Lines from
Linda
FOR STARTERS columns
Let ’ s calm down , step back and think
M
10 Terre Haute Living • March 2022
ovement . Creepy , crawly movement was occurring on my left side . I carefully turned my head to see what was happening . Then … surprise attack by a huge , tan shielded smelly creature with long antenna ! I jumped ! Who wouldn ’ t ! I was under siege by a stink bug ! Warning : I suspect they are also on your window sills , ceilings and walls . Disgusting creatures .
When I began researching stink bugs , I was hoping to find the name “ stink ” bug which implies a smelly , non-useful bug , applied to all stink bugs . Unfortunately , there is a family member called soldier bugs which look almost identical to but function differently than your run-of-the-mill stink bug . Which probably means one stink bug out of the million crawling around your house is beneficial . In my opinion those are not good enough odds to make me pick one up , carefully check out its markings , and give it all the love I can . Loving a stink bug is not going to happen at my house . I say , “ Squash that bug , now !”
Why , you ask , did I research stink bugs ? Good question . I began thinking about our purpose as people and not as bugs on this Earth . Our house is seemingly covered with stink bugs . How are people different from these bugs ? What is our purpose ? What are our options ? I ’ ve learned through researching skinks and now stink bugs that creatures in the animal world are savvy critters . They spend most of their time eating . I see nothing wrong with that . I spend a fair amount of my time eating , too ! However , I hope people are driven to a higher purpose than looking for where to find their next hamburger .
Pastor Rick Warren wrote a book entitled “ The Purpose Driven Life .” I have never read this book but I do like its title . It makes me think about what my purpose is . Collecting a room full of fabric is good but I suspect there is more to living than this . What is our purpose as humans who people the Earth ?
I think it ’ s simple : We are to be wise about the choices we make by making choices to benefit the Earth and its people . Claiming this as a purpose and living it out can be difficult . We all want to mimic the soldier bug by wearing a shield meant to proclaim our purpose for good and as wisdom-focused people who want to help make the world a good place to live . We don ’ t want to be stink bugs who spread ugly smells , destroy property and hurt others .
I spend way too much of my time pondering ; I should probably spend more time doing dishes , cleaning closets or folding laundry . Nah , I ’ d rather ponder . Things like if there were pink people , green people , purple people and turquoise people , who would be the “ correct ” color ? Things like what would happen if orange and turquoise polka dot people mated with purple people ? What if the results were all purple with little turquoise sprinkles or orange with purple stripes dotted with turquoise ? What is the correct result ? Discovering your purpose means thinking things through . What is correct and why ? Sometimes the popular answer is not the morally correct answer .
Lots of people are deep thinkers about the “ correct color ” for people . Seems like a poor use of precious energy when you make judgments about people based on their color . I like a world filled with people who are brown , black , yellow or maybe even pink , purple , green or blue , like the Smurfs ! In my purpose-driven life I choose to be around people who are not all the same . Different is good !
Recently I told my friend Bonnie I sometimes felt guilty for being white . There ’ s a lot of talk about being a racist or how discrimination is prevalent in America . I sometimes feel as if it were wrong to be a white girl growing up in suburban Indianapolis . She asked why I felt guilty ; after all , I didn ’ t have anything to do with my being white . I ’ m just white . Being white does not mean I automatically perpetuate hatred . Being white can mean I act like a soldier bug rather than a stink bug . I get to choose how I use my whiteness . I can use it to move people and situations forward toward the good . Being a person of any race invites all people who are just people to find their purpose and guide their abilities toward goodness . Some who read this article will not only object to the statements about color and people but will also object to the use of “ soldier ” because they think of soldiers as makers of war and not keepers of peace . I say , let ’ s all calm down , step back , and think . Think , think , think . Congratulations to those who think and choose to live a purpose-driven life based on goodness . Hurrah for solider bugs ! Boo to stink bugs !
Linda Snider is a retired United Methodist minister . In addition to pastoring churches for 33 years , she served as a chaplain for Goodwill Industries and as a spiritual guide in a faith based program at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute . She has two daughters , two grandsons and three dogs . Reach her at linesfromlinda @ yahoo . com .