The Last Time I Committed Suicide
The Last Time I Committed Suicide
Just when I thought that I didn't have anything to make me hot enough to write for this particular column, the local news, on the radio, as it is wont to do, came through.
A few days ago, a local Tennessee State Representative was found murdered, by his own hands, soon after being charged on three separate occurrences with, well, "going public with his privates" in front of teenage girls. Reports on the local radio stations frequently referred his death as a tragedy. And then, friends and colleagues were interviewed at great length (and sentiment) about the political legacy left behind by the deceased.
Have we lost all understanding of tragedy? There is nothing tragic about this man's death. I don't mean that his family shouldn't grieve and mourn his death. They would be wise as well to mourn over his sins. But, a true tragedy always involves the death of a hero. And there is nothing noble or heroic about the death of a man who dies by his own red hands. Sacrifice for others is noble. Self-destruction is ignoble. There may not have been anything very noble about his life, either. I mean, not only was the man a murderer, and a pervert, he was a politician, too.
Suicide just isn't what it used to be. I've noticed, lately, that many of the news reporters, at least on the radio, no longer refer to "suicide —bombers" as such. Some are now calling them "homicide —bombers." What's the difference? Well, I'm sure, they think that public and personal sympathy for the suicide will suck out some of the sympathy for the other bomb victims. Now that the social disgrace and reproach is nearly gone from the cultural understanding of suicide, they still want to save that stigma for (some) other acts of murder. In fact, more often than not, the killing of oneself is glorified in popular films. Suicide, like sodomy, is no longer commonly understood as the abomination that it is. Which may mean we are in the process of cultural suicide as well.
Thunder Puppies
We are living in a culture that is becoming increasingly rude. There is little reverence, respect or recognition given to those of age and/or authority. One recent example of this is the advent of the impersonal, somewhat anonymous communication known as "e-mail." Entries on our website forum as well as letters we receive in our personal electronic mail boxes often begin and end with jibes, sarcasm, and just plain meanness.
Now let me state right here, that there is a place for the acerbic, for the sardonic, for the jest. But playing that same note all the time, with no respect for all the tools of language, gets a bit tiresome. Think about it, the person who is always trying to be funny soon becomes less entertaining. Individuals, who are always angry, tend to have their latest rant ignored. We begin to suspect that the problem is on the inside of the ranter, rather than in the fallen world around us. But most importantly, those who act as though they already know everything seldom make good disciples. Here in our little part of the world, western Virginia, folks driving on the back roads tend to wave at each other as they drive by. This cultural acknowledgement, no matter how superficial, or noncommittal it may be, is refreshing after cruising the digital highway and having thunder-puppies and angry young women waving the angry digit at you.
Why is it that people are more arrogant and brash when they transmit under a pseudonym, from long distance? Perhaps because they are arrogant and brash. Maybe they already know everything and when they die, wisdom will also.
One of the first verses that Angela and I teach our children is, "the eyes
of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." We endeavor
to unpack for them the myriad applications of this personal, individual aspect
of God's sovereignty. He knows our hearts, our thoughts, and our e-mails.
Double Dog Dare
One would think, wouldn't one, that in a culture that embraces relativism, we would be reluctant to spend government money trying to sell a particular idea. If there is no right and wrong, for instance, why does the government even have crimes? Why is the government forbidden to invade the privacy of our bedrooms when we plan to kill our baby, because, after all, isn't this a religious issue, but permitted to invade our bedrooms when we plan to smoke a joint in there? One need not be a Rastafarian to see the taking of drugs to be a religious experience. Just ask Leary brothers, Timothy and Dennis.
But then it gets even weirder. If we cannot know objective truth, if all we are left with is the pragmatic, with what works, then we still have a terrible problem. We can't know the objective truth of what works. The federal government, for instance, has spent the better part of the last decade or so trying to save us and themselves a peck of trouble by telling their minions in their schools not to smoke that joint, or use other drugs. They have come up with elaborate programs complete with t-shirts and bumper stickers, that dare the youngsters not to take drugs. Then along comes a study that says what we should have expected all along. These programs, complete with rock stars and athletes, and frying pans with eggs in them, actually encourage the little tykes to light one up.
These are the people in charge of educating "our" children. They must be close
cousins with the doctors who tell us to put the baby on his back, no on his
stomach, no on his back to sleep safely, and the nutritionists who tell us
to eat the oatmeal, no don't, yes do. Maybe that is the pragmatic answer to
relativism—when you can't decide which answer is true, just let them take
turns.