The Curse of Prosperity

In the heart of almost every human there seems to be a deep lust for meaning.  A passion to have purpose in life and a true yearning for significance.  Never has that passion seemed more contemplated than in today's world of cubicles and computer screens.  Today some of the biggest issues seem to be those of self discovery and self acceptance, issues that have probably on some level always affected humanity, but not like today, especially in our lavish culture.  These are concerns that present themselves most when our most basic needs for survival are met.

For most of our time as a species, mankind has had to scratch and claw out an existence in a harsh and challenging realm, and there are many places in the world where this is still the case, but not so much in the "developed" world, and I've come to the conclusion that we may not be the better for it.  For our ancestors life was truly an adventure, life and death literally hung in the balance of a good hunt or a prosperous harvest, elements like drought, pestilence, famine, all real factors that constantly threatened to extinguish ones existence from the planet.  But from within that struggle came the true elements of life!  The fear of drought brought the euphoria of rain, the dread of starvation brought the true conquest of a successful hunt, the constant risk of death brought the appreciation of life.  Everything was risky and within that risk came huge disappointment and satisfaction.  In those days, women literally risked their lives by something as simple as sex since conception also brought with it the very real risk of dying in labor.  Cuts got infected, broken bones could change the course of ones life!

But over time, with advancements in technology, the world has gradually become safer and with it, the numbness of security.  Today, I honestly don't fear starvation the way they did back then, and as a result the appreciation of every meal I eat is cheapened.  As a child, I grew up in a house that only had fireplaces for heat.  There were times I could actually see my breath in my bedroom on the coldest of winter days.  I remember the feeling of climbing out of a warm bath only to begin shivering as I tried to dry off as quickly as I could to get my pajamas on and race to my bed where I would climb between the cold sheets and wait for them to warm up.  I loved those experiences, and although far from true suffering, it was the discomfort of the cold that made the simple warmth of a fire in the fireplace or an extra blanket on the bed so wonderful.

Today, I can control the climate of my home with a push of a button, I can go to the grocery store and collect my produce without the nervous anticipation of a good harvest or fear of drought.  With the mitigation of risk modern technology has provided us and the comforts that come with our ability to control our environment, we have robbed ourselves of the extremes that come with either side of life.  As a result, we now settle for the cheap alternatives of social media and fantasy in search of those intense emotions that reminded us of what it means to be alive.  To either attempt to safely pursue experiences that cannot be obtained safely, or to create our own risk through dysfunctional living in an effort to replicate what we no longer have.

Is it any wonder that when Jesus called us to experience life to the full that He included in that calling the need to take up our cross to follow Him?  Perhaps the risk of death nay, the eventual guarantee of death, is required to fully appreciate the heights that only life can provide.  Perhaps that is why God gave us this unlimited Universe to pursue unlimited challenges as He knew we would eventually tame this world and in turn would always need more to challenge our wild hearts made in His image.  Perhaps our lack of perceived meaning comes not from the fact that there is no meaning but that we've removed all the risk that is required for us to truly feel all life has to offer!