Below is an email message I want to pass on:
“America is spiraling out of control. The evidence of tyranny continues to mount: ObamaCare, Benghazi, the IRS targeting scandal, the Department of Justice improprieties, wire taps of the media, the monitoring of law abiding citizens’ phone calls, emails, and social networks, the imposition of immoral mandates, and the loss of religious freedom and the right of conscience.”
Written to “pastors and patriots,” the author is Mathew Staver, head of Liberty Counsel that is an unofficial arm of Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University law school. He regularly sends out emails like this that contain false and misleading information and outrageous accusations to hundreds, maybe thousands, of “Christian” recipients who think the way he does. Talk about the resurrection of the dead. Staver and his followers have brought Machiavelli to life again by implementing his “the ends justify the means” philosophy in their desire to disparage President Obama.
It may actually be true that our nation is “spiraling out of control,” but if it is it is not because of the reasons Staver cites. Rather, it is the kind of mean-spiritedness he represents that has reached pandemic proportions. Anyone who listens to talk radio and television gets a full dose of mean-spiritedness. We also see it in Congress when individuals oppose what may be a very good policy for the nation solely to defeat the opposition, in states where gerrymandering districts has made “loyal opposition” all but impossible, and when one side of an issue attacks the character of those on the other side, as Staver does regularly. Mean-spiritedness is a real and serious problem we have as a people.
So I propose an antidote, which literally means “something that relieves, prevents, or counteracts.” That’s what America needs, something that can effectively counteract the “disease” of mean-spiritedness. It has several ingredients I can only mention briefly. You add the details.
The first is a dose of humility. We may be passionate about what we believe, whether it is religious or political, but there is never a time when we could not be wrong. To bear that in mind when we speak is essential for civility. We also need to apply the humility test to people we read or listen to. Do they speak as if they possess absolute truth, or do they acknowledge they could be wrong with phrases such as, “This is how I see things,” or, “This is what I believe.” It’s a dead giveaway of a mean-spirit if they don’t. What is more, does what they say lead you to hope or does it simply play on your fears? It’s not difficult to know which it is.
The second ingredient is concern for the common good. The only way we can avoid mean-spiritedness is to care about the whole and not just the parts. If my focus is only on me, or my age, economic, political, or social group, I am very susceptible to a mean spirit. If I listen to or support leaders who set one group over against another, disparage those who oppose what they think, I can be sure the seeds of mean-spiritedness are taking root.
A third ingredient is gratitude. People who are grateful for what they have in life and for the life they have tend to be humble and concerned about others. They don’t feel entitled. They feel blessed. You have to work really hard to be mean-spirited when you feel grateful for your life. But we also need to ask ourselves if leaders we support talk like grateful people. Do they appreciate what they have, understand that they didn’t get where they are on their own, or are quick to recognize the contributions of others to something they are doing? If not, turn them off. Stop listening to them. They will eventually infect you with mean-spiritedness.
A final ingredient is faith in the goodness of life. Einstein once said that most important question a person can ask is, “Is the Universe a friendly place?” That’s easy for people who believe in God. It’s a little harder for people who don’t. But everyone can by choosing to believe there is a basic goodness to life waiting to be discovered or uncovered. A mean spirit runs counter to this basic conviction. Listen to people who believe in the basic goodness of life. They have something to say worth hearing.
I suspect there are other ingredients that could make the anti-dote to mean-spiritedness stronger, but I believe these – ordinary as they are – will go a long way in counteracting its presence in religion and politics today. I do in fact believe our nation is at least close to spiraling out of control because of this “disease,” but I don’t believe most people are infected with it, at least not yet. At the same time a minority can ruin anything for everyone else, if the majority lets them. It’s a matter of choice. The anti-dote is there for the taking
