“There is none so blind as he who will not see.
We must not close up minds. We must let our thoughts be free.” (From “Everything is Beautiful” by Ray Stevens
I had never heard of Charlie Kirk until two days ago when he was shot and killed in Utah. If I had I would have disagreed with almost everything he stood for. What I have learned about him in the last 24 hours indicates he was instrumental in converting many vulnerable young Americans to the Trump political campaign that gave us a disastrous threat to our democracy.
That saddens me greatly, but it does not in any way justify violence against those who hold different political views, even diametrically opposed ones. Gunning down any young husband and father is cause for grief and one more reason America needs to do serious introspection about the state of our political divisions.
One thing I can heartily agree with Kirk on is his defense of free speech and his willingness to engage in dialogue with those who disagreed with him. I suspect, although I don’t know, that his public debates with those who came to hear him may have been largely political theater. Regardless of that, the principle of our constitutional right to freedom of expression must not be lost in the grief or the debate that will follow this latest mar on America’s image.
The commentaries and testimonials about Charlie Kirk have gotten me thinking about eyes and eyesight, not from an ophthalmological perspective, but from a theological one. Back in 2016 when Donald Trump was running for President the first time I read about an interview where a reporter asked Trump what his favorite Scripture is, and his response confirmed my already low opinion of him. He said his favorite Scripture was “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” revealing how stunted and misguided his faith development is. Those who never get past Deuteronomy or even read the first book of the New Testament where Jesus directly repeals that revengeful notion of justice have a very low, un-Christlike theology. (Cf. Deuteronomy 19:21 and Matthew 5:38-39)
I love the quote from Mahatma Gandhi that says, “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.” Gandhi like Jesus knew that violence and retribution never solve anything. One offense leads to a counterattack, verbal or physical. One war only sews the seeds of the next one. Jesus’ unpopular advice to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39) when someone hurts you is not about weakness but about the courage to stop the ever-escalating cycle of violence.
One of the other familiar quotes attributed to Jesus about eyes is, “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)
Those words from the Sermon on the Mount should serve as a reminder to all of us to prioritize a careful examination of our own faults and biases before we level criticism at others. I know that when I have even a tiny speck of dirt in one of my eyes it itches and waters and I cannot see clearly until I can get it out. The same is true of our spiritual vision, especially when it comes to our feelings and opinions about the beliefs, words, and actions of those we disagree with.
For example, as soon as I read a news alert on my phone about the death of Charlie Kirk on one of my favorite left-leaning news outlets and learned that he was a big Trump supporter, all of my assumptions and biases about the whole MAGA community kicked in. The fact that I didn’t even know who Kirk was speaks volumes about my failure to listen to voices from opposing political perspectives.
I am still very uncomfortable that this spokesperson for what I believe to be undemocratic and dangerous views is being made into a hero and martyr. I am also incredibly upset that President Trump and his supporters who are speaking eloquently about free speech need to take the logs out of their own eyes. When a government servant shares economic reports that run counter to the Trump narrative and is summarily fired, that is not freedom of speech. When a Federal Reserve governor stands up to the President over economic policy and the President attempts to fire her, that is not freedom of speech.
When the head of the CDC refuses to sign off on policies that fly in the face of scientific evidence and is fired for her integrity, that is not freedom of speech. When the President’s entire cabinet spends whole cabinet meetings offering flowery praises to the President instead of engaging in productive debate and collaboration, that is not freedom of speech. When the entire GOP membership of the House and Senate are too fearful to do their constitutional duty of providing checks and balances on the President, that is not freedom of speech.
And finally, when flags are lowered to half-mast for Charlie Kirk but not for Democratic legislators killed in Minnesota or for dozens of innocent school shooting victims, or for anyone else not aligned with the Trump philosophy, that is not freedom of speech. That is pure partisan propaganda.
We desperately need freedom of speech, but it has to work both ways or it is not free. The future of our democracy is at a scary tipping point. If we demonize and refuse to see our common humanity with even those we feel are political enemies, the death of Charlie Kirk and other political leaders will fuel a continuing spiral of decent into chaos and military take overs of our cities.
But if we remove the proverbial logs out of our own eyes and make a disciplined effort to see every human as a sister or brother then there is still hope that our fragile democracy can be preserved. It’s a choice, as Ray Charles reminds us, “There is none so blind as he/she who will not see. We must not close up minds. We must let our thoughts be free.”
Peacefully Harsh 