Moderation in All Things...

I have a friend's blog whom I follow because of the scholarship, complexity and strength of his views and writing ability. His blog is "A Heathen's Day" at http://alheithinn.blogspot.com/ . He is Heathen (think Norse Gods and Goddesses), a proactive polytheist and a deep scholar. You may agree with him fervently, you may disagree with him violently, but it's impossible to be indifferent around him.

In one of his latest posts, Trying to Understand Extremism
(Monday, October 05, 2009, Author: Hrafnkell Haraldsson) he discusses extremism verses moderation. It got some interesting thoughts going in my head...I have spent many, many long hours struggling with the conundrum of extremism - particularly of the Christian variety.

Being a moderate - probably liberal and with a part of my path that is pagan - Christian, I have a great deal of pain in my heart over the actions of my - *sigh* - idiot brothers and sisters over in the right wingnut corner who are making life miserable for the rest of us. What drives a person to the point that they cannot see the middle of the road? Cannot walk a mile in another's shoes? Cannot see a much wider and deeper world than the narrow range they permit themselves?

Paradigms, schema...let me belabor this for a minute. A schema is a psychology term that defines - in lay person's speak - the way the human brain seems to be inclined to create frame works for organizing information. This is useful because it lets us organize information quickly based on things we have already learned. We all do it to greater and lesser degrees, beginning from infancy on up. A child is informed that the big shaggy four footed tail wagging thing that just slobbered all over him is a "dog". He repeats the word several times, in reference to other four footed tailed beings of varying shapes and sizes and is praised for remembering that they are doggys. He has a "Schema" for the concept of "dog". Then he goes out to his Uncle's farm, and there on the other side of the fence is the biggest four footed, tailed thing he has seen so far in his life - however, he has looked it over, it has four legs, yup, there's the wagging thing on the back end, and he proudly proclaims "doggy!" No, he is told to his shock and dismay! Not doggy...cow. Uh oh, no praise forth coming this time. He must form a new schema that is "not Doggy", a "cow" schema.

When you are three, this is stressful! This is huge! But you get there..."Cow!" you proudly proclaim! Praise and re-enforcement fallow. All good. At which point, your uncle comes down the field RIDING on one of the darn things! WOW! But you are good. You have your new box labeled "cow". Four legs, tail, BIG...you can handle this. So you point, and proudly say "Cow!" At which point, you are told, no dear...horsie. At which point, being three, and discovering the world is MUCH bigger than you ever thought, you have hit your expiration date, you melt down and must be consoled with ice cream!!!

Ok...humorous way of looking at it...but lets look at it in terms of a larger picture. Schema are ways of learning patterns. When the pattern does not fit, it causes stress. Fear. Anxiety. Probably has a good evolutionary basis - if the pattern didn't fit, it could be dangerous. Monotheists have a schema for one thing and one thing only. One deity. The penalty for transgressing that schema is far far worse than missing out on an ice cream cone. Aside from theological teachings that include scary things like "hell" as a consequence of stepping outside the schema, the pattern, the box; there is also the fear of rejection by ones community,the fear of getting it wrong, the stress of being outside the pattern, the safe place, the herd, the pack. Also another good survival point. However, schemas can influence and hamper the processing of new information. Hardened, limiting patterns of thinking give rise to limited or biased discourses and prejudices. A polytheist, that has a schema for varied views and multiple deities, has built into the very wiring of his or her schema a flexibility that a bred to the bone monotheist does not. A deeply conservative, right wing extremest has schemas set in concrete, and to set one foot outside them is terrifying. Fear breads hate and anger - hate and anger breed horrors. Everyone I have ever spoken with, or whose written account of their change of paths has at one time or another felt soul deep terror as the foundational schemas of their lives crumbled. I am one of them.

I spent two years consciously tearing my world views a part, struggling for identity, for understanding, fighting free of the schemas I was raised in - brainwashed in. It was a rich, holy time, a transformative time. However, since I was working my way from far extreme right wing Christianity, it was also terrifying. If you wish to read a Conservative Christian monotheists journey to polytheism and goddess worship as an example, may I recommend "Dance of the Dissident Daughter" by Sue Monk Kidd. She was a successful conservative Baptist women's author writing devotional works, when one shattering moment tore apart the foundation of her world...and she painfully left the narrow confines of her beliefs, her schemas, to seek divinity else where, in Goddesses and in the pagan roots of the world. She in effect rebuilt her schemas. And she paid dearly - she lost her career - at the time - her community turned on her, and her marriage was rocked to the ground. Small wonder so many of us take the safe road, the patterns given to us, seeking safety in extremism. See, if we are a-l-l the way over here, in the extreme corner here, then we are safe. If we are near the middle, the line, the dangerous edge, where the catalysts of change lurk, we might lose our way, our identity, our schema. When I am not actively struggling with the desire to wring my idiotic extremist Christian bretherens necks for being so narrow, prejudicial and hateful, I can feel pity for them, and sorrow for the trap they are in, for the fear they feel, for the narrow prison of their schemas. Fear becomes anger - because it is more empowering to feel anger than fear, anger and rage become hate, and with hate they justify their actions...and at the bottom of it all is a three year old yearning to get it right, to feel safe, to have boundaries without all that stress of dealing with change.

And nothing is more certain in this world than that it is not static...as a favorite song writer of mine says "The only gospel that I know is things are gonna change" (Wishing Chair - Kiya Heartwood "Fiddlin' On") Moderates have more flexibility built into their schemas. They weather change better. They see further and walk better for being able to envision someone else's views.

I always try to remember when I encounter an extremist - which living in the Bible Belt south as I do, that extremist is 99 times out of a hundred is going to be a right wing Christian - that there but for grace go I...and that fear and rigidity are the driving forces underneath their actions. It's not always possible to do. But I try.