I’m not quite so taken with this rant. It IS a rant and does a good job at that, but for me it has too narrow a focus to be more applicable beyond its specific target (the church ladies). The analogy and assessment of the “colorless little nobody” is a good one and his paralleling it with the church ladies makes sense, however it is missing the broader perspective that is so important: We ALL fit the profile of this little man. He is an archetype (or I assume, having not seen the movie) that does not exist in real life. Archetypes tell us things about ourselves more than they do about other people. Each of us at some point checks out when we should be paying attention, glosses over facts that make us uncomfortable, or applies judgment to others. This is simply human nature. What we should do with this is not so much apply it to those around us, but search for the hypocrisy in our own lives

You see, I used to (well still do, truth be told) rant on and on about people around me who just seem Ok with being “simple” and not thinking things through the way they should. 80% of the people I meet every day fit this mold and any kind of meaningful discussion about politics/religion/philosophy is completely lost. They’ve made up their minds, can articulate party line points, and that’s enough for them. I used to get frustrated by people who didn’t think through their actions like they ought to. At parties I got labeled as someone who “thinks things to death” and who really wasn’t practical. I’d get angry, because from my point of view the things I think and talk about are essential. If we are to be successful in anything we do, be it business, politics, or anything else, we must strive to understand perspectives outside of our own. The businessman who starts a company making a product no one wants is sure to go bankrupt. Electing a politician who gives only me what I want can have a disastrous effect on others. We can’t just look at our world; we need to step outside for the broader perspective. When people just laughed at me for the seriousness with which I take such issues, I would get annoyed. When they dismissed me and engaged in self-centered, narrow thinking, my blood would boil.

So I understand the frustration. I’ve been there and I do my best to encourage others to get outside of themselves and really try to understand the world around them better. However, I’ve realized two things more recently in life: The first is that I do it too, just like everyone else does. We all have those issues on which we check out, and sometimes I really miss the mark. I’ve for sure thrown up my hands at some political issues that I really should have followed more closely. I just didn’t think they were important at the time. And I know I’m not alone. How many people did I talk to (critical thinkers even) during the election for which one of the candidates, depending on the individuals political leanings, could do no right. In fact, anything the aforementioned “evil” candidate did that even smelled promising was labeled as a “trick” and spun to made look evil. No way that evil person could do something right. This all came from intelligent people who must either have believed the candidate was totally evil (or incompetent) or really weren’t thinking things through. Because nobody gets it wrong on EVERY issue, not even Bush or Kerry. When I agreed with Kerry on an issue to my Bush friends, boy did I not hear the end of that. And anything I said supportive of Bush here, well we know how that went. In the end, most of us are content to look at surface issues and split down ideological lines rather than find the truth. And sometimes we don’t have much of a choice because the truth is so buried all we can do is throw up our hands. But we do throw up our hands.

And I should note further that this isn’t just limited to politics. Yes it’s easy to lament people who live out lives from a misguided, uneducated political perspective, but I lament even more those who aren’t addressing the spiritual issues. I see faith as being far more important than politics, and far more glossed over by those who get irritated by others glossing over politics.

The second thing I’ve learned, however, is more important than the first. I can take a great deal of pride in the fact that I really try to think out issues critically when other people don’t, but the truth is there are lots of areas where other people have me beat. I know some wonderful, wonderful, people who don’t even try to understand politics. They just believe in something and go with the candidate who seems to best fit that. It’s a simple outlook and many times the end up endorsing things inconsistent with their core beliefs. However, some of these people have compassion and mercy that blows me away. They truly love others in a way that I don’t, and that makes me ashamed of myself. Critical thinking and correct political ideas don’t mean anything to a starving person who’s being fed in a soup kitchen- lived out compassion and love does. That’s not to say these wonderful people shouldn’t be trying to evaluate issues more intellectually, but if we can learn from one anther certainly this world can be a better place. I should love more and they should think more.

Admittedly, the church ladies from the rant didn’t seem to exhibit much thought or love (we’re getting this from a biased source, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt), still you don’t really know where someone’s gift is. There may be areas of their lives that are incredible and add to this world in ways that none of us realize. It is a rant, so judgment without compassion is reasonable in this context, but we must make sure to realize that no one can be reduced to one flaw or strength. People are far to complex for that.

So this is my rant in return. Probably inappropriate to rant about a rant, but it’s far too easy to see fleck in other peoples eyes than it is to look at our own. Hatred is never appropriate, even for the worst of us. The most important thing we can do toward our fellow man is to never throw up our hands; rather we should to work together, build up one another, and work for the common good. We’ll probably never get there, but the trying is more important than the achieving.