LA Times Pope Commentary - perspective - Rocks in the River

In the LA Times Commentary section there was an article written about the Papal See’s comments on condom use.  The article was about the media circus surrounding a misunderstanding and rapid re-interpretation of Church doctrine.  I am not going to go into it, but the facts are; Pope used the word “condom”, no one read the rest of what he said, media claimed a ‘policy’ change regarding contraception, now after reading for more than a split second it is clear ‘policy’ is the same, but there was an acknowledgement that in some cases even a harm can be the “first step in the direction of a moralization, a first act of responsibility in developing anew an awareness of the fact that not everything is permissible.”

From the article I liked the author’s father’s quote: “we need more rocks in the river.”  This is not a theological discussion blog, but what can we take from this media spat?  Answer: Perspective.  The Pope, just like everyone else, knows evil to good in a heartbeat in unlikely if not impossible.  We all move through shades of grey until we get it right.  In some cases the lesser of two evils can be seen as a step in the right direction instead of condemning it as straight evil.  Regardless of what side you fall on the issue, doesn’t matter; if you are self aware you are a rock in the river.  When self aware you can adjust your perspective from what seems bad, to something that is bad but a step towards good.  You do not get swept away with each fad but are not completely adverse to change either.  The river rock sits at the bottom and allows water flow and it becomes comfortable, stable, yet malleable and accommodating.

Fitness and life in general separate river rocks from river sediment.  The sediment is at the mercy of the water and simply seeks a place to rest momentarily before the next current drags it near its end, the sea.  What does the sea hold, hell I don’t know, but I can affirm sediment does not stand a chance.  The rocks however, stay and do what works for them with full knowledge that although there are other paths out there, they choose their own, they remain, acknowledging the changes and adjust but remain true to their core.