Unwanted Catalyst

We have all been there. We have been the recipients of unwanted advice and also been the ignored in sharing good intentions, which is the preferred word on the giving end. Unearned, unwanted advice usually only strengthens our resolve to continue along our current path of thinking. We have already made up our minds. Hearing opposing ideas will not change our course. Here is some advice. LOL Being gracious and hearing this unsolicited advice, is not only a good idea, but a prudent one. A poll of over 1300 respondents, shows that 62% do not appreciate unsolicited advice, though 33% concede that they may listen if given by the right person. Except for a little time, listening does not cost us anything and may result in looking at the situation from a fresh viewpoint.

As a transformational people and as a church we respond to a call to be catalysts of change in people’s lives and society. We risk rejection if we do not nurture trust to earn the right to enter into the lives of people.  Unwanted advice is definitely in the eyes of the beholder. We live in a dialogue culture but again there still needs to be a willingness to engage. Being a catalyst had meant interjecting ideas, thoughts and hopefully vision into both the hearts and minds of people and our relationships, but the definition is evolving to alter “interjecting” as if one has the answer, to entering into dialogue with the other, in essence, accepting that I myself will also be informed by the other in our discussion. This is where our acceptance and appreciation of diversity is leading us. Catalysts need to listen, to recognize the worth of individual perspectives and live with others in their worldview and hopefully they in ours but nevertheless we both encounter our diversity in a respectful experience.

About us is a sea of apathy and indifference in everyone. It‘s not that we are rejecting actions that “matter most,” it is that life and its routines take over and fill our days. The remaining time beyond the necessities of work and household is our personal downtime occupied by multi-episode TV shows, lose myself in Facebook hours & entire televised sports seasons that steal hours each day of our lives. How does “transformational” fit into our daily agenda? Do we even see ourselves as we are within our protected patterns of living? Right now the “me” choices are endless, Hockey and basketball playoffs, the final episodes of most reality TV series, our ever-expanding linkages on Facebook, the limitless Netflix options, the forever video gaming, the consumer shopping habits. The distractions which we consider normality manage our lives and we say we are busy. This common lifestyle is the definition of apathy and indifference. We are it!

Does it really matter to us even when we bluntly face its reality? Probably not for most. You see busyness of doing life allows me to ignore the moment of “what matters most” reflection and continue with what is the pleasure of the moment where I live within the lives of others in sports, reality shows, novels, movies and Facebook surfing. The bluntness passes around me because I am not really living my life. This occupation of my life is virtual and can be all consuming. It amounts to daytime comas. It is an anesthetic that separates us from self, God, family, neighbours and the world about us.

How does “Abolish Poverty and End Needless Suffering or Pursuing Peace” cross our minds with enough impact to get us off the couch or computer or out of the Home Sense store? What is the catalyst that is powerful enough to alter our routines? What brings us daily to our knees for moments of “what matters most” reflection/spiritual practices that increases our capacity of time to engage in real reality, our reality and be part of the solution, not a bystander allowing atrocities, suffering and injustice to happen on our doorsteps in our communities. In law there is a precedent called “willful blindness” which essentially says if you had the opportunity to be aware of something like abuse or something faulty and chose not to act, you are implicated in the injury to others. Are we susceptible to this reality because we choose apathetic “me” time? I know this is coming across harsh. It is a wake-up call for me as well. I turned off the Raptors playoff last night to prepare for a funeral.

So, we can only be catalysts when we are awake and not in virtual comas. Transformation of our own lives comes from within. If I can give some advice let it be…..Daily, kneel in prayer and listen to the real things you can do in place of interruptions not worthy of those who suffer. I am listening. Let’s talk about change. Let’s work together.

Submitted by Kerry Richards