Over the years I’ve been accused of
having a slightly cynical eye. I guess it’s true. I’ve never been good at
taking things or people at face value. Some might see this as a virtue, but in
reality it’s not a helpful or useful way of viewing the world. Cynicism is a
self-protection mechanism more than anything else. It’s a way of keeping people
at arms length rather than welcoming them. It can also be a self-erected
barrier to all forms of change - good or bad.
I know this about myself, so at least
I have a head start on my unrehearsed responses to all things new. In the past
I have been quite proud of my cynical eye because I believed it to be a sign of
wisdom. Delusion can be very convincing! New Zealanders are well known for
having a somewhat cynical view of the world. However, to confuse this with
wisdom is simply wrong.
As I’ve reflected personally, I now
see the fine lines between cynicism, wisdom, naiveté and sarcasm. A small shift
in perspective and we move from one to the other with terrible ease.
Most of us like the idea of being
wise. King Solomon thought it would be a good idea and the Bible tells us that
God granted him that gift. The fact that he didn’t behave wisely is something
we often forget. Wisdom is more than a one-time gift; it’s a developing art or
skill. I have this idea that wisdom is the balance point between naïveté and
cynicism. A shift in either direction usually results in disaster. If we are
too naive we risk foolishness. Likewise if we over exercise cynicism we end up
with a kind of sarcastic hopelessness.
Martin Luther King, Jr., understood
that people are essentially and innately good. This was the crux of his belief
in non-violence - we act on the goodness within and in doing so attempt to draw
this goodness out of our enemy. The more I live, the more I see this goodness
yearning to get out, yearning for a chance to make itself known.
Christian theology claims that we are
all, “created in the image of God.” Any lack of kindness and love is only
because so few people live up to the divine image embedded within. This is why
I want to learn to see all people as having the spark of the image of God
within them. Am I naive? I don’t believe so.
Naïveté is to disregard reality while
cynicism overcooks it. God does not do this. The Gospel (the death and resurrection of Jesus)
is God’s brutal, yet wise, response to our reality. God sees both our weakness
(sin) and our potential (divine image). We’re good goats.
Being wise is to connect with God
through Christ. We see our reality with greater clarity because we have a
“graced” cynical eye: we see the faults, but only through the lens of God’s
forgiveness and healing.
Wisdom is great, but it’s also hard
won.
Digby Wilkinson © 2008