Trigger Happy

It's been about two months since I left social media. Every now and then I will run across a Daily Wire article on my wife's phone, or rely on her to post something for me on Marketplace. But all in all, I've moved out of the furnace into more temperate mental climates. It's a little more boring with less drama, but I'm past the withdraw period and slowly gaining back some vacancy in my previously-packed brain.

In the thick of it, though, I would take on a lot of burdens and anxieties that, perhaps, I didn't have to. I bought a good hundred pounds of dried beans and lentils when I heard something about a meat-shortage on Facebook (that never happened). It's been a few months since the November election and while gas prices are creeping up, my family and I are not being hunted down and crucified in the street and my day to day hasn't changed much. It's not that there aren't dangers, of course (ie, the frog in hot water). It's just that the amplification of everything has...dialed down.  

Two nice things about having a non-monetized blog--I write what I want, when I want, and I never consider it 'work;' and I don't have to rely on click-bait to pay the mortgage. I'm not sure news outlets and political pundits--whether liberal or conservative--who are reliant on likes and scour the landscape for the next raging inferno to report on have this luxury, but it's also a chosen career where, I'm sure, they do pretty well.

But old ways die hard, and when I got the email from my employer for mandatory (virtual) "diversity and inclusion" training, my alarm bells went off. What would this entail, exactly? Will it be like a Clockwork-Orange, forced to have my eyelids held open and viewed against my will? Would it threaten my faith, put me in a precarious moral predicament, like stepping on the fumie? Would the content be objectionable? What if I refused? And should I on some kind of general religious grounds?

Since it was a slower day at work, I ended up logging in and going through the hour-long module on my computer to get it out of the way. I was bracing for the worst. In reality, it was relatively benign.

Was it PC? Sure. That's the point. Content wise, it ran the gambit-- stereotypes, racial discrimination and unintended bias and assumptions, 'micro-aggressions,' disabilities, issues of "privilege and power," identity, gender and sexual discrimination, and, yes, even religion. The thrust was that diversity is a strength to any organization, not a liability, and inclusion means fostering a welcoming environment in which to work.

Once I got past my initial 'lock the arms' defensiveness and relaxed a little, I realized something: I actually value these things too. Do I really want to work with all white, middle class Catholic men? Not really. Is there value in having different viewpoints, backgrounds, and perspectives? Of course. Do I want to work in an unwelcoming environment that would discriminate against me for maybe the most obvious source of identity in my case (religion)? No, I wouldn't. Do I value mutual respect? One hundred percent. Though I might not agree with all the assumptions, I found rather than being a kind of boogie-man, it was presented rather respectfully without any militant undertones. 

I have a bad habit of jumping to conclusions--when someone doesn't return a call or text, I think I did something wrong, or their lying dead in a ditch somewhere, when the simple explanation is they just might not have seen it, or been busy at the time. I also tend to think in worst-case, fatalistic scenarios.

I've always had a fear--maybe after reading too many Crisis articles or simply from being fanned the flames of incendiary rhetoric from conservative news sources--that is was just a matter of time before I was cornered into some kind of Title IX sting-op where I'd be forced to go against my faith and affirm something I didn't ascribe to against my will, and be disciplined or fired as a result. 

Even though I'm the only conservative I know on campus and person of faith that believes what the Church teaches (which can be lonely at times) I have a genuinely good working relationship with my team, with the faculty, the administration, and the students. I imagine most are left-learning. A fair number are gay. Because we are a public institution, we have to be inclusive, and there have been efforts to increase diversity as well. And I don't necessarily think this is a nefarious thing, if one operates under the assumption that it's not just lip service but that they are at least consciously devoted to some kind of common-good.

As Catholics, we belong to a "big tent" religion that is, in fact, diverse and inclusive, at least in the invitation. It's mission--to lead souls to Heaven through belief in the saving power of Jesus Christ--may be different from that of a place of employment, but we do see value in different rites, spiritualities, and ways of living out our respective vocations. Christ is the head, and we are His body. As St. Paul says, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28).

There's a balancing act that goes on when working in the world as a Christian. Diversity and inclusion is a double-edged sword--if you are required not to discriminate or stereotype minorities, or those who are disabled, or those who identify as gay or trans or whatever, it should be expected that Christians should not be either. 

We know it happens. We know we also gain merit when we are hated for Christ's name sake (Mt 10:22), and that our reward is not on this side of eternity. We are called to love, and respect the dignity of all men as children of God. One doesn't need to be ashamed of affirming this, as if they were a traitor to some kind of partisan litmus stick. We take our lashes with a smile, stand firm, tell the truth. But we don't need to egg on our perceived oppressors in order to earn the crown. If we are true to our faith, the time will come when God wills it, and He will give us the words to say at our trial (Mk 13:11). I try to keep an open-mind about things, though I know what I believe and where I stand, which makes it easier to do so, I think. I try not to judge people or make assumptions, anymore than I would like to be judged, but let things rest on their merits while valuing respect. I know all this sounds kind of hokey, but it is scriptural that "they will know us by our love" (Jn 13:35). 

I'm not trying to score any points with anyone here. Maybe if things took a more militant-bent of forcing ideologies, I'd be writing a different post. But in terms of this recent diversity and inclusion training, it wasn't anything to get up in arms about. We'll be ready for what comes if we cleave to Christ and our faith, and stand firm. But we don't have to be so taunt that we break at the slightest bow or perceived threat. Always be respectful, always smile, always tell the truth. Don't back away from anything, but don't give anyone who wishes to frame you ammunition to do so. I'm sure bigger things are coming down the pipeline. So pray, hope, and don't worry. Be wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove. And like Mother Teresa, always smile. They will know us by our love.