Lately I have been faced to face with Marxism and Socialist thought. No, I am not a communist and don't really seeing myself put a label or moniker that I will be using anytime soon. But I appreciate the ideas and the theory. I find myself engulfed in the ideas because in some ways they have many similar points that line up with Christian community and wholism, and looking out for more than just myself. I think we always have a long way to go but I am glad i am choosing a path that is filled with the goal of togetherness than of personal achievement and power.
I say all of this because I joined a little book club with some friends at Fuller. We are choosing to read classics as well as some new ones that I have been wanting to read. We started yesterday with the Metamorphosis. A VERY short story from what I gather 1915 that really dealt with the transformation of a man into an insect. It shocked me that this man transformed was not bothered that he one day couldn't get out of bed and no less make it to work yet questioning the very nature of what makes us human or valued within our Western culture.
I walked away last night asking some questions that I believe are raised in the literature. How do we take care of those less than ourselves? How do we listen and interact with those that are disenfranchised? How do I now listen?
My friend Dave mentioned how this is really tied into Socialist ideas and beliefs. I thought it was lovely and it really continued to pull on the little heart strings that show and reveal how we put ourselves into class systems that limit people into entering. We show and pursue power in this state. We hold onto whatever power we have and use it to make ourselves feel comfortable and/or unique. I think our love is limited in these states. I think how we open our lives, trust, home, and food pantry is subjected to how we view what's right or normal.
What really is normal and how do we deal with people who are different than the life we (I) have taken so long to built. With Christ how is our lives different? How do we see with different eyes and hear with different ears?
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1 comment:
great thoughts. i think part of kafka's motivation for writing the metamorphosis was to put the marxist critique of society into literary form. our "bug friend," consequently, represents on some level the dehumanization that occurs from our work. i find this fascinating b/c even here at seminary i feel that the onerous work we do has a tendency to dehumanize us. when our work begins defining who we are, perhaps we ourselves are turning into bugs. good post, amy.
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