Several months ago I decided to (once again) change the software that powers this little site. There was no real reason for this beyond me just wanting to. So I decided to write everything from scratch.
To be clear, I can't think of many good reasons to do this. There are a bazillion ways to publish a webpage. Funnily enough, it's a touch harder to find a framework that does as little as I want: No JavaScript, no cookies, no tracking, no bloated CSS framework. But again, still a number of options.
It really just comes down to, why not? The answer to that, is, well, bugs in the code, lack of features, you can add any new sections without creating the code to support it, just to start.
But the thing is, it's my mess. My site, running in the server with just my code. Static pages, no tracking. And for an aging hacker like me, it's a lot of fun.
But even more than that, there's a craft to writing code that gets missed a lot. Especially in these days of vibe coding and AI slop. It's not just typing. And this is the problem so many people miss.
This isn't an issue around just software, of course. I'm used to hearing people who think of construction work as "just manual labor." My usually response is, "Ok, let's see you do it."
Everything looks easy when you don't know what actually goes into it. Building a house is just swinging a hammer. Software engineering is just generating lines of code.
Some of us, though, we actually enjoy the creating part, the creative part. And I know, most people don't think of "software" and "creativity" in the same breath. Most people are wrong.
So, that's most of the reason why I've written yet another bespoke blog system.
I had someone tell me today that they didn't want to politicize feeding people. I didn't argue the matter, and I understand where they're coming from. They don't want giving people food to be a Republican or Democrat issue.
I understand, but they're wrong. It is political.
Feeding people is political. Letting people go hungry is political. These are decisions we make.
By "we" I mean collectively. As an individual I cannot feed everyone, and no one expects me to do so. But as a society we decide what matters to us. All of these decisions are political. Politics is, at its most basic, making decisions for a group.
I used to buy into the idea that my Christianity was not political. That I should not be wed to any particular political party. I still believe that, though it looks to be that the people who told me that years ago no longer believe it themselves.
The reality, though, is that Christianity is political. Jesus was political. The ultimate proof of that is the reactons of people in power -- religious power, political power, economic power. He was killed because he challenged the power structure. He was a danger. The early church was persecuted because (in part) they disrupted power.
The were political, and their politics were dangerous precisely because they loved people. Not power itself, not traditions, but people.
James wrote, that, "Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
(James 1:27) Care for the helpless, the disenfranchised, the ones who were normally ignored at best, but more often used and abused. Do not be like that, James said, "keep yourself unstained." This is political.
The more I think about this, the more I realize that I was told to keep politics out of my Christianity because it kept me relatively harmless. It reduces politics to voting, and that's not it at all. Or rather, it's not just that.
Hélder Câmara said, "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist." Do things, fine, but don't question things. Help the widow, sure, but don't ask why she needs help.
As Christians we must do both.
I wrote this in my journal tonight. It's possible someone else may find this useful.
I think that's what brings me hope. Maybe it's just resolve. And maybe those are the same thing. People who want to do better, and see better things come for the people around us. Faith in a God who loves us and has not abandoned us, even when people use his name to justify evil. Regardless, I'm not alone in this, even though a lot of people want to make use feel like we are.
The simple reality is, what I'm standing against is just evil, and the one thing about evil is, it's boring. No sense of humor, no love, and thus no staying power. They'll be gone at some point and, Lord willing, we'll still be standing.
On being grateful for change
I saw someone post a quote recently and, while I can’t remember exactly who or the exact wording, the gist of it has been bouncing in my head for a few days. The quote read, more or less, “I am thankful for all the people I used to be.”
And, hoo-boy.
I routinely describe myself as a recovering asshole. Someone asked me recently, half-jokingly, “When did you know you had crossed that bridge?” Honestly I don’t even know that I have crossed it, or if I’m even close to that bridge. But I am trying.
Part of that is trying to work on gratitude. The cultivation of gratitude is something that has had an outsized impact on my life. It seems like a small thing, and at first I guess it is small. But as you go on, it has a cumulative affect that can be surprising.