Sunday 26 May 2013

Bread & Roses


I watched a pretty good film the other day called, surprise surprise, ‘Bread & Roses’ and it is about mostly poor Hispanic cleaners in Los Angeles USA fighting for their rights, better pay and health care against employers who couldn’t care less, and also the story is about how other people are exploiting them too, and they even squeeze in a love story as well.  I enjoyed it to be honest.  It made me think of the menial jobs both my parents did when I was younger; my dad worked at various times as a navvy, basically an unskilled labourer, fixed street lighting, worked as a chef, a bus conductor and even did national service, what Americans call ‘the draft’, and served his time in Cyprus when there was trouble there in the 50’s and also a stint in Jordan around the same time.  Not all bad jobs by any means but mostly Working class.  My mum worked in a big department store at one time and then cleaned pub toilets at another.  I suppose for one reason I have had chunks of unemployment in my life, partially due to bouts of severe depression in my life, even though I did get educated.  I have come to the understanding that no one wants, or deserves, to be ruthlessly exploited by other people, especially if those doing the exploiting are making lots of money at the expense of those who they are exploiting, and usually for low wages in dead end jobs with no security or real benefits of any kind.  It is not about politics, it about fairness and social justice; it is also a moral issue too.  If someone claims to be a Christian, and then happily accepts that someone can work for a criminally low wage whilst they themselves are making a fortune, how then is that manifesting a love for your neighbour?  It isn’t quite frankly, it is just hypocrisy of the worst kind.



I’ve struggled all my life with low self-worth, for one reason or another.  Always felt for this reason or that I was somehow less than other people, no confidence at all in who I was, whoever I was.  Why, I can’t really say; not fully anyway.  If I have a calling on my life, and how can anyone really understand that or explain that to someone else, then surely that should mean something.  Coming from a Working class background could account for some of it, but certainly not all.  Many people have Working class and Blue Collar backgrounds, it’s not an uncommon experience at all.  We were poor, but not in any way really deprived; no it’s more than that.  The house we lived in was a slum, no more or less; no bathroom, no electric sockets, one bedroom for the whole family, one crappy living room doubling as a kitchen, no fridge, TV run off the light socket, a roof that leaked in about eight places when it rained, a loft that had pigeons living in it and to top it all an outside toilet; don’t ask what we had to do if we needed to ‘spend a penny’ in the middle of the night!  But even that wasn’t so bad, because for the most part I feel I had an idyllic childhood.  You don’t think about such things as a kid, everything that happens or the way you live is just normal to you; only when you meet other people you see that you were ‘deprived’ somewhat or even ‘privileged’ or whatever.  So then what can it all mean, we’re all different anyway, all often very different experiences, different ancestors, different stories to tell, not one of us is a stereotype, we are all different people; and yet at the same time, we are all only human.  So, back to the story.  Perhaps it’s then that I suffered with bouts of at times severe depression from my late teens till I was about thirty.  That didn’t help matters to be honest and the subsequent unemployment.  But is it something more than all this?  If I can’t answer this it’s unlikely anyone else can.  But something within me tells me that when I started to be aware of other kids’ affluence that I started to feel deprived in some way, and in another way I was a quiet kid too; sometimes.  At other times I was a cheeky, funny, trusting kid who tended, and still do at times, to take people at face value and had a tendency to believe what anyone said; I soon found out that even the nicest people can lie, even if just to amuse themselves.  So, is my low self-worth something deeper, is it something that is because of my poor background, or my ‘lower’ class background, or my depression, or what?     

 

If I was transported back to America in the 50’s when Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker was playing in a nightclub in some glamorous or even down at heel downtown big city club, and drinking some great tequila, I’d wonder if I was in a dream, and if I was, just don’t wake me up!  American culture represents two contradictory realities; one, a hard-assed, hard-nosed, totally profit oriented reality, and often always combined with the other, an artistic, completely free pursuit of the artistic muse for its own sake that can’t be faked.  So we see that with Jazz for example, something which was an underground, sometimes underclass African-American musical expression of their lifestyle, a lifestyle that was different from the mainstream Middle class white experience, becomes an accepted American art form that transforms American society and then a global art form that helps change the world. 



What does a calling from God really mean?  'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came to birth I consecrated you; I appointed you as prophet to the nations.'  (Jeremiah 1:5 NJB)  It is obvious that when we start to understand God’s calling on our lives, however that comes about and however we become aware of it, it is something that goes beyond our understanding.  But, it must have bearing on our lives, perhaps slowly at first, but eventually completely.  I have learnt this the hard way.  Does it mean that we are better than other people or that somehow we are more holy than other people?  Well I’m not anyway, and I am certainly not particularly holy or religious for that matter either.  Read this: ‘Then since the gifts that we have differ according to the grace that was given to each of us: if it is a gift of prophecy, we should prophesy as much as our faith tells us; if it is a gift of practical service, let us devote ourselves to serving; if it is teaching, to teaching; if it is encouraging, to encouraging. When you give, you should give generously from the heart; if you are put in charge, you must be conscientious; if you do works of mercy, let it be because you enjoy doing them.  (Romans 12:6-8 NJB)  It is then that God picks us because He gives us spiritual gifts to use wisely and as part of that calling, especially for the benefit of other people.  For the Son of man himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  (Mark 10:45 NJB)  Our calling then is not a selfish one, or to make us look good or feel that we are better than anyone else, because we are not quite simply, but to serve others and to serve God.  



What does ordinary mean?  What does special mean?  I am a big fan of Jimi Hendrix, and although he came from a very fractured and poor background where his dad was often out of work and when he did work it was low paid, and because he was black the employment laws in Seattle meant that black people were kept out of all kinds of jobs, and only the most menial and low paying jobs were open to them, Jimi was one of the most talented musicians and performers and one of the most creative composers in rock and pop, in spite of the fact he grew up in poverty and reduced circumstances.  He was ordinary, his background was similar to many poor black people and poor white people of that time, in fact it was when things were slowly beginning to change for poor black and white people, but he was extraordinary at the same time, his talent and genius lifting him out of poverty and obscurity to then becoming, and still now, one of the most famous people on the planet.  Then we could look at someone like an aristocrat of some kind, who more often than not may not be very accomplished, not particularly bright, not overly talented but still somehow be seen as special.  But, are they?  And who says so?  In some ways, regardless of talents or accomplishments or lack of them, I feel all people are special and certainly unique, and in other ways we are all ordinary, we do mundane things, we all for the most live mundane lives and have to do normal things whoever we are.  We are all extraordinarily ordinary.  

 
Does anything we do, anything we eat, anything we say, anything at all we experience really matter?  As long as something happens we all seem happy enough.  Was it fish and chips you ate, or the most expensive chateaubriand steak with everything else just right and the finest wine you could afford?  Does it matter anyway?  Your belly is full whatever you ate.  Does any of it really matter after all?  Saint Paul said this about the subject, or thereabouts: ‘I know how to live modestly, and I know how to live luxuriously too: in every way now I have mastered the secret of all conditions: full stomach and empty stomach, plenty and poverty.  There is nothing I cannot do in the One who strengthens me.  (Philippians 4:12-13 NJB)

10 comments:

  1. Dear Tim,
    As my parents were immigrants into the UK from Italy soon after the War, my first ten years of my life was lived in the below-street basement of a Victorian tenement in London. We had our own toilet in a cellar literally under the street. By day I didn't mind visiting, but at night I preferred to climb the stairs onto the ground-level floor and use the one of only two loos shared by all other tenants.
    Like with you, as a child, I thought life was pretty good. It was only when I grew older, and the family moved to Bracknell, a new town 30 miles out of London, that I became aware of the social class system and different levels of education, jobs and careers.
    But for us who are believers, God is on our side and we have not even began to imagine the riches and glory of the promise he has kept reserved for us.
    A very good post.

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    1. You wrote: 'Like with you, as a child, I thought life was pretty good. It was only when I grew older, and the family moved to Bracknell, a new town 30 miles out of London, that I became aware of the social class system and different levels of education, jobs and careers.'

      It is true that as you get older, you notice differences in people that you probably don't notice as a kid.

      You wrote: 'But for us who are believers, God is on our side and we have not even began to imagine the riches and glory of the promise he has kept reserved for us.'

      Amen to that Frank.

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  2. I think we all have a story that has sadness in it Tim, and I like your honesty. What I gather from your post is that in saying your childhood was idyllic then you had parents that you loved and who took good care of you. I too loved my childhood, even though we didn't have a lot of money, until my father died when I was eleven, after several years of illness. I was actually in the room when he died. I still remember my mother saying 'Don't leave me Eddie', and I still remember seeing her lip prints reflecting in the light on the glass of a little photograph of my dad that she kept on the mantelpiece and must have kissed every night before she went to bed. Sometimes my mind has drifted into and rested upon thoughts of how unfair society is, until I remember that I can not judge by what I see, it is only God who sees the whole picture of anyone's life and whether I am rich or poor I would rather be in Christ and learning from Him, having my mind renewed in Him than in any other place.

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    1. You wrote: 'I think we all have a story that has sadness in it Tim, and I like your honesty. What I gather from your post is that in saying your childhood was idyllic then you had parents that you loved and who took good care of you. I too loved my childhood, even though we didn't have a lot of money, until my father died when I was eleven, after several years of illness. I was actually in the room when he died. I still remember my mother saying 'Don't leave me Eddie', and I still remember seeing her lip prints reflecting in the light on the glass of a little photograph of my dad that she kept on the mantelpiece and must have kissed every night before she went to bed.'

      That's very sad and very poignant Brenda; I suspect we all have some sadness within us, or a sad tale to tell. Yes, like you, I rest in Jesus; all the rest is propaganda.

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  3. Hi Tim,

    It is hard to judge life through the media and movies. Media has a lot of lies to throw at us, a distorted view on what life should be. It has a way of filtering thoughts into our minds that make us envious and depressed. I don't have T.V. and there is very little media that is allowed into my home. Whenever I do see a bit of this, I become sad because, really, there is no way to obtain what is being sold.

    God's calling on one's life isn't for this earthly life but for the life after. While we live here on earth we are outsiders, alien's so to speak. We do not do things like the world does, our thoughts are not of the world but of heaven. If you have your heart of earthly things, yes you will become depressed and sad. Christians need to pull, (yes puuuuulll) their eyes off of the world and put them on heavenly treasures.

    People in general are liers and faulty we cannot put our hope in them. We need to put our hope and trust in Jesus and Him only. God does not lie, His promises always come true. He alone is faithful and we are faithless.

    Life hurts Tim, it really does and I am so sad that you struggle with this, but really, we all do. We, your brothers and sisters in Jesus, truly understand what you are going through, this struggle of what really matters. Solomon said it best in Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

    Standing beside you. :)
    <><

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    1. You wrote: 'It is hard to judge life through the media and movies. Media has a lot of lies to throw at us, a distorted view on what life should be. It has a way of filtering thoughts into our minds that make us envious and depressed.' Yes; the media presents an ideal, and we don't live in an ideal world do we? Perfect relationships, perfect kids, wonderful life, great career, and it's all selling a dream that is out of reach for everyone because it's false.

      You wrote: 'Christians need to pull, (yes puuuuulll) their eyes off of the world and put them on heavenly treasures.' Yes absolutely. I am learning that as I go along.

      You wrote: 'Life hurts Tim, it really does and I am so sad that you struggle with this, but really, we all do. We, your brothers and sisters in Jesus, truly understand what you are going through, this struggle of what really matters.'

      That really does matter to me a lot; thank you!

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  4. Quite a conclusion: Does anything really matter? Answer: yes. God could take us to heaven and skip this earthly existence, but didn't ... for a reason. So now it's a an issue of "what matters & why?, from God's perspective. I'm glad that you brought up your life-observation that "You don’t think about such things as a kid, everything that happens or the way you live is just normal to you.", because it is a "key" factor in the equation of life. This observation also: "Your belly is full whatever you ate. Does any of it really matter after all?" Answer: No. Life is not meaningless, but the pursuit of meaningless thing is. Creator God didn't create a meaningless planet, but a meaningful planet that matters, when we align our "will" with His. Oh yeah, there was that "Fall of man" incident that brought sin and death into the world too. What are we looking at Tim? Your questions and observations scream this question. Christ is the answer.

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    1. Hi Brian. I was kind of feeling low, but what I tend to do is ask questions that believers and non-believers might honestly ask when things are not going well for them. I hope with my blog that attracts Christians like yourself, Brenda. Frank, COG and many others, but also, at it does, people who don't believe and may come to understand that even Christians have off days and have questions that aren't easy to answer.

      You wrote: 'Life is not meaningless, but the pursuit of meaningless thing is. Creator God didn't create a meaningless planet, but a meaningful planet that matters, when we align our "will" with His.' That is a very profound distinction Brian; I believe in what you have written here, and indeed life can become meaningless when it is reduced to the pursuit of wealth or power or anything which won't make us truly fulfilled and actually might take us away from God.

      You wrote: 'Christ is the answer.'

      Yes Brian; amen to that my friend!

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  5. I'm going to check out this movie "Bread & Roses" I'm always looking for nice films and documentaries to watch.
    I like jazz too, a lot actually, I just downloaded some about 2 days ago.
    I like this post, it made me think of a documentary I watched just last week sometime called, "Born Rich". The son of the people who own Johnson & Johnson, Jaime Johnson, did a documentary about many young rich people, most of which are his friends, it confirmed certain things I already thought of the rich and also opened my eyes to a few things I didn't know. A lot of them in it said things like you said, like not realizing how wealthy are deprived you are until you see how others live. One of the persons in the docu found out he was rich at school when a student saw his fathers name on the Forbes list and read it out and everyone was shocked so was the little boy who's father was featured in the article.

    Jaime Johnson was about to inherit a lot of money from the company and he started to wonder about his life, is that all his life would be, just being rich or would he end up like his father who didn't really do much just collect maps and read and things like that. I like when you asked, "What does ordinary mean? What does special mean?" Really what do they mean? Does the world's definition of these things what really matter or does God's definition of these things matter? I don't think anything is ordinary to God though, that's definitely a human thing, to call something or somebody ordinary. Your right what does it matter, all of it, what does it really matter. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is, " For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10.

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    1. It's a really good film, especially if you like films about 'ordinary' people fighting for fair pay and treatment from very rich and powerful faceless corporations. I've been buying a lot of Miles Davis for a while ever since I got 'Kind of Blue' a while back and it blew away all my pre-conceptions about Jazz.

      Absolute wealth can corrupt even the best of people, and often those who inherit it rather than make it through their own endeavours can end up living useless lives, spending their days trying to alleviate the boredom that must come with the fact that you don't have to earn a living; so, often very wealthy people become 'jet-setters', going from glamorous place to glamorous place, living the high life, drinking and eating the best that money can buy, meeting beautiful people, going to the 'best' parties; and then of course that becomes boring, so people then can either drift into alcoholism or serious drug abuse or become 'spiritual' and get sucked into a cult; and even if this isn't the case life without a real purpose must get empty in some way. I've read a number of cases of very wealthy people, British aristocrats amongst them, who on having everything money can buy, were obviously unhappy or overindulged and ended their lives in some sad and lonely way, perhaps by suicide or just an overdose, and nobody can understand it. But there is more to life than having or making lots of money.

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