How to Avoid Getting Swept Up

     It’s easy to get swept up into causes these days. But before I do, I’m asking myself a tough, nonpartisan question - what’s the best way to focus my passions?
     An ancient Hebrew sage named Isaiah, who also lived in troubling times, exhorted his culture to be socially active in three ways: exercising justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God. Hmmm, do some who seek justice today need to grow in giving mercy? Should some who seek mercy instead render justice? And could both sides of an issue drop the swagger that they are totally “right” and humbly recognize there’s a moral code - if not a God - higher than their thoughts? 
     I’m also reminded of  Jesus of Nazareth, who warned how ridiculous it is to try to harvest good fruit from thorn bushes. Do I excuse “little flaws” in a politician, a party, or a platform because “it’s the best choice available?” Do I believe the end justifies the means, not realizing the meanness of the means may swallow up any good achieved?
     Am I compromising, doing something I know is wrong - like spouting sarcastic, arrogant, hateful words - to support what I believe is right? Am I willing to admit that some of my convictions might be wrong? Does my passion need to turn into compassion?
     Questions without simple answers, but before I get swept up in a cause, I’d better be aware that I can get swept away with it.