In a rare departure from law and public policy discussions, I tackle what I think it means–or should mean–when a Christian declares “I’m not going to live in fear.” Jesus rebuked his disciples for being afraid and not having faith. He did not rebuke them because they were wrong about being in a dangerous situation. What does this story and some related Bible passages tell us about how we should live?
Everyone knows that everyone is feeling more stressed today than ever before. We’re stressed about money. We’re stressed at our jobs. If we are parents, we’re stressed about our kids. We’re stressed about our health. We’re stressed about our nation and its politics.
We’re stressed about not doing enough or doing well enough today. We’re stressed about things out of our control tomorrow. And just to cover all the bases, we’re stressed about the things we have done or that have been done to us in the past.
Have I missed anything?
I assure you I am not immune to any of this. But there’s something weird going on here. Are we really feeling more stressed now than our human counterparts, say, 200 years ago?
When were we more likely to starve—now or 200 years ago? When were we more susceptible to the whims of weather, drought, pests, and crop failures—now or 200 years ago? When were we more likely to lose a child to incurable disease—now are 200 years ago?
Or, when have we had more access to entertainment and amusement? When we been more able to travel more than a few miles in a day? When in human history has humanity as a whole experienced more abundant material wealth than we experience right now?
I don’t mean to minimize the stress with we feel today. The stress is real, even if the situation seems like it should be less stressful.
But why do we feel so stressed, if we have so much compared to our ancestors? Or were our ancestors just as stressed out as we are?
Here is just one guy’s opinion, but I think I’m onto something (at least for myself, if I do say so myself): I think I actually have too much stuff, and a lot of our stuff causes a lot of our stress.
Maybe a flip phone is better than a smart phone. Maybe not having cable, Netflix, etc., is better than having it. Maybe reading a book from the library is better than watching a movie. Maybe playing outside or playing board games is better than playing video games. Maybe having 5 shirts is better than having 10.
I used “maybe” a lot in the last paragraph, and I meant it. Because who am I to tell you that you should have less stuff, or what stuff you should get rid of? And how could I know that getting rid of certain things will reduce stress for all of you? The stuff that stresses one person could bring joy and energy to another, and I’m in no position to dictate to you what you should do with your own life.
For me, I kept my smart phone, but I disabled all internet access. Now, to get on the internet on my phone, you need a code. I don’t know the code. I did this for 30 days, and I decided I prefer my life without internet access everywhere I go.
In our family, we have been purging tons of stuff that was cluttering our life but not adding any joy. It’s been a lot of hard work, and I haven’t enjoyed any of it! But I love the peaceful, easy feeling that is returning to our home as we get rid of stuff we don’t really need.
Instead of trying to dictate anything to you, or telling you that you have to do exactly what worked for me, please permit me to issue a challenge: find some things in your life that you could do without and do a 30-day test drive. If you go 30 days and you really want it back, get it back. But you may find out you prefer not having that particular thing.
Maybe less stuff can result in less stress.
Not too far from my hometown of Austin, TX, runs the Guadalupe River. Lots of people love to go on a hot summer day (we have a few of those down here almost every year), jump on some inner tubes and float down the river. It’s a lovely, lazy time. It’s great recreation. The beauty of tubing down the Guadalupe is that it requires nothing. You just hop in and wherever the river flows, you go. It works because everybody knows where the river flows. When you’re ready, you steer over towards shore and get out of the river.
It’s easy.
But what if it’s a metaphor for life? What if you live a go-with-the-flow life? Where does the flow go? Who decides where it goes?
“Go with the flow” is our national attitude. We used to hear, “If it feels good, do it.” Now the unspoken command is, “If it’s easy, do it.”
What’s easy? American Idol and X Factor are easy. Even the History Channel is easy. Eating cheap processed food is easy. Unquestioning acceptance of our chosen media outlet’s political views is easy. Hours upon hours on Facebook and web surfing are easy. Staying up late (usually eating the aforementioned cheap processed food and/or watching TV) and living in the fog of fatigue is easy. Gossip is easy. Telling Republicans that Democrats are lazy bums who hate God and rich people is easy. Telling Democrats that Republicans are Bible-thumping homophobic racists who want to control women’s bodies is easy.
I see the rewards of easy and they’re pitiful. Depressing. Count me out.
Whatever the opposite of a go-with-the-flow mentality is–I want that. I want to be a Free Radical. I’ve called this blog “Free. Radical. Thinking.” Here’s what I mean by “Free Radical.” There are four things that make a Free Radical:
Of course, I could not write and publish these things if I have not mastered them. Thank you so much for noticing! (Umm, how do you make the written word unmistakably sarcastic?)
I aspire to be a Free Radical.
What attributes am I missing?
Talk to me.