There are myths and pseudo philosophical messages that do not stand up to serious, rigorous analysis. We may be raising deep ontological questions, and we are approaching pseuds' corner here, are we not?
Here is one for example:
There are people in your life whom you unknowingly inspire simply by being you.
Let's think about this one carefully. This is supposed to be a really inspirational and positive thought for the day. However, this is not necessarily a positive statement and something good at all.
I once dealt with sex offenders, and sometimes they had not inspired but influenced using sophisticated methods and cunning ploys other sex offenders in a number of horrendous ways. I knew of two sex offenders who, being who they were, asked the Home Office and the prison authorities to keep them in custody for life because they, in themselves, were a constant danger to young children. They knew that they always wanted to harm children and had taken pleasure in acts of appalling depravity.
Being you could be bad for other people! It depends on what type of person you are. And I have met some people who think that they are good people, yet their crimes reveal another reality.
Some of the sex offenders that I met were on the surface charming, well mannered, highly educated, very articulate people, but inside they were as evil as Hannibal Lecter. Some of them in our prisons, very sadly, are priests and clergymen.
Here is another bit of pop philosophy to consider.
The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are.
Words of Jim Morrison
So does this apply to the above mentioned sex offenders and child murderers, some of whom boast about their crimes and seem to have little remorse. At the end of a chapel service, in HMP Chelmsford, one prisoner proudly identified himself as "the M25 murderer". He told the guitarist, who lived close to the M25 near Brentwood, that he had "dumped a few bodies round your way".
Another prisoner spoke to the bass guitarist and said that he would love to learn to play the guitar. He had plenty of time to learn. He freely admitted that he would never be allowed to learn the guitar because he would almost certainly kill someone with the guitar strings.That's honesty for you!
Was Jim Morrison's freedom really the most important kind of freedom??? He now rests in a famous grave in a Paris cemetery. He died at the age of 27. Was it a free life or was it a life of bad trips, messy relationships, alcohol addiction, binges, drugs, decadence and debauchery? Janis Joplin's attitude to his irrational behaviour is now well documented, and her comments about him, according to Wikipedia, may be the most accurate and perceptive, but they are not suitable for this blog. Like Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin died at the age of 27, after a seriously messed up life.
How about this one?
A person who feels appreciated will always do more than is expected.
Now I agree that encouragement, praise and positive reinforcement are very important, and that the ministry of discouragement is oversubscribed. Praise God for the Barnabas people, the Bereans and other righteous people making a difference and the world a better place. There are too many cynics, hypercritical heresy hunters, hypocrites, moaners and malcontents.
That said, what is stupid about this pseudo intellectual nonsense? Well, there are children who are loved, indulged, appreciated but spoilt rotten. They do not always do more than expected. They think that they are the cat's whiskers, and sometimes they do less than expected. Their mothers indulge and spoil to the point where they become lazy and self satisfied. Their mothers come to realize that they are not the messiah, but very naughty boys, who don't become doctors, lawyers, and high achievers like their fathers. I can think of public school boys and those at top schools who did not reach their full potential, but they were appreciated by their parents, who spent thousands on their education and upbringing in rich North London homes.
And yet another one....
Nothing is too difficult for you to overcome. You've survived so many hardships and moments that pushed you to your limits. Instead of giving up, you survived and came out stronger. You can do that again and more. Keep believing in yourself. Keep going.
While the first sentence may appeal to our optimism and hope, it does not apply to people who are terminally ill or suffer from a serious condition that will not improve. Survival is not enough. It is not a question of believing in yourself, in you, and keeping going in the same path, which may be a self destructive path. It could be catastrophic, particularly if the person is not aware of the dangers they are in. I am thinking about people who mess with the occult and drugs, alcohol and the wrong company and unhealthy foods. Good advice and helpful interventions may be ignored by people who have chosen the broad and evil way that leads to disaster and destruction.
Believing in themselves may mean choosing and reinforcing disastrous, spiritually damaging, bad behaviour and destructive relationships. People might genuinely believe that their lifestyle and belief in themselves may be beneficial when the exact opposite is true. Some men believe in themselves and that their macho behaviour, which includes wife beating, is perfectly acceptable. Some Russian men proudly hold this position. Stacey Dooley's interviews (War on Russian Women) provide the evidence. Should they keep going?
I wonder if this advice will help Elizabeth Holmes. She has some real difficulties to overcome. She really exuded belief in herself. What an amazing self assurance and self confidence she had and still appears to have! It will be difficult for her to keep going. She convinced many people to invest in her invention and Theranos. She was "out for blood in Silicon Valley" and now people are out for her blood. The 2020 court case will push her to her limits.
We need to know our limitations. Somethings are clearly beyond our control, so some problems, like severe medical conditions, are too difficult to overcome. Some people believe that they can achieve anything if they work hard enough and have a positive attitude. A person with poor health is not going to be a Premier League football player. Therefore, you cannot put in what God has left out. Some people therefore do not have the physical or genetic endowment, such as IQ and emotional intelligence, to overcome certain hurdles. For some, they have missed the boat to success.
Christians do not look to themselves for the answers. We are looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We know that we are fallen, frail beings. The answer does not always lie within ourselves, though we may find some answers by our own intelligence. We have something that the world cannot give, the mind of Christ. It is an amazing truth. And many do not fully grasp it. To apprehend this spiritual reality is to find a life of peace, joy and hope beyond and above human comprehension. It is spiritually discerned.
If we sow in the flesh, in the carnal nature, we will reap corruption. If we sow in the Spirit, then we will reap eternal life, life with the quality of eternity.
True freedom is not being what we really are, but finding abundant life, new life, eternal life, regenerated life in Christ.
Make me a captive Lord, and then I shall be free.
