Not at the Diner Table

Why do atrocities, acts of evil, and suffering happen? More importantly, who do we blame?

To me, it’s like nails on a chalkboard, “If God is good, then why is there evil and suffering?” Or, some question like this. It’s a good question. One not be be trifled with. But, it bothers me.

Where do we get this logic?: “If there is a God, then there should be no suffering.” I’ve racked my brain trying figure out exactly why the existence of an immovable, divine creator, who is wholly good, and wholly just, would necessarily mean there should not be suffering.

What if the answer sounded something like this: “There is evil and suffering in the world because men don’t do enough good.” Or even, “there is evil and suffering in the world because men don’t do enough good, nor do they have the capacity to eliminate it in any real and meaningful way.” I would never make the argument for nihilism, in fact, I roundly reject it. I make the aforementioned thesis in the attempt to make an argument for the existence of a source of power, goodness, and knowledge outside of ourselves. Concurrently, I’d like to make the argument asserting personal responsibility, when in sync with the divine, has the potential to magnify man’s ability to defeat evil or, at the very least, produce a willingness to try.

We certainly have to explore the idea that the internet has allowed us all to exercise our intellectual muscles to an extent heretofore never done. I’m speaking for myself, but I think this fact is true for many. Never in my life have I been exposed to such a sheer volume of political, economic, philosophical, religious, and ethical, information about the past, present, and of course, all of the related opinions ad nauseum. I think though, as we indulge this digital superstructure and as the media itself evolves over time, we are at risk, and are probably already suffering from the delusion that our opinions are the source of power to be used to defeat evil. From what I’ve observed, merely making a statement about something in this new space somehow gives the individual a sense of power. Probably a false one.

I haven’t studied it, but I would venture to guess, if we measured the amount of one-liner type statements against the actions related or potentially related thereto, I think we’d see an enormous gap. People certainly say a lot, but they don’t do much, myself included. This passive aggressive and stagnant position comes into even sharper focus when we observe it against the backdrop of suffering.

Is it too harsh to assert, that we, as a people, may be culpable for our suffering? May I be so bold? To be clear, I don’t think that we are responsible for all suffering. But I do think we are responsible for the lion’s share.

We observe groups like the Nazi’s, and communist Russia, and China. We’ve identified their leaders and the ideology which through evil disguised as good, some of the most significant stains on humanity were so created. I would argue that the evil in the hearts of men was not an anomaly and further, though, generally, we’d all avoid being complicit in such atrocities, we do have to potential to be swept up and even cooperative with them.

There are some examples we can look at throughout our history. Was it the supreme leader and the nefarious henchmen? A select few influencing millions? Ultimately, I think our search is generally about responsibility. Who do we blame?

There are people today literally called influencers. This is their job. Whenever I hear this term I almost always feel a bit wary. I don’t like this idea.

To me, it is a centralization of power, one type or another, and this inevitably coaxes individuals to sit idly by and become intellectually either dead or hyper fixated, which leads to self absorption and suffering.

Should we blame God? If so, why?

It is relevant to explore the corruption of the individual because these instances and the socio political climate surrounding them parallel our current state. Additionally, this is one of those topics that have been waxed poetic for eons but, frankly, I think it’s interesting and has the potential to be useful. At the very least, I think this issue is not trivial and we should think about it.

One has to consider what it would take for evil to pervade a society like it did in Russia, China, and Nazi Germany. We must identify all of the participants, their motivations, and the resultant actions. This is not an exact science and I would not claim I could understand or even discover all or even most the motivations of individuals who have long gone, but I think a robust investigation could bear fruit. The blue collar, white collar, the poor, the military, and the government.

Whether on the side of good or evil, everyone played a part.

Maybe these atrocities were and are inevitable because of our own cowardice. Possibly, apathy and atrophy.

Jordan Peterson calls it “a common mythology.” I’ve heard him describe this idea a number of times. By no means is he being cavalier about it. Outside of the connotation the word Myth carries, I’d say, in this case, Myth and Truth are the same. Maybe a “Myth” with enough power to change the course of human history is, in fact truth, hence its effectiveness. Conversely, when we stray from the foundational aspects or, rather, ethics we reap catastrophic consequences. Consequences we’ve seen numerous times throughout the course of history.

Men especially, have been cudgeled into thinking that if they simply, do no evil, they’ve done their part. In reality, evil will flourish with this attitude, because who will defeat it? Does it not imply complicity when we do not act against that which is evil?

Frankly, in the world we live in now, it’s much easier to be a complacent, half witted, cowardly, troll, than a brave warrior against evil. It appears likely the two have even been confused. It’s easier to be a twitter zombie. It’s easier to chalk it up to Satan’s work and willfully ignore evil, or at least actively avoid confronting it, knowing God will defeat it eventually. I have to confess here, that I am not writing this seated as a warrior for truth, justice, and the greater good for humanity. This is more like a written diagnoses of my own symptoms, and the common symptoms I see in the public at large.

If this is the case, what is the meaning to life on this earth? What is our purpose? I believe, as beings created in the image of God, we should go to war against evil. Both individually and collectively. I don’t think necessarily this battle would be of the traditional type. Something more along the lines of:

“Take responsibility for your life, and for the lives of those around you. Do what’s right, no matter what. And when you don’t, because you won’t always, admit it, apologize, and keep trying. Don’t lie, have integrity, work hard, and help others. Be willing to stand alone with character rather than do or say what’s popular or won’t offend.”

To think, we’ve trapped ourselves into this manifest digital realm, where the bumper sticker wisdom stretches as far as the eye can see, (or as quick as the finger will scroll).

Couldn’t we be more than just opinions?

I think we were designed for something more.

Where have all the heroes gone?

In the Church, we have Christ. We have the greatest hero the world has ever known. What’s happened to the idea of growing in the image and likeness of our creator?

What would it take for us to go boldly into the black?

Where are the Apostles, the knights, the soldiers, dragon slayers? Where are the bold, ferocious, meek, and tenderhearted? Where are the loving, and the kind, the underdogs who fight for what is good and just and right?

Why are we so taken by the stories of Luke Skywalker, the Hobbits, the Chonicles of Narnia, and Harry Potter?

Aren’t we called to live quiet and peaceable lives, as salt and light? Shouldn’t we shine in the darkness?

The Apostles traveled in the wilderness, went up against a society that thought they were heretics, insane, or just plain problematic, they went up against evil and they changed the world. Or rather, they went out into the world and acted out against evil. Most astoundingly, they did it at the individual level.

The Gospel gives the individual an opportunity to consider their eternity. The ultimate in personal responsibility.

“…Also He has put eternity in their hearts…” Ecc. 3:11 NKJV

This is not a simple matter. The consequences of this fact reach far beyond our human understanding. We can barley wrap our heads around the idea of eternity and what that means. So we are feebly attempting to understand ideas related to the Truth.

What an epic dichotomy we are in the middle of!

Knowing we are destined for something beyond our current reality, whilst honoring that reality while/by/and living in our current one. I struggle with this.

I suppose where we, as a society have lost our way when it comes to defining terms. It isn’t really clear who the enemy is these days, therefore, we can’t agree on what is evil.

We Christians, know that it is Satan. But, the truth is, “For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. .” 2 Corinthians 11:14 NKJV.

Hence, the most evil acts in our history have been disguised and put forward with the lie that ultimately, these policies would bring about heaven on earth. All alongside the evisceration of God.

So, our worst enemy, the one who is literally hell bent on our destruction comes looking like one of the good guys?

The implications of this are astounding. If we can’t agree on the truth, and we can’t tell who the enemy is, boy what a dangerous situation that is. All the while, we, our friends, our children, our loved ones, and many others worship at the feet of “influencers.” These golden calves are built to look like politicians, Hollywood elites, peddling the divine self ideology and the curative power of the almighty dollar.

I’m not saying that influencers are bad. I guess I couldn’t know that, nor would I claim to. But, what I can say, based on what I’ve observed, is that being “influenced,” is bad. Or at the very least, it can be perilous.

And we are headed for real trouble if we being to value one human life over another. As soon as we begin to take the cosmic scales of justice and fairness into our own hands, well, the outcomes are generally catastrophic.

All genocides have done in the name of what is good and just and right.

If our worth is based on something other than, God created us, and He is good, and what he creates has intrinsic value, we are doomed. This transcendent truth is like a superstructure undergirding the human experience.

I think the general idea behind this writing is something about knowing the bible is true, knowing Jesus is the savior, and knowing we are all created in His image, all the while diving deeper into the mysterious psychology that God has given us and how that has been articulated through the scripture, history, science, and maybe philosophy. Through which, we can find a well articulated purpose and meaning.

Many specific areas of thought that God has given us to develop a closer understanding and relationship with the truth. An essential deep dive into the faculties that God has given us. Moreover, it’s apparent God reveals himself within the inner workings of our psyche, desires, motivations, abilities, thoughts, ideas, dreams, creations, the list goes on.

The difficulty lies in our very limited human capacity. And in all of the above characteristics. All of those beautiful parts of us and the world around us that have been touched by the divine, our creator, the living God, and have been warped by sin.

Not to belabor the point, but this is one of those topics that may, necessarily, require the belaboring of it. Essentially, we have to come to the understanding and the conclusion that our society was built on and has, or once had, a sub strata, or rather, an underpinning built on the fact, one albeit self-evident, though is often glazed over, or lost in the social milieu, that human beings have value. It’s obvious, but it’s not simple.

Peterson, makes an excellent point. Our innate worth, as human beings, has been built into our legal system. For example, we have designed a system to treat even though most pathological horrible, monsters, with some dignity and respect. Even those who are scheduled to be executed. Why would we offer a child molester and murderer a last meal?

There is no real societal value in this. It makes no evolutionary sense. In the most sanitary humanistic view, it makes no sense. However, if we are governed by a moral law, defined by a moral law giver. That, of course, would make sense.

I avoid the common phrases, because, well, they’re common. As a new Christian believer, I became desensitized to them quickly. I can also remember what it was like as a non beliver and am in some way am trying to draw a line from my old ideas to the new. I’m using this book as a way to connect myself, to myself, with the greater hope that it will resonate with someone who needs it. Someone who is on the search for truth. I remember how I thought and I’m trying to reach out to the old me…

Love is another one of those strange components to the human experience. Not easily explained. There is no real good reason to love your dead grandmother. On a purely Darwinian level, that makes no sense at all. Why?

Why is love important for reproduction? We don’t see it in the animal world, and for the most part, they do just fine in the propagation of their species. Deep unconditional love is baffling. How does that help with letting “Only the strong survive.” The fittest, so to speak. And for that matter, why do we need compassion, empathy, generosity, and the like? The serve no value really. Other than, we know we should do these things, because they are in and of themselves, the right things to do.

As we search for truth there are unexpected doubts that will surely arise. We can either avoid them, deny them, or ignore them all together. This is a setup for a catastrophic condition. This is how extremism is borne. If anything arises that threatens our belief systems, those of which we hold so tightly and dear. Violence is inevitable, because doubts become a threat, and a threat needs to be eliminated.

This, of course, does not preclude us from doing good. From helping. It is not that man is not capable of doing good. It is that he is inherently corrupted. Our natural instinct is to preserve ourselves.

Understand, the Nazi party, and those who worked within it, were just regular folks. Trust and believe, they were not, as a group, especially more evil than you and I. Hitler himself, maybe. But we cannot encompass that entire group and surmise them as all born entirely more evil than ourselves. No, they are all as equally evil as you and I.

Or, possibly, a set of conditions arose and were cultivated, in which the most evil could thrive amongst the most people. All the while it was dressed in white. It was the new savior. Why did regular people get caught up in the Nazi party? Why did our neighbor become a serial killer? Why do kids shoot up schools? Why do disgruntled employees go back to their jobs and try to kill a bunch of people?

They had no identity. No real identity.

We must understand this. We must come to know who we are. Without identity, we are lost.

Who are we?

Are we our political leanings? Our sexual preferences? Our ethnicity? Skin color? Gender? Are we our belief system?

We are created in the image of God. Valuable, frail, a prey to emotion, selfish, good, clever, kind, empathetic, generous, and supremely limited, while endlessly creative. We are capable.

But, we become willing when we believe. We are not what we believe. We are children of that which we believe in.

Title: Not at the Dinner Table

Genre: non-fiction

Age range: 18-...

word count: 2,800

Author name: Zachary Nilsson

Why your project is a good fit: This piece travels through the philosphical tension between being a Christian, suffering, and meaning.

the hook: “There is evil and suffering in the world because men don’t do enough good.” Or even, “there is evil and suffering in the world because men don’t do enough good, nor do they have the capacity to eliminate it in any real and meaningful way.”

Synopsis: A thoughtful and peaceful walk examining identity, God, suffering, tragedy, and why.

target audience: Christians, non-christians, young people (college age)

Your bio: 37 year old, ex atheist, former drug addict, and felon. Grew up in Orange County, CA went to public school, played football, baseball, burned out at about 20 years old. Teachers told me I had potential, but I was more concerned with social status and popularity than getting an education and making something of myself. I paid the price for this later.

Platform:

education: AA degree in Paralegal Studies

experience: No experience as a writer. I've done some blogging for the company my wife and I are starting. I've written and delivered some speaches and sermons for church and charity.

personality / writing style: thoughtful, I try to think and write differently than what is usual.

likes/hobbies: the beach, the outdoors, hiking, exercising, reading, writing, drawing, frisbee golf.

hometown: Huntington Beach

age (optional) : 37