"Hope"

Here's the sermon I would have given if the damned Flu didn't kick my butt so bad in the last 48 hours. This is a first draft so it's too long, and clunky...hey.

I'll edit, and do a proper re-write for 'next' Sunday's Pod-sermon.

(...The image above I took when I wandered the streets Houseless.)

"HOPE"

There's a reason the heartless a-moral are called "Reptiles". We were once that species. We were also once fish, and assorted multi-celled microbes as well. We were mud too if you're into the 7 day creation noise.

To the point.

Our species has been trying to overcome our cold blooded heartless reptilian selves for some time.

Perhaps some tens of thousands of years. We've made a lot of serious progress in that journey since the last ice age.

20k/30k years ago.

Compassion generosity trust these are hard wired into us as much as rage greed stupidity, and all the assorted sins.

In recent times at least in the west we've had a few movements towards putting our reptilian brains on the back burner.

The 16th, and 17th century "Levelers" or "Diggers" had a go at agrarian socialism. They were the direct ideological descendants of the 14th century Peasants Revolt.

Since then there have been many individuals, and movements that have tried to re-organize society along more humane co-operative lines.

The Enlightenment, and it's main achievement  the founding of the United states of America.

...and from that experiment.

The Abolitionists, the movement to end the ancient institution of slavery. that, and all the social reform movements that came from it,...from then into the 20th, and 21st centuries.

Civil Rights Woman's Rights Education reform freedom of sexual identity, and  orientation. Attempts at economic justice, and international co-operation.

The Environmental movements the whole shebang....these are all attempts to put that damned reptile back in it's box.

Mind you from that Peasants Revolt to now have had constant failures...often making things a zillion times worse than before.

Yet people kept trying. ...they keep trying.

They do this all over the world.

Our species is slowly trying to grow the hell up.

To get past the iron tradition of reptilian alpha males hoarding all the coconuts for themselves, and their favorites.

We try, and try.

This is what Hope is.

We can dream a world of compassionate co-operation, but it's so hard to do. Even when we build a small space where this exists it often falls apart.

Partly because it has to co-exist with the reptile culture.

However mostly because we don't know how to use the damned thing.

War we know. Cruelty is a violin that we play like Beethoven.

Peace, and Loving Kindness are short lived because it so much stronger than meanness. We hardly know how to control it,...but we're slowly getting better at it.

It's as complicated as a Haiku, and as simple as falling off a log.

I'm saying don't give up the game ain't over, and them Alpha male are actually worried...this is why their putting the screws to everyone.

These bleeps are smart they think long haul, and they don't like what they see up ahead.

It don't look good for them.

That slow oh so slow movement to a better way is actually making tiny changes here, and there. This again is what Hope is, and why I say cheer up.

Soon the Bleep will turn...again.

When it does it'll be up to us to keep it.

Amen.