The Morning Reading, the words of Robert F. Kennedy [from, “The Goals of American Foreign Policy,” the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, October 11, 1966, pg 262]:
“Think how our world would look to a visitor from another planet as he crossed the continents. He would find great cities and knowledge able to create enormous abundance from the materials of nature. He would witness exploration into understanding of the entire physical universe, from the particles of the atom to the secrets of life. He would see billions of people separated by only a few hours of flight, communicating with the speed of light, sharing a common dependence on a thin layer of soil and a covering of air. Yet he would also observe that most of mankind was living in misery and hunger, that some of the inhabitants of this tiny, crowded globe were killing others, and that a few patches of land were pointing huge instruments of death and war at others. Since what he was seeing proved our intelligence, he would only wonder at our sanity. It is this monstrous absurdity --that in the midst of such possibility, men should hate and kill and oppress one another-- that must be the target of the modern American revolution.”
Benediction [Dori Jeanine Somers, from gray hymnal, #653]:
“How short the daylight hours have now become. How gray the skies, how barren seem the trees… But there is that in me which reaches up toward light and laughter… and knows it must be true… that light returns to balance darkness, life surges in the evergreen-and us. And babes are hope, and saviors of the world, as miracles abound in common things. Rejoice!”
Sermon:
“Corruption” is what most voters polled by exit-pollsters on Tuesday answered when asked what their main concerns are for our nation at this time. Of course, by “corruption,” people meant a wide variety of things, some of which we cannot assume to guess absent in-depth conversations. But voters did say they have seen no consequences for leaders’ bad decisions, and that leaders are not handling information well-- not even as well as is standard practice in the offices of average businesses. Political corruption isn’t necessarily the right focus for a church pulpit, but human nature is. Human nature is a core area of theological exploration, along with the nature of salvation, of the divine, of an afterlife, and of sin. It is timely for us to examine our views of human nature; in this room they are many and disparate and we are free to discuss them all openly. Do you believe that people are inherently generous and trustworthy, or mean and deceitful? And when people act in greedy or destructive ways, why, do you believe, they do so? These are religious questions that each of us has wrestled with, in light of what we have heard and read, and especially in light of our life experience. Your beliefs on human nature have probably changed over the years, or at least you have been given cause to re-examine whether you still hold them as true. It will help us to examine the views of human nature of some of the greatest thinkers who have lived: Confucius, Plato, and Jesus among them.
But first, if we are to really look at human beings’ capacity for corrupt behavior, we have to look at Machiavelli, a sixteenth-century philosopher whose views I have long loved to loath. Machiavelli believed that humans are fundamentally bad-- greedy, treacherous, ego-driven, power-hungry, and materialistic. The influence of his writing has been that when people say, “Machiavellian,” they mean deceptive, unscrupulous, and cunning. His guiding ideals as to whether political decisions were good were patriotism and what he called, “reasons of state.” He wrote that politicians should act based on what had worked in past history, particularly in ancient Rome, and what would be most expedient, without regard for harm done to others or their reputations. Machiavelli likened politicians to physicians-- To him, a politician needed to ensure the safety of the state, even if that meant lying to people, just as a physician needed to act for the health of the patient, even if that meant keeping the truth from the patient. Machiavelli admired leaders who were opportunistic, self-disciplined, brave, and far-sighted, and believed an effective leader must be willing to be feared rather than loved. He believed we should not hold rulers to the same moral standards as we do our family and friends. His book, The Prince, was read by Mussolini, Hitler, Lenin, and Stalin.
There is much we now know about human perception and behavior that Machiavelli did not know. A society ruled by intimidation in which people cannot trust their leaders’ actions or values is unstable. Loyalty breaks down, state secrets are leaked, the truth comes out, and the people rebel. We also know now to examine the social context in which a person was born and raised; that’s how a person’s ethics are formed, as well as their perception of the world, other people, and themselves. We also now know that some people are clinically paranoid or sociopathic, and certainly should not be rulers. Machiavelli’s view of human nature and the world was formed by the volatile and unstable political times in which he was immersed. So he assumed that most people would rather use, harm, or ruin him than help him. By contrast, The Dalai Lama wrote:
“At any given moment there must be hundreds of millions of acts of kindness taking place around the world. Although there will undoubtably be many acts of violence in progress at the same time, these will surely be far fewer… If we really think about it, our very survival, even today, depends upon the acts and kindness of so many people… Kindness and compassion are among the principal values that make our lives meaningful. They are a source of lasting happiness and joy. They are the foundation of a good heart, the heart of one who acts out of a desire to help others. Through kindness, through affection, through honesty, through truth and justice toward all others, we benefit ourselves as well. This is a matter of common sense. There is no denying that consideration of others is worthwhile. Our own happiness is inextricably bound up with the happiness of others. Similarly, if society suffers, we ourselves suffer. Nor is there any denying that the more our hearts and minds are afflicted with ill will, the more miserable we become.” [preface to, The Kindness of Strangers]
My view of human nature is similar to the Dalai Lama’s. In my view, more people are kind-hearted and helpful than corrupt. One of the great privileges of this vocation I’m in is that I get to see so many acts of kindness which are not done for glory –not in the least—but simply to ease the suffering of another being. And I can also tell you that I’ve delivered close to a hundred eulogies, none of them for anyone who was notably corrupt. So I think that it is power that corrupts, specifically unchecked power void of accountability.
In his examination of human nature, Plato viewed the soul as a tripartite of Appetite, Reason, and Spirit or Passion. Appetite is our physical desires: hunger, thirst, sexual desire. Reason is our moral judgment. Spirit is our emotions, such as anger, indignation, ambition, aggression, but also love. To be alive is to continually experience struggle between these parts of our soul. In The Republic, Plato describes Appetite as a lion, Reason as a little man, and Spirit as a many-headed beast. What kind of individual one becomes depends on which of the three elements is most dominant. He also saw human beings as undeniably social; we need one another to survive, and for friendship, the arts and entertainment, politics, learning, and discernment. Plato viewed troubled individuals and flawed societies as interdependent, contributing to each other’s degeneration. Plato did not believe in a democracy in which every person has a voice and a vote. His ideal society was ruled by “Guardians,” who were scholars; “Auxiliaries,” who were soldiers, police, and civil servants; and all kinds of workers who produce and distribute what we need to live. [See, Ten Theories of Human Nature, Ch. 5] His description reads like a caste system. And we can now see that it is unfair. We now know that we can find, in all walks of life, the gifts and graces of geniuses and the corrupt acts of the untrustworthy.
Though Confucius also described a society in which everyone has their place and never steps out of it, he placed the utmost importance on people relating to one another in a virtuous way. The elements of this were: integrity, righteousness, loyalty to others, reciprocity, benevolence, and etiquette. He believed good government was a question of ethics, and that leaders should set a good example to the people they served by living a virtuous life. As a stark contrast to Machiavelli’s view, Confucius believed everyone, including and especially political figures, should treat one another as if they were honored family. [Greatest Thinkers, p. 20]
Jesus’ view of human nature was the breaking apart of caste systems and hierarchies; a “kingdom of equals” in which no human is higher nor nearer to God than others-- a community with a place at the table for the sinful and the saintly, the meek and the righteous. His life and teachings demonstrated that he was welcoming to lepers, prostitutes, and even tax collectors. His egalitarian philosophy became the Christian practice of feeding the hungry, visiting the prisoner, caring for widows and orphans, and especially including people who have been pushed to the margins of society.
That Christian philosophy could be re-stated as, “the affirmation of the worth and dignity of every person, a commitment to human betterment, and the necessity for human beings to take responsibility for themselves and the world.” That’s how William Murry summed up his beliefs in his commentary in the current issue of, The UU World. The Rev. Dr. Murry is a former president of Meadville Lombard Theological School, a Unitarian Universalist seminary, and author of, Reason and Reverence: Religious Humanism for the Twenty-first Century. Over the past century, Humanist beliefs have kept the best of Christian ethics while rejecting the supernatural aspects of Christian scripture. Humanism incorporates our ability to reason and the findings of science. Some Humanists are theistic, but they tend to view the divine as parts of the natural world we simply do not yet understand. Dr. Murry writes: “Religious humanism is a life stance that exults in being alive in this unimaginably vast and breathtakingly beautiful universe and that finds joy and satisfaction in contributing to human betterment. Without a creed but with an emphasis on reason, compassion, community, nature, and social responsibility, it is a way of living that answers the religious and spiritual needs of people today.” Personally my religious beliefs are not limited to Humanism. But I am so solidly humanist in the way I was raised that if you took my humanists convictions away, I would not be who I am. Humanism is a belief in the inherent goodness of human beings and the greatness of human potential to improve ourselves and our world-- and the belief that, since we have that potential, we also have a duty to try to do all we can in our brief time on earth. Dr. Murry writes, “The human ability to think critically and constructively has made possible our many artistic achievements and medical and technological advances, but it is only reverence, understood as feelings of respect and awe, that can save us from the hubris that would destroy all the good we have accomplished… I also think [Dr. Murry writes] a strong case can be made that lack of reverence is a major cause of all forms of human violence throughout history and in family and community life as well as with respect to the natural environment. And while reverence is not only a religious quality, a religion without a profound sense of reverence is no religion at all… Becoming more fully human involves the transformation of the mind and heart from self-centeredness to a sense of one’s self as part of a larger sacred whole and to a deep commitment to the human and natural worlds. It is about the transformation from a shallow life of fear, greed, hedonism, and materialism to a meaningful life of love and caring, gratitude and generosity, fairness and equity, joy and hope, and a profound respect for others.”
How are we to cultivate the best of human nature in ourselves and others? This ancient Jewish wisdom is known as, “The Ethics of the Fathers:”
“Let your house be a meeting place for the wise; sit at their feet; and drink in their words thirstily… Do not engage in gossip. Provide yourself with a teacher; get yourself a colleague… and do not despair when you meet with disaster… Love work and hate public office. Be a disciple of Aaron, loving peace and striving for peace, loving people and attracting them to the Torah. He who does not increase his knowledge decreases it. If I do nothing for myself, who will do it for me? But if I care only for myself, what good am I? And if not now, when? Make study a regular habit; say little and do much; and receive all people cheerfully. Do not be aloof from the community; do not condemn your fellow man until you have been in his same position; do not say, ‘I shall study when I find time,’ for you may never find time. The bashful cannot learn, nor can the quick-tempered teach… Greed and hatred shorten a person’s life. The day is short, the task is great, and the Master is insistent. You are not called upon to complete the work, yet you are not free to evade it… He who learns from every man is wise; he who controls his impulse is strong; the man who is content with his lot is rich; the man who honors his fellow men is honored. One good deed leads to another; one misdeed leads to another. [and lastly] If anyone saves a single life, he is rewarded as though he had saved the whole world.”
Let it be and, Amen.