Unfollow the lie

it's made us ugly

Photo by Anca Gabriela Zosin on Unsplash

“Here is something that the psychologists have so far neglected: the love of ugliness for its own sake.” H.L. Mencken

A lie has made us ugly.

But still we inhale, scrolling through the media marketplace where once ideas flourished. Now vicious bullies hang about, kicking over common sense, sending kindness crashing, boasting cruel intention—leaving decency in shards.

What is the lie? First, answer this:

Since when is the vulture our national bird? Predators are cheered, broken lives jeered—what ancient, bloodthirsty god has us in its grip?

To name the lie I’ve peered into darkness, a virtual entomologist lifting every rock. I’ve squinted through the screen at trolls, the truth-less, the paranoid, resentful self-pitiers before me. And in me.

I think I know its name, the flattering, infuriating falsehood in the room.

The ugly lie

You are superior, you are worthless. You are a god, but you don’t matter. You are too much, you’re not enough. Others must defer to your offended opinion, while you grovel for crumbs of esteem.

What a sea-sickening pendulum of un-grace we swing on. May I offer a humbling cure?

You are little, and you are loved. You are limited, yet you are empowered. Your life was given to be given away. When you fearlessly open your heart, you will find the courage you’re missing. When you humble yourself, your way will be made clear.

But first, unfollow the lie.

Beauty restored

As I write, my 3-week-old grandson slumbers beside me. He’s too small to make a splash, too helpless to fix the world. Utterly dependent on mercy, trusting the love that croons in his ear, amazed at the shimmer of light and shadow, he lives. He grows, he cries, he displays his dimples. At the end of each day, he’s learned something new. At the end of his day, I have too.

"“And Jesus said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” —Matthew 18:3

“Self-love or pride is a sin when, instead of leading you to share with others the self you love, it leads you to keep your life in perpetual safe-deposit. You not only don’t accrue any interest that way but become less and less interesting every day.” —Frederick Buechner

Are you tired of being ugly? Me too.