Find The Human In It

Protesting on Saturday was interesting. I arrived fashionably late at the Tesla dealership on Arden Blvd. (11:20 a.m.) and took my usual spot, right by the driveway, baking in the full sun and waving two signs. 

At noon, most protesters left, but some headed over to the new protest folks had started at the intersection of Howe and Arden. Since I arrived late I stayed at Tesla until I was the only one left. (I like being the only protester, but fewer people honk when you are the only one out there.) 

At 1 p.m., I decided to head over to Howe and Arden and introduce myself to the people there. There was more traffic, and even more support from passing motorists. There were a few grumps too. For several weeks we've been keeping an eye on the Good Humor man of the neighborhood, who drives past with his popsicles saying cranky things. On Saturday, I thought I heard him say "There is no butterflies...." but perhaps I misunderstood. 

Afterwards, I ate lunch with the organizers of this particular demonstration: two brothers, and their friend, from SoCal. The brothers explained their unusual path. 

Both brothers were from a small California town (which was also the site of a prison) and were raised as fundamentalist Christians. The older brother had been a Christian minister for 15 years. The younger brother was rules-focused and worked at the prison, where rules are all. Both would describe themselves as being on the hard right. 

"I can easily remember my approach to illegal immigration," the younger brother explained. "You create a rule. You set up little stations every few feet along the border that emit poison gas. No one can cross. Period. Problem solved!" 

Then, something happened. They both received a challenge (whether through their faith, or elsewhere, was unclear). The challenge was: "Find the human in it." "So, no matter what rule I might think of, no matter how perfect the rule might be, I now had to figure out how a fallible human trapped in the system being might have to deal with it." 

Lo and behold, in the face of this challenge to find the human angle in rules-based systems, the brothers' entire Christian faith spun away from them. Even more surprising, for the first time in their lives, they found themselves politically on the Left. 

And so now, the brothers organize protests. "I sometimes feel like I have Imposter's Syndrome." the younger brother explained, "I know exactly how right-wingers think, because until five years ago I was one myself, but as long as I 'find the human in it,' I'll be all right."