I learned a great lesson from the attorneys in our family. That lesson was, that if you can’t articulate it – you can’t advocate it. So, I’ve tried to make friends over the years with words and ideas in order to help aid me in my articulation efforts. Even when I got into sales and real estate development, I observed that you can’t sell it if you can’t tell it: that is – if you can’t articulate the story, you can’t sell the product.
There has been a concept squared off at sword’s point in my mind for the past several years. I’m going to open up a window into my mind and let you peek in on the impending battle, even though I have not yet been able to articulate very well what’s going on or who is winning.
Unforeseeable misfortune, floods, fires, quakes, wars, overwhelming personal problems, or even pandemics, engender suffering. Suffering has a way of sobering us up and returning us to some degree of the primal struggle for survival. That sets up a perfect opportunity for a humanitarian response of help from those more fortunate. Cultures usually respond with compassion to aid the less fortunate.
At that point in the sequence, another concept makes its entry onto the stage of life. That concept is called “dependency”. Those experiencing the suffering may realize that they can’t continue to make it on their own – they are out of control and need someone or something to come along and step into a control position.
It seems that every time needs increase, there is a tendency for a person to increase their dependency on outside forces. The problem is intensified however, since that dependency on outside forces places their situation even further outside their own control. The net result of all that, is an increased existential fear and a presumption that more dependency on outside forces must be employed. But that increased dependency only exponentially increases the existential fear. Such is the dependency trap whether its illicit drugs or government programs.
Now, here is where the process gets a little scary. It is considered a virtue to help those who have experienced the pain of unforeseeable misfortune. We salute a culture that exercises compassion and benevolence, and with acts of true charity stoops down and lifts those up with empathy and kindness.
That is, however, totally and fundamentally different from making dependency a way of life. Too much help of the wrong sort, or emanating from the wrong intentions, creates a culture of addictive dependence. You are not doing anybody a favor if you are creating unhealthy dependency, thereby destroying any individual’s dignity, worth, or personal responsibility.
Dependency is death to personal initiative and to the opportunity of engaging creative problem- solving techniques to life’s hardships. And especially, “woe be to any” individual or institution that would manipulate or manage any person, who has been struck by some unforeseen misfortune, into a debilitating existence of dependency. Who would ever do such a thing?
Pope Francis offered his frank opinion on such situations. “In Europe first and now in America, elected men have taken it upon themselves to indebt their people to create an atmosphere of dependency. And why? For their own selfish need to increase their own personal power.”
Although the big word of the Bolshevist left is Compassion, the big agenda of the powerful is Dependency. It seems like there are those whose intention it is to never miss an opportunity to turn a situation of misfortune or need into a long-term bondage of dependency.
I must admit, that my heart is so sad when I observe instances that promote millions of people in our society who are encouraged and trapped into situations of character prostitution. They surrender their life of integrity, identity, and independence for a disappointing and fraudulent bucket of “free stuff”. There, on the street corner of life, they say, “I will give you all of me, including my cheap vote, if you will just promise to take care of me.”
We have encouraged our people to set up idols to worship, that will provide for all their wants and needs. The idol they worship is the highly effective and successful culture of addictive dependency.
Now, you can see why in the opening paragraph of this piece, I expressed a bit of frustration. I admitted that, “If you can’t articulate it – you can’t advocate it. As you have just witnessed: I have been observing for a while what is going on in our society, but I have a real hard time expressing the scope and severity of the problem.
I will keep trying to work on my articulation skills and will probably return with another attempt when I can better communicate the tug-of-war between Compassion and Control.