"The proof is in the pudding.”
I am sure that many of us grew up hearing our grandmother or some other wise person repeat some version of the proverb, “The proof is in the pudding.” Certainly, I heard this from Grandma Fannie but also versions of it from parents, other wise relatives, and teachers.
The original proverb was “The proof is in the eating.” Pudding then referred to a kind of sausage which was an intestine of some animal filled with minced meat and other things. That kind of food could be problematic.
If one watches the news or has followed the events of the recent past it would appear that we are a deeply divided country. The magic of social medial or other instant ways of exchanging opinions has made it easy to fuel the discourse of difference. The storming of the United States Capital; the feeding of racist views; the policies of hate; and many other actions have amplified the fact that many in the United States and elsewhere have opinions which seem to sharply divide them/us.
I am reminded of some surveys in the early days of the AIDs epidemic. Aids was thought to be a gay plague, There was a movement to reinstitute laws making homosexual activity illegal. There was even a movement to round homosexuals up and create a state which kept the evil of homosexuality in that space. Some of the national polls and surveys indicated many would vote, if given the chance, in favor of those repressive laws. Yet, when adult homosexual children with aids came home - often to die – communities gathered to love and support the individuals and the families. “The proof was in the pudding.”
When parents, Grandma Fannie or others checked my homework or the progress of some farm task, they were not interested in what I said but in the result. Was I learning? Was the chicken house clean? Had I done a good job of hoeing the garden? Did I hold the bucking bar steady?
When Israeli’s and Palestinians meet as neighbors around the kitchen table they find they are more similar than different. When there is a community emergency or crisis such as a flood, fire or a need for food often many people are there to help. They are not concerned with political party, race, gender or sexual orientation ,but what they can do to help.
I have often noted that those whose political views seem the polar oppositive; those who might support what I perceive as a very mean and discriminatory approaches to governing are the first one to appear when someone is in need.
Even in Congress when someone has an ill family member or colleague the community gathers with words of comfort and offers of practical help.
As we in the United States begin a new chapter perhaps we could focus on the goals we have in common. If we disagree about how to achieve those goals we can keep returning to the shared goals. We seem to often to demonize each other or the method of achieving a goal.
Certainly, racism is ugly and not acceptable. Yet perhaps we could see the fear beneath the racism and explore other ways of assuaging that fear. We may disagree about the source of the fear, but we can all identify with fear.
I am not suggesting that we can easily retrain ourselves to focus on the “proof in the eating”, but I am suggesting that all of us want to feel safe, loved, and respected. Those of us who think the only way to achieve these goals is at the expense of others need to be shown another more effective way which honors our common goals and humanity. The proof is in the eating.
Written January 22, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
I am sure that many of us grew up hearing our grandmother or some other wise person repeat some version of the proverb, “The proof is in the pudding.” Certainly, I heard this from Grandma Fannie but also versions of it from parents, other wise relatives, and teachers.
The original proverb was “The proof is in the eating.” Pudding then referred to a kind of sausage which was an intestine of some animal filled with minced meat and other things. That kind of food could be problematic.
If one watches the news or has followed the events of the recent past it would appear that we are a deeply divided country. The magic of social medial or other instant ways of exchanging opinions has made it easy to fuel the discourse of difference. The storming of the United States Capital; the feeding of racist views; the policies of hate; and many other actions have amplified the fact that many in the United States and elsewhere have opinions which seem to sharply divide them/us.
I am reminded of some surveys in the early days of the AIDs epidemic. Aids was thought to be a gay plague, There was a movement to reinstitute laws making homosexual activity illegal. There was even a movement to round homosexuals up and create a state which kept the evil of homosexuality in that space. Some of the national polls and surveys indicated many would vote, if given the chance, in favor of those repressive laws. Yet, when adult homosexual children with aids came home - often to die – communities gathered to love and support the individuals and the families. “The proof was in the pudding.”
When parents, Grandma Fannie or others checked my homework or the progress of some farm task, they were not interested in what I said but in the result. Was I learning? Was the chicken house clean? Had I done a good job of hoeing the garden? Did I hold the bucking bar steady?
When Israeli’s and Palestinians meet as neighbors around the kitchen table they find they are more similar than different. When there is a community emergency or crisis such as a flood, fire or a need for food often many people are there to help. They are not concerned with political party, race, gender or sexual orientation ,but what they can do to help.
I have often noted that those whose political views seem the polar oppositive; those who might support what I perceive as a very mean and discriminatory approaches to governing are the first one to appear when someone is in need.
Even in Congress when someone has an ill family member or colleague the community gathers with words of comfort and offers of practical help.
As we in the United States begin a new chapter perhaps we could focus on the goals we have in common. If we disagree about how to achieve those goals we can keep returning to the shared goals. We seem to often to demonize each other or the method of achieving a goal.
Certainly, racism is ugly and not acceptable. Yet perhaps we could see the fear beneath the racism and explore other ways of assuaging that fear. We may disagree about the source of the fear, but we can all identify with fear.
I am not suggesting that we can easily retrain ourselves to focus on the “proof in the eating”, but I am suggesting that all of us want to feel safe, loved, and respected. Those of us who think the only way to achieve these goals is at the expense of others need to be shown another more effective way which honors our common goals and humanity. The proof is in the eating.
Written January 22, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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