Countering Negativism

William Safire, before he moved to being a respected political opinion writer, was a speech writer for Vice President Spiro T. Agnew. Agnew is ignominious for the distinction of having to resign from the Vice Presidency because he was under investigation for various crimes earlier in his career, which included his time as Vice President.

Safire create a characterization of people for Agnew that was quite the rage when it was first uttered: “nattering nabobs of negativism.”

To natter is to speak casually.

      A nabob is a person of high status.

          Negativism speaks for itself, but it includes skepticism as a vital element of understanding.

In my still not too extended time at Hilltop, I occasionally encounter those who start sentences with something like “I don’t understand” but then complete what begins as a quest for understanding with why what they don’t understand is clearly wrong, stupid, or something they strongly disagree with. To be totally fair, this is basic human nature:  it is part of the human condition.

My reaction when this negativity happens is to think “you must think you understand enough about this idea to say you don’t like it.” I hear the religious authorities of Jesus day saying “I don’t understand this Jesus dude, and I don’t like him.”

I confess I find this type of conversation jarring. I operate from an idea of hope and enthusiasm. I am enthusiastic about being the Pastor at Hilltop. I see hope in our future. Good things are happening here. I spoke to this at the last Church Council meeting and how negativity can damage the positive elements of our current paradigm shift that is ongoing. If fact, I operate in the faith that optimism, enthusiasm, and hope are contagious. I sense a renewed, positive self identity at Hilltop, and I see this as part of the New Hilltop we are trying to create.

May I invite all who call Hilltop their spiritual home to be part of the spreading the contagion of optimism, enthusiasm, and hope? May I invite all who call Hilltop their spiritual home that when you hear someone state they don’t understand but then immediately follow that up with a negative statement, invite them to replace in the quest for understanding the negative “I don’t like it” and replace it with the idea of “help me understand.”

In the 1951, John Huston movie “The African Queen” the character played by Humphrey Bogart laments that how he behaves is “only human nature” to which the Katherine Hepburn character answers:  “Nature … is what we are put in this world to rise above.” We are Easter people. Let us endeavor to spread the joy of the empty tomb in all that we do and not become casual but important people who spread skepticism in all that they do.

John Wesley wrote: “I have often repented of judging too severely, but very seldom of being too merciful.” 

     I think it can be argued that judging too quickly is a form of judging too severely. 

          I wonder if in seeking understanding, it might reduce the need to request mercy later.  

Peace! 

(The above article appeared in the Hilltop newsletter as Pastor's Musings for March, 2013.)