Notes from the Wayside: Lenten Reflection: Swamp Water for the Soul

The following is the eighth in a series of reflections on The Great Divorce.
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Swamp Water for the Soul

A reflection on chapter 7 of C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce

But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,

"We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

we wailed, and you did not mourn."

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, "He has a demon"; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, "Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.

Matthew 11:16-19 (NRSV)

We’re not cynics, we just don’t believe a word you say

We’re not critics, we just hate it all anyway

From "Cynics & Critics" by Icon for Hire

Not too long ago, on a late night talk show, comedian Louis C.K. made the observation, "Everything is amazing right now, and nobody's happy." He watches people become angry when their smart phones freeze, and he wants to tell them, "Give it a second! [The signal is] going to space! Can you give it a second to get back from space?" He hears people complain about their airplane flights, and he wants to ask them, "Oh really? What happened next? Did you fly through the air, incredibly, like a bird? Did you partake in the miracle of human flight...?"¹

I think Louis C.K. has a point: people are way too negative when they have so many wonders to enjoy.

The protagonist realizes that if flowers cannot be picked and if grass cannot be bent, then the water is probably solid to him as well. He begins running upstream on top of the water, but, when the current becomes too fast for him, he walks on the smooth rocks next to the stream. He likes this new land, and he longs to stay. Having overheard two conversations between ghosts from Hell and spirits from Heaven and having heard the waterfall's words to Ikey, he has come to the conclusion that if he were to stay in Heaven long enough he just might grow accustomed to the environment.

The protagonist runs into ghost whom he describes as a "hard-bitten man." This person once traveled to many different wonders of the world, and he came to the conclusion that they're all a bunch of tourist traps built and run by the same global organization. He finds the afterlife no less disappointing: Hell is just a dumpy town like any other, not at all the place of exquisite torment promised in Dante's Inferno, while Heaven is totally uninhabitable. He has decided to head back to the bus, having seen all that he needs to see.

To the hard-bitten ghost, there are only two options: he can return to the slum of a town where he has been living or he can allow himself to be tricked into tormenting himself trying to get used to a hostile environment. Basically, "You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't." The hard-bitten ghost's words begin to weigh on the protagonist. Trying to be positive he says, "At least it's not raining here." The hard-bitten ghost replies,
I never saw one of those bright mornings that didn't turn to rain later on... It hadn't occurred to you that with the sort of water they have here every raindrop will make a hole in you, like a machine gun bullet. That's their little joke, you see. First of all tantalize you with ground you can't walk on and water you can't drink and then drill you full of holes.

The protagonist's sadness turns to fear.

One day Jesus becomes rather frustrated with people's unwillingness to listen, so He calls them out for their negativity and stubbornness. One of His contemporaries, a rather eccentric prophet named John, lived in the wilderness, wore weird clothes, ate weird foods, fasted often, and abstained from alcohol. People dismissed him as a crazy, demon-possessed person. Jesus, on the other hand, was quite different from John: He enjoyed wine and dinner parties with all kinds of people. People dismissed Him as a drunkard and a glutton who hung out with the wrong crowd. One can almost hear Jesus yelling out, "Nothing's good enough for you people! What do you want?!"

Apparently what Louis C.K. has noticed about people is nothing new.

Cynicism has roots within ancient Greek philosophy. Originally cynics were people who put aside worldly things to pursue inner virtues. Over time, the concept of cynicism devolved into "an attitude of distrust toward claimed ethical and social values and a rejection of the need to be socially involved." At it's best, it can be a type of prudent skepticism toward people's motives, but, at it's worst, it can be a type of negativity toward humanity in general.²

I think it's plain to see that the "hard-bitten" ghost with whom the protagonist speaks has given in to cynicism. The conversation between these two ghosts offers us a number of lessons about cynicism and about negativity in general.

First of all, a person can always find a reason to be negative. The hard-bitten ghost has seen numerous wonders of the world, both natural and man-made - the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal, Niagara Falls, and other places many people would give their right arms to see up close - and somehow he has come to the conclusion that they're all just a bunch of tourist traps manufactured by some organization. If a person doesn't want to see the good in anything, then she won't see the good in anything.

Second, cynicism has an adverse effect on one's faith. The hard-bitten ghost doesn't trust the "management" in Heaven any more than he trusted those who wielded authority on Earth. If there is nothing good to be found in the world, then what does that fact say about the God who created the world? If one refuses to ever trust in other people, then why would one trust in the God who created those people in the image of God? Furthermore, it seems to me that God has chosen to work primarily through the people God created. St. Paul compares the Church to the "Body of Christ,"³ or, as some people say, Christ's "hands and feet." If you shut yourself off to other people, then you're shutting yourself off to the agents of God.

Third, negativity can be an excuse to be lazy. If a person is basically screwed no matter what he decides to do, then why would he bother to do anything? Negativity is a spirit of "Why bother?" Considering the choice between an uninhabitable Heaven and a stagnant Hell, the hard-bitten ghost says, "They've got you either way." The protagonist asks him what he would like to do if he had the choice, and he replies that it's up to whoever is in charge to suit the public. Why should he put forth the effort to make any decisions for himself when others have all the power to make any change?

Lastly, one's negativity can affect other people. The hard-bitten ghost's attitude causes the protagonist to sink into depression, and he begins to wonder if he really is invited to stay in Heaven. When the hard-bitten ghost suggests that they've all just been lured there only to be destroyed by the rain, the protagonist begins to question the motives of the spirits in Heaven. Negativity has the same effect in the here-and-now. Sometimes listening to negative people sucks the life out of me. Other times, when I am surrounded by negative or cynical people, I find myself complaining more often or making more cynical statements, perhaps just to keep up.

I once read that cynicism can serve as a hard shell that protects a broken heart as it heals.⁴ Perhaps there is some truth to that notion, but cynicism is not meant to be the permanent state of a person's heart. A scab provides a protective cover for a wound as it heals, but, once the wound has healed, the scab is meant to flake off. Perhaps cynicism and negativity protect us from being hurt by people or disappointed by life, but, if we shield ourselves from the bad things in life, then we shield ourselves from all the good things as well. Numbness is numbness.⁵

There is a popular series of books titled Chicken Soup for the Soul. Drawing upon the therapeutic qualities of hot soup, the title implies that the stories contained therein will warm a person's heart. I would compare negativity to dirty, contaminated swamp water for the soul. It is a hardness of heart that prevents us from experiencing the blessings God desires for us. May we be willing to lower our defenses so that we may be receptive to all the good that God has to offer us. May we seek the healing of our wounds and not protection from the world around us.

Notes: