Caitlyn Jenner Is Every Single One of Us
Bruce Jenner is dead....
This saddens me a bit as I enjoyed Track and Field in both high school and college and I even competed in a couple of Decathlons...not well mind you...but I did them. So naturally Bruce Jenner, the legend that he was in the sport, was an iconic symbol of everything I was striving for at that time in my life.
There has already been and will continue to be a lot of attention devoted to the emergence of Caitlyn Jenner and like it or not, Caitlyn represents every human on Earth. Not to get all Bible-ish on everyone, but isn't this the exact story of Eden? Let's go back and take a second look at the ancient tale. It begins with God creating a creature in "His" image, that creature being mankind. Mankind enjoys being mankind for awhile but then an opportunity is presented by a crafty serpent that if mankind wants to, they can actually become gods. Once this is presented, mankind become eager to shed their humanity and adorn themselves with the shroud of the divine.......only problem was......it didn't work.
I am convinced that at least part of the story of Genesis is not so much about the "sin" as much as it was about the intent. They intended to become something other than what they were. They were already "like God" in that they were made in God's image, but they rejected that image in an attempt to become what they wished they were......Gods. When it failed, they did not simply return to being human, no, now that they were aware that there could be more, they became ashamed of their humanity, hiding in the bushes and covering their bodies with fig leaves....the same bodies about which they had previously felt no shame........the same bodies that were made in the image of God. What must it say to God for us to have been made in His image and then for us to reject that image and cover it up?? I would imagine it would be pretty discouraging to say the least.
And that folks is were we stand to this very day. We are the only species on Earth that covers its body out of shame. In fact, its actually ILLEGAL not to have your body covered up in certain circumstances in most parts of the world. ILLEGAL to simply be human. But that's just the beginning, we cover our hearts significantly more than our bodies. We hide our feelings and manipulate one another like crazy. To be real, to be authentic, to be human is really foreign to all of us. We are all constantly rejecting ourselves, covering our bodies and changing our appearances. The fashion and cosmetic industries make billions every year treating our insecurities. I don't like the way I AM so I'll become something I wish I was. Then we want people to accept us for who and what we are when we are often the first person to reject ourselves. So before we dump on Caitlyn Jenner or praise her, remember either way, she's just like all of us, she rejected who she was and pursued what she wished she was...maybe on a bigger scale than most, but its the same game we all play.
I find it interesting the only thing Jesus every flipped out about was hypocrisy, in short, being something other than what you really are. He mentioned that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we must become like little children, who fittingly are the most authentic people in the world.
I also find it interesting that when God identified Himself in the Old Testament it was simply "I AM" a statement of complete and total acceptance of who He was and is. We humans on the other hand, even while created in His image, can't really say that. Most of us reject I AM in favor of I WISH....
This saddens me a bit as I enjoyed Track and Field in both high school and college and I even competed in a couple of Decathlons...not well mind you...but I did them. So naturally Bruce Jenner, the legend that he was in the sport, was an iconic symbol of everything I was striving for at that time in my life.
There has already been and will continue to be a lot of attention devoted to the emergence of Caitlyn Jenner and like it or not, Caitlyn represents every human on Earth. Not to get all Bible-ish on everyone, but isn't this the exact story of Eden? Let's go back and take a second look at the ancient tale. It begins with God creating a creature in "His" image, that creature being mankind. Mankind enjoys being mankind for awhile but then an opportunity is presented by a crafty serpent that if mankind wants to, they can actually become gods. Once this is presented, mankind become eager to shed their humanity and adorn themselves with the shroud of the divine.......only problem was......it didn't work.
I am convinced that at least part of the story of Genesis is not so much about the "sin" as much as it was about the intent. They intended to become something other than what they were. They were already "like God" in that they were made in God's image, but they rejected that image in an attempt to become what they wished they were......Gods. When it failed, they did not simply return to being human, no, now that they were aware that there could be more, they became ashamed of their humanity, hiding in the bushes and covering their bodies with fig leaves....the same bodies about which they had previously felt no shame........the same bodies that were made in the image of God. What must it say to God for us to have been made in His image and then for us to reject that image and cover it up?? I would imagine it would be pretty discouraging to say the least.
And that folks is were we stand to this very day. We are the only species on Earth that covers its body out of shame. In fact, its actually ILLEGAL not to have your body covered up in certain circumstances in most parts of the world. ILLEGAL to simply be human. But that's just the beginning, we cover our hearts significantly more than our bodies. We hide our feelings and manipulate one another like crazy. To be real, to be authentic, to be human is really foreign to all of us. We are all constantly rejecting ourselves, covering our bodies and changing our appearances. The fashion and cosmetic industries make billions every year treating our insecurities. I don't like the way I AM so I'll become something I wish I was. Then we want people to accept us for who and what we are when we are often the first person to reject ourselves. So before we dump on Caitlyn Jenner or praise her, remember either way, she's just like all of us, she rejected who she was and pursued what she wished she was...maybe on a bigger scale than most, but its the same game we all play.
I find it interesting the only thing Jesus every flipped out about was hypocrisy, in short, being something other than what you really are. He mentioned that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we must become like little children, who fittingly are the most authentic people in the world.
I also find it interesting that when God identified Himself in the Old Testament it was simply "I AM" a statement of complete and total acceptance of who He was and is. We humans on the other hand, even while created in His image, can't really say that. Most of us reject I AM in favor of I WISH....
Good thoughts, my friend. I like how your mind boils things down to the real issue, not the perceived issue.
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