Leftovers: The American Remnant

It is necessary as a citizen of any country to consider the social constructions to maintain independent sustainability.  If I am born a freeman and desire to remain so, then striving to maintain the freedom of those around me helps maintain my own freedom.  Just as the legend tells us of Betsy Ross sewing the first American flag from leftover remnants of material, the United States was founded on, not what we find as contemporary Protestant Christian ideals, but on the leftovers of wars, tyranny, conquests, and piracy propelled forward by what seemingly was a traditional government caring for the colonists.  It was the Founding Fathers, their wives, children, and slaves who were tired of subsiding on the leftovers from the ruling class, the troops that took over their homes, and distant religious authorities who chosen to embrace the reality that they were living, not fully, but on what was leftover.

Still today, as the United States has just celebrated Independence Day, American society is full of leftovers.  We continue to live lives that are leftover from the battles that each person has in his or her own life.  We still continue to live with leftovers from the ruling class, our troops, and distant religious authorities attempting to control the freedoms granted to every American citizen.  Fortunately, the remnant still rises in this country working to maintain independence and fight off the replacement of our rights with slavery, the replacement and removal of our wounded from society, and the replacement of our chosen theologies, disciplines, and religions with another's decision for us.    

Socio-economic challenges within American Society as people have "Occupied (wherever)" throughout the country during President Obama's tenure have brought the working poor into the media more than ever before in my lifetime.  I am the working poor and am not ashamed of my socioeconomic status, even when verbally attacked by others for being so.  I know that as I served others even less fortunate than me and as fortunate as me at The Kelly Memorial Food Pantry.  I served with the working poor, the rich, the retired, the young and underage, the fixed income person, the unemployed, and everyone else.  The beauty of a global mission is the attempt at the equalization of socioeconomic status for at least the moment that people are being cared for and served in community.  I haven't found a new place yet where I live now to give of my time, talents, and treasure.  I will choose to do so in time, but this time, I think I am going to look into another part of the realm to serve in.  Global missions provide for stewardship opportunities that people cry out for in their hearts without giving themselves permission to partake in.

Giving ourselves permission to live into the fullness of our freedom in this country, for some, means to served in the Armed Forces.  The servicemen and women of this country often give everything they have, including their lives, to protect, serve, and continue the freedoms that every citizens here and abroad enjoy.  The Wounded Warrior Project, Operation First Response, and Puppies Behind Bars help the soldiers who've returned from war zones changed by the reality of their service lives.  They have more options than they think from time to time.  Caring for our servicemen and not allowing their lives and homes to be controlled by their experiences gives Americans a chance to live the Third Amendment of the Constitution by not allowing intruding memory to "seize and control" the home of an American soldier.  Foreign armies and experiences should not maintain control of our active duty service people and veterans by replacing wholeness with injury.  The leftovers from war and crime working together training and using the same service dogs in Puppies Behind Bars gives leftovers, the remnants new life just as Betsy Ross, by at least legend, gave the country its flag.  What was leftover and harmed turned into a banner for each human being. 

Nothing is more harming to a human being, in my estimation, than a distant religious authority attempting to control and replace another person's theology with his or her own.  The Freedom of Religion is inherent and necessary within every person's life in order that the individual have the ultimate freedom embraced in the Love of that person's deity or lack thereof.  It is united in this freedom that replacement theology is un-American.  I don't think about another person's religion or religious practice when I meet another person.  I wasn't taught to do such a thing when I was younger and still don't now that I am more focused on what I think God has asked us to do: beyond walking mercifully and humbly with Him.  For this reason, World Faith and other interfaith groups like it serve to education and provide experiences for people to learn to break the habit of replacing what another person believes with a self-chosen and adhered to belief.  Working to force belief on another person is dangerous.  

When religious leaders chose to keep themselves away from their assemblies and chose that people need to modify their behaviors to be more in line with what a specific individual believes, then a combination of psychological and spiritual abuse exists.  What is leftover is remnant theology attempting to hold people who have been removed and targeted by religious leaders for any reason at all, usually: thinking and behaving from their own consciences.  Remnant theologians strive to accept difference without a need for dualistic construct.  People do not choose between one thing and another.  If behavioral adherence is being chosen above individual freedoms, then a religious leader is working at removing a person's freedom to relate with a deity freely.  One true faith and one true religion is an attempt and creating slaves and further oppression.  The remnants of those harmed by religious leaders and group eventually bond together to heal, harm (unfortunately), and kvetch about their experiences.  In time, people accept differences in the communities that they are in after trying to replace diversity with sameness.  It is better to chose to be a useful remnant than replace another's point of view and belief.  

Independence has been a theme for me in the past year. I am grateful that it has been.  I have far more stringent boundaries than I have ever had in my life.  I am a better person for it.  Embracing remnancy and living life as a leftover, being done with several organizations in my life, has caused me to move forward towards and complete several of the goals that I have.  Often, leftovers are better than the original when the original was trying to be contained inside of a stringent thought box.  I am pleased that I have become choosey... 

This past 4th of July, I didn't buy fireworks or roast hog dogs at a barbeque.  I didn't spend time at a lake or reminiscing about times past with people I've know forever.  I spent the day unpacking from my completely legal move, hung an American flag in my home, and watched the fireworks over the neighborhood with my schnauzer, Rumi.  He's never lived where people were allowed to have fireworks of their own before due to fire hazards.  He was brave and watched them for a little while.  Then, when the commotion picked up and they were being set off over several houses, he wanted to go back inside, so he did.  He gets to choose. 

I am happy to live with leftovers in a country where, even Rumi, can pick and choose where he wants to be.