Advent Blog: May You Live in Interesting Times

Words and phrases (sometimes incomplete) stick in my head...at one time in my life I was told that "may you live in interesting times" is both a blessing and a curse.  I'll bite.

It is a BLESSING to live in interesting times.
In my life alone (not yet 40 years) there have been amazing changes in technology and our knowledge of the world.  The world has gotten smaller because of advances in telecommunications, air travel, and the breaking down of barriers like the Berlin Wall (I was in high school when it fell).  Women have been able to grab hold of the freedoms won and make great strides in the workplace, in politics, in religion, and in society.  I remain connected to hundreds of friends from various parts of my life each day, regardless of physical proximity, through Facebook, text messaging, and email.  I was able to see and talk to my family in California on Thanksgiving due to FaceTime.  I know what my family members would enjoy for Christmas and can keep their lists in one place as I shop.  My paycheck automatically was deposited to my checking account Friday morning and available for me to spend via debit card.  Dad and David were able to shop separately from Mom and me, yet we easily met up for lunch together mid shopping.  Work is greatly facilitated by Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping, online access to Census data without leaving my desk and being able to pull more as needed, and email to communicate with clients in an asynchronous manner.  I am able to check my blood sugar as often as needed with a small drop of blood in the comfort of my bathroom (or hotel room, or pretty much anywhere) and have access to medications that help me manage a range of medical conditions.  Many of my prescriptions are delivered to my home as I need refills.  I have been able to choose not to have children and be reasonably confident in the outcome.  Social networks make it easier to get connected with people when embarking on a new adventure like changing faith communities or starting a new activity (like running, cycling, or triathlon).  I have worked as the sole employee in a state of a firm in another state and been able to access files remotely for years.  When I am gone from home I know if my home is safe through a security system.  I don't need to be at home to pay my bills.  People are claiming and exercising their civil rights, even when not everyone agrees.

It is a CURSE to live in interesting times.
The democratization of data and media/journalism has empowered people to share their thoughts with a broad audience, and has decreased the quality of information available and greatly polarized people.  Growing up even listening to the news each evening it was relatively rare to hear of a shooting or a murder (even living in the Detroit media market).  Today I know within minutes/hours of it happening of each shooting and the many (too many) murders that occur near my home.  Mass shootings at the post office were a thing for a while, but now they are more common in more places and perpetrated by younger people with different motivations.  We have been at war much of my adult life, and I know too many people who have served (and some who have been disabled in battle) overseas.  It isn't war that is easy to define with clear enemies and clear rules of engagement and a clear sense of end.  It is nearly impossible to work when we aren't able to connect to the Internet or a computer isn't working and we panic if we are disconnected from our smartphones.  We aren't well connected to our neighborhoods, villages, and cities.  Many of us will never spend more than five years working with the same people in the same organization.  We no longer have a relationship with some of our regular service providers, like pharmacists (though I do have great relationships with many of the people I do business with - particularly small business owners/employees).  We are so caught in a cycle of working to consume that we forget to be healthy, or happy.  We exercise more and recycle more, yet have bigger waistlines and a bigger impact on the planet.  There are still far too many people who are hungry, or homeless, or sick, or living in severe poverty.

But somehow the two are intertwined.  We can't always see the blessing and appreciate it if we don't also experience the curse.  Maybe St. Francis of Assisi had it right so very long ago...
"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life."