{"id":3200,"date":"2015-07-30T05:27:52","date_gmt":"2015-07-30T10:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/tomzampino\/?p=3200"},"modified":"2015-07-30T06:55:20","modified_gmt":"2015-07-30T11:55:20","slug":"5-comparisons-a-very-brief-politicalsociological-quiz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tomzampino\/2015\/07\/5-comparisons-a-very-brief-politicalsociological-quiz\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Comparisons: A Very Brief Political\/Sociological Quiz"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"800px-1880RNC\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a little thought experiment in recognition of the United States Presidential election campaign, already in full swing.<\/p>\n

Which answer within each of the following five sets of pairs gets you the most charged up? So much so, perhaps, that you can barely speak.<\/p>\n

Now, there\u00a0is no\u00a0right answer when it comes to our feelings<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But our feelings can and should cause us to delve a little more deeply into the issues. And into the facts<\/em> behind those issues.<\/p>\n

So, listen to your gut and don\u2019t try to second-guess yourself \u2013 at least not just yet.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s, together, see what we can discover about why we stand where we stand today<\/i>,\u00a0and whether our positions are truly rooted within the facts on the ground:<\/p>\n

1. Cecil<\/a>? Or\u00a0Cecile<\/a>?<\/p>\n

2. Trump<\/a>? Or Dolan<\/a>?<\/p>\n

3. Roe<\/a>? Or Obergefell<\/a>?<\/p>\n

4. Obamacare<\/a>? Or Iran<\/a>?<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Laudato si<\/em><\/a>? Or TWC<\/a>?<\/p>\n

I have no doubt that the time between now and November 2016 is going be very long indeed. So in the interim, let\u2019s take a step back and a big, deep breath.<\/p>\n

And think.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s make a conscious effort to lift our eyes up towards the heavens, rather than down into the mud.<\/p>\n

Perhaps, thereby, you and I can start today to lead\u00a0the powers that be<\/em> by our very example. Perhaps, together, we can find the way forward.<\/p>\n

At the very least, we can pray about it.<\/p>\n

Peace<\/p>\n

UPDATE<\/strong>:\u00a0This<\/a>, by Father James Martin<\/a>, brings an entirely different perspective to the Cecil \/ Cecile comparison \u2013 one I felt compelled to link to. Please read it.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a summary:<\/p>\n

Just as Cecil died a long and agonizing death, so have hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children in South Sudan, and so they will, as they starve and die from lack of water. Like Cecil, they are innocent victims of a violent life not of their making. Unlike Cecil, they don\u2019t have many shrines dedicated to them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Photo Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons<\/a>, Public Domain (1880 Republican National Convention at Chicago, Illinois)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a little thought experiment in recognition of the United States Presidential election campaign, already in full swing. Which answer within each of the following five sets of pairs gets you the most charged up? So much so, perhaps, that you can barely speak. Now, there\u00a0is no\u00a0right answer when it comes to our feelings. But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1976,"featured_media":3228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n5 Comparisons: A Very Brief Political\/Sociological Quiz<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here's a little thought experiment in recognition of the United States Presidential election campaign, already in full swing. 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