Weltschmerz and the Golden Rule

Originally published on January 21, 2012

It’s been said that Generation Y is the apathetic generation.  I don’t know if that’s really true, but maybe we, like they, are suffering from:

 weltschmerz\VELT-shmairts\   noun, often capitalized

 1 : mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state[1]

This morning my husband announced that if someone were to ask him what party he is registered to vote under that he’d have to answer, “I’m in the disillusioned party.”  I imagine he’s not alone in that.  Like many this time of year, we are using the mute button on the television much more than usual to avoid listening to all the campaign ads.  I suppose the polls show that all the mudslinging works, but considering how much we’re all complaining about it, you’d think they’d try something else.  On the other hand, maybe in our current post-Christian state, we actually think mudslinging is ok?

Ron Paul, in response to Gingrich in one of the South Carolina debates, suggested that we should do unto others as we would have them do to us.[2]  Of course he’s right in that, and maybe our weltschmerz comes from wishing that were how we we’re all behaving.  It’s what we’re preaching from our pulpits, or at least what we should be preaching.  But Ron Paul got booed for suggesting that this golden rule could be applied to foreign policy.  Sure, being nice isn’t always fun, but isn’t it still the right thing to do? 

I’m not suggesting we should all be running around hugging everyone and everything, even bare naked penguins, although yesterday was National Penguin Awareness Day[3] …but maybe it’s time to be the country that’s known for being Christian because we’re so good at helping each other out and being respectful of each other.  Isn’t that what our mothers taught us?  Our campaigns would sure be different, and maybe the rest of the world wouldn’t be so anti-American after awhile.

Sorry, I got off in a little bit of weltschmerz.

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[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/ January 21, 2012

[2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP04NnGa4gA&feature=youtu.be; Matthew 7:12

[3] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/20/national-penguin-awareness-day_n_811785.html#s227117&title=march_of_the

Unity

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one…” John 17:20-22.

I recently learned that January 18-25, 2012 is noted on the PC(USA) calendar as a time for prayer for unity. In digging further, I discovered that this is not just a PC(USA) observance, nor is it just a Presbyterian observance. This is a worldwide, ecumenical effort, and in my opinion a very important one. I have long been struck by Jesus’ prayer recounted for us in the book of John. Here we see Jesus praying for all of us who follow him—not just those following him in the 1^st century, but all those who would ever follow him. And what I think is particularly important about this prayer is that he tells us that our unity will be instrumental in bringing others to faith.

I don’t know if it’s a byproduct of American individualism or just human nature, but it seems to me that we have a great tendency to focus on the things that divide us, rather than the things that unite us. There’s some irony to this, because on the one hand our culture encourages homogeneity in our appearance, and we do tend to be like sheep following the fashion trends, but I think this comes more out of our need to have what we see others having, keeping up with the Joneses. On the other hand, in a culture where belief in God is still basically expected, we get caught up in differentiating ourselves from other believers in God.

We talk often about inward focus versus outward focus, and in the area of individual spiritual development, it’s important to have individual time with God to develop the inward aspects of our relationships with him so that this life with God can inform and feed our outward expressions of his will. As a church, inward focus needs to be similarly purpose driven—to feed and inform our efforts to follow Christ out into the world to tell others about him and to share his love. Everything we do needs to keep this in perspective, including our prayers for unity this week.

We have deep divisions within our denominations, and between our denominations. In some cases, even individual churches are struggling with divisions. It might seem like this prayer for unity is the unanswerable impossible request. But God promises to hear our prayer (John 16:24 et al). And indeed with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matt 19:26 et al). So I hope that you will join me in praying for unity, and not just for this week, but always.

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6