| The "system" by Richard RohrIn Chapter 4 of his book, Rohr
cites a psychologist, Anne Wilson Schaef, that studied western societies and
concluded that we're addicted to an addictive system of thinking,
feeling, and acting. It entraps us
without knowing it the way a drug or alcohol can. We are imprisoned in it, with
the 4 walls of our prison being the following 4 myths:
1) Our
system is the only system there is
There's
only 1 game in town, the game of power, status, and wealth. Its played in corporate boardrooms, fields of
professional sports, factories and offices, and suburban neighborhoods. We're all addicted to this system, and to the
reality it defines for us
2) Our
system is innately superior
Other
ways of thinking are out of touch with the "bottom line." The system defines what is right and
true. From this position of superiority,
those in the system can judge those outside it - the poor, the uneducated,
minorities, even the unborn.
3) Our
system knows and understands everything
The
system and those who dominate it understand what is best for everybody. They know what God wants, and the way things
ought to be. Rohr, with a 35-year career
as a Catholic priest, says Western Christianity exemplifies this
arrogance.
4) Its
possible for us to be totally logical, rational, and objective.
Everything
worth knowing is objectifiable and quantifiable. "Feelings, values, hopes, ideals,
rights, and other intangibles only count when they can be quantified and
measured"
The first
3 myths show how incomplete and ignorant our system is, but the 4th shows us
why its addictive. "What they see
and feel is only what feeds their addiction or what threatens it." To themselves, they seem reasonable, logical,
and moral even when they're obviously not.
Schaef
suggests there's another myth that caps these 4: It is possible for us to be
God (much like the snake in Genesis 3:5).
Most in the system deny they believe this myth, but they fail to look up
to see where these myths lead to.
"The demand for unquestioning allegiance and blind obedience is the
same demand that a drug makes on an addict."
Just thought I'd share what our small group has been reading. Very interesting stuff :)
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