Those who have read over other postings know that I am a religious person. I believe in God. While I have tried to not make religion or my specific religious cosmology the focus of my posts, neither have I tried to hide what I believe. For this post, I will be up front and say that I cannot address this subject from a purely secular view.
Anybody who watches the news knows that there are problems in the world. Individuals and nations are in conflict. The helpless are being abused and neglected. The environment is under pressure. Resources are being abused and are no longer as abundant. Pain and suffering, fear and hate, distrust and selfishness abound. While beauty also exists, the world is often a scary and depressing place.
So, what is to be done? Governments and social organizations theorize over the causes and solutions, implementing interventions in the lives of individuals, communities, even nations. While the more successful programs seem to alleviate some symptoms, the root problems roll merrily on, either becoming worse or changing their character to resurface as newer, and often more troubling, conditions. As a society we seem fixated on attempting to address root causes with external applications. Can I suggest that it isn’t working?
A wise man once expressed, “The world would take the man out of the slum. God would take the slum out of the man, who then removes himself from the slum. The world would change man by changing his environment. God would change man by changing his character.” Herein lies the fault, in my opinion, in how we try and change social conditions. We focus on changing the environment without concentrating on the character—assuming that when the man or woman is out of the slum, they will naturally act different. And I speak not just of a run down neighborhood.
How we attempt to change or accept our environment is greatly affected by our beliefs and our attitudes. Our feelings, too, are governed by what we choose to focus on and how we choose to interpret what we experience. Don’t believe it? Try this example. A spouse is late coming home. How should the spouse waiting feel? Well, if they imagine that the spouse is working late they may not feel much at all. If, on the other hand, they image the spouse bleeding on the freeway after a car accident, then they will feel anxious and worried. Or, they may imagine the spouse in the arms of an elicit lover, in which case they might feel angry or depressed. Finally, they could image that the spouse is out shopping for a special gift to give them, in which case they might feel happy and expectant. Notice that the only thing they really know is that the spouse is late. All the things they might feel are based not on fact or circumstance, but on their interpretation of the circumstance. Such is the basis of most of our feelings and attitudes. Even when the circumstance is more specific, we still make a choice about how we feel by how we choose to interpret it. Say the spouse is working late, we might choose to feel happy because he or she is providing for the family and working to maintain their job, or we may justify negative feelings by deciding that their working late is a sign that they don’t care about the family or being at home. Again, how we end up feeling about it is almost always a choice in how we perceive the situation.
What I would suggest is that to really change the world, we have to change the beliefs, attitudes, and feelings of individuals. As those change, they, the individuals, will in turn change their environment. I wasn’t a big Michael Jackson fan, but I have to admit that his song entitled “The Man in the Mirror” was a classic and addresses what I’m talking about. If we would change the world, we should focus on changing ourselves. Now, here is the rub. I propose that there isn’t much a government or community organizations can do to change attitudes and beliefs. It can legislate against excesses and enforce such laws. It can offer assistance to those who are choosing to change their environment. It can create an environment conducive to change, thereby offering some hope. But, it can’t force people to change their character, which is the sum total of their attitudes, beliefs, thoughts, and actions. And, the sad fact is that the majority of people won’t spontaneously change. There is inertia in feeling a victim, in feeling self justified in hate, prejudice, or self righteousness. That inertia is not easily cast off.
It is here that my religious cosmology comes into effect. There needs to be some force that can change the human heart, that when applied can remove the slums of ignorance, hate, and fear from the person. I believe that force to be God, and more specifically, the healing and saving force of Christ’s atonement. As man accepts the will of God in his/her life, he becomes free of the inertial negative forces and free to choose the love and courage that will ultimately solve the world’s problems. While we, without God, may do good in the world and serve others, we will mostly fail in the goal of really changing the world, and indeed, of changing ourselves.
I would plead with all who read this to seek the peace and love that comes from sincere religious belief and expression. All the great religions of the world, when stripped of fundamentalist radicalism, have as a basis of their teachings the philosophy of love, brotherhood, and mercy. Most also presuppose a life style that avoids the hurting of others and acts in the best interest of the community. It is only through these principles that we can heal our societies and begin to solve the world’s problems. For those wishing to know my own belief of how accepting Christ can change our hearts and character, go to www.mormon.org and look over the teachings of Christ as we understand them. May heaven bless you in your efforts and searching.
