I’ve never had a very positive view on humanity. Well, that’s not true. When I was a kid I had a pretty positive outlook, but that all changed about a year after Jesus snatched me up.
Don’t feel sorry for me though. You might be under the impression that meeting Jesus should make me see the good in people…to be more trusting. But that’s not really true.
As a good, secular American, one who gives a nod in Jesus direction without actually paying attention to him, you have a wonderful feeling about the American spirit and the possibility of progress. We can achieve anything. We went to the moon, we ended slavery, and we’re eliminating poverty. Never mind that the moon is basically useless (as far as we know), slavery is still rampant worldwide (as it always has been), and there are poor people everywhere. But none of that fazes you because you’re all caught up in possibilities.
Is this really better than my negative outlook? Is it more Christian/Biblical? I don’t think so, and neither does Tim Keller(do you like how I throw out the big name to back up what I’m saying? That means I’m right…). In The Reason for God he talks about the difference between the two worldviews and what it means for us daily. (quotes coming later, assuming I remember)
While affirming me - which was his original aim, I’m sure - Tim makes some points that never occurred to me, but make so much sense that I don’t know why I’ve never heard anyone say them before. One of his major points was that people with a negative view of humanity are happier than those with a positive one.
Let’s try something. Pick any awful thing one person has done to another over the last couple of months, local or national. The girls who video taped a gang beating of one of their friends, the two girls murdered in rural Oklahoma, the guy who shot his wife in the head several times before shooting himself in the hand and claiming there was an intruder, or Brooke Bennett and the many disgusting things surrounding her uncle. How do you react?
As a believer in the essential good nature of humanity, you’re probably surprised at the ugliness in some people. You don’t really know what to do with people like this except file them away as evil, or victims of some destructive outside force. And beyond that, you’re disappointed.
After a long string of unspoken profanities, a small sigh of desperation and pure perplexity, I - as a believer in the natural selfishness of humanity, and its predisposition toward evil - realize that what I’m seeing is just a perpetuation of the way it has always been. I’m disgusted, but not surprised. People are living up to my expectations.
In the end, a negative outlook will do more for your happiness, because (a) you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the good you see in people, rather than hurt and discouraged by the evil you see; and (b) you’ll realize that you can’t save yourself (because you’re evil), and you’ll let Jesus do it for you.
I have to admit, that I didn’t consider my negative outlook to be a good thing until recently. It was just something I couldn’t escape. The constant barage of sick and twisted crimes that are committed around the world, the selfish attitudes most of us possess, and the dark parts of my own soul that I have to hold back were all just too much evidence to ignore.
Now I’m starting to embrace it, and it makes life easier. I can deal with my own sin, and the sin of others. It helps me understand grace for what it is and stop assaulting myself in attempts to earn and secure redemption. Not that I’ve achieved all this, but I press on.
Technorati Tags: bad, depraved, evil, good nature, human nature, humanities, negative, people, pessimistic, sin, sinful nature
2 responses so far...
Felix, thanks for the thoughts, though I can’t take credit for the graphic…I found it in Google.
Blogs4God
“Now I’m starting to embrace it, and it makes life easier. I can deal with my own sin, and the sin of others. It helps me understand grace for what it is and stop assaulting myself in attempts to earn and secure redemption. Not that I’ve achieved all this, but I press on.”
You are completely in line with me, my friend. Your changing, yet growing outlook on life is making you better prepared to face the darker and worst times ahead of us. Also, I like your “Evil Inside” logo that was near the top of your page. Very clever.