I would not give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity. Oliver Wendell Holmes
I dont' know about you, but I long for simplicity. One gander at my calendar, one cursory glance at the complex issues that we face today; just trying to survive life- and I find myself longing for simplicity.
I'm not talking about simplistic living on this side of complexity. I'm not talking about a way of life that avoids the issues of the day by burying one's head in the sand. I'm not talking about an approach to faith that is pre-rational. I'm not talking about religion that mocks science without fully engaging it. I'm not talking about a church where people leave their brains at the door lest the discussion grow complicated. I'm not talking about claiming mystery as a substitute for critical thought. I'm not talking about simplistic answers that haven't taken the time to bother with the questions.
The simplicity I long for is on the OTHER side of complexity. It's the simplicity of realizing that every age has its issues, and yet the faithful persist. It's the simplicity that reorients one's busyness without trivializing life's realities. It's the simplicity of a post-rational faith, a faith that has become more content amidst the forests of questions than the deserts of answers. It's the simplicity of knowing that mystery isn't the replacement of thought, but the humble admission that after we've done our best thinking, there is still more mystery beyond us. I'm talking about religion which befriends science, but also realizes that many ultimate realities simply do not fit in test tubes. I'm talking about a faith where head and heart are joined, and the soul remains open to the miraculous and inexplicable. I want a faith that relentlessly pursues truth but also realizes that a greater Mystery is relentlessly pursuing me. I want to love God with every neuron in my brain without succombing to the illusion that God is somehow entrapped there. I want to wrestle with the questions, but I also wonder if faith isn't shaped more in wrestling with the questions than answering them.
I don't want an irrational faith; I want a superrational faith. Today, I concur with Holmes: I would not give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.
What do you think?
1 comment:
Great post, Preston. I, too, long for that kind of simplicity. That's a good way of phrasing what I've been thinking for the past several months (years?).
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