When I surveyed all that my hands had done
___and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless,
___a chasing after the wind
(Ecclesiastes 2:11, NIV)
The American dream of happiness is rooted in a belief in the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," which is written into the Declaration of Independence. Yet we all know coworkers, friends, or loved ones who use their liberty to pursue happiness and end up... saying, "This isn't what it's cracked up to be." Their pursuit of happiness becomes "chasing after the wind."
That American dream is broken. It always has been.
--The above is copied (sans emphasis) from a letter I received today from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. (Note: all discussion about the merits of this and similar organizations will have to wait for another day.. that's not the point of this post - if you missed the point, read again). I am interested to find out how their TV special, "America's Dream: Chasing Happiness," touches on this topic. Airing times can be found here.
Later, all.
"That American dream is broken. It always has been."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The American Dream seems to be centered in the paradox that Man Loves Himself until that love grows into Man Hating Himself. The alternative paradox to that is that man must love others selflessly to truly love himself and love himself selflessly, that he may love others selflessly. The way of Christ, that we are all the body, helping each other and bearing each other's faults and celebrating in each other's victories. Because in that "Continental Existence" we can't atribute any of our failures or success to ourselves but that of the whole.
ReplyDelete"No man is an island"
-John Donne-
Interesting thought. It is so interesting to me that often what we think is for our best interest is our undoing. When we try to "live," we die, etc. But that it is in dying to Christ that we live, etc. Hmm..
ReplyDeleteThe last sentence - about "continental existence" and that the attribution of failure and success is to be made to the whole, not the part - is something I'd have to think about more before I respond. Just some clarification so I don't miss anything super-important... Was the term "continental existence" used by someone, or is it used here to help describe the one-ness of the life of the church, of which we all are a part?
it's a part of John Donne's language No Man is an Island, and yes that's exactly what it is describing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning John Donne.
ReplyDeleteI went and read meditation 42 again (I had forgotten I had to read it for English in high school...). And I love it.
So much.
And if anyone else reads this, find the full text of Meditation 42 by John Donne and read it. It's not very long, but it is so very deep.
Definitely worthwhile; perhaps even more so in light of the recent college murders at Auburn and UNC.
God, help us.