Written 10:30AM, EST, June 17, 2009, but not posted online until June 23, 2009.
Title explanation: the Black Eyed Peas are a thousand years ahead of us in terms of coolness . It’s three hours into my journey, and the lyric from a popular song on my iTouch prompted me to write my first blog post. As socially conscious as the Black Eyed Peas can be, I don’t think their catchy line was intended to initiate thoughts of time, but, for me, this trip is all about Time-with-a-capital-T. There’s the four-hour bus ride to O’Hare, then the three and a half hour wait before the first flight (2.5 hours), then the layover (another 2 hours), then the 12 hour flight to Tel Aviv. Across time zones. Across an ocean. And back in time. To the land of Abraham. And Jesus. And Kings David, Solomon and Herod. And that’s just the first leg of the trip.
I’m reading A History of God, by Karen Armstrong. I’ve become a big fan of hers through countless NPR interviews, but so far, the book is… okay. For someone who spent a lot of my growing up years deep in a strain of fundamentalist Christianity there’s something disquieting about the clinical dissection of Old Testament giants like Abraham and Moses. I grew up believing that Moses really did hear Yahweh’s voice in a burning bush. And that Abraham was prepared to slaughter his son Isaac. And that God parted the Red Sea.
Notice I’m being careful to say what I did believe, and may still believe, but as I’ve told my students a number of times, I work hard to teach each of the world religions as if it is the truth -- the way to God and/or the ultimate reality. Every student should feel that his or her home’s beliefs are respected and validated in my classroom -- whatever their religion (or non-religion) may be. So I’m unwilling to share my own religious beliefs with students until they’ve “crossed the creek” and moved on to high school. Then I’m more than happy to engage in long religious talks. But since kids who just finished 7th grade -- and conceivably kids that I haven’t even had yet as students -- could read this blog (I didn‘t say it was likely, just conceivable), I’m going to attempt to walk a fine line between discussing religion without ever actually sharing my specific beliefs.
Back to Time. “All I know, time is a valuable thing” sings Linkin Park in another song that just played on my play list. That’s the essence of religion, isn’t it? How valuable each moment that we get is. Choices in this moment, and the impact they have on today’s world (“Heaven’s here on Earth,“ I heard Tracy Chapman singing earlier) and -- especially important for the devout believer -- the impact our choice have on whatever happens to us when we die.
We’re getting close to O’Hare, and I think this thought has pretty much played out for now. And, as Billy Joel is pointing out at this exact moment in my earplugs, “We didn’t start the fire.” It’s not like I’m going to have something especially profound to say about Time and Religion, given that far better minds than mine have given attention to the issues. Like Karen Armstrong. I’m going to go back to reading and see what she has to teach me.
