No. 1 - The Desire to be taken Seriously

This is a fantastic chapter. Hugh is very insightful into human nature. I feel as if I could stop and preach a sermon / write an article on every section of the chapter.

As with the book as a whole, so with this chapter, he is much better at diagnosis than treatment.

The desire to be noticed.

The desire to matter.

The desire to be appreciated.

The desire to be understood.

The desire to be valued as a person.

The desire to be accepted.

The desire to be remembered. (p 3)

Hugh is right. The desire to be taken seriously is what drives us all. Both positively and negatively he charts the impact of this desire on Australian culture - ranging from sex to rewarding children - we are driven by the need for personal affirmation. I particularly think he is spot on with his evaluation of the cult of the celebrity. It is not that we necessarily admire these people but we aspire to get the recognition that they do. Indeed reading about their flawed lives encourages us that we are 'just like them' and therefore we could achieve their status too.

In passing it is worth noting his astute observation about religious minorities. When our beliefs are attacked it does create a knee-jerk reaction of strengthening our resolve. Negatively it means Christians can quickly become reactionary and marginalized, but positively even MacKay recognises that it at least means we are being taken seriously. "Religious faith - or any other kind of belief system - is far more likely to erode and wither if it is ignored. Indifference is the real enemy." (p 16) Let us thank God daily for Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens!

But Hugh pulls out just when he is getting to the heart of the matter. On page 15 he observes that human nature is ruled by a Law of Reciprocity. "At its noblest, we call it the Golden Rule. I'll treat others the way I would like them to treat me. But it usually operates less charitably than that: I'll treat others the way they treat me, or perhaps even the way I think they might treat me." He finishes that section with these two sentences - combining a razor-sharp perception with a credulous naiveté ... "History is filled with examples of nations that have reacted violently against the contempt or indifference of others. Eventually, we must learn to accept that if we won't take others seriously, they won't take us seriously either."

Eventually? Eventually? In over 3000 years of well documented human history where is the slightest bit of evidence that we are learning that? Taking the land of my fathers for a moment - South Africa - history shows that the British oppressed the Dutch (Boers) who oppressed the Africans ... who brought in positive discrimination when they got into power. The truth and reconciliation commission was a wonderful glimmer of hope in all that but that brings us to an issue that Hugh MacKay completely ignores. More of that later. For now, "Open the window Hugh!" In the real world we cannot escape the vicious circle of the law of reciprocity - just saying we need to take others seriously makes no difference. How?

So by the time we get to the end of the chapter we are already prepared for the anti-climax. How? 1. Learn to listen to each other. 2. Go to counselling.

That's it.

He's right of course. These things would help Australia. But so would motherhood and apple pie. What's missing is the incentive to make this change. By nature we are selfish and want to be taken seriously by other people. Hugh is correct in saying that we need to treat others that way so that they will, in time, treat others that way too. (I think two guys called Jesus and Paul also said something like this a few years ago.) But how do we change our nature so that we, long term, continuously, learn to put others first?

Philippians 2 would be a good place to start. God has served us first in Christ Jesus as we respond to his self-sacrificing love so we start to treat others the same. The Truth & Reconciliation Committee in SA only works (in my opinion) when you put it in the framework of a sovereign God who will judge injustice and who gave his Son as a sacrifice for us - taking the initiative in forgiving his enemies. Then, and only then, can the vicious circle be broken and the law of reciprocity start working in a positive manner.

So a great first chapter but Hugh needs to see just how deep the rabbit hole goes. I think he blinks before taking his excellent observations fully to their logical conclusions.