We Learned It All In Kindergarten

 "Using knowledge in a sacred way leads to wisdom."  - Sun Bear, Chippewa Native American

Our times have gotten rough if anyone hasn't noticed.  An unavoidably strong movement has caught hold in the United States that aims to deny truth, rewrite history, castigate experts, and overwrite well-established norms in science, medicine, law, social contracts, education, economics, Christian faith, and politics. Democracy is being systematically dismantled in favor of an authoritarian who gives us the rules and only the information he decides we should follow or need. Wisdom is not mentioned or being sought in this radical shift, and knowledge is being replaced by the King's mostly unfounded, myopic beliefs.  Since the baby is being tossed with the bathwater, the sacred is not a consideration either.  Yet the sacred is what holds earthly existence together. Without the sacred, there is no measure to be used for morals, for understanding one another, or for any possibility of life-giving communal existence. 

So let's review what the Sacred Way is. The Sacred Way originated long ago, grounded in the history of human interactions with each other and with the land the people occupied. We gained wisdom and experience in what helps a band of people, or a tribe-- a community-- thrive. For much of Western European history, the Bible shaped a lot of their life together. With the New Testament, the ideals of Jesus came into focus, where we all could subscribe to caring for the neighbor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and loving acceptance became a value that humankind cherished. During medieval times, definitions of vices and virtues took on meaning and helped hold not just individuals to account for destructive social behavior, but also served as community stepping stones for the betterment of all. These became a basis for what "civilized" humans accepted as the Way forward, and they seeped into the legal tools used to enforce sacred basics.  Most people agreed with the wisdom expressed through this process.

Fast forward to today.  There has always been an element in the human race that has never accepted social norms and has preferred pursuing their own selfish, ego-centric ways.  Rules and social order were their nemesis. Destructive misbehavior usually resulted in consequences like imprisonment. Rarely have these kinds of individuals acquired too much of a following. When they have it has never been good for the population as a whole. Violence, murder, corruption, and injustices of all kinds  multiply to extreme levels, usually until the population-at-large unifies sufficiently to put a stop to it.

The Sacred Way is the way of the New Testament Jesus. Virtues like compassion, mercy, justice, humility, love, forbearance, peace... have comprised the wisdom of ages-- our great-great... grandparents helped shape them and lived them. These are the energies that make for healthy people and healthy communities.  We let them slip from us at our peril. While many of the vices: the opposites of the virtues-- are being extolled in our (USA) government: envy, anger, retribution, fear-mongering, violence, greed, lust for power -- the hope for a better world for ourselves and children dries up. We can't let it happen. Keep your focus on the knowledge you were once given.  As Robert Fulgham once said, "We learned it all in kindergarten."  Using knowledge in sacred ways leads to wisdom not just for ourselves, but for all.