On the Weight of the World

History is. We live in it. Black Death: yesterday; ice winter, when the Thames froze solid, a few hours past. Now we live in transforming times, so mutable. Do we carry the world’s weight in a declining era? Or is it building out of sight?

            Buddha said: suffering is. St. Paul said: this mutable must put on unchangingness. Eternity is. So heavy, the world.

            Methods of carrying the world and its griefs: you can be angry at yourself (so weak), or angry at the cause (those people), or angry at the sufferers (why are you suffering in my face? And why so many?) You can have fear. You can cultivate fear. From there but a close step to hatred, the devil’s treasure.

            ‘Have mercy on me,’ said blind Bartimaeus.

            ‘What do you want me to do?’ said Jesus.

            ‘Let me see again.’

            Good question. Good answer. The labour of building; the ease of destruction. Ways in, out, over, through? Learn to ask: ‘What do you want me to do?’

            ‘Be of good comfort,’ they said, ‘rise, he calleth thee.’

            Anger doesn’t bear the world’s weight; fear doesn’t bear it.

            Lord, that I might receive my sight.

On Fear

The opposite of fear is peace. The evening collect prays, that ‘by thee we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may pass our time in rest and quietness’ through peace. Unworldly peace, this is.

            It must be unworldly peace, because in the world, there’s no lasting peace without justice. Effects of injustice routinely devolve to the innocent: in household, nation, or among nations. It may be distant injustice, half a world away; it might be employed by states, democratic or tyrannical, insurgents, religions or cults; it often believes it’s doing good. The Herods of the age go on killing children, by many and various means. Perhaps the greatest fear of many isn’t for selves, but for the child, too young to create injustice, suffering as injustice fires injustice.

            Fear and hate are bedmates. As we are defended from fear, God grant we be made free of hatred. Hate is actually a sin. And what fear makes us do is often sinful also. ‘Wisdom is better than weapons of war’ says that wise Preacher, therefore ‘Fear God,’ who ‘will bring every deed into judgement, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.’ We have enemies: defend us from fear.