The Galli Report: July 9, 2021

Happiness is underrated. How not to pray. Antagonists, pay attention. Little-known problem at the Tour de France. The beauty of sheep herding.

Happiness Is Underrated
For some time, I’ve noticed that the “most profound” writers and artists past and present seem to luxuriate in angst. They revel in unjust suffering.  And if they find something good and joyful in life, they are duty bound to show its dark side.  Our cultural leaders lavish praise and awards upon such artists, so much so that someone who revels in despondency is often said to have an “artistic temperament.”

This strikes me as arbitrary and sub-Christian.  It’s not that we don’t grasp profound truths when we undergo suffering. Nor should we pretend that suffering is merely a bug of existence; for now, anyway, it seems to be a feature that God in his mysterious providence has permitted. And I do love the Russian novelists!

Still, I’ve noticed how reluctant we are to suggest that the most joyous and euphoric moments in life are truly real. Instead we are encouraged to believe these are merely flitting moments that temporarily blind us to reality, which is, of course, is said to be fundamentally morose.

To be sure, Paul notes that all creation is groaning as it awaits redemption (Romans 8), so the Bible accepts the reality and pain of suffering in this age.  But there is another theme that transcends that reality: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).  And the reason for rejoicing is the Christian’s sure hope that the victory against sin and death has been won in Christ. That battle, for all intents and purposes, is finished. So break out the champagne! From this, I conclude that times of happiness, joy, and euphoria are moments when we experience reality at its deepest and fullest. 

This is a long way of introducing “Excerpt from We Learn Nothing, by Tim Kreider.” It’s about this: “After my unsuccessful murder I wasn’t unhappy for an entire year.” He pushes back against any theological or spiritual significance of this experience (he protesteth too much, I fear), and concludes with an insight that prompted the thoughts above:

I don’t know why we take our worst moods so much more seriously than our best, crediting depression with more clarity than euphoria. We dismiss peak moments and passionate love affairs as an ephemeral chemical buzz, just endorphins or hormones, but accept those 3 A.M. bouts of despair as unsentimental insights into the truth about our lives.

How Not to Pray
Speaking of misconceptions, I found “Why ‘Abba’ Does Not Mean ‘Daddy’”  a refreshing corrective.  Perhaps it’s just my aversion to the sentimental, but I’ve always been annoyed when a preacher tells us that Jesus invites us to call God “Daddy.”  I get the point about intimacy with the Father—a non-negotiable Christian insight into our new relationship with God—but I’ve always thought “daddy” went a step too far into familiarity when addressing Almighty God, Lord of Heaven and Earth. 

Antagonists, Pay Attention
Many have written of the need for all of us to be more empathetic and understanding in these caustic and divisive times. There are many resources, techniques, and insights that can help us do that. Here’s another, from a psychological perspective.  It’s something called “the fundamental attribution error,” an idea formulated by the recently deceased psychologist Lee Ross:

Ross coined the term “the fundamental attribution error” in 1977, in a paper that became a landmark in social psychology. The basic idea was pretty simple: When we’re explaining the behavior of other people, we tend to put too much emphasis on “disposition”—on their character, their personality, their essential nature. And we tend to put too little emphasis on “situation”—on the circumstances they find themselves in.

Unfortunately, it’s not that easy to put into practice, as the article notes.  But the insight at least gives one pause for thought.

Little-Known Problem at the Tour de France
The next article highlights a phenomenon, both artistic and sometimes disgusting: graffiti. The title is “Eraser Men: censoring the roads of the Tour de France,” and the subtitle explains:

Deep in their own personal race against the clock and armed with just a few brushes and pots of paint, they criss-cross the route of the Tour de France ahead of the caravan, the riders and the TV crews. Their mission: to make sure the cameras capture no rude words, no insults, and no political slogans.

Graffiti is as old as civilization. There is even early Christian graffiti in the Roman Empire, as well as anti-Christian graffiti. But it’s blossomed in our modern era, especially in places where television cameras are sure to record an event. I’ve never understood the need to express oneself by defacing another’s property, but if nothing else, it’s a phenomenon that at least employs people to keep it in check—sometimes quite creatively when it comes to disguising male genitalia!

The Beauty of Sheep Herding
As the husband of a wife who loves Australian Shepherds and Border Collies, I kept looking for them in this video of “Aerial Sheep Herding in Yokneam.”  I think I found one or two, but this video isn’t about the dogs but herding from an extraordinary point of view. Simply lovely. And way too short.

NOTE: For the next couple of weeks, I will be in California with my wife, kids, grandkids, and extended family. I won’t be thinking about The Galli Report, or producing it.  I’ll be back at the end of July. Time for slackers to catch up on previous editions 

Grace and peace,

Mark Galli