Strangers

"Are human beings estranged in essence?

Today this question presses on us from various sides, although we do not often recognize it.

For example, can we hope ever to achieve harmony and understanding among all the nations of the world? If human beings are not estranged in essence, perhaps we can. However, if they are thus estranged — if, for example, we have ineradicable aggressive impulses — a wise statesman will not aim at anything so far-reaching as global understanding and unity. If human nature is such that our deepest satisfactions are experienced in war and conflict, then there is little use in dreaming of universal concord; we will accomplish enough if we can  moderate hatreds and confine wars to limited areas and to the less destructive weapons."

― Glenn Tinder, "Political Thinking: The Perennial Questions"

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Dear Kate,

You've been a Christian for how long...all your life, if your parents taking you to church counts?

If I am to tell you you don't really know God, that you are estranged from what is presently and ultimately hopeful, immediately and finally satisfying, you will probably be offended.  You will probably quote scriptures to show me how I am wrong, that my voice might even be that of the Satan, the accuser, trying to undermine what you know is true.

Well, I don't dispute what you think you know or what you think there is to know or what you think is enough for you to know and stop thinking.

I do want to hear, though, what is so hopeful (presently and ultimately) and satisfying (immediately and finally) about not being a stranger to God.

I wonder if you are speaking about an ideal life when you speak about your knowing of and intimacy with God, and if your actual life is falling short of the glory, what accounts for the discrepancy and why does it offend you so much to give an account of it.

Let's not talk about God, God being, in theory, closest to us, too close for comfort; let's talk about significant relationships we grow up with and assume to possess.  Do you know your father?  In what ways are you estranged from him?

"We are in this together," the original catchphrase of every parent.  And look at the kind of mess we've made.  Most of time we are doing damage control, trying to avoid all-out wars.  Should we not have expected the same about and from each other, when about a year ago we threw the same phrase out there to see the kind of imagination it would catch?  What we have barely avoided, as expected, was a complete annihilation.  And that's only because we could afford vaccines.  Look at the countries that couldn't.

We are in this together.  We think, we hope, we wish.

Yours, Alex