I only work here
In recent decades the principal vehicle for the tolerated expression of this longing [for cooperative living] has been the mass media. Popular songs and film comedies have continually engaged in a sentimental rejection of the dominant mores, maintaining that the best things in life are free, that love is more important than success, that keeping up with the Joneses is absurd, that personal integrity should take precedence over winning, and so on. But these protestations must be understood for what they are: a safety valve for the dissatisfactions that the modal American experiences when he behaves as he thinks he should. The same man who chuckles and sentimentalizes over a happy-go-lucky hero in a film would view his real-life counterpart as frivolous and irresponsible, and suburbanites who philosophize over their back fence with complete sincerity about their "dog-eat-dog-world," and what-is-it-all-for, and you-can't-take-it-with-you, and success-doesn't-make-you-
happy-it-just-gives-you-ulcers-and-a-heart-condition--would be enraged should their children pay serious attention to such a viewpoint. Indeed, the degree of rage is, up to a point, a function of the degree of sincerity: if the individual did not feel these things he would not have to fight them so vigorously. The peculiarly exaggerated hostility that hippies tend to arouse suggests that the life they strive for is highly seductive to middle-aged Americans.
Slater, Philip. The Pursuit of Loneliness. Beacon Press, 1970.
Have you ever noticed this? It's so true. We love "Life Is Beautiful," but what would you seriously think about, for example, a captive Marine in Iraq who takes over an insurgent loudspeaker just to play a song for his girlfriend captive in another part of the camp? Most people would berate him as stupid and irresponsible. Or what about the guy who repeatedly pursues his dreamgirl in a romantic comedy, even though she's not interested. (Well, first of all, her response is always quite unrealistic.) But as for the pursuit, we'd say--Dude, give up already!! And isn't it so much better to read missionary biographies about people who sold everything they had and moved to a remote jungle than to actually do it? And what if your kid wants to go to a Muslim country. O, my Lord, no! That's too dangerous! But the STORIES are great! We love to hear the stories, so long as we don't have to live them.
The above passage by Slater focuses on our dissatisfactions with this modern life as expressed in the mass media. I was intrigued by the author's specific examples. Each one decidedly represents a Christian ideal. And by mentioning them in such a discussion, he reveals that these are each Biblical ideals that we have lost. Choosing God over mammon, the primacy of love, rejecting materialism, being faithful to your word, being humble, being kind, living for God's purposes, living for eternity, and pursuing true joy are just a few of the concepts which the author effectively declares have been rejected by Americans--even though we still know we ought to believe them.
The life we long for, in other words, is the normal Christian life. We long to live under God's commands. We long to obey His precepts, for we know they are good--but we don't.
Admittedly, more Christians are discovering, developing, and trying to do something about the loneliness of our culture--to pursue Christian community purposefully. To live and love with transparency and partnership and sacrifice and hope. But this is a reaction to the extremes of loneliness to which we have sunk, and much of the mainstream church is still bothered by these new movements.
Or rather, these old movements. After all, what they seek is not some radical experiment, but a reactionary return to early Christian community as revealed in the Acts and the Epistles. It is part of the Church's continual renewal, which happens in century after century after the generation before goes astray. And the fact is, we did go astray, but praising these idealists doesn't change a thing if we are not willing to change ourselves.
happy-it-just-gives-you-ulcers-and-a-heart-condition--would be enraged should their children pay serious attention to such a viewpoint. Indeed, the degree of rage is, up to a point, a function of the degree of sincerity: if the individual did not feel these things he would not have to fight them so vigorously. The peculiarly exaggerated hostility that hippies tend to arouse suggests that the life they strive for is highly seductive to middle-aged Americans.
Slater, Philip. The Pursuit of Loneliness. Beacon Press, 1970.
Have you ever noticed this? It's so true. We love "Life Is Beautiful," but what would you seriously think about, for example, a captive Marine in Iraq who takes over an insurgent loudspeaker just to play a song for his girlfriend captive in another part of the camp? Most people would berate him as stupid and irresponsible. Or what about the guy who repeatedly pursues his dreamgirl in a romantic comedy, even though she's not interested. (Well, first of all, her response is always quite unrealistic.) But as for the pursuit, we'd say--Dude, give up already!! And isn't it so much better to read missionary biographies about people who sold everything they had and moved to a remote jungle than to actually do it? And what if your kid wants to go to a Muslim country. O, my Lord, no! That's too dangerous! But the STORIES are great! We love to hear the stories, so long as we don't have to live them.
The above passage by Slater focuses on our dissatisfactions with this modern life as expressed in the mass media. I was intrigued by the author's specific examples. Each one decidedly represents a Christian ideal. And by mentioning them in such a discussion, he reveals that these are each Biblical ideals that we have lost. Choosing God over mammon, the primacy of love, rejecting materialism, being faithful to your word, being humble, being kind, living for God's purposes, living for eternity, and pursuing true joy are just a few of the concepts which the author effectively declares have been rejected by Americans--even though we still know we ought to believe them.
The life we long for, in other words, is the normal Christian life. We long to live under God's commands. We long to obey His precepts, for we know they are good--but we don't.
Admittedly, more Christians are discovering, developing, and trying to do something about the loneliness of our culture--to pursue Christian community purposefully. To live and love with transparency and partnership and sacrifice and hope. But this is a reaction to the extremes of loneliness to which we have sunk, and much of the mainstream church is still bothered by these new movements.
Or rather, these old movements. After all, what they seek is not some radical experiment, but a reactionary return to early Christian community as revealed in the Acts and the Epistles. It is part of the Church's continual renewal, which happens in century after century after the generation before goes astray. And the fact is, we did go astray, but praising these idealists doesn't change a thing if we are not willing to change ourselves.
posted by Michael U at 9:11 PM
1 Comments:
that's definitely a thought that's run through my head a time or two -- it looks good on screen but life is often far different, and we aren't willing to pay the price.
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