Purity VII

 . . . for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips . . . 

 - From Isaiah 6

It's possible to admit you're not perfect. It was once a given in our culture: we are not perfect creatures. We may be wrong. We do not have it all correct. We need others.

But try to find one person today, that will even mouth the following words:

"I may be wrong."

And in my experience, most people won't even repeat that as a quote. You can ask them: "Repeat after me, and I understand you do not agree with the statement: "I may be wrong."

Not only will they refuse, but they might even ignore you completely. They'll pretend they heard not a word.

Does it take a village? Yes, it does . . . but this only works when the prevailing basis of the doctrine is that: "I need a village, because I may be wrong."

And I'd bet you will find that most "villages," those that we honor, have rich traditions of humility, tradition, and of respect for elders.

The prophet Isaiah invests a lot of his time, and vocal energy, in insisting that he is an unworthy vessel to do anything on behalf of the holy Lord God. Just his foul language - the jokes he tells, the gossip, the vulgarity; a few ill-advised words here and there; this is all it takes for him to proclaim himself "unclean."

Our culture is immersed in a lot of words without corresponding deeds or attitudes. These words are empty. Listen and read carefully: people want the form of being humble, without the substance. They are afraid to allow their own, individual, personal weaknesses and limitations. They cannot admit they might be wrong. They will not grant to another the basic human dignity of having a needed perspective.

We need to return to the empowering truth that it's okay to notice that you and I are sinful creatures. It's okay, and healthy. It's liberating.

Isn't the first step to solving any problem, admitting the problem itself?