Dan: Congratulations on your promotion.
But my question is: How old are you? You said you are middle-aged, but something more specific would be helpful. You see, that's the other metric which is often used in the media to pigeonhole people. It's sort of annoying, but I have to admit that in a way it sort of makes sense. Age tells us how much life experience a person has as well as what his/her generational outlook might be. After all, there is a considerable difference between a 93-year-old and a 23-year-old.
"Homeowner" is also used at times to pigeonhole, although perhaps less so now than in the past. After all, homeownership is part of the so-called American dream. If one is a homeowner, one has achieved a certain status as opposed to those scumbags who are renting or living in their parents' basement. (Lest anyone take my remarks literally, I'm being sarcastic by the using the term "scumbags". )
Speaking of America, I don't know where you live, but a long time ago some newspapers in the United States used "negro" as a status marker. Usually this was in a negative light, as in: "John Smith, negro, was arrested for stealing chickens from Farmer Jones." That let the reader know right away that Mr. Smith was sort of a subhuman type and could be expected to be a chicken thief. Voila, Mr. Smith was successfully pigeonholed!
Thankfully, we've left the "negro" nonsense behind, but the point is that all of these terms are used to help us pigeonhole and make sense of what we read or hear. Some, like age, may make some sort of sense, and some, like race or ethnicity, have thankfully largely --- though not totally --- been consigned to the dustbin of history. But maybe we should all be a little more objective and accepting of each other.
Finally, I am impressed by your writing. You explore many good ideas, which is, after all, what good writing is all about. I can imagine that it must have been frustrating not to be able to explore all those ideas with your congregants when you were a pastor, lest you be accused of heresy. We are all now beneficiaries of your excellent insights.
