Reject Cancerous Cynicism
By Hunter Baker, Associate Professor of Political Science and University Fellow
Jun 11, 2014 -
As I drove in to work I heard a media personality offering his views on life, the universe, and everything. On this day he dwelt at length on the issue of social responsibility.
Do you think a certain pillar of the community is a good and honest man? Not so fast, this man objected. What if it turns out that he has engaged in insider trading? And did you criticize Tiger Woods for marital infidelity? How do you know that your favorite athlete is not likewise involved in such activities or worse? Do you make an effort to drink “fair trade” coffee because you are concerned for the economic situation of growers and workers in the developing world? Don’t you know that there is no standard definition of “fair trade” in the coffee business? It’s just a way to get more money from you. Morality, social responsibility? Bah, just marketing!
We could go on in this vein. It has ever been a popular endeavor to undermine good deeds and those who perform them, thus proving that no one, anywhere, is really worthy of emulation or admiration. So give up, already!
I once sat in a St. Louis donut shop with my wife and children. A group of senior citizens sat nearby and talked as they enjoyed their coffee. One of the old men smiled as he talked about how it had recently been his brother’s birthday. He said his brother was a priest and never had much money. He had been pleased to send the poor priest a little something to spend on himself for his birthday. It was clear that he was proud of his sibling’s commitment to a life of poverty and charity. This simple statement about a good life lived by a member of the clergy was too much for another man at the table to allow to stand. He immediately jumped in with a reminder about priests who have molested children. It was important for him to scatter some dirt around.
Let us yield the point that no human being this side of Jesus Christ has lived a perfect life. Let us further admit that even the very good man or woman that you know has at some point in the past done something wrong or maybe will do something wrong tomorrow. Perhaps we would be horrified by the inner struggle going on inside the best person we know.
But the logic here is all wrong. Those who argue in the way I have described are basically engaged in a cancerous project. They try to keep us from holding ourselves to a higher standard or emulating the good acts of others by constantly reminding us that we may just all be suckers. The real message is something like this: “Don’t deny yourself anything or make sacrifices for others. You think it’s noble, but it isn’t. It’s just a big con. Nobody really keeps promises or honors commitments when it isn’t to their advantage.”
Such people tell themselves that they are giving us the hard truth, but they are deceiving themselves and others. It is no great insight to know that the world is full of dirty, self-dealing behavior. But we also know something better. It is foolish, indeed, to mistake the evil men do for a guide to living.
Previously appeared in the June 6th edition of The Jackson Sun