Huge U2/Bono fan! A friend on facebook posted this and I loved the article. I was amazed how well he defends his faith while still keeping good PR and not sounding like an extreme, suppressive, pushy Christan that the media wants to frame us as. I knew that U2’s lyrics often have a ‘spiritual’ or Christian base, but I guess I took Bono for either a wishy-washy Irish Catholic that claims Christianity because of heritage, or as a celeb-Mel Gibson kind of Christian that is searching for God and believes there is one, but really hasn’t chosen to follow Christ.If we can all talk about our faith like this to non-christians we would be in decent shape as a whole. Bono, just like the rest of us, is not perfect by any means, but you can tell he is at least trying and has studied how to defend his beliefs effectively. 

(Excerpt from the book Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas)

Bono: My understanding of the Scriptures has been made simple by the person of Christ. Christ teaches that God is love. What does that mean? What it means for me: a study of the life of Christ. Love here describes itself as a child born in straw poverty, the most vulnerable situation of all, without honor. I don’t let my religious world get too complicated. I just kind of go: Well, I think I know what God is. God is love, and as much as I respond [sighs] in allowing myself to be transformed by that love and acting in that love, that’s my religion. Where things get complicated for me, is when I try to live this love. Now that’s not so easy.

Assayas: What about the God of the Old Testament? He wasn’t so “peace and love”?

Bono: There’s nothing hippie about my picture of Christ. The Gospels paint a picture of a very demanding, sometimes divisive love, but love it is. I accept the Old Testament as more of an action movie: blood, car chases, evacuations, a lot of special effects, seas dividing, mass murder, adultery. The children of God are running amok, wayward. Maybe that’s why they’re so relatable. But the way we would see it, those of us who are trying to figure out our Christian conundrum, is that the God of the Old Testament is like the journey from stern father to friend. When you’re a child, you need clear directions and some strict rules. But with Christ, we have access in a one-to-one relationship, for, as in the Old Testament, it was more one of worship and awe, a vertical relationship. The New Testament, on the other hand, we look across at a Jesus who looks familiar, horizontal. The combination is what makes the Cross.

Assayas: Speaking of bloody action movies, we were talking about South and Central America last time. The Jesuit priests arrived there with the gospel in one hand and a rifle in the other.

Bono: I know, I know. Religion can be the enemy of God. It’s often what happens when God, like Elvis, has left the building. [laughs] A list of instructions where there was once conviction; dogma where once people just did it; a congregation led by a man where once they were led by the Holy Spirit. Discipline replacing discipleship. Why are you chuckling?

Assayas: I was wondering if you said all of that to the Pope the day you met him.

Bono: Let’s not get too hard on the Holy Roman Church here. The Church has its problems, but the older I get, the more comfort I find there. The physical experience of being in a crowd of largely humble people, heads bowed, murmuring prayers, stories told in stained-glass windows

Assayas: So you won’t be critical.

Bono: No, I can be critical, especially on the topic of contraception. But when I meet someone like Sister Benedicta and see her work with AIDS orphans in Addis Ababa, or Sister Ann doing the same in Malawi, or Father Jack Fenukan and his group Concern all over Africa, when I meet priests and nuns tending to the sick and the poor and giving up much easier lives to do so, I surrender a little easier.

Assayas: But you met the man himself. Was it a great experience?

Bono: [W]e all knew why we were there. The Pontiff was about to make an important statement about the inhumanity and injustice of poor countries spending so much of their national income paying back old loans to rich countries. Serious business. He was fighting hard against his Parkinson’s. It was clearly an act of will for him to be there. I was oddly moved by his humility, and then by the incredible speech he made, even if it was in whispers. During the preamble, he seemed to be staring at me. I wondered. Was it the fact that I was wearing my blue fly-shades? So I took them off in case I was causing some offense. When I was introduced to him, he was still staring at them. He kept looking at them in my hand, so I offered them to him as a gift in return for the rosary he had just given me.

Assayas: Didn’t he put them on?

Bono: Not only did he put them on, he smiled the wickedest grin you could ever imagine. He was a comedian. His sense of humor was completely intact. Flashbulbs popped, and I thought: “Wow! The Drop the Debt campaign will have the Pope in my glasses on the front page of every newspaper.”

Assayas: I don’t remember seeing that photograph anywhere, though.

Bono: Nor did we. It seems his courtiers did not have the same sense of humor. Fair enough. I guess they could see the T-shirts.

Later in the conversation: 
Assayas: I think I am beginning to understand religion because I have started acting and thinking like a father. What do you make of that?

Bono: Yes, I think that’s normal. It’s a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.

Assayas: I haven’t heard you talk about that.

Bono: I really believe we’ve moved out of the realm of Karma into one of Grace.

Assayas: Well, that doesn’t make it clearer for me.

Bono: You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics; in physical laws every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It’s clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I’m absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “as you reap, so you will sow” stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.

Assayas: I’d be interested to hear that.

Bono: That’s between me and God. But I’d be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I’d be in deep s—-. It doesn’t excuse my mistakes, but I’m holding out for Grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiosity.

Assayas: The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.

Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there’s a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let’s face it, you’re not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled . It’s not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.

Assayas: That’s a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it’s close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world’s great thinkers. But Son of God, isn’t that farfetched?

Bono: No, it’s not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn’t allow you that. He doesn’t let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I’m not saying I’m a teacher, don’t call me teacher. I’m not saying I’m a prophet. I’m saying: “I’m the Messiah.” I’m saying: “I am God incarnate.” And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You’re a bit eccentric. We’ve had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don’t mention the “M” word! Because, you know, we’re gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you’re expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he’s gonna keep saying this. So what you’re left with is: either Christ was who He said He was the Messiah or a complete nutcase. I mean, we’re talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we’ve been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had “King of the Jews” on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I’m not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that’s farfetched

Bono later says it all comes down to how we regard Jesus:

Bono: If only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my s—- and everybody else’s. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was He just a religious nut? And there it is, and that’s the question. And no one can talk you into it or out of it.

I was driving into work this morning through downtown Indianapolis, amidst the chaos of morning traffic and this thought just came to me and then I expounded upon it. Life is basically like driving on a four lane highway during rush hour. Everyone is just coexisting side by side, only interacting when absolutely necessary. You might see some of the same cars everyday, but probably not. Some people travel in the same direction as you for a while, but ultimately the company with the same destination as you thins as you draw closer to it. Your fellow roads-men don’t like to be hindered or slowed down, especially not by a person in need or crisis (however major or minor-flat tire, pulled over by the cops, five-car pile up because someone spilled their coffee on themselves). Being self-centered is a common affliction. Also be sure not to ride on someone’s coat tails for too long, lest you become to close and the unwelcome guest. Develop this habit and it will result in rear-ending someone and making you look like the ass. 

People spend most of their time looking behind them to see where they’ve been and who is about to surpass them. They might spend even more time looking side to side to see, in comparison, what the other guy is driving and if he is going to let you pass him. People become to rash when looking side to side often. They begin to see people next to them moving faster and think, “Hmm, I want to be in that lane!” All the lanes are the same and eventually the ‘new found lane’ will slow down as well (because everyone had the same thought as you did, and probably before you did) and you may even begin to miss your old lane, but if you’re a really ambitious guy you’ll take your chances at the unknown and hop on over into that fast lane on the far left. What will probably happen then is you’ll get going too fast and at the very least miss  the exit you were suppose to take and now that opportunity has passed you by. You will have to take the long way around now and maybe a few detours to get back to your original destination that God had planned for you, all because you thought you were the smart one and could handle going too fast. In hindsight, if you actually make it to your destination, it doesn’t seem that bad. Only a little detour, only a little lost time, only a few bumps and dings in the hood, only a few extra miles on the tires, no big deal. Which is why tomorrow you will make the exact same decisions, and get caught up in the flow of traffic. Maybe someday you’ll learn that although less traveled, full of pot holes and cause nausea, the back roads will get you there with less incident and more satisfaction. Maybe some day you’ll go out on a limb, turn on the gps and follow it down the winding, curving, somewhat dangerous, but more comforting and calm back roads.

It is hard for the average person to be “carpe diem” about their life when everyday looks identical. They are just going through the same motions everyday. This is the root of so many problems. That state of mind causes people to become indifferent and un-passionate(not a word) about their lives. They loose their pride because they have become numb to the world they live in. This is part of the reason our nation is struggling with unemployment as well as the economy. People have no work ethic because they are not passionate about what they do, eventually, even if they are at a six figure job, nothing can drive them to work hard, not even money. No one works, creates, invents, make money(so therefore can’t spend money)=bad economy. This attitude is also the cause of the growing number of people with emotional/mental disorders. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results merits insanity, as we’ve all heard. It’s no wonder people are loosing it! They have/had and idealistic life in mind, but have no idea how and no drive to obtain it. They want their lives to be spiced up, but it’s never going to happen. The entertainment world and Hollywood are partly to blame for this. The amount of media that is pumped out every year does a pretty good job of keeping a large percentage of people like I’m talking about subdued. They are content to go through the motions as long as after their long day is over, they can live vicariously through some form of media. MTV Cribs, Mad Men, Entourage; all shows that focus on the superficial and allow the viewer to fantasize about being in that near unattainable environment. Films satisfy the same need, but are somewhat different since i feel that most films were an attempt at art; a quest of the director to express himself or reveal some message, whereas I feel that most TV shows are simply a ‘quick-fix’ entertainment device. Even sports can satisfy this vicarious need. They get just enough satisfaction everyday so that maybe, just maybe they can go to work the next day without killing themselves (although suicide rates are up this year so it must be loosing its effectiveness). This is my evaluation of the average American, probably the average person in the world. It could be argued that people in other countries have it worse. They may work the same kind of mindless job as a U.S. citizen, but may not even be able to reap any benefits because they live in a dictatorship or communistic society; and most definitely don’t make as much money and don’t have the same copping mechanisms at their disposal to deal with their problems. Basically this is how I perceive the majority of people at this point. Unhappy, unsatisfied, tired, bored, and flirting with insanity (in fact insanity would be encouraged at this point because it would make one exciting and unique; make them stand out. Maybe our definition of insanity is off. Maybe insanity would be a good thing for some of these people because they could be happy within themselves; free of the judgement and standards of the world. So does that mean happiness, independent of the average routine and stereotypical daily lifestyle is insane?)

Today I was sitting in the mall eating my lunch by the floor to ceiling windows and the elevators, downtown indy. A woman walked up to the elevator, pushed the button, waited a second, the door opened she walked in, pushed a button, the doors closed. Less than 2 seconds (not much exaggeration) the doors opened again. Same woman. The elevator had clearly not gone anywhere, but she stepped out and walked away and then quickly retreated to the elevator once again once she realized it was the same floor! Later, a man walked up, clicked button, and started looking around while he waited. He turned his back on the doors, they opened with a ding but he failed to notice until the doors had already closed and were traveling back down the shaft to someone with relative elevator awareness and operating skills!