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“Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”
–– Matthew 5:37
“From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view…”
–– 2 Corinthians 5:15a
6Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. –– Romans 12:16-18
It has always been both blessing and curse; at times granting insight and at other times spurring paralysis; periodically essential to making a thoughtful decision, yet often exposing ambivalence and vexing loved ones. The condition of which I speak and readily acknowledge myself to be a carrier is a persistent propensity for prolonged perseveration over the space between yes and no, true and false, A or B, and Lord help us if the question is multiple choice. Very often, I don’t find the answer I need in the options listed. It’s not A, it’s not B, and it is certainly not C. Nor is it “none of the above” or “some combination of A, B, and C.” Sometimes it could be A, but the question doesn’t take into account the way shifting circumstances may shade A, undermine B, or even legitimize C. Give me a multiple choice exam and the proctor is announcing the two minute warning when I’m only 30% done. To loosely paraphrase the Apostle Paul –– Wretched man that I am, who will rescue me from this body prone to the paralysis of analysis?
On the plus side, this condition trains one to appreciate the presence of nuance in a limited and finite world populated by people with a limited and finite capacity to interpret such a world. Even if a picture speaks a thousand words, it rarely tells the complete story. Assertions paraded as facts are very often merely opinions, perhaps informed opinions, but opinions nonetheless. Adjectives like obvious, evident, unmistakable, indisputable, crystal clear, and self-evident are overused because truth flies at an altitude we cannot attain on our own. Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” And yet, even when the Spirit of God declares what is true, we still perceive this truth with limited minds, and thus, cannot fully grasp it. As Paul said, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.” As it has often been observed, the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certitude. Thus, the answer is very often neither A nor B, but somewhere in between.
The polarization of society is the consequence of a plague of certitude and a refusal to acknowledge the presence of nuance, those subtle shades of meaning and understanding dwelling in the space between yes and no, true and false, right or wrong, A or B. When you are right, and everybody who disagrees with you is wrong, then you may be infected with the plague of certitude, thus failing to access the healing balm of nuance that lies along the path toward reconciliation. “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” If faith seeks understanding, we will have to risk the tension of venturing into that space between A and B.
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