Blessings upon you all, I'm sure.
Friends, your servant-of -salvation, the humble Reverend Buddy, has been dutifully traversing the countryside, interacting with all who will have me, spreading the Word of Love like a juicy secret about a reality show starlet. Unfortunately, my story is not salacious; my tale does not appeal to the baser instincts of the human animal; my creed is not simply carnal instant-gratification.
No, my tale is the Greatest Ever Told, the story of a love so true and pure it transcends our bodies and our physical world. And these days, my friends, my story must sometimes play second fiddle to the racier TnA, melodramatic tabloid journalistic impulse-feeding tales of hatred, nationalism, race-baiting, and lowest-of the-low forms of psychotic titillation and riot-incitement. And I'm just talking about the front page of the New York Times!
Seriously, though, friends, it has ever been so. The passions of the populace have ever been inflamed by the reckless demagogues, bent on scratching the fears and phobias of the body politic into sores of civil unrest and social discord. Sometimes these rascals succeed; sometimes cooler heads prevail.
But either way, children, remember:
Love will outlast any storm, be it the fiery Holocaust, Kristallnacht; or the blight of strange fruit on the trees of the American South.
The arc is towards justice, Martin Luther King said. Dr. King, God bless him, was an optimist.
And that optimism, that belief in the ultimate goodness of people, is perhaps the deepest vein of wisdom mined by any of our greatest philosophers.
Remember, children, the faith of the multitudes bearing Good News, through flame, dungeon and sword.
There is always a voice that catches the ears of the crowd, that twists the wisdom into angry fear, a flaming passion stoked by fear of the unknown; just as there is the voice of the weary, fearful, or jaded, downplaying the deeply-felt doubt, the trepidation of good folks needing a strong voice to reassure them. And my friends, there is never a shortage of voices willing to join in the chaotic chorus of mankind, caught up in his daily fears, cares, and worries; there is no relief from the noise, it sometimes seems.
That is precisely when, my dear ones, you must seek out the serene silence of a safe place, a church, or library, or a park bench; when you need to put a little baby on your shoulder, and relax so she can fall asleep; when you should throw a red ball to a big old goofy dog, who will fetch that ball as many times as you will throw it; that is the time, my friends, when you need to take out a good book, and re-read the passages that first inspired you, and remember the heights to which your spirit had first been raised.
But friends, always resist the urge to burn the book.
Nothing good ever came from burning a book.
Seriously.
No matter how odious, objectionable, or offensive, burning a book is an act more reprehensible than the contents of any volume could ever be.
No one is saying you have to like what any book says.
No one is saying you have to agree with the contents of any volume.
Of course, books can contain evil thoughts, lies, fabrications, abominations; but they are only images, words, and ideas. If you are a Child of the Light, you are armed with the Sword of Reason, the Light of Love, the sustenance of Faith; those resources will be sufficient to keep your mind strong and your thoughts clear.
And most importantly, if you would treat the reader of any book the same as you yourself wished to be treated, you would grant him the peace and comfort necessary to read and enjoy the book he was reading.
You are not anyone's judge; there is only one Judge for each of us.
The most annoying thing about these kinds of arguments for me, folks, is the part where the followers of Jesus get cast as the Great Intolerants.
And unfortunately, there's always a toolbag somewhere willing to burn a book in God's name.
Please.
As you know, my dear flock, your pal the Reverend Buddy is not big on endorsing specific political philosophies. My goal is to cast a net of joy far and wide over all this great land, preaching virtually to all light surfers, telling the good news to everyone. But every once in a while, I've got to stop and address true craziness when I see it.
And burning books is just freakin crazy.
Have mercy on the poor souls who wish harm on each other for trying to burn books, or ban cartoons, or trying to rule others' thoughts just because they don't agree with them.
And children, though you know I am a lover and a man of peace, hear me when I say you shouldn't hesitate to fight for those freedoms, for if you're unwilling to fight for freedom, you will lose it;
but don't confuse these issues, my dear friends.
Live and let live.
We don't have to agree, but we can sure as shootin leave each other alone.
And just because some doofus somewhere wants to call attention to himself by burning books, don't think the world is ending. It's not.
There have always been a certain number among us who have thrived by sowing anger, mistrust, and ill will.
Many times these individuals have risen to power riding the waves of anger, suspicion, and fear.
But they have no power over those of us willing to take a deep breath, take out the garbage, and feed the dog.
Live your lives. Each of our lives is a precious draft draining from the glass, soon to be only a fading taste on the tongue.
Don't waste it in fear.
Don't spend your days in anger.
Drink deep your life, and belch it lustily. For I say unto you then, he who has drunk deeply of his joyous life shall never need the flames of a book-fire to warm his spirit.
And that is what I wish for you today, my dear friends:
May you always seek the truth, and be willing to face it yourself before shoving it under the noses of others;
May your faith strengthen your spirit, so you never feel threatened by the beliefs of others.
May you always be free, and cherish that freedom to the point where you are willing to fight to preserve it, for yourself and everyone else;
and may you always remember, you are loved, every moment of every day, just because you are you, in all your magnificent flawed impermanent fallible ways, and you always will be loved.
When you remember that, friends, your enemies are vanquished, and your loved ones protected, by that most powerful force in the Universe:
Love.
Feel the love. It's there, just for you.
Be the love. Verb that love, people, act it out.
Love.
And pick up a good book.
The noise will recede, and the smoke will clear.
Open your minds, and
Surf on into the Light
You can go by boat.
You can go by Kite.
Just go, go, go.
Surf on
into the Light.
I thank Dr. Seuss for inspiration
I wish you all sweet literacy.
Good night all you sweet surfers,
Your friend,
the Reverend Buddy Lee
