Simply seeing the title of this inspirational piece could be a real turnoff. Who wants to read about alienation and hate? I hope to avoid both! Any sane person should be against both of them. If I am honest, however, I have at times felt some alienation and no doubt have hated, even though I know I am not supposed to hate anyone. I also am guessing I am not alone on this confession.
I also don’t sit around thinking about topics like this. But it came to me in a reading from the late Trappist monk Thomas Merton’s journals. I am reading through some of Merton’s journals for a paper I am writing. Merton did not write in his journal every day, but he wrote often. And many times, the entry is substantial. His journals have been edited and comprise a seven-volume series.
The entry I read comes from April 11, 1958. It is not unusual for Merton to ramble in these journal entries. This entry tells us that he spent some time visiting with the father of a son who was one of the monks at Gethsemani. Then Merton tells us he is pretty serious about doing a book on Russia. If we look again at the date of this entry, we are reminded this is the time of the Cold War. The whole race to space and many other dimensions of that period I remember pretty well, even though I was still fairly young. Russia clearly was the “bad guy” in those days. Now that I think about it, maybe we have not made too much progress! Russia still is the bad guy for many folks around our country!
We forget that Americans might be the “bad guy” in Moscow. I have been in Russia and felt warmly received. I was amazed at some of the cultural heritage they claim. I know I don’t want to be a bad guy and I am not sure we need to cultivate bad guys around the globe. I hope the days of the “Ugly American” are long past. Remembering this helps us understand Merton’s comments and perspective. As always, Merton has a way with words. He quips, “How much we talk about working to unite the world and how little we really do about it.” (191) He adds, perhaps cynically, “People will move mountains in Africa for business, but won’t kick a clod of earth out the way of charity.”
I actually don’t think this comment is as cynical as it is critical. It is a critique of the typical American commitment, loyalty and greed. It reminds us that we can be selfish. It is very difficult to be charitable when we are selfish. Of course, none of us thinks we are selfish. We can be quick to point out the contributions we make to charity, etc. But I know I am not giving till I hurt. And I know others are still hurting. Perhaps I need to kick a clod or two out of the way.
Next comes the sentence that is key for me. Merton says, “The mania for making everyone else like oneself---this is the apostolate of alienation and hatred.” Apostolate is not a word Quakers and many others do not use. But it is probably clear what it means. It means a calling or commitment to a particular work. Often it refers to leaders---particularly religious leaders. Merton jars us by describing an apostolate of alienation and hatred. Given what he has just been saying, he is putting both the US and Russia in the same camp. We both are working from the same apostolate, but the apostolate of each one of us is aimed at the other one!
We are doing this because we are crazy---we operate from a mania. If we operate from this mania, then we are maniacs! Again, no one I know thinks she or he is a maniac. However, I think we can suffer mania without really knowing it. It is how we frame our perspective on the world. If our mania is to paint Russia or anyone else as different from me, then I have opened the door to the pathway of this alienation and hate. If others join me, then I feel empowered and justified.
If we can get the whole nation behind us, then it becomes a kind of manifest destiny. Given the Cold War perspective where America is a God-fearing country and Russia as a Communist country is atheistic, then God is on our side. This makes us feel even more justified and emboldened. It is dangerous if we think God is on our side. As I type all this, I can think of many instances in my life since the 1950s when this was the rhetoric I heard.
The thing that scares me the most is how easily I can fall prey to this kind of perspective and thinking. It reminds me I need to continue to be clear about who God is in my understanding. I don’t claim that I know exactly who God is and what God expects, but my faith does say God is creator of all human beings. This includes Russians, Chinese and all the rest. God loves us all. The Spirit works in the lives of all people. Of course, some folks don’t even believe that and are not open to this Spirit work. If I am honest, I am not sure I am always open, even though I do believe it.
I can imagine Merton really thinks we are called to an apostolate of unity and love. It is easy to see how Jesus was this kind of apostle. We are told God so loved the world, God became one of us. That one loved us to the end---a brutal end. We are called to be apostles of that love, too---to the end.
Those of us who have read theology or, perhaps, those who are people of faith and are old enough might well recognize this title as a reminder of the late Jewish philosopher and theologian, Martin Buber. I remember reading Buber’s book, I and Thou , when I was in college in the 1960s. It was already a famous book by then. I am not sure I fully understood it, but that would not be the last time I read it. It has been a while since I looked at the book. Buber came up in a conversation with a friend who asked if I had seen the recent article by David Brooks? I had not seen it, but when I was told about it, I knew I would quickly locate and read that piece. I very much like what Brooks decides to write about and what he contributes to societal conversation. I wish more people read him and took him seriously. Brooks’ article focused on the 2016 contentious election. He provocatively suggests, “Read Buber, Not the Polls!” I think Brooks puts
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