Perhaps it may turn out a sang,
Perhaps turn out a sermon.

-- R. Burns Epistle to a Young Friend

Monday, May 6, 2013

Not So Wise Guys



For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. -- James 3:16


Worldly wisdom is seductively dangerous.  While it appears to work, that is, to accomplish goals and empower its practitioners, it exalts the corrupt and corrupting elements of human nature.  There are many who are worldly-wise, and their understanding lubricates the mechanisms of the world system, from politics to economics to war.  Empires may be established by such, but they inevitably fall by the same rule. 

Anyone who has worked for a big corporation has probably been involved in some seminar where the instructor talks about or demonstrates a little about game theory.  We have two sides, and choices are either cooperative or antagonistic.  If both sides are willing to work cooperatively, each gets something.  If one side chooses cooperatively while the other side chooses antagonistically, the antagonistic side gains while the cooperative side gets nothing.  If both sides choose antagonistic strategies, neither side gets anything.  A selfish strategy works in the short-term – until the other side decides they are tired of being beaten for being cooperative. 

For the first time in history, communication is so good that we are rapidly coming to a realization around the globe that being nice is not working out too well for a whole passel of us.  It’s nothing new, as it has happened repeatedly throughout history but never on the potential scale of today.  I might live long enough to see the current system collapse upon itself.  Most likely some living today will see an antichrist figure arise on planetary scale with an offer to restore the cooperative choices and mend all the antagonism.  The price will be far too high, but some will be willing to pay it for a while. 

Chaos and confusion are on the increase as a consequence of people giving their lives over to jealousy and self-ambition.  It is a broken system that simply can’t be fixed.  The only answer is to move out of it, to be in the world, but not of the world. 

We can embrace a different kind of wisdom, that which is from above:  But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:17-18)  Such a path, of course, opens us up for ridicule by those who know better:  For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

In the end, the worldly-wise will find that they have been thwarted and cast out, and the apparent foolishness of God will be shown to be the true wisdom.  The arbiter between the two kinds of wisdom is peace.  Earthly wisdom may be smug and self-satisfied, but spiritual wisdom is a quiet pool of contentment unruffled by the world’s tumults. 

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