The Way Fayer

Evading the temptation of judgement is tricky for human beings. Our intelligence prompts us to look for patterns, even when there are no patterns to begin with. It is another way of organizing the continuum.

This is an amazing tool that we have developed over the millennia, examining the world and recognizing its continuities so that we can survive and flourish. If one of our primordial ancestors had noticed a bush rustling nearby, they would have been inclined to flee lest they expose themselves to a lion or some other dangerous predator. This flight response saved them from potential threats, even if it was only the wind playing through the brush.

These behaviors have not dissipated since antiquity, although they manifest quite differently in the modern world. In order to understand this, we must acknowledge the foundational emotion that drives such responses: anxiety.

Anxiety is an incredibly useful emotion that prompts heuristic judgements—instinctive responses that seem to sprout from the unconscious and propel themselves into action without our initial awareness. These actions can be subtle or obvious, small or large, inconspicuous or entirely conspicuous. They engender biases, fears, and habits, giving rise to patterns of behavior that seem impossible to escape. For this reason, anxiety can become counterproductive despite its respectable intentions.

Diametrical to the heuristic part of our brains is the analytical, slow-working, and conscious one. It is the part that does mental math and slows down to think precisely about what you want to say before you say it (as opposed to speaking off the cuff). A wonderful book on this is Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman, which breaks down these processes in extensive detail so we can apply them more practically.

So … what does all of this have to do with “The Encounter,” last week’s narrative?

The man in the story represents the product of unheeded heuristics left to fester into a kind of racism. His view of the world, like many Americans, is tainted by the portrayal of Arabic people through the eyes of the media and government. It isn’t until he experiences the kindness of such people that he recognizes the breadth of these misconceptions.

There are bad people all over the world. Evil penetrates every nation, tribe, race, tongue, religion, and people group, but it is counterbalanced by an initiative for peace. Love is present in the darkest parts of the world, blazing in a metaphysical luminescence for all those who seek it.

The presence of Muslim fanaticism should not be extrapolated and associated with all Muslims and Arabic people. When I first told people I was going to the Middle East last summer, they were shocked. “Why would you want to go there?” they would ask. “It’s dangerous.” It certainly is if you go somewhere dangerous. Do you know how many deadly places there are in the United States?

I met many kind souls in the country I visited. And I saw God there, working in the hearts of a foreign nation, fighting for his people.

It’s true, there are people all over the world that misunderstand the nature of God and use his name to achieve counterfeit purposes. As a Christian, I have a history of corruption and false doctrines to attest for as I search for Christ through the endless complexities of the world. In addition to that, I have the burden of hypocrisy tainting the culture of Christianity in America as people voice their faith and continue to act out contradictory beliefs. Nevertheless, Christ chases all of us through the darkness … I firmly believe that.

To continue, the woman in the story is an ambassador of peace. She embodies patience, kindness, and boldness, maintaining humility and confidence as she interacts with those around her. She recognizes them for who they are: human beings worthy of love and recognition. She speaks to them in their own language, showcasing a desire to interact with them more intimately. I also hinted some turbulence in her relationship with the man, to which she maintains her dignity by acknowledging her frustration without giving herself over to castigation or truculent criticism (which she may have had every right to do).

The Arabic people are as I experienced them: funny, curious, tenderhearted, and hospitable. I made many friends like those in the story.

The vast majority of people are unwilling to go to parts of the world held under constant scrutiny and stigmatized by the domestic press. Sometimes, it is reasonable not to go if going would be reckless. But we can’t always rely on comfort or safety to accomplish our purpose on this earth. The most notable people in history were those who took great risks, becoming their philosophy, becoming their faith, and letting it guide them into and through dangerous places with love as their compass. The best place to take refuge is within ourselves, sitting in the presence of God, pursuing His wisdom.

Therefore, when we let God carry us into regions far away, it is at the hem of His robes that we follow in our clumsy nature with the echoes of His compassion reverberating to the ends of the earth.

This, I think, highlights the vitality of continental philosophy—a sector of philosophy concerned with intuitive and speculative explorations beyond what can be broken down analytically. Doubtless, both have their merits. Yet, not everything can be facilitated through systematic logic, appearing to me that it would be foolish to pretend human constructions are capable of chartering all feasible variables.

I believe that God inhabits a place beyond human comprehension from which everything as we know it was formed. Finding a way into that space seems to be of existential importance, especially when God is reaching out to us through it. At this point in my intellectual and spiritual journey, I don’t see any other path to truth and sanctification that is more reliable.

With that being said, we should pursue the highest, most profound, and most true version of God, being cautious of false convictions. Reverence for the divine is ubiquitous, varying from culture to culture, which requires that we be vigilant to truth no matter where we come from.

Astrology is an example of misguided reverence, placing faith in celestial bodies as determiners of fate … a paragon of confirmation bias. The sign-specific details are so general that they could apply to anyone.

Karma is another example of reverential confirmation bias. Just because something unfortunate happens to someone after they do something “bad” has nothing to do with a cosmological force preying on them. Unfortunate things befall human beings all the time, and we all do “bad” things. Also, it happens to be the case that good things happen to bad people too.

Lastly, science is not God, it’s a tool.

At the end of the day, we all worship something and whatever that is becomes God to us. Look for the true God to ensure that you don’t wind up in a dark place.

Determining whether or not a particular reverence is sensible demands an examination of historicity and other forms of viability. Where does it come from? What is it referencing? How long did it take to develop? Are there notable contradictions? What is it trying to say? Who is it speaking to? How narrow or broad is its application?

All beliefs are worthy of skepticism. Fleeing from important questions indicates dishonesty, signifying that at least a part of us fears faith will give to reason. We can’t ignore the darkness. Instead, we should expose ourselves to it and build up its case, navigating all possible variables. Strive to be an integrity of faith and reason rather than a dichotomy.

In the Old Testament, Abraham is accounted righteousness simply for believing. Genesis 15:6 says, “Then he believed in the Lord; and He credited it to him as righteousness.” This is before Jesus walked the earth, showing us that God can reach us in unfathomable ways across time and space. In the New Testament, Christ said that nobody can make it to the Father unless it is through him (John 14:6). Who are we to limit the magnitude of this statement? Everyone’s relationship with God is individual to them; anyone who actively seeks truth is on a journey to find the Lord.

I remember sitting in the diner that “The Encounter” attempts to reanimate from the trenches of my memory. I remember talking to the spirit and people of this story in person, seeing the wonders of a foreign land. I remember the things that I learned, though difficult to articulate in completeness.

Here are some of the things I wrote at the time: “We are spiritual beings having a human experience,” “Jesus didn’t suffer so that we wouldn’t, he suffered to give our suffering purpose,” “It’s okay to do things uncertain of our intentions; sometimes it just takes acting to learn what God’s intentions are,” “It’s okay to not understand what God is doing … He speaks volumes in silence,” “Be inquisitive … don’t be afraid to learn about other religions and seek answers,” “Don’t be a Christian because it feels right … be a Christian because it is true” (pretty sure this is a variation of a C.S. Lewis quote), “Don’t let expectations interfere with reality.”

Sitting here, I cannot help but recognize the consequential nature of my trip to the Middle East. It provided much needed perspective and experience to invigorate my passion for truth. It really is such an amazing opportunity that we have at life, to live together on a rock floating through a grand universe with the ability to wonder about what lies beyond.

These writings are an extension of my trip, which is an extension of my life, which is an extension of the vast narrative of which we are all taking part.