Blame V Bless
Our title / theme is a ‘play-off’ between Evil & Good. The focus is on our particular ‘ABC’ default personality, which becomes manifest in our ‘Attitude Behaviour Character’. Blame brings to mind: ‘the blame game’ / ‘the frame-up’ / ‘the responsibility for’: in essence, we ‘curse the other’ (hence, evil). Bless stirs the heart: ‘asks God’s favour on’ / ‘speaks well of’ / ‘gives thanks for’: in essence, we ‘praise the other’ (hence, good).
However, there is more ‘going-on’ when each side is viewed – on a broader panorama – under our ‘standard’ ABC / SOS comparatives (i.e. ‘concepts’ explained in previous articles). ‘Accuse Blame Condemn’ tactics seek to ‘Stigmatize Ostracize Scandalize’::: ‘Affirm Bless Celebrate’ tactics offer ‘Solidarity Opportunity Subsidiarity’. This synopsis exemplifies the “sand” or the “rock” we stand on.
The key question that arises is: what strategies are at ‘play’ in the respective ‘line-ups’? It appears that the ‘Accuse Blame Condemn’ person is focused on ‘all out attack’: “WARD” (off): Wage Antagonistic Relational Defiance. And – here is the shocking insight – the ‘Affirm Bless Celebrate’ person has decided to ‘turn the other cheek’ with a complete opposite response: “DRAW” (out): Die (to self) Recognise Acknowledge Welcome.
Yes – I guess, ‘you’ve got it’ – this is the game of LIFE / in LIFE / for LIFE. So, what are the implications? / what can we discern? / what is all this telling us? If we ‘pay’ attention we ‘see’ a manifest phenomenon: the ‘Blame’ supporters are sad: they feel ‘Lonely Insecure Frustrated Exploited’; while the ‘Bless’ followers are joyful: they feel ‘Loved Inspired Fulfilled Engaged.
It is a fundamental part of our human nature: to seek our own personal ‘identity & value’ / to long to ‘BELONG’ to something greater than ourselves. This searching / longing is highlighted in the 1st encounter between two of John the Baptist’s ‘uncertain’ followers & Jesus: when Jesus asked: “what do you want”? & they ‘blurt out’: “where do you live”? It is interesting to observe how Jesus progressed the dialogue: He simply issued an invitation: “come & see”. And, as a result, they “stayed with Him” (i.e. they felt ‘at ease with’ Him / ‘at home with’ Him). So, what happened? Jesus did what Jesus does: He “affirmed” them: He gave them their ‘identity & value’ &, as a result, they (finally) realized their real ‘BELONG’ status.
Yes, again – as you may have guessed – Jesus the Christ is the supreme model for ‘Affirm Bless Celebrate’ action. He invites everyone: “come to me, all you who labour & are burdened, & I will give you rest”: “I am the Way, the Truth, the Life”: “I have come that you may have LIFE & have it to the full”. The WAY (‘VIA’ or ‘Value Identity Affirmation’) of Jesus the Christ is love, mercy, compassion: He wants all God’s children to “be” all they are meant to “be” (with Him): to “walk” life’s journey (with Him). However, ‘dis-functional’ humanity are ‘caught-up’ in / ‘stuck’ in negative mode – confusing ‘self’ & ‘other’ – not aware that: ‘they have met the enemy & that enemy is themselves’ (their weaknesses / their insecurities / their frustrations).
Now, you may ask: how are we to make sense – a la ‘the prodigal son’ – of all these LIFE elements / events? For a start we have identified the hidden “enemy” (i.e. it’s not the ‘other’, but, really, ‘me myself & I’). This insight (alone) has transformational consequences. The history of mankind’s enslavement – to idols other than God – has a strange connection with ‘apple type phenomenon’: from Adam & Eve’s ‘distraction’ to today’s global ‘digitization’. As a result, there are three types of PDA’s at “play” in our daily lives: ‘Personal Default Angst’ i.e. the ‘human’ mode (‘secret’ guilt / shame): ‘Personal Digital Assistant’ i.e. the ‘technology’ mode (high ‘head’ capacity / low ‘heart’ capability): ’Personal Divine Associate’ i.e. the ‘spiritual’ mode (God’s gift / grace / glory).
So, where can we go – from here – with our ‘human endeavour’ / ‘divine encounter’? It has become all too apparent – in mankind’s story to date – that there has been a ‘DIS-CONNECT’ socially & spiritually. (Note: this hypothesis is set-out on the back page of this website’s Booklet / eBook). The pertinent question, now, is: what difference will our deeper / wider understanding make to human happiness?
The middle ground between Blame & Bless is ‘BELONG’. This is the ‘touchy’ (i.e. emotional) ingredient of our lives. It is the place / state we all want to occupy. Well, you may ask: what so great about ‘BELONG’? It means we are at ‘HOME’ i.e. we’re not ‘homeless’ / we’re not ‘alone’.
So, how can we get there? Unfortunately, we can’t make it happen, no matter how hard we try to ‘control’ situations / circumstances. The secret (‘hidden in clear view’) is: ‘the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart’: it’s a ‘BOSOM’ issue (where the heart is) / it’s a ‘BONDING’ action (where the heart responds) / it’s a ‘BELONG’ outcome (where hearts reciprocate). In sum: there is ‘acceptance’ (not ‘rejection’).
The ‘WAY of LIFE’, offered by Jesus the Christ, is ‘encoded’ in His ‘motto’: “love as I have loved” (John 13:34-35 & 15:12). His ‘golden rule’ is: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 5:38-48 & 7:12 & 22: 37-40 / Luke 6:31). Let’s put our ‘head, heart & hands’ around these ‘codes of practice’, so that “we” may ‘RE-CONNECT’ together, again..