the majority rules
I have just started reading the consolations of philosophy by Alain De Botton. I am finding it very entertaining and interesting.
In particular, he talks about Socrates’ view of the distinction which should be made between what is popular and what is right, arguing that in modern society, we often confuse the two. He says:
…if we are prone to burst into tears after only a few harsh words about our character or achievements, it may be because the approval of others forms an essential part of our capacity to believe that we are right. We feel justified in taking unpopularity seriously not only for pragmatic reasons, for reasons of promotion or survival, but more importantly because being jeered at can seem an unequivocal sign that we have gone astray.
I would venture to say that in the church, we go even further in this regard. As christian communities, we feel that any sort of conflict necessarily signifies that a community is unhealthy. I have seen decision-making bodies which consistently make decisions more conservative than the opinions of every single member, because of a corporate fear of how people will react.
We choose to do things not on the basis that things are right, but because they will not cause offence. In politics, each side puts the best possible spin on their viewpoint and maximises the positives. In churches, the way that we sometimes communicate decisions or expectations is focussed more to rebut the counter-arguments which haven’t even been made yet. This in turn (in my view) brings the counter-arguments to the fore, conditioning members and churches that we need to look at the negative side on everything.
Why can’t we boldly and regularly proclaim the importance of giving and stewardship rather than apologetically putting our hands out to members every year or two years, using guilt trips to make our point?
Why can’t we boldly proclaim how difficult it is to follow jesus, rather than trying to make it easy and attractive?
Why can’t we face up to a difficult individual and tell them that while they might be talented and committed, their behaviour is poisoning the community?
Why can’t we understand that lack of conflict is not a sign of health if it simply means we are refusing to address the issues?
April 27th, 2003 at 12:59 pm
De Botton was a regular guest on the Sunday night radio show Guy Noble had a couple of years back on the ABC Local Radio network. He had a segment titled “Dear Socrates” in which listeners wrote in with their problems, which he would look at from the viewpoint of the great philosophers of history. A long way from “Dear Abby” !