I’m notorious for tearing out pages from magazines or circling paragraphs in newspaper articles when they contain quotes I find thought-provoking. Something in print can trigger a reaction in me that makes me pause, put down the paper for a moment, and reflect on what I’ve read. I may agree and want to shout, “Amen, sister!” I may disagree and want to say, “Now hold on there…”
T.C. Boyle is a popular fiction writer, who has published over twenty, fairly unconventional books. In a recent interview, he happened to be asked about life and death and offered this grim assessment: “In previous generations, there was purpose [to life]: you had to die, but there was God, and literature and culture would go on. Now, of course, there is no God, and our species is imminently doomed, so there is no purpose. We get up, raise families, have bank accounts, fix our teeth and everything else. But really, there is utterly no purpose except to be alive.” As you can imagine, my reaction was, “Now hold on there!”
Mr. Boyle has made a living out of being provocative, so his words have to be seen in light of his own goals of self-marketing. Clearly he and I disagree on the question of “God vs. no God.” But what struck me most was his suggestion that life has no ultimate purpose. I felt sad when he suggested that life involves waking up, balancing our checkbooks, brushing our teeth, and simply staying alive. What a narrow, depressing view! I thought of so many other things that I would add to the list of “why I wake up in the morning”, including (but not limited to) my wife and family, communion services at ELPC, Bach and Chopin music on the piano, snow-capped mountains seen from a distance, ocean beaches felt by bare feet, children, pets, chocolate, crossword puzzles, and ice cream “blend ins.” You would likely have your own list of what brings you joy each day and adds meaning to your life.
Having said that, I know that for all of us some days (and weeks) are harder than others. There are stages in life when it takes all our effort to get up, get to work, pay our bills, and navigate the hours until we can lie down in bed again. There are times when we cannot see distant mountains or remember what summer’s warmth feels like, and we find ourselves just “staying alive.” The difference is that Mr. Boyle cynically suggests that there is no other option; no “Plan B” to turn to when things are hard. I would argue that a “horizon is nothing except the limit of our sight” (to borrow words from our state’s founder William Penn), and as God’s children, we always have another higher, spiritual horizon ever before us. Christ has promised to be with us, “even to the end of the age.” The Spirit intercedes for us “with sighs too deep for words” in our moments of need. Remembering those basic truths of faith lifts our eyes unto the hills, allowing us to affirm: “From whence does our help come? It comes from the Lord.”
A new year is upon us. By definition, it is a new horizon of life for each of us: twelve months waiting expectantly to be explored by us. Yes, we’ll need to work, brush our teeth and check our bank accounts. But we can be and do so much more than that, and such is God’s desire for each of us. Spend 2013 proving T.C. Boyle wrong. I’m sure he can handle a friendly disagreement about this, and besides, it will make a great conversation to share with faith friends now and the heavenly host in the future!