"Nature is definitely not humane. And Lao Tzu says we should be like Nature.
We should not be humane either, in the sense that we should not sacrifice
ourselves for others. Now that’s going to be very hard for Christian
readers to accept, because they’re taught that self-sacrifice is
a good thing. Lao Tzu says it’s a lousy thing. This is perhaps the
most radical thing he says to a Western ear. Just don’t buy into
self sacrifice. Any more that you would ask somebody to sacrifice themselves
for you. There’s a sort of reciprocity – that’s the
only way I can understand it. I’ve been thinking about this since Mother Teresa’s recent
death. I have never been comfortable with her or with any extreme altruism.
It makes me feel inferior, like 'I ought to be like that, but I’m
not.' And if I tried to be, it would be the most horrible hyposcrisy.
But why, what is it that I’m uncomfortable with? And I think maybe
Lao Tzu gives me a little handle on that. In a sense, this kind of self-sacrifice
only occurs in a society that is so sick that only somebody going too
far can make up for the cruelty of the society."
"Selfless behavior is immoral when it prevents you from knowing your own intrinsic and equal value as a human being.What kind of love asks you to discount your Self for the sake of the other? What kind of love asks you to deny your needs? Where’s the mutuality? Where’s the trust? Is this the kind of love God wants from us? That God has for us? Selfless love? No! There is no such thing. Everyone wants to be desired. Everyone wants to feel needed. Selfless love may seem ideal, but it eventually denies partners what they need—to be desired and needed as equals. In the words of Fulton Sheen, love is a mutual self-giving which ends in self-recovery. It’s what God wants for all of our relationships. Love means that each and every one of us is created in the image of the divine, co-workers with God in struggling for the liberation of humanity and for a world order that respects each one’s dignity. That’s what I yearn for in my own life. It’s what I want for all of us."
No comments:
Post a Comment