![\"File"-Saint](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/e\/ec\/File%22-Saint_Paul_Writing_His_Epistles%22_by_Valentin_de_Boulogne.jpg\")
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“…\u00a0can<\/strong> be a great<\/strong>\u00a0learning experience!” (As\u00a0St. Paul<\/a>\u00a0might have said, if he<\/strong>\u00a0did\u00a0Facebook<\/a>…)<\/em><\/p>\n * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n For one thing, I got hired back as a supervisor at the local branch of\u00a0Keep America Beautiful<\/a>.\u00a0(Supervising mainly young folk doing community service<\/a>.)\u00a0<\/em>For another thing I got back from Portugal in the midst of the \u201cHigh Holy Season.\u201d\u00a0(The season of college and pro football. See\u00a0Moses at Rephidim: \u201cWhat if<\/a>?\u201d)<\/em><\/p>\n Which means that \u2013 since the regular college season is now coming to an end \u2013 it\u2019s time to get serious about posting more regularly. And what better place to start than some reflections on what I’ve been seeing and doing on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0since I got back home?<\/p>\n The thing is, on the Camino in Portugal – and later Spain – I\u00a0did<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>post on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0every day. But those were on my daily adventures in a \u201ccountry far away.” (And for some reason I wasn’t bombarded by daily updates on the partisan politics back home in the U.S of A.)<\/em> Then too the feedback<\/strong> <\/em>to my posts from Portugal was mostly positive. (To a shared travel experience.)<\/em><\/p>\n That’s when I discovered something “definitely amiss.”<\/p>\n I found out that way too many of those former bright-eyed youngsters – full of hope and hormones (not to mention plans to “change the world<\/a><\/strong>“)<\/em> – had turned into grumpy old arch-conservative, geezers whose sole purpose in life now seemed to be\u00a0venting their spleen<\/a>\u00a0on Facebook. (A note: The old geezers were\u00a0male<\/strong> former classmates. I saw no ladies from the Class of ’69 being so grumpy and arch-conservative. I’m thinking that maybe they’re going out and doing something positive<\/strong> with their lives, unlike their male counterparts.)\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n For example, one conservative post from a former classmate said President Obama had fired \u201cevery single Bush ambassador.” (i.e., every ambassador appointed by President Bush, as if it were a big deal.)<\/em> The claim seemed pretty shocking, so I decided to check.<\/p>\n I ultimately found out that new presidents get rid of political<\/em> <\/strong>ambassadors from past administrations on a routine basis. That nugget was courtesy of\u00a0PolitiFact<\/a>\u00a0and its article\u00a0No, Obama didn’t fire all of Bush’s politically-appointed ambassadors<\/a>. Politifact rated the claim “mostly false,” but the exercise in rebutting<\/em><\/strong> that claim turned\u00a0out to be very instructive.<\/p>\n So I posted – on Facebook in response – that Obama had indeed “let go some political ambassadors, which is standard procedure. Plus Bush asked some of his POLITICAL AMBASSADORS to hand in their resignations. And most CAREER DIPLOMAT ambassadors stayed on.” (Emphases in my original post.)\u00a0<\/em>That led to a response – not from a classmate but from a another arch-conservative – “do not mean to dispute what you say, but if that is true how could all the ambassadors be liberals when Obama left office?” (Another claim worth challenging?)<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n That response was met at first by a fellow free-thinker (“John”)<\/em>, who posted, “<\/span><\/span>As demonstrated in the impeachment hearings most career Ambassadors are non political.”\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In other words, I learned<\/em> <\/strong>something in this exercise in combating right-wing distortions. That led me to the conclusion, \u201cFighting right-wing distortions on Facebook can definitely be\u00a0an educational experience. (Also known as a “teaching moment” or “teachable moment<\/a>.”)<\/em><\/p>\n At this point – and just to clarify – I consider myself an Independent. (“Like Moses or Jesus,” the subject of a future post. But for now see\u00a0A reminder: \u201cI\u2019m an INDEPENDENT (Voter.)<\/a>“)<\/em><\/p>\n And\u00a0like<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0many such Independents, I’m puzzled at how many conservatives still support Trump, in the face of what seems incontrovertible evidence of his – shall we say – “shortcomings?”<\/p>\n Which led me to do another post, on “an interesting online article, ‘Why conservatives are more susceptible to believing in lies.<\/a>‘” It too was very instructive, and led me to post some sample passages. Like the fact that conservatives are “less introspective, less attentive to their inner feelings, and less likely to override their ‘gut’ reactions and engage in further reflection to find a correct answer.”\u00a0(Which led me to observe too that they are “‘less so’ than other people, like liberals and Independents. You know, ‘Independent thinkers’ like Moses and Jesus?”) <\/em><\/p>\n Baptist minister and former Republican congressman\u00a0J. C. Watts<\/a>\u00a0[at right] put it succinctly. Campaigning for Sen. Rand Paul in Iowa in 2015 he observed, “The difference between Republicans and Democrats is that Republicans believe people are fundamentally bad, while Democrats see people as fundamentally good.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I responded in part that “few people are ALL bad or ALL good. The tendency to think in such black-and-white terms is also called ‘splitting,’ or cognitive distortion.” (Concepts I also had to research.)<\/em><\/p>\n Also – according to my research – such simplified thinking is a “common defense mechanism in which the individual ‘tends to think in extremes (i.e., an individual’s actions and motivations are all good or all bad with no middle ground).'”<\/p>\n Then too I noted the incongruity that conservatives think\u00a0THEY<\/strong> are all good, while liberals – as well as anyone else who doesn’t buy into their brand of magic – are by definition all<\/strong> bad…<\/p>\n Which led me to yet another conclusion: That “having a good enemy” is essential to personal and spiritual growth. As part of that learning experience, I Googled<\/a>\u00a0“having a good enemy.” And got 204 million<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(204,000,000)<\/em> results. One example of such wisdom came from Winston Churchill, \u201cYou have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.\u201d See also,\u00a0Top 10 Reasons Why we all must have Enemies<\/a>. Some examples? “Competition between the enemies is good for the society.” And\u00a0“Enemies will keep you focused.” And finally, “Enemies will make you a better person as a whole.”<\/p>\n And finally, again, I should note that having good enemies – which includes trying to “bring them back from the\u00a0dark side<\/a>” – is an excellent way to\u00a0ditch Black And White Thinking<\/a>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n And by the way, I’ll be using those “good enemy” quotes on Facebook, whenever arch-conservatives start attacking those darned liberals…\u00a0(“You need<\/strong> a good enemy!”)\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n The upper image is courtesy of\u00a0Paul the Apostle – Wikipedia<\/a>. The caption: “‘S<\/em>aint Paul Writing His Epistles’<\/i>\u00a0by\u00a0Valentin de Boulogne<\/a>.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Re: Facebook. See\u00a0History of Facebook – Wikipedia<\/a>, which includes the photo of its founder. The caption:\u00a0“Mark Zuckerberg<\/a>\u00a0created\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0in his\u00a0Harvard<\/a>\u00a0dorm room.” The article\u00a0<\/em>expands on the theme of learning experiences. And the article includes interesting tidbits like: 1) The social networking service was launched as\u00a0TheFacebook<\/b>\u00a0on February 4, 2004; 2)\u00a0membership was initially limited by the founders to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Boston area, then to\u00a0most universities in the U.S.and Canada, until by September 2006, it was available to everyone with a valid\u00a0email address<\/a>; and that\u00a0FaceMash<\/b>, Facebook’s predecessor, opened in 2003 as a type of\u00a0“hot or not” game<\/a>\u00a0for Harvard students. “The website allowed visitors to compare two female student pictures side by side and let them decide who was more attractive.”<\/em><\/p>\n Re: The song “change the world.” The version I thought of when I writing this post actually came from\u00a0Chicago (Graham Nash song)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>See\u00a0Wikipedia<\/a>, which said this:<\/em><\/p>\n “Chicago<\/b>” (often listed as “Chicago \/ We Can Change the World<\/b>“) is a song written by\u00a0Graham Nash<\/a>\u00a0for his solo debut album\u00a0Songs for Beginners<\/a>.<\/i>\u00a0As a single [in 1971], it reached number 35 on the US\u00a0Billboard<\/i>\u00a0Hot 100<\/a>\u00a0chart and 29 on the\u00a0Cash Box<\/i><\/a>\u00a0Top 100…\u00a0The title and lyrics of the song refer to the\u00a0anti-Vietnam War protests<\/a>\u00a0that\u00a0took place during<\/a>\u00a0the\u00a01968 Democratic National Convention<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Chicago<\/a>\u00a0and the subsequent\u00a0trial of the Chicago Eight<\/a>, where protest leaders were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The song included these lyrics, near the end: “We can change the world, re-arrange the world, it’s dying, if you believe in justice, it’s dying if you believe in freedom.”\u00a0 But this song is distinct from “Change the World,” a song written by “Tommy Sims<\/a>,\u00a0Gordon Kennedy<\/a>, and\u00a0Wayne Kirkpatrick<\/a>\u00a0whose best-known version was recorded by the\u00a0English<\/a>\u00a0singer\u00a0Eric Clapton<\/a>\u00a0for the\u00a0soundtrack<\/a>\u00a0of the 1996 film\u00a0Phenomenon<\/a><\/i>.” See\u00a0Change the World – Wikipedia<\/a>, which serves as another example of how combating right-wing distortions can definitely be instructive.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Re:\u00a0Ezekiel 3:16-21<\/a>. Summarized as\u00a0<\/em>Ezekiel\u2019s Task as Watchman<\/a>, it basically says that if you warn a fellow citizen of the error of his ways and he fails to listen, he’ll be in trouble but you will at least have saved your own spiritual butt. But if you don’t<\/strong> warn him, you’ll both be in trouble.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The person who posted the “liberal ambassadors” response was – as noted – not a former classmate, but he used to attend my church and comes back every now and again. “John” – my fellow free-thinker – is still a member of my church, and in fact is a fellow member of the choir.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Re: Combating right-wing distortions, etc. Then there was this Bible passage from Sunday, November 10, concerning the timing of the Second Coming of Jesus:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one<\/strong> is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself<\/strong> above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. (E.A.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Again, that was from the New Testament reading for November 10, from 2d Thessalonians, Chapter 2, where Paul wrote about Jesus coming back “and our being gathered together to him.” Which led me to this bit of possible good news: “Jesus might be coming back really really<\/strong> soon!”<\/em><\/p>\n An almost-final text note. On Facebook I posted another irony:\u00a0That today’s conservatives say people who want to come to this country have to “follow all the rules.” Which led to the question, “Why don’t they say the same thing about Donald Trump?\u00a0It’s incongruous is what it is.”<\/em><\/p>\n As to the benefits of having a good enemy, see also\u00a0The Benefits of Having an Enemy – The American Interest<\/a>, and\u00a0The Benefits of Enemies \u2013 The Bible Meditator<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The lower image is courtesy of\u00a0Ditch Black And White Thinking\u00a0– Image Results<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/71389282_795704737530299_2754735007963545600_o.jpg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_oc=AQms-nLbxiRtxaH3RwYmDOihmeiqN4Q0DqxjhwG-Cl8h8Dy0-4yfgMc33S-VRG0XPoU&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=405a2f9a596b6a7ff2072e89534a59cb&oe=5E3672A9\")
Things have been hectic since I got back on September 25 from my 19-day, 160-mile hike on the Camino de Santiago. (See \u201cGreetings from the Portuguese Camino<\/a>!”)<\/em><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/e\/ef\/MarkZuckerberg.jpg\/250px-MarkZuckerberg.jpg\")
Once I got back all that changed. Suddenly I was overwhelmed by politics, including some unsettling posts by former high school classmates. That is, I graduated in 1969, and so this year was our 50-year high school reunion. (Scheduled for the weekend of October 11-13.)<\/em> So before I left for the Camino,\u00a0I got in touch with many former classmates, largely through\u00a0Facebook<\/a>. (Illustrated at left.)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.phrases.org.uk\/images\/darth-vader.jpg\")
The point being: I felt I had to try and correct<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>some of their distortions, and maybe to bring them back from the dark side<\/a>.\u00a0(For reasons including\u00a0Ezekiel 3:16-21<\/a>.)\u00a0<\/em>Which turned into quite a project.<\/p>\n![\"Four](\"https:\/\/d2v9ipibika81v.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/118\/191007-NEC-152-750.jpg\")
Which turned out to be true. I.e., Politifact noted there are “two<\/em> <\/strong>breeds of ambassadors: political appointees and career diplomats.\u00a0Political appointees are usually stationed in countries that are U.S. allies or desirable locations, like the\u00a0Bahamas<\/a>.”\u00a0(illustrated at left.) And also\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>that it’s standard practice to “cycle out” such employees. Which led me to respond that was “pretty much what John said. The point being that anyone who raises a hubbub about either Trump or Obama firing ‘all ambassadors’ is making a mountain out of a molehill. And distorting the facts.”<\/p>\n![\"Watts.JPG\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/e\/e1\/Watts.JPG\/220px-Watts.JPG\")
Then there was this little tidbit:<\/p>\n\n![\"No](\"https:\/\/scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/78261466_841691682931604_2783633978882523136_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_ohc=EI5TnmnHAF4AQn2qRpweqhvGejqCtLefL5D6yteaCBORFcAcGioGXVsjw&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=4d3900eb880da5fe1d2a6b6581e6b9d1&oe=5E41DD1F\")
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