On my birthday last Sunday, I made a wish for peace and civility. Why? I’d gotten a phone call full of hurt, fear and outrage at the country’s current situation, asking me how to address this. I decided to post a question online: “How are we going to stop all this violence, hate and threats? Can we?” I was fascinated by this response: “Can we? Peace? We have ‘all or nothing mindsets,’ and ‘like oil and water,’ two people, ideas, or things that are inherently incompatible and will not mix or get along. Yes, there is potential for resolution, but it’s tricky.”
Tricky indeed! Or maybe non-existent. One of the founders of cultural/structural anthropology, Claude Lévi-Strauss, noted that it’s human nature to distrust the outsider and have negativity toward the “Other.” That’s what I studied at Harvard in the 1960s and have struggled with ever since. Lévi-Strauss maintained that there are always cycles of intensity that can take our breath away. We’re in one now, and it’s really hard to breathe.
Later Sunday, we attended a “Comedy for Peace” program at the Christ United Methodist Church that I hoped would bring some relief. Various faith communities, including Chattanooga’s Jewish Federation, hosted Christian, Jewish and Muslim comedians. Yes, it definitely put a smile on my face.
The three comedians engaged us with stories about their lives and work that illustrated both their differences and what they have in common. Erik Angel, an Israeli-Jewish comedian, amused us with stories of being an immigrant, newlywed and a falafel fan. Katie Blunt, a Christian comedian and single mom, uses the power of laughter to challenge bully culture and build a kinder, safer world — especially for the next generation. Gibran Saleem, a Muslim-American comedian raised in Virginia and shaped by his vibrant Pakistani household, has an insightful, and hilarious, take on identity, culture and the everyday absurd.
None of the comedians were local. They typically travel around the country and sometimes around the world. They all expressed their appreciation for Chattanooga’s beauty, goodwill and friendly smiles. Let’s add our interfaith collaborations to this list of assets because the combination can provide answers to these questions: “How are we going to stop all this violence, hate, and threats?’ And ‘Can we?”