Connection

Last week, my brother Nick asked me my thoughts on the patriarchal order.

I had to think about it for a moment, but then this thought came flowing into my mind. The kind of thought that makes you seem really smart--but you're learning just as much as the person you're speaking to...

I told him that the patriarchal order was a doctrine of cooperation. Only together, helping one another, can we truly be saved. We are linked to one another. And yes--it goes from the Father, to the Son, to the Man, to the Woman. But, I don't really see Jesus and Heavenly Father duking it out in the sky because the Father is first in the order. The idea is that as husband and wife, you work together to follow the Lord. If one person is weak, the other strengthens and encourages the other person--because as much as we value the individual spirit and agency--it does matter if your neighbor, friend, spouse, sister, or brother is struggling.

It is a doctrine that reminds us of the significance of our connections to one another. Am I my brother's keeper? Yes.

In that way, the Patriarchal Order reminds me why I choose to be more liberal leaning.

I believe that as a community we have the power to help one another and make the world a better place. I believe in the value of supporting our community and raising one another up. I see the conservative agenda as more focused on the individual--individual freedoms and needs. While I believe in the power of the individual--I believe that a society is better governed when the values of community and relationships across classes are upheld.

To put it simply--as much as I personally admire the libertarian notions--I have a hard time voting into a government office a representative who doesn't believe in the value of government.

(And we wonder why this Congress isn't passing any legislation...)

Today I am grateful for the Patriarchal Order, the blessing of connection, the blessing of community and supporting one another in our respective journeys here on earth, and the blessing of the sweet sugar encrusted muffin that I am about to eat.