By David Hegg
It is increasingly apparent that what makes for a good news day and a good life are polar opposites. As a nation, I greatly fear we are becoming addicted to the spectacular, the extraordinary and especially the bizarre. And it isn’t just the media that is fueling this.
Deep inside, we are people bored with life, despite the gadgets, gizmos, and outrageous happenings we believe can offer some small bits of excitement. We check our messages, emails and tweets incessantly against the chance that something new and interesting can be found. And with 24-hour news apps, we can be the first to know when a new song breaks out, or a celebrity does something crazy and lands in jail.
Our lives are caught in a harmful cycle. We’re just not that excited about the ordinary, so we seek out the extraordinary to relieve boredom, but the relief doesn’t last long. Pretty soon, we’re right back where we were, looking high and low for another fix.
This explains our constant drive for the newest thing or the best story. It’s why we must have the newest gadget when it comes out and sleep in line to get the best deals on Black Friday. Our boredom with life compels us to find something – anything! – to bring some small spark of excitement into our otherwise dreary, day-to-day existence.
Face it; we’re a nation addicted to our tragedy/celebrity/bizarre-fueled adrenaline. How else can you explain why Taylor Swift’s concerns and comments, and those like her who ultimately provide nothing of lasting, intrinsic value to society, are banking millions in PR moments and cash? Who cares about them? Apparently, a desperate, bored nation with nothing better to do than hope some celebrity or criminal can pop some pizzazz into their wearisome world.
But the truth is, a good life is not made up of extraordinary moments. A good life has come to see the depth and beauty of the ordinary things around us. A good life is built on values and commitments cemented in wisdom, knowledge and experience and not subject to being blown around by the winds of a flighty, shallow culture. Those truly pursuing good lives have learned to value a good meal, a loving hug, a waning sunset, a well-mown lawn, long-term friendships, and the simple aroma of morning coffee.
The ancient Greeks called it egkrateia, which means “self-powered.” It’s often translated as “self-control” today and defines those whose well-being is not fueled by the capriciousness of outside sources but from within, by what they believe, hold dear, and constitute who they are striving to become. A “self-powered” life understands the essential value of the ordinary things that make up 99% of our days. Such a life recognizes that the intrinsic value and deep worth of the regular, the constant, and the seemingly mundane create the energizing glue that holds everyday life together and makes it extraordinary. “Self-powered” people don’t wonder if they’ll have a “good day.” Instead, they set about to “make it a good day” or, better yet, a “good year” and, best of all, a “good life.” They are active, not passive, in finding joy, purpose and satisfaction in the everydayness of life.
Such people look not to the “event of the moment” but to more lasting and meaningful things like love, beauty, relationships and the challenge of finding worth in each day. They take the bad with the good, knowing happiness should never be measured in 24-hour increments. They come to enjoy real contentment simply because they have anchored their hearts and minds to things that lie outside the reach of circumstance.
There is a connection between a contented, purposeful life and the continuous pursuit of fundamental knowledge. This is true because the ability to love the ordinary only comes when we think deeply about the simple things in life. When we place greater value on who is singing or saying what, who is wearing this or that, or who has ruined his life or left her lover than we do on the great ideas and questions of life, we’re cultivating our addiction to that which can never satisfy.
Authentic meaning and purpose in life will always be grounded in substantial truths and fundamental virtues that cannot be dismantled by our culture’s feckless offerings. In my case, it begins with a personal relationship with the God who made me and continues to give me life, breath, and the joys of serving him and those around me.
So, what do we do? I propose we forget the ultimately forgettable, pass on the bizarre, and focus our lives on forming personal values, convictions, and standards that will make our lives valuable, even newsworthy. Maybe it’s time celebrities started taking note of us for a change. After all, the best and most fulfilled people I know enjoy real purpose and meaning in their lives and don’t need the applause of a bored world to make it a good day.
Local resident David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “Ethically Speaking” appears Sundays.
