Con Artists: Connection

Continuing with the series "Con Artists," I will be discussing another false message which modern society has managed to instill in far too many people, including far too many Christians.  This is the message that brief and distant social interactions can still be considered a "connection" with others.

According to Alexa (a website which tracks website statistics), Facebook is the second-most popular site in the world, being visited by approximately 45% of all internet users.  I'll state that again, in case you missed it: almost half of the people in the world who use the internet use Facebook.  Perhaps even more stunning is the way this trend has caught on among young children.  According to Consumer Reports, in 2011, 7.5 million children under 13 years of age, who aren't even allowed to have accounts by Facebook policy, were using the social networking site nonetheless.  As of April 2012, Facebook had over 900 million users, making it the third largest country in the world.  And the company just recently saw one of the most explosive IPO's in history, even though its business model of "advertising revenue" seems to baffle even many business gurus.

So, why do this many people (almost three times the population of the US) flock to Facebook?  The same question could be asked of any social networking site: Myspace, Google+, even Microsoft's recently launched So.cl.  I believe the answer lies in the innate human desire to feel connected with other people.

Loose Wires

One could say that humans are wired for social interaction, that we are all created with some need to connect with others on one level or another.  Sure, this looks different for everyone, but it is still true.  And it's biblical.  In fact, the very first thing in the whole Bible of which God says "it is not good" is the seclusion of the man He had created. (Genesis 2:18)  So there we have it- man by nature needs social interaction.

It can be seen that, as far as the Bible is concerned, a person's connections have two overarching categories: his connections to his fellow man, and his connections to his God.  The first four of the Ten Commandments  (Exodus 20:1-11) outline how he should conduct his interactions with God, while the rest (12-17) all deal with his interactions with the people around him.  A large portion of the Pauline epistles are dedicated to resolving conflicts among individual Christians (see: 1 Cor. 11:17-34, Col. 3:18-4:1, Gal. 2:11-21, etc.).  Furthermore, it is not missing the mark to claim that the overall message of the Gospel is that we humans messed up our relationship with God, but He made our relationship right again.  The Old Testament is full of pleas from God for Israel to repent so that He can be their God, and they can be His people (see: Jeremiah 7:23, 30:22, Ezek. 36:28, 2 Chron. 7:11-22, etc.).  God wants to interact with us!  And we need to interact with Him.

A Cheap Substitute

What pains me about the modern world is not that it has failed to embrace this aspect of human nature.  What causes me such grief is how we have chosen to embrace it.  The problem is not solely relegated to Facebook and other social networking sites.  The same problem can be seen with video games, parties, and text messaging.  As a society, we are obsessed with short bursts of inane social interaction.  We prefer a brief online message over an hour-long conversation.  One might even say we are addicted to this kind of social interaction.  But, just like every addiction, this comes from a thing which tries to fulfill some desire and comes short.

Besides undermining our friendships, this addiction has affected something even more important-  our relationship with our families.  I don't even have to do research for this; I see it around me every day.  Children turn down the invitation to spend time with their parents so that they can eke out more time on Facebook.  And the parents don't care- it gives them an excuse to check Twitter instead.  Families sit silently at the dinner table while each member stares at his or her phone, sending text message after text message to their friends.  Instead of calling Grandma for a new great recipe, Mom checks Pinterest.  Throwing football with your brother pales in comparison to grinding out another level on World of Warcraft.  And Dad is glad they're all finally being quiet so that he can watch TV.  Now, I grant that all of these things in and of themselves are not bad things.  Certainly, they have the potential to be very good things.  Nevertheless, I doubt the world would hurt for a moment if all of humanity suddenly deleted its Facebook accounts.

The Fix

I'm not sure if my flippant tone is conveying adequately the gravity and immediacy of our situation.  But with the realization of this problem comes an even more glorious realization- the solution has been in front of us the whole time, if we would just look up from our cell phones to see it!  I have already discussed how the Bible lays out a plan for correct relationships.  And let's face it, if your earthly relationships suffer, your relationship with God is likely proportionately out of whack. "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.  For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen." (1 John 4:20)

So, here is my challenge for this week.  Try to have real relationships with the people around you.  Start with your family- they can be both the easiest and the hardest to get along with sometimes.  Then move to your church family.  These people should be willing to work with you toward this end.  And once you've gotten these down, start blessing the other people in your life by your very real presence.  Don't know where to start?  Start by un-cluttering your life with all these other meaningless interactions.  If you do not read your Bible every day, I challenge you to take whatever time you use on [insert social interaction tool here] and spend half of it each day instead in God's Word.  This shouldn't be that hard, but the more difficult it seems to you, the more I suggest you need it.  We Christians have to lead the charge for saving modern relationships, because no one else will- they have too much to do for their legions of adoring fans on Facebook and Twitter, their family on Mafia Wars, and their friends on How I Met Your Mother.

Con Artists: Control

This week I am starting a series which I am titling "Con Artists."  I plan on writing this series to address many of the issues faced by humans, especially in the modern world, in which we are misguided by the world around us.  This week the discussion is about control.

We humans have a seemingly insatiable desire to be in control.  We spend quite a lot of effort in attempts to gain control of things such as our time, our money, our friends, our subordinates, and our personal image.  Stores are teeming with products which profess to help us control one aspect or another.  Political and military campaigns are fought over this one small idea.  New mobile applications come out every day claiming to give us more control.  We have remote controls for our televisions and stereos, controls for operating vehicles, political and economic controls to help run our nations, and controllers for our video games.

If there is one thing that is not lacking in our lives, it is control.  Or is it?  We certainly spend quite a lot of our resources in gaining and maintaining it, but is it ever truly ours?  In many cases, I suggest it is not.

The Illusion of Control

As it turns out, many of the semblances of control to which we cling are nothing more than illusory and transient facades.  Granted, the feeling of control can be very comforting, even addicting, but like all addictions it comes from a sense which never quite satisfies.  But simply stating this does nothing for many of you (indeed it would not for me), so here I will discuss a few examples.

One of the most common things which I like to think I am in control of is my schedule.  I allocate my time based on my priorities and allow for allotted segments in which I do all of those things I find worthwhile.  And sooner or later, I find that these things begin to fall into designated slots.  Surely here I am master of my domain!  Certainly I have control over my time.  At this notion, all the truly wise among us begin to laugh, because anyone who has had a job or a child or a class in school can tell you that plenty of other people have demands on your schedule, and many of these demands will be met, whether you planned on them or not.  James knew all about this when he counseled the believers in his letter. "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.'  As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil." (James 4:13-16)  These are not very flattering words, but they carry an important truth.  We are not the masters of our time.

Well, what about my money?  I earn my wages fare and square, and I have access to it whenever I need it, whether it is in the form of paper or plastic.  I budget and save and even give a little away to sate my conscience.  My money must be under my control!  But once again, wisdom reveals the folly of this line of thought.  Anyone who has survived a sudden illness in the family, identity theft, or taxes can tell us that the last thing we have when it comes to money is control. Just ask the rich fool in Luke 12. God did not have pleasant words for him. "‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" (Luke 12:20)  Money will never call me "liege."

When it comes down to it, there is a very small amount of anything over which we have any control.  Certainly, under specific conditions and with the allowance of God, we do have what may be even a passable substitute for control, but the slightest disturbance can send our castle of wooden blocks tumbling down.

For one further example, look at me, Addison.  Well, Addison as of last week.  The Addison of last week went to work ready to put forth a hard day's work, and what did he want in return?  A nice evening in which to relax and play some video games.  And nothing was standing in the way of this plan.  Until he emerged from his place of employment only to find that the front-right tire of his automobile had acquired a new self-drilling screw, which had drilled itself right through its vulcanized rubber.  The Xbox controller Addison had seen in his hand was replaced with an emergency lug wrench, and he spent much of the afternoon in an auto shop.  This is a trivial example, to be sure, but the point last week's Addison had to come to grips with is that there are many unforeseen happenings which can instantaneously shatter his false image of control.

Fish out of Water

Perhaps a more important question to ask, however, is this:  Do we really need control in the first place?  If man deserves control, surely there is some sort of indication.  As far as I can see, there is no such suggestion, beyond simply the desire that society has instilled within us.

In truth, when men are given control, our track record is not exactly sterling.  Subordinates are abused, the earth is ravished, enemies are treated with utter disrespect, and prejudice and mistrust are espoused as virtues.  Just take a look at the long list of the kings of Israel and Judah in the Bible.  Those who try to run things on their own terms are the ones who seem to fail most spectacularly.  For example, look at Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:31-35), his son Jehoiakim (23:36-24:7), his son Jehoiachin (24:8-17), and Jehoiachin's successor and uncle Zedekiah (24:18-20).  Things did not turn out too well for these guys.

Divine Captaincy

If the implicit ineptitude of human attempts at control can be thus easily seen, to whom should the control be given?  For the atheist, the answer to this must necessarily be nature and the laws that govern it.  But we Christians have a much more comforting (and in my mind much more compelling) answer.

Our solution to this query can be seen plainly enough by continuing our study of the biblical kings of old.  There is a common trend for those kings whose reign went prosperously. The easiest example to call to mind is David, about whom God testified, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." (Acts 13:22)  Further examples include David's descendant Asa (1 Kings 15:9-24) and Asa's son Jehoshaphat (22:41-50).

What do these success stories have in common?  They are men who do "what was right in the eyes of the Lord."  I submit that God alone is worthy of having the control in our lives.  In those things which we cannot control we must trust in Him, in those things which we can control we should submit to Him.  This is our rightful place, and to be honest it is where we thrive the best.  It might make me happy to have momentary control, but it will give me joy to give God eternal control.  I will perhaps be calm knowing that things will go according to plan for a while, but it will give me peace to rest in my King's everlasting arms.  And I will find that this was the better path all along. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart/ and lean not on your own understanding;/ in all your ways submit to him,/ and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

One more point remains for this blog post.  The present discussion is a topic with which I struggle very often.  It is all too easy for me to plan out my schedule and budget in a way that make sense to me, but as with my flat tire last week, my best laid plans are often frustrated.  And when I am nursing my damaged sense of entitlement which comes with any amount of control, there is one scriptural passage to which I almost always turn to put myself back in line.  This is God's rebuke of Job in Job 38-41.  After 37 chapters of Job and his friends bemoaning Job's misfortune, at times blaming God, at times simply complaining to Him, the Lord Himself finally speaks up.  And He immediately dispels any illusions Job has of control.  His opening remarks are, "Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?  Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me." (38:2-3)  Wow.  This sends chills down my spine every time I think about it.  Seriously, read these chapters some time in the near future, especially if you haven't already.  It gives us some pertinent wisdom which is seriously lacking in modern society.

The Universe

Today I am going to discuss a topic which has become increasingly distressing to me over the past few months.  This is a trend I see quite often in the modern speech of agnostic and even atheistic people, especially those seen on television and in movies.

This is the trend of personifying "the universe" as some sort of higher power.  It always seems to be the same particular entity- the universe.  The most recent depiction I have seen was on a sitcom where one of the main characters says that "the universe rewarded [him]" for persevering during a hard time in his life.  Toward the end of last year, I was listening to a podcast in which the person being interviewed said that even though she doesn't believe in God, she feels that it is all right for her to say that she has been "blessed by the universe."  She is wrong.

Manifest Authorship

I totally understand where these people are coming from.  They have felt, like I often feel, that something in their life has taken place because something bigger than themselves has directed it.  That is to say, that there were multiple paths their lives could have taken, but for some reason one of those paths won out over the others.  If they merited this turn of events, "the universe" rewarded them, if not "the universe" blessed them.  Perhaps "the universe" punished them, or revealed something to them, or warned them, or spared them.

There is something about our lives that seems to scream written to us.  When we read fantastical stories about people who were cursed, misled, prophesied about, or guided by some being of authority, we enjoy them not because they seem so different from us, but because we can identify with them in some way or another.  Anyone who has ever "fallen" in love, found their "calling," or discovered their "dream" home knows that these experiences involve actions which are almost as easy as breathing, because they just feel like the right thing at the right time.

And maybe these people are right.  Maybe fate really is a thing.  Perhaps things sometimes feel right because they are right.  I'm not saying that just because something feels good it is the right thing to do.  But the right thing to do sometimes feels good.  We Christians certainly believe that our lives are directed.  The psalmist cries out to God to "Direct my steps according to your word." (Psalm 119:133)  Paul tells the Romans that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28, bold added for emphasis)  This divine direction is, in fact, one of the main reasons why we pray: for instance, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (Matt. 6:13)  By all accounts, it certainly seems that someone or something is behind many of the events that take place in our lives.

Do We Matter to Matter?

But that something cannot be "the universe."  At least, not in the sense in which an atheist or an agnostic uses the term.  For they must necessarily mean the collection of all matter, or some similar definition.  What they cannot mean, by virtue of being atheists, is a sentient and (furthermore) moral being which is capable of punishing, blessing, correcting, or even acting.

The universe they claim to interact with is incapable of interaction, at least in a human or even animal sense.  Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says it pretty well: "Every account of a higher power that I've seen described, of all religions that I've seen, include many statements with regard to the benevolence of that power. When I look at the universe and all the ways the universe wants to kill us, I find it hard to reconcile that with statements of beneficence." (Neil deGrasse Tyson at UB: God and Science, YouTube.com)  When looking at the universe as an impersonal conglomeration of matter, it is readily seen that the universe is quite incapable of any of these acts of authorship.

What these modern atheists have succeeded in doing is reinventing the nature-worship practices held for thousands of years by groups of people the atheists themselves would call antiquated.  It is impossible to talk about the universe in this sense without personifying it as a rudimentary deity.  What you wind up with is not some sophisticated version of post-modernism but the mythology of Ancient Greece, Egypt, Native American and African tribes, and so on. "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

True Divinity

As Christians, we have the ultimate answer to the dilemma.  For the atheist, there is no recourse but to stop using these baldly ignorant phrases.  The Christian, however, need not throw out the baby with the bathwater.  We are quite happy to keep the purity of science by denying any sentience in the material universe, while maintaining that our lives truly are written for us, by one much more capable than "the universe."  G.K. Chesterton spends quite a lot of time discussing a topic very much like this freedom of Christianity in his book Orthodoxy, which I finished recently and would highly recommend that everyone read.

One last thought needs discussing.  Why has the media been so keen to pick up on this turn of phrase?  I believe that they think it is a way of maintaining the prevailing guise of atheism, while throwing a bone to their viewers who happen to belong to some kind of faith.  And it worked on me for a while, but ever since I realized the implications of these phrases, they have brought me only heartache for the condition of this world.  This treatment of a semi-divine universe is at best a misunderstanding of the concepts of religion and fate and at worst a mockery of both science and faith.  I implore Christians and atheists alike to stop deifying the universe.  While it seems like a happy compromise, it only breeds mutual confusion between us.