Policing the World

America has 294 foreign embassies, in all but four countries around the world. By some estimates there are more than 40 armed conflicts globally. And the U.S. has picked winners in virtually all these conflicts. We offer foreign aid, influence government policies, and bring in soldiers. We want to promote freedom, human rights, democracy, and free markets.

We have enough resources to exert huge influence. And we use it.

But that influence might not always be the best. We could actually use our influence to benefit ourselves rather than other countries. ("America first.") We could be mistaken about what would be beneficial to other countries. We might not actually understand all the political, social, cultural or economic dynamics involved in other regions.

While we should help the world to be a better place, we may be overzealous in our desire to shape the world. Being the world's police is a heavy responsibility. Probably more than one country can manage.

The Gift of Losing

Thanks, Panthers. I have more discretionary time and emotional bandwidth this January than I might have had. It turns out that I don't really care about any of the teams left in the NFL playoffs. I can catch up on reading and watching Netflix.

I'm actually thinking more carefully about how much of my life I pour into watching sports. It can be entertaining, and it's always fun to talk with folks about the big games. But as I think about the big scheme of life, I realize that sports needs to be like any other form of entertainment. It's just a fun diversion.

And, thanks to all the losing teams, I can casually watch some football, here and there, without really caring about who wins.

By the way, I can't believe that Chicago just binked another field goal off the upright.

Keep it SImple

What do you overcomplicate?
Relationships?
Recipes?
Driving directions?
Dieting?
Gift giving?
Your addictions?
Ordinary purchases?

Access to information can be helpful. But it can also make stuff too complicated.

I routinely read food labels. Mostly I look for the ingredients. When they get too scientific, I get suspicious. I like to eat the chips whose ingredients are corn, vegetable oil, salt. Yep, that's simple. I don't have to worry about chemical properties or side effects.

When things get complicated, there is too much that can go wrong. We get lost in the details and miss the point.

Where have you gotten lost in life? Where do you feel like you have gone wrong? Maybe you are overcomplicating things. Boil it down. What's it really about? 

Keep it simple. Like food, the simple stuff may be better for you.

Facebook Love and Hate

Yes, I've been sucked in to reading just a few more posts on Facebook. It takes willpower to click away. Of course the younger folks have long ago abandoned FB. When old people like me got on board, well, FB became passé. They like Instagram, Snapchat, and other platforms that I don't even know about.

But back to Facebook. I have this deep ambivalence about using it. I feel somewhat accomplished when I go a whole day or more without checking my feed. I feel like I'm more hip, like all the young people. (But I almost never check my Instagram account because, frankly, I just don't get it. It seems much more like a waste of time to me than FB.)

I feel like I have conquered the addiction when I close out that FB tab. Ha ha! I escaped!

But then, I like to know what's happening with friends. I like to see if they have kids or grandkids to be proud of. I like to see when young folks graduate or get engaged. I like to keep up with the news, even sad news, and often follow up when I learn something on FB. I do try to scroll on by the cute kitten videos. Way too many of those.

When it comes to my own posts, of COURSE I like to be liked. I like to be noticed. I like for people to make the extraordinary effort of clicking a button below my picture. Talk about affirmation! But I feel guilty for checking up on my likes. Why do I care so much about other people's approval? Shouldn't I be above all that?

And how engaged should I really be here? Do I want to saturate FB with pictures of every bite of every meal? Or do I want to be a stalker who never posts, rarely likes others' posts?

And then there's the threat of FB (and all the other FAANG firms) knowing soooo much about me. They think they know all about my buying habits. Sometimes they actually get it right. But I like to keep them guessing. Take that you vicious algorithm!

So, for me, there is both love and hate of Facebook. I just don't want to be controlled by some computer. My New Year's resolution about Facebook? Don't really have one. I'll just keep on loving and hating.

Eye Contact with God

May the Lord cause his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.

This is from the blessing God commanded Aaron to pronounce upon the people of Israel (Numbers 6:24-26). God wants to bless his people. He shines his face upon us.

Sadly, most of us miss it most of the time. The psalmist speaks of "seeking God's face" (Psalm 27:8). He acknowledges that he needs to tune in to the gaze of God.

If God is looking at me, then I can look at him in return. 

Sometimes eye contact, in human interactions, can be embarrassing or awkward. To look deeply into someone's eyes allows you to get a glimpse into his or her soul. Most often we look away from a person who stares at us. We don't want to be known.

When lovers look into each other's eyes, it brings such a deep connection of knowing. It is a profound expression of love. It fuses vulnerability with joy.

Making eye contact with God is more difficult than I imagined. When I try to return his loving gaze, I am easily distracted. I turn my spirit's gaze away from him. I'm not sure why. Only with effort can I keep my gaze on him, and thereby receive the warmth of his face shining on me.

The radiance of his eyes soothes me, calms me, reassures me, transforms me. I receive his love. He makes me new. He makes me more like himself.

Hip Words

Sometimes I pause to think about all the new words and terms that float around our conversations. I'm sure I'm way behind, but there are tons of phrases that weren't "a thing" just a few years ago.

binge watching
selfie
a thing
streaming
app
google
hangry
guac
autocorrect
smart speaker
road rage
active shooter
vegan

Will these words stick around, or will they fall out of usage, like "forsooth," or "wherefore"?

Language keeps on changing. Someone once said that language is like a river: you can't stop it, or it stops being a river. I'm getting old enough now to see the flow.

Peace out.

New Year's Fuel

We are telling everyone, "Happy New Year.". Of course we want the new year to be good for our friends and family.

We have this sense of anticipation and expectation with the turning of the calendar. Why is that? Where does this sense of excitement come from?

• We like a fresh start.
• We can put our failures behind us.
• We look at fresh calendars and sense the opportunities.
• It's like a reboot.
• God's mercies are new every morning. Maybe we only give mercy to ourselves once a year.
• We have a new mindset, inspired by parties and resolutions.
• Hope fuels the human spirit.

That's it. The new year reminds us that there is hope.

Feel the hope.

Happy New Year.