Amelia Halgren > Recent Status Updates

“The present moment contains the whole of life.”

Whew! I read for like three hours tonight because I just HAD to get through this tense section. I feel all clenched up! 😅

“People aware of their deficiencies are always more loving than those who are oblivious to them…”

Does that hold up psychologically? I know he’s trying to explain the importance of humility but my understanding is that narcissists are actually over-compensating for insecurity…?

“That’s why a working theology of love matters so much. When we lead with gentleness it decreases the chances that we will bulldoze someone with self righteousness because we honestly believe that we are no better than they are, and no greater authority on anything.”

Hmm… I like the sentiment but this doesn’t quite align with some of his earlier chastisements of certain Christians…???

“None of us really knows what we are doing here… We are all working with incomplete information in the infinite, and we all could use a little kindness and a bit of mercy.”

😭

“The quality of our presence is the most positive element that we can contribute to the world.”

“Often we do things without thinking, because we are in the habit of doing them, because someone asks us to, or because we think we should. But if the foundation of our being is not strong enough, then the more we do, the more troubled our society becomes.”

“The concept of privilege violates everything we’ve been told about… the American dream of hard work paying off and good things happening to good people… We want to protect our vision of a world that is fair and kind and predictable…. pause and consider …how the lack of disadvantages in certain areas is keeping you from fully understanding the struggles others are facing...”

“I don’t know if there’s one phrase more maligned in social justice language than, ‘check your privilege.’ …It’s a phrase viewed as an ineffective weapon… but as disliked as the phrase [is]… very few people know what privilege is… Privilege in the social justice context is an advantage, or a set of advantages, that you have that others do not.”

It’s surprising, sobering, humbling, to hear Seattle referred to as a “hostile city” toward people of color. It’s a sign of my own privilege that I’ve always been able to assume the opposite of our local metropolis.

Honey why are you so dependent on him to get off the mountain!!??! Learn to drive the dang snowmobile yourself!

How many mothers would *really* react positively to being felt up in such a stressful situation? I’m sure that some would but my experience is that this is laughably unrealistic.

“Theology is fully unmasked in crisis.”

With regard to masks…. I’d argue that most people I’ve encountered who are resistant to mask wearing, refuse to do so because they don’t believe it to be effective.

I’m noticing this book is beginning to affect my mood… 😬

*Class is the problem.* — yep I’ve heard that before. “Why do think black people are poor? Do you think it’s for the same reasons white people are?” Oooooh… good response!!!
- black sounding name > less likely to be offered an interview
- living in a “black neighborhood” > lower value, higher interest rates
- being black > more likely to be suspended or expelled for same behaviors as white students

“…others drew closer, realizing that they had been missing something very important all along.” This is relatable. It took the Charlottesville White Nationalist ‘Unite the Right’ rally for me to grasp that racism is widespread. Living in a community outside liberal Seattle, I thought of racism as a problem of a few obnoxious individuals. But of course, being white I *wouldn’t* have that exposure.