We Have Met the Enemy

Here's one of those things that's going to date me. When I was a kid of the popular and sometimes controversial comic strips was one called "Pogo," done by Walt Kelly. Pogo was both funny and political, doing for the 1950's what "Li'l Abner" did for the 60's, what "Doonesbury" did for the 70's and 80's, what "Bloom County"did for the 90's, and I guess "Non-Sequiter" and who knows what is doing now. "Pogo" hit its stride in the so-called "McCarthy Era," Specifically, Walt Kelly's strip poked fun at the uniquely American brand of fascism; the very fear-and-hate-mongering type of politics that many Americans had just given their lives in Europe and Asia to overcome.

Pogo himself was an opossum, inhabiting the Okefenokee (sp.?) swamp with an alligator, an owl, a turtle, and a host of other characters bearing striking and intentional resemblance to political figures of the day. Ostensibly an innocent bystander to the "politics" of the swamp, Pogo was in fact the voice of wisdom in the midst of madness. Arguably, Pogo's best known quote, issued in a story line of ridiculous paranoia and blame-gaming, is this: "We have met the enemy, and he is us!"

True. All of us are quick to assign blame when things go sour for us in our life journey, starting with the one at the keyboard now. In fact, though, more often than not we are at least the co-authors of our circumstances. In no way am I discounting the reality of spiritual warfare (attacks from the evil one) or real disturbance and damage caused by people acting on harmful motives. Still, especially for those of us who enjoy circumstances the rest of the world would regard as "privileged," few of us are pure victims. Jesus spoke about guarding our own hearts first, removing the mote in our eye before we go after the speck in the eye of someone else, etc. Too often what incites us in others is in fact a reflection of what we hide and/or deny in ourselves.

Change in others starts with change in us. Just my thoughts...I'll see you around the next bend in the river.