Tread lightly on the things of earth

Four years later,

Today is the day that the curse is lifted.

Dear God, I can breathe again for the first time in eight years!
We have demonstrated to the world now that we are not, in fact, eat up with stupid.

I think this nation is going to come back to life now. As of tonight, immoral and ignorant are no longer cool. Decent and bright and informed are the new cool, no longer objects of ridicule and derision, but back in their rightful place as worthy values.

As a result, for the first time in years [because we will finally be bringing decency and informed clear thinking to bear on them], we will have traction when we face our problems. Now we can move forward.

Yes we can. Yes we have. The world is changed.

2008-12-19 update: Of course, even a curse lifted doesn’t imply we’ll immediately escape a tribulation of our own making. I take from Judeo-Christian scripture that, no matter to what degree God intervenes in human affairs, God almost never relieves anyone — individuals or peoples — from deeply experiencing the consequences of their actions. Thus, for starters, seems to me, the deep recession is upon us.

Suddenly, I finally get Sigur Rós^*.

And now I am nearly speechless, in awe at the sheer melancholy beauty all around me as I proceed through each of their recordings.

As an example, check this lovely video of Glósóli, which ends in a way some of my dreams begin.

For other examples, there’s a generous selection of free MP3 tracks at the band’s website.

I’m surprised I took so long to get here, but I’m oh so glad to have arrived.

2007-12-01 update:
Ah! The Heima movie trailer (3:53, from “a film by Sigur Rós”) displays breathtaking Icelandic beauty — her landscape and her people. Jumps off the screen as National Geographic-caliber photography. Check it in the highest resolution you can.

^*Not in existential totality, of course, but enough to really appreciate what they’re doing

The thing I’m loving most about studying Spanish here in the U.S. is it’s such a big ol’ FU to Dobbsian anti-immigration bigotry.

I’m quick to admit my foreseer is on again/off again, and regularly needs a swift kick to work at all. But I did foresee this outcome; it drives much of the deep grief I felt and feel …

The Religious Right’s embrace of its current worldview and consequent behaviors is starting to [measurably] bear its bitter fruit, as identified by The Barna Group in a new study, A New Generation Expresses its Skepticism and Frustration with Christianity:

As the nation’s culture changes in diverse ways, one of the most significant shifts is the declining reputation of Christianity, especially among young Americans. A new study by The Barna Group conducted among 16- to 29-year-olds shows that a new generation is more skeptical of and resistant to Christianity than were people of the same age just a decade ago.

The specific stats identified are very interesting even though (IMO) all the more grievous because the wounds are self-inflicted by people who name themselves Christian. If you’re short of time, I’d summarize the mass of data presented with this quote:

When young people were asked to identify their impressions of Christianity, one of the common themes was “Christianity is changed from what it used to be” and “Christianity in today’s society no longer looks like Jesus.”

As a former “insider” (Barna’s term), I hope one day to be part of a [hope-filled, life-affirming] solution [that is, toward a Christianity that does look like Jesus]. But for now, and likely for a long time to come, I remain part of the diaspora.

[via Sara’s excellent post]

2007-10-28 update: Traces of hope — maybe more than traces — in today’s thorough (and thoroughly blogged) New York Times Magazine story by David Kirkpatrick, The Evangelical Crackup.

By traces of hope, of course I mean that (according to Kirkpatrick) signs of life are starting to appear in the cracks in the bleak and barren landscape of conservative Christianity: renewed commitments to love, to peace, to spiritual formation, to social justice, to stewardship, to community. I see these Jesus-like directions nurturing the kingdom of God, not poisoning it, as much recent conservative theology has done (whatever the motives of its adherents — see Barna results above).

The money spent on one day of the Iraq war could buy homes for almost 6,500 families or health care for 423,529 children, or could outfit 1.27 million homes with renewable electricity, according to the American Friends Service Committee, which displayed those statistics on large banners in cities nationwide Thursday and Friday.

The war is costing $720 million a day or $500,000 a minute …

—Washington Post, Saturday, September 22, 2007; Page A11

I seem to have utterly run out of things to say. Over the past 5+ years here I’ve said what I found I had to. Then, few enough were speaking out against the rampaging blaspheming criminality that is BushCo; now, many write about it far better than I can.

Upside is, I’m spending the quiet time now fulfilling a lifelong goal: finally learning another language (German)!

S rescued Peabody 13+ years ago from the middle of a busy city intersection. He was disoriented and lost in the aftermath of a tornado. We never found his owner. That person’s loss has been our long-term gain — Peab is one of the most loving and loveable dog-persons I’ve ever met.

Peabody died today. RIP my steadfast friend. I love you.

(This entry brings forward Peabody the Magnificent in my photolog from January 2003. As I reflect on Peabody’s life, I think munificent describes him even better.)

Back on Election Day 2004 I wrote —

Let today be the day that the curse is lifted.

Same prayer today. What’s changed? Today more of us recognize the curse as curse and are ready to have it lifted.

Remember Not One Damn Dime Day? Great name, I thought.

I want today to carry more heft. Because of promises broken, diety blasphemed, accountability scorned, budgets busted, and blood shed, let today be

Not One Damn Republican Day

For everyone’s benefit.

Amen.