What is salvation?
Many offer Jesus the Christ as a solution but that becomes a problem
when the person they are trying to “save” doesn’t believe in Jesus or has been
burned by Christians that twisted the salvation part to their benefit. So when we see all the violence in our society
we immediately talk about “saving” our youth/children or “saving” our community
but I often wonder, save it from what or whom?
There’s a popular Bishop that often talks about this topic
and he says “are we being saved from a mean and hateful god? Or are we saving
ourselves from ourselves?” It’s a great question;
if we are saving our youth are we saving them from us the adults? I believe so and add to it our horrible need
to continue out dated and plain stupid ideologies that didn’t work in the past
and don’t work now.
To “save” our youth from the violence that plagues our
communities would mean that the adults would have to shake off any egos they
have and allow open and honest conversations about what is wrong and how adults
have orchestrated this behavior of violence, get mine, and fuck’em to get “ahead”
in life.
Back to being a savior because that’s what some people are
trying to do…how do you become a savior if what comes out of your mouth is
filled with biased opinions, hateful language, and plain stupidity when it comes
to knowing what is really going on? Many
people that are clergy have the same issue as some of the powerful leaders I’ve
met in my life. Many gang leaders are
powerful people due to their gripping control on, at times, thousands of people
and to see them being dismissed by someone else a bit more powerful is an
interesting event. What shocked me at
some point in my life was to see the very same reaction from clergy at conferences
and gatherings. Now, don’t take this as
a sign that organized religion or any religion is bad because of this comment
what I am doing is pointing out egos that we all have.
College students at every level have the same issues and
sometimes even worse when they find out that the person next to them is smarter
than them and doesn’t have one college credit to their name. So what usually happens here is that the
student then claims to have the answer to every issue regardless of their
limited knowledge. Then to add insult to
stupid they challenge the person with no college background, mind you that this
person may be well versed on the issue the student is challenging, by claiming
that they (non-college student) is wrong and that they (the student) is
right. That is the very same ego issue
that gang leaders and clergy have so then that makes it an “us” problem as
adults rather than a “gang” leader or clergy problem.
It is healthy to have discussions but there are something’s
that are just fact and just because you are unaware of the fact doesn’t make it
less of a fact, follow me? I am not Gay
or Transgender but I don’t stand back and do research for a week and battle it
out with someone who is Gay or Transgender and basically tell them “sorry but I
really don’t think you know what you’re talking about!” I accept what they tell me about themselves
as fact because it is coming from them and their experience.
OK, so I hope you understood that and if you didn’t here’s
the short version, learn to be humble.
Still a bit
confused? OK how about a shorter
version, shut your mouth and listen!
I hate to be so blunt but it has to be said because it is imperative
for YOU to realize that someone’s LIFE is at stake if you don’t humble
yourself! Don’t think so? That one kid
that was walking down the street and doesn’t know better or wasn’t taught
better or has been placed into a group because no other group will accept them
is walking down the street thinking “I want to die…” and here you are crossing
the street or giving them a look that they have grown up seeing as you get
closer may be that last push they need to do something wrong. I was one of those kids…many times I placed
my life at risk and as I would walk and someone would be approaching I would
say to myself “if this person smiles I’ll be good today but if they don’t I may
do something stupid” many times I got a dirty look and many times I’d go out of
my way to test the waters of death. I
know some may think me stupid but it is a reality that youth go through just
like when we “love” someone for the first time and we say to ourselves “if they
smile at me I’ll write them a note…” we’ve all done something similar to that.
Our salvation is NOT within the hands of ONE person instead
we have the power and strength to do it ourselves for ourselves as well as for others
but MANY choose to let the other guy worry about it (Yes I mean Jesus when I say
other guy) because after we are already “saved” so why go back and risk not
being “saved?” The way we can help
others to be saved from a life of despair and violence is by NOT contributing
to the causes of the despair and violence.
Simple example; “I believe in God but you’re Catholic and you worship
idols so you’re going to hell” sounds stupid? Well it’s because it is stupid!
We cannot pray our way out of the violence in our society
and we sure cannot vote our way out of it either, we have to have the WILL to
change it and honestly YOU lack that will!
Wait what? YOU really
think I’m not talking about YOU!? Well
if YOU think that then I am DEFINTALY talking about YOU!
I don’t need Jesus to save me from what I have helped create
because that would insult His teachings because it was never about Him it was
all about US doing what is needed and somehow someone screwed it all up and
made many believe that Jesus is just sitting around waiting for US to give Him
something to do since He is so bored where He’s at!
Don’t chant “Save our children” because you are the abuser…
Don’t chant “save our streets” because you are the offender…
Don’t chant “stop killing our children” because you are the
murder…
Don’t chant “stop the guns” because you built those guns…
Don’t chant “stop the drugs” because you are the user…
Don’t chant anything…be silent then go do something positive
without bias, condition, or judgment and you will have Peace…we will have Peace…we
are Peace.
PEACE/AMOR
Gerardo
