My wife occasionally has bouts with vertigo, a condition frequently attributed to an inner ear issue. One of the most common symptoms of vertigo is loss of balance, which sounds like no big deal, but can actually be debilitating as it makes ordinary tasks like standing and walking nearly impossible. Ironically, watching my wife struggle to function when fighting vertigo has helped me better understand balance, or a lack thereof, in the world.
Although most Americans don't have vertigo, we still seem to be imbalanced in our perspectives and struggling in our lives. Some of the issues in our society have our heads spinning, and when the spinning stops, we're often dizzy and unclear.
We're either so "deep" we can't enjoy life, or so shallow that we see nothing immoral, unethical, or otherwise wrong with doing whatever we choose as long as it makes us feel good.
We're either so Democrat that we think all elephants are the enemy, or so Republican we think all Democrats are asses (that's Bible talk for donkeys 🙂).
We're either so pseudo-Christian that we're too holy to talk to non-Christians, or so pseudo-Christian that we're afraid to voice our convictions because they're countercultural. Both extremes are pseudo-Christian because neither is like Jesus Christ.
We're so Black that we won't acknowledge the image of God in White people, or so White that the brightness of our complexion blinds us to our privilege and the oppression of others.
We're either so masculine we won't acknowledge our need for help, or so emasculated that we whine about everything and let our mamas, wives, baby mamas, and girlfriends carry the full weight of situations we have the strength to handle.
We have women who are so stereotypically "girly" that they're easily taken advantage of by men who see femininity as an opportunity for exploitation. On the other extreme, we have women who are so hard that they've lost an appreciation for the divine wonder, beauty, splendor, grace, and gift of being a man's complement instead of his competition.
We're so rich we think everybody can afford to meet at Ruth's Chris for dinner every weekend, or so financially strapped that we experience imposter syndrome whenever we go. Some of us have resolved that we don't belong at those tables unless we're working, so not only do we not eat there, we discourage our children from hoping to eat at any restaurant where the prices are a la carte or there are no numbers on the menu.
We're either so HBCU strong that we make homecoming weekends sacred space (can't be mad at that though - it's rare to get that many unrelated, degreed people of African descent together to laugh about the past, enjoy the present, and make plans for the future), or we're so PWI affirming that we're repulsed by black folks flocking to antiquated college spaces, celebrating their freshman year dorms, and acting like it's a privilege for their children to go to class in the same unrenovated buildings that Thurgood Marshall, Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison, Earl Graves, Audrey Manley, and Martin Luther King, Sr. attended classes when they were teens.
We're so pro-choice in our conversations about abortion that we become inconsiderate of women who can't conceive, or we're so anti-choice that we can't see the godliness of allowing people to exercise their free will.
We're either so strongly LGBTQIA+ allied that we marginalize and become intolerant of people in that community who are still wrestling with understanding themselves, their convictions, and their values and aren't willing to commit to any of those alphabets just yet, or we're so ignorant of human nature that we vilify everyone who doesn't fit into the box of our understanding.
We're so full of ourselves that we don't find value in sharing any of our time or talents with others, or we're so blind to our talents and the value of our time that we don't see how we can monetize it and use those resources to serve in a variety of other ways.
We either work so hard that we have no time to enjoy the houses, cars,
televisions, and other creature comforts we can afford, or we're always hoping someone will "hook us up" with something because we have a weak work ethic.
We're either so family consumed that we miss out on the rest of the world, or we're so preoccupied with the world that we neglect our families.
Sometimes, my wife can't find balance because of her illness.
Sometimes we can't find balance, and that is our illness.
This dizziness is not good.
I pray we heal soon.
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