My Facebook Status/Question on the Cheapness of Taco Bell and the Quest for Truth

Facebook is becoming a world of its own. It is truly amazing how Facebook has evolved into one of the premier networking sites. It really feels like my own little kingdom, with my own little friends that have decided to be in my kingdom. It is even more amazing in how I have convinced myself , that updating my Facebook status via twitter really matters to those that have decided to reside in this kingdom. I can just imagine that my "friends list" reaches a complete halt in what they are doing, in their anticipation of my status update. I still have not mastered the art of the update, however I choose to do so often anyways.

The other day I decided to relay a question/thought via Facebook status. I had just gone to Taco Bell, and it prompted a thought process that I felt the urgency to be shared. I absolutely love Taco Bell. There is a satisfaction that I receive in knowing that I can eat so cheaply and enjoy the process, at least for the most part. But there is still one lingering question that I decided to pose on Facebook, in the form that is only acceptable on Facebook, third person that is.

Here is the question:

"Dan is wondering how Taco Bell can make their product so cheap?"

I think its a fair question!

Here is one of the response I got from the question I posed:

"don't look into it any further. it will ruin that great feeling you get from such a cheap lunch..."

You cannot eat as cheap if you were to go to a grocery store and purchase all the necessary ingredients. With that it mind, you can leave Taco Bell spending $2.45. (Assuming you don't purchase a drink.) There is something about that fact that I am just completely amazed.

However, I was advised not to go any further with that discussion. In essence, I was told it would bring no good.

Someone else responded to my status saying this:

"That question is to never be answered. For your own good you should stop wondering."

I hit a brick wall in my quest for truth. I figure that this advice was good advice. I do want to keep my satisfaction with my lunch. And based on the responses, it looks like it isn't a good idea to always know everything.

My peers' influence had steered me away from truly searching for answers. In this case, I cannot blame them, and I am happy to set aside this quest. However I wonder if our search for truth can be influenced by others in such ways as my Taco Bell question.

I have questions, and lots of them. They are tough questions too! When I find the courage to pose them in certain environments, I receive similar responses that I got with the Taco Bell question. Sure, churches say that questions are welcomed and appreciated. Most of the time, churches will be glad to answer too. I find that the most resistance comes when you question the answers though.

I wonder what it would look like if there were environments that allowed tough questions to be asked. I also wonder what it would look like for our peers to be comfortable in uncertainty with some tough issues. I know I am very uncomfortable with uncertainty. Are we able to live with this?

I do know this. There is a culture out there that is no longer satisfied with pat answers and proofs. Are we willing to journey with them in uncharted waters as we seek to make since of these changing times? I think it will be something that we will have to do if we are to be relevant to today's culture.

Jesus himself seemed to use narratives and metaphors instead of propoisitonal truths and doctrinal bullet points. Jesus tells us to knock, seek, and ask. It seems that Jesus desires us to engage with Him through questions and conversation. I wonder if this is what we need to breed confidence in uncertainty. I think its time that, like Jesus, that the church allow for this type of engagement, and may we find ways to allow this sort of environment to emerge.

-dj

http://audaciousliturgy.blogspot.com/