How Should I React?
How Should I (or We) React?
As time trickles on and I interact
more with people, I find myself asking this very question (How should I react?).
This will not be a very long post, but I think it is essential to at least
analyze different possibilities and potential outcomes. Think of this post as
some light and easy reading before starting your day or while taking a break
from work. The intent is not to articulate some proper prose form but rather
write as a story, one that flows and nestles nicely with the content so....On
we go!
In no sense do I proclaim myself as
an all-knowing individual. Actually, it is quite the contrary. I am merely
living a life of inquiry and believe I have found undeniable evidence to
suggest that God exists, or at least it is reasonable to believe in God. With
that said, since I do believe this to be the case, I do make content that puts
this idea forward or grounds our reality on the metaphysical notion that God
exists. Those who believe they have truth, be it a portion of it or the whole
of it (albeit having all truth is highly unlikely), seek to share that truth
with others. That is my entire goal with my writing, podcasts, videos, and my
life, to see that others see truth. This often leads me to have exciting and
sometimes unkind interactions with people. One such occurrence has happened recently,
and it leaned towards the interesting and not the hostile side of things, which
is good.
A person responded to a podcast
interview that I had with C4C Apologetics Ministry. They did not listen to the
podcast but apparently felt spammed by the content that happened to pop up on
their news feed. As it seems to be the case in modern society, interactions
typically take place in short bursts and through the usage of “memes.”
or slogans. This particular interaction started no differently. There was a
meme used that suggested the Bible did not say that Jesus was not a
velociraptor so therefore he was one and he went extinct for our sins. How am I
(or anyone for that matter) supposed to react to something like this? Well, I
decided to engage because I had never seen this type of claim before and I
thought it rather funny. I asked some questions and we had a relatively short
interaction, but it went fine. I mentioned to this person that I have had interactions
because of my “spam” that has led me to deal with outraged and
irate people. Thanking this person for not lashing out was a priority since I
think kindness should be commended especially in a society that seeks to shut
others down by simply being louder, angrier, or meaner. What was interesting is
that he seemed to think that because he did not react to me in such an offensive
manner and I was appreciative that I somehow was responsible for his
“blasphemous” (as he claimed them to be) memes. Am I genuinely
accountable for these blasphemous memes? Am I culpable for finding them funny?
I do not think I am. These kinds of interactions (the usage of memes and
slogans) can be funny because it is hard to see how they can be grounded in
anything real besides their superficial connection to something real or at
least others proclaim them to be real. With that pointed out to the individual
more memes ensued, and the interaction trickled down to nothing quickly.
Therefore, I have decided to write.
How are we to react when someone decides to make a quick and unthoughtful
response to something we do? My first thought on the matter is we probably
should not get angry. In today’s culture, it seems that anyone who opposes us
(us being a general statement for anyone, not Christians specifically) seeks to
simply get a reaction by using these quick and thoughtless methods. Why should
something not really thought out cause a reaction from a person who (in theory)
has thought long and hard about their position? The gut response is to become
angry and maybe your anger would be justified since these quick methods are
usually cheap shots. But what good will come of it? Probably nothing.
Humor seems to be a disengaging method
and seems to be my default response to these types of interactions. Though I
will say it may not be perfect, it did seem to cause a great deal of confusion
in the person I was talking with. By disengaging, I mean to say that the
person's guard will come down when they realize that you are a person. It is
easy in an electronic world to forget that these comments and posts are not
reducible to words on a screen. There was intention behind them, they were done
with a purpose, and were arguably done by another person. Today, people seem to
be disconnected from the fact that there are other conscious beings out there.
I could be over generalizing here and probably am, but this situation may be too
complex to articulate simply. Meaningful discussion will rarely happen in
a short time. Almost anything worthwhile will require some sort of
significant time investment, and having conversations about religion or reality is no
different.
What is my point? I think it is
crucial that if we truly desire to have meaningful interactions with people
and desire to get to some form of truth, then we must not delude ourselves to
the usage of quick and thoughtless responses. What I mean to say is the
over-use of memes and slogans! Of course, there can be grains of truth captured
in these single images, but they hardly cover the whole of reality, nor do they cover
the whole of a position.
As Christians, I think it very
important to not allow these kinds of responses to cause a swelling of
irritation in us that we devolve into some irrational beasts that must consume
our prey before they escape (overstatement? Maybe). Yes, we live in a world
where God is not a concern for many people. Yes, they will post or say things
that are probably highly offensive to God. But in the grand scheme of things,
who is responsible for those things? The person giving them, not us. We are
responsible for our character and the way we handle things. So, blasphemy will
reign supreme in a Godless World (not a judgment people), that seems to follow.
If people do not subscribe to a system of belief, then they will probably say
and do things that are contrary to that system of belief. That is alright! It
is by our love they will know we are followers of Christ. Our goal in these
cases should not be to tout anger around as a handmaiden but instead, dismantle the intellectual nonsense of these things. If we can disarm these
thoughtless methods of their seemingly intellectual power what else is left?
Nothing but shallowness. What do angry responses get us? Nothing but a
confirmation to the other person that we have nothing to offer them, or God has
nothing to offer them. Remember, anything meaningful, and that will require
change, may involve hurt feelings, feelings of shame and anger, and possibly
someone getting offended. If these qualities were not possible, then we would be
left with nothing but a superficial existence. Take comfort in knowing that we
can become offended. It means that we are holding onto something we find
valuable. But if we find that something valuable, then we should treat it and
live it as something valuable. It is a fundamental aspect of the Christian ethic
that all persons were created in the image of God. Yes, even the person that posts
memes about “Raptor Jesus.” If I (or you) devolve into slander, we are showing
we do not value our worldview and surely do not value the image of God. Keep
this in mind the next time you want or think about unleashing the fury of hell on
a person that offends you. Stay Blessed!
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