Soul Searching: I Blame Ben Harper (Part I)

Excuse me Mr.
Won’t you lend me your ear
Or are you not only blind
But do you not hear
Excuse me Mr.
But isn’t that your oil in the sea

I blame Ben Harper. Ben did it, it was completely Ben’s fault. Wow, I feel better. Don’t you feel better when you have someone to blame? One (the song) puts it this way, “Will it make it easier on you now…you got someone to blame.”

So I’m minding my own business yesterday listening to my Ben Harper station on Pandora. One of his offbeat (one of???) songs came up on the rotation, Excuse Me Mister. I love that song, I’ve never heard the studio version, only the live version where Ben gives “Mister” a piece of his mind in a non PG-13 kinda way. The lyric from Excuse Me Mister that is responsible for drudging up all of this blame is the following: “excuse me Mr… won’t you lend me your ear… or are you not only blind… but do you not hear? Excuse me Mr… but isn’t that your OIL IN THE SEA.” Just like your favorite Bible passage, just like your favorite poem—your favorite songs have hidden words or phrases that were secretly placed in them without you knowing so that when you read it the next time, it seems like the first time. Anyway, I’ve probably *heard* those lyrics before, but they didn’t have such a visceral context as they do today with oil continuing to gush into the Gulf of Mexico.

So, here is where I blame Ben! I’d completely forgotten to blame somebody in this whole oil spill fiasco until I heard Excuse Me Mister. Clearly, we should blame the government… yes, that’s it; it’s the government’s fault. They are completely incompetent. Let’s blame the government that we want to be small and go away for a cup of tea and stay out of our business… except, when we need someone to blame for not being big enough to do something. Nah, that doesn’t sound right. Instead, let’s blame BP. Yeah, BP, the evil, corporate, non-caring, profit mongering, global conglomerate that intentionally did sloppy work and sacrificed their workers’ lives and the entire way of life for the Gulf Coast just for the sake of a few Ben Franklins. Yes, let’s blame them, and I promise I will boycott their gas stations for at least two weeks until BP’s price of gas is cheaper than (the now astonishingly squeaky clean) Shell station across the street. I will then be morally obligated to purchase cheaper gasoline to sustain my way of life.

Oh, now wait just a minute. You aren’t suggesting I… I am to blame in some way. Ben, are you suggesting I… I might be the Mister of whom you sing. Really? Seriously? I… I didn’t do it, no way. It’s got to be the government or BP! Okay, now I get it, we need to have someone to blame to feel better. It really does “make it easier on ‘us’ (sic) now…’we’ (sic) got someone to blame.” Why, why, why… why do we always need someone to blame? Granted, this oil mess is a big deal that evokes a lot of emotion—ESPECIALLY from those folks on the Gulf who have had their livelihood and way of life compromised. But, why must I blame you for leaving the lights on, spilling the milk, leaving the garage door open, making me late for a meeting (I didn’t want to go to anyway), for shrinking my favorite sweater, for losing your iPod, leaving the twisty thing off the bread bag, leaving the cap off the tooth paste (are you serious?). Again, why?

In John 9:3 (The Message) Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do.” Woops! What GOD can do? Well I hadn’t thought of that. I’ve really been fixated on what Mister did or didn’t do. Okay, I admit it, I’m in a little deep here… too deep to get out cleanly. I need some time to process this one. What is the opposite of blame? Where does God fit in this equation? Clearly… clearly, I have been asking the wrong question(s).