdom. Let’s measure the truth, first and foremost, against Him.

Learning a Few Moves

If you've never listened to the stand-up comedy of Brian Regan, you need to. He once did a hilarious bit on dancing. He said, "I've learned a few moves, you know, to fit in. You know what I haven't figured out? How to have fun."

That pretty much sums up my relationship with dancing.

Learning a few moves is how I survive wedding receptions, which, with high school dances behind me is (mercifully) the only time I dance. I've gotten pretty good at rocking side to side and, every once in a while, I'm even on beat.

But, I've never learned how to have fun doing it.

There's nothing wrong with learning a few moves to make those inevitable social situations more bearable.

There are times, though, when there's more on the line. There are times when the stakes are much, much higher. 

Sometimes, learning a few moves means forfeiting our integrity. 

Sometimes, fitting in means compromising the truth.

Sometimes, earning the approval of others means sacrificing our values.

It's not worth it. Surrendering who we are and what we believe to keep, momentarily, from standing out is not worth it. The cost is exponentially greater than the reward. 

I will probably never enjoy dancing. I'll probably never fit in on the dance floor. But, that's okay. It's only my pride at stake- not my character.