Thank God modernity is dead in 2018
W
ith 2017 officially behind us, we can all finally take a giant breath of relief as we enter the fresh year that lies before us. I mentioned last year that we had long ago left the heights of modernity, as “post-truth” was finally added to the dictionary.
But such a shift in view means we’re in a moment that is simultaneously both the end of one age and the beginning of a new one, which always serves as an excellent vantage point for believers in truth and virtue.
We’ve been here before, in case you didn’t know. Almost 2,500 years ago, in ancient Athens, at the height of its power, you could pay professionals to argue any argument for you. It didn’t matter whether the argument was valid or if it would add to the justice needed by the society; he with the best silver tongue won. Into this vacuum of truth, stepped Socrates, who asserted that there was indeed an eternal truth, and one ought to live in light of that reality.
Some might see it as a stretch to compare Ancient Athens to our own time. But if nothing else, the point stands that we are in the midst of an incredibly chaotic period that has so many sophists they’re falling over each other to get your subscription on YouTube. Also, like that old city, our own political and social problems are becoming ever more dire thanks to factions who refuse to compromise or work for the common good. There’s no place for virtue – just power.
This point cannot be overstated. A recent letter to the editor hurled invective on the good Dr. Peterson without a single shred of evidence; while the accusations sounded more erudite than the words often used by racists, they are in fact slurs based in their particular language game. The words do not help parse the actions of said individual, they only attempt to demonize every aspect of his being. Prejudice was rampant on the right – now it’s also a tool of the left. How do we combat the ever growing trend of treating all aspects of our society and our own lives as a zero-sum game, a perpetual power struggle?
The Christian mystery has sev- eral answers to this problem; luckily, attendance at their sermons, services, and seminars on this topic is usually free.
But if you were hoping to stay away from holy places, here are a few ideas.
Unsubscribe from everything on social media for a week. Then, in a state of near perfect calm, begin to look through news sites, personalities, and alternative media; don’t immediately like any of them – read their blurb first. You might be surprised who stands for what and why.
Similarly, reduce your friends online to people you actually speak to or see regularly. It will allow you to be more intentional with social media and your people on it. As a rule of thumb, unless you’re some kind of social IQ genius, I’d vote 100 people is just about the maximum. In the real world, I’d encourage you to stop piling on; when someone makes a political statement regardless of ideology, show the courage to politely challenge them on it: excuse me, but what evidence do you have, or why do you believe that? These are necessary discussions.
This same courage needs to be exercised at home. As a pastor put it recently, “are you willing to put good faith in your family, or are you waiting for them to prove you right again about their worst traits?” Clearly, we all have to work on our resentment, which truly starts at home. And this would be my final suggestion: take the time to dig out the resentment lodged deep in your own heart. Prayer, meditation, and counselling are all options for this process, but I implore you to do something proactive about it as soon as possible. These feelings are poison.
Those are just suggestions I’ve attempted to live out myself, often failing, but that’s what New Year’s resolutions are for – trying again. If nothing else, they are processes that might help you find the objective truth behind it all, and to live in light of that reality.
Happy New Year.
(We’re) in a moment that is simultaneously both the end of one age and the beginning of a new one, which always serves as an excellent vantage point for believers in truth and virtue.