Brian D. McLaren in his book "a Generous Orthodoxy" share this parable:
Once there was a village along a river. A famine struck the village, and then a plague began to spread. The situation was desperate, and a group of brave men and women was chose to seek help from a sister city many days' travel upstream. They hiked upstream through the trackless gorges and pathless ravines that bordered the river, and finally, after great struggle, reached the city. The people of the city provided food and medicine along with canoes to carry the cargo back to the village.
The band of brave travelers set off, determined and confident, yet under great pressure. If they failed in their journey or arrived too late, thousands in their village would die - their families, friends, and neighbors. One day as they paddled along, intent on their mission, they heard a frightening roar ahead of them. As they rounded a bend in the river, their hearts sank as they saw a stretch of raging rapids before them. "We can't make it," one said. "We need to portage around the rapids." "No," another said, "we can make it, but we'll need to throw all the nonessential baggage overboard. We will have to travel light. Besides, you know the terrain on land. It's impossible to carry all our gear and cargo over that terrain. And even if we could carry it all, we would have to make many, many trips, and our progress would be so slow. We would arrive too late to save our village." The debate continued: "But it's too dangerous! What if our canoes tip over? The we'll drown, and our friends and families will die too."
A loud argument followed, some arguing for portaging and others for running the rapids. In the end, the party split in two. Those who were going to run the rapids left all the gear they felt they could spare on the shore and shoved off. As they moved through the rapids, the raging water grew even rougher and more dangerous than they anticipated. In fear they began jettisoning more what little remained of their cargo. Some canoes made it safely through the rapids. Some were swamped entirely, their vessels and cargo lost, and some of the travelers barely make it to shore, where they were rescued by their waiting companions.
Meanwhile, those who had remained ashore upstream began the long and tedious process of repacking and carrying their gear and canoes over land, many miles downstream, to a place where the waters were smoother and they could launch their canoes. They were determined to carry not only all their own cargo, but also the provisions the other party had (foolishly, in their opinion) left behind. Nothing could be lost because the village was in desperate need.
When those who rode the rapids make it below the dangerous stretch of the river, they made camp, exhausted by the thrill of running the rapids. But then a frightening realization began to hit them: they had survived the raging waters, but they now lacked sufficient provisions to complete their mission. So what if they made it to the needy village? Now they had next to nothing to offer and would only add mouths to feed. They had thrown so much overboard that now their whole mission was in danger of failure in spite of their heroic success through the rapids. They set up a temporary camp and discussed their options for hours on end. While their situation was not immediately dangerous since they some of their provisions left, their prospects for ultimate success were grim, and a felling of despair began to set in when they thought of the village. They were paralyzed, and days passed as they sat around their temporary camp, their progress stalled.
Many miles upstream, their counterparts were having trouble of their own. The terrain was so difficult, and progress was so slow that this party on foot became frustrated. The air was filled with arguments. "Let's give up the journey and set up permanent camp here. We'll never make it. We should just stop here. We might as well save ourselves," some would say. Others would urge them to keep moving, giving rousing speeches about the need for courage and strength and perseverance. But there was no trail, the terrain was brutal, and their loads were heavy and awkward. Eventually, many travelers were so exhausted by carrying the heavy cargo that they simply couldn't take another step. Should the stronger ones leave these tired comrades behind, or should they stay and wait until they regained their strength? Eventually their progress slowed to a stop, and they set up a temporary camp, filled with uncertainty about their future - and their village's future as well.
The next day they tried to go a little further, but soon they were stalled again, exhausted, arguing, aching, blistered, and afraid. After a few days, they were so sore, sick, and tired that they decided to make camp until they could think of a better way forward. At least they had plenty of provisions. But their sense of adventure was gone; they were just holding on. And a kind of despairing concern for their village was always on their minds.
As McLaren puts it, this parable describes they story of liberals and conservatives. Both are stymied, but in different places and in different ways.
How do you imagine the story ending?
Is there a way to bring the two parties back together?
Is there a third alternative to polarization that exists between liberal and conservative?
Keep thinking .... and I'll see you on Sunday ...
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