Logos and Logo
There’s often quite a negative view of ‘the world’ in the Johannine material. (Cf. Jn. 1:9-10; 7:7; 12:31; 14:17; 15:18-19; 17:14; 1Jn. 2:15-17; 4:4-5; 5:4-5; 5:19) Often Christians take such a verses to heart and develop a siege mentality, because ‘the world’ is against us. We also use such terms as ‘worldly’ as pejoratives. The feeling of persecution was surely more real for the Johannine community than it is for most of us. After being kicked out of the synagogues, by their own people, these early Christians had little or no protection from imperial persecution – according to my interpretation, that is. In such a situation, it would have been natural for them to feel victimised by ‘the world’.
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In our world, (well, my world, you may inhabit a quite different situation) I think it’s a mistake to view the secular in the same way. Secularists don’t actively persecute Christians, though they might misunderstand sometimes, just as Christians have been known to misunderstand others, frequently. Secular art, it seems to me, is acutely aware of the problem of the human condition. The difference is that the secularist doesn’t find/has not yet found an answer in Christianity.
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Having said that, I think there are times when we need to resist the values of ‘the world’, whether we’re Christian, secular or whatever. Watching TV the other day, I noticed that nearly all the adverts were for cosmetic products, and one of my housemates noted that toothpaste is marketed for its cosmetic effects these days, not for its health benefits. Moreover, cosmetic surgery is becoming increasingly common and acceptable. While people in some parts of the world are struggling to survive in poverty, people in the UK are shelling out thousands of pounds to get their stomachs stapled, breasts enlarged/reduced, lips inflated, buttocks lifted… it’s obscene.
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Not only is this a symptom of the oft-lamented ‘cult of celebrity’ but also of increasing image consciousness. It’s beyond a cliché to say that we shouldn’t judge people by image.
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Of course, I have a vested interest here. For some people, an image driven culture is an advantage, such people get on better in the world than they might if they didn’t look the way they do, or project the image that they do. I’m not one of those people. I don’t think my face or body is any more grotesque than average, I have a few features that I’m not proud of but I can’t complain about what I’ve been given really. But it seems that to be successful, one needs to project an air of confidence and friendliness, which probably involves a lot of smiling. For much of my life I’ve been more or less oblivious of the fact that I don’t project these things. I remember when I arrived in London 6 years ago and I was enjoying getting to know people on my first night and thought I was being witty and jovial with my new housemates. A few months later, it emerged that John, one of the people I was joking with, thought I had been in a really bad mood. Another housemate, the ‘BFC’, also thought I was rude at first but later learned to make allowances for my ‘sense of humour’.
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I don’t really know how I came across to people when I arrived in Belfast a couple of years later. I know that McAvoy thought I was ‘grumpy’ at first, but he doesn’t count because he’s stupid. Anyone remember those days? Let me know, please.
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Even now, I’m not aware of the way I come across to people most of the time. Being here in the university, surrounded mainly by 18-21 year-olds, there are moments when I become aware that I don’t fit in. And perhaps, 18-21 year-olds are not best equipped to deal with me. And sometimes there are excruciating moments when I try to project a more friendly air and people just think I’m weird. In fact, there were moments last week when I was walking around feeling like Frankenstein’s monster. Still, there are some people here who are on a similar wavelength, so no need to feel too bad for me.
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The thing is, I think being the way I am is my greatest strength. Being as I am, I can judge people quite quickly. Some people see my demeanour and know quite quickly that I have nothing interesting to say and make no effort to get to know me. In return, I have little time for such people. Others are more willing to see beyond my expressionless face; usually females are quicker to do this, perhaps I arouse the maternal instinct. I think it’s also good to be able to pleasantly surprise people by being more capable than I give the impression of being. And jokes can have a stronger impact when delivered with a deadpan expression, though they often go unnoticed with uninitiated people. Still, I’d rather be a dark horse than a Trojan horse. William Whitelaw said something like, ‘it’s sometimes wise to give the impression of knowing less than you really do, but it’s never wise to pretend to know more than you really do’. I vainly imagine that I do this.
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Nevertheless, I find it to be the way of the world to be boastful, especially among young males, both within the Church and without. Somehow, I feel the need to be noticed amidst such people but I resent competing and find myself frustrated that their vacuous banter is entertaining to some, especially to themselves. Meanwhile my comments are too cryptic, too quiet, or perhaps just not worth listening to.
-
Probably the most annoying thing about all this judging by image is that I’m just as guilty of it as everyone else. If I hadn’t been such a sucker for image, I wouldn’t have made the biggest mistake of my life. Someone else’s ability to project a good image led to her being hurt by me, I suspect I wasn’t the first to be sucked in like this. So, one person is a victim of her own success in projecting a good image, someone else is constantly underestimated because they don’t project a good image, and anyone who goes for cosmetic surgery is surely a victim of social pressure. And anyone living in poverty must feel sick if they know what westerners spend on such trivial things. That’s not to mention that when we judge people and things by the way they look we are deceived and make fools of ourselves. In short, judging by image makes victims of us all, except cosmetic surgeons and the like.
-
In our world, (well, my world, you may inhabit a quite different situation) I think it’s a mistake to view the secular in the same way. Secularists don’t actively persecute Christians, though they might misunderstand sometimes, just as Christians have been known to misunderstand others, frequently. Secular art, it seems to me, is acutely aware of the problem of the human condition. The difference is that the secularist doesn’t find/has not yet found an answer in Christianity.
-
Having said that, I think there are times when we need to resist the values of ‘the world’, whether we’re Christian, secular or whatever. Watching TV the other day, I noticed that nearly all the adverts were for cosmetic products, and one of my housemates noted that toothpaste is marketed for its cosmetic effects these days, not for its health benefits. Moreover, cosmetic surgery is becoming increasingly common and acceptable. While people in some parts of the world are struggling to survive in poverty, people in the UK are shelling out thousands of pounds to get their stomachs stapled, breasts enlarged/reduced, lips inflated, buttocks lifted… it’s obscene.
-
Not only is this a symptom of the oft-lamented ‘cult of celebrity’ but also of increasing image consciousness. It’s beyond a cliché to say that we shouldn’t judge people by image.
-
Of course, I have a vested interest here. For some people, an image driven culture is an advantage, such people get on better in the world than they might if they didn’t look the way they do, or project the image that they do. I’m not one of those people. I don’t think my face or body is any more grotesque than average, I have a few features that I’m not proud of but I can’t complain about what I’ve been given really. But it seems that to be successful, one needs to project an air of confidence and friendliness, which probably involves a lot of smiling. For much of my life I’ve been more or less oblivious of the fact that I don’t project these things. I remember when I arrived in London 6 years ago and I was enjoying getting to know people on my first night and thought I was being witty and jovial with my new housemates. A few months later, it emerged that John, one of the people I was joking with, thought I had been in a really bad mood. Another housemate, the ‘BFC’, also thought I was rude at first but later learned to make allowances for my ‘sense of humour’.
-
I don’t really know how I came across to people when I arrived in Belfast a couple of years later. I know that McAvoy thought I was ‘grumpy’ at first, but he doesn’t count because he’s stupid. Anyone remember those days? Let me know, please.
-
Even now, I’m not aware of the way I come across to people most of the time. Being here in the university, surrounded mainly by 18-21 year-olds, there are moments when I become aware that I don’t fit in. And perhaps, 18-21 year-olds are not best equipped to deal with me. And sometimes there are excruciating moments when I try to project a more friendly air and people just think I’m weird. In fact, there were moments last week when I was walking around feeling like Frankenstein’s monster. Still, there are some people here who are on a similar wavelength, so no need to feel too bad for me.
-
The thing is, I think being the way I am is my greatest strength. Being as I am, I can judge people quite quickly. Some people see my demeanour and know quite quickly that I have nothing interesting to say and make no effort to get to know me. In return, I have little time for such people. Others are more willing to see beyond my expressionless face; usually females are quicker to do this, perhaps I arouse the maternal instinct. I think it’s also good to be able to pleasantly surprise people by being more capable than I give the impression of being. And jokes can have a stronger impact when delivered with a deadpan expression, though they often go unnoticed with uninitiated people. Still, I’d rather be a dark horse than a Trojan horse. William Whitelaw said something like, ‘it’s sometimes wise to give the impression of knowing less than you really do, but it’s never wise to pretend to know more than you really do’. I vainly imagine that I do this.
-
Nevertheless, I find it to be the way of the world to be boastful, especially among young males, both within the Church and without. Somehow, I feel the need to be noticed amidst such people but I resent competing and find myself frustrated that their vacuous banter is entertaining to some, especially to themselves. Meanwhile my comments are too cryptic, too quiet, or perhaps just not worth listening to.
-
Probably the most annoying thing about all this judging by image is that I’m just as guilty of it as everyone else. If I hadn’t been such a sucker for image, I wouldn’t have made the biggest mistake of my life. Someone else’s ability to project a good image led to her being hurt by me, I suspect I wasn’t the first to be sucked in like this. So, one person is a victim of her own success in projecting a good image, someone else is constantly underestimated because they don’t project a good image, and anyone who goes for cosmetic surgery is surely a victim of social pressure. And anyone living in poverty must feel sick if they know what westerners spend on such trivial things. That’s not to mention that when we judge people and things by the way they look we are deceived and make fools of ourselves. In short, judging by image makes victims of us all, except cosmetic surgeons and the like.
posted by Rowland @ 4:37 am
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