THE HUMAN CONDITION

I recently heard Dan Hazeltine, the lead singer for Jars of Clay, quote Walker Percy, who said, “Bad books always lie. They lie most of all about the human condition.” This literary critique coincides with a bit of advice a mentor of mine, Dr. Jim Gardner, once gave me over lunch at the university I attended. He said it’s better to read a well-written, non-religious work of literature that provides insight into the human condition than it is to read a shallow, half-baked religious book filled with spiritual superficialities. 

Both Percy’s critique and Gardner’s advice speak to both the importance of embracing the truth of the human condition and the danger of avoiding our humanity. Both statements also beg the question: So what, exactly, are the realities of our collective human experience that we’d do well to embrace? Here’s a modest start to answering that question: 
​

1. We live in a beautifully tragic place—the marred miracle called planet Earth. Things happen here that thrill us beyond words, and other things happen here that challenge us to our core. Sometimes it’s so awesome we wonder how heaven could possibly be better, and at other times it’s so agonizing we wonder how hell could possibly be worse. 
2. Whether or not we like to admit it (I sure don’t), life "gets to us." The tragedies of our lives hurt us and awaken all sorts of painful feelings and emotions within us—sadness, hurt, guilt, shame, fear (to name only a few). 
3. One key ingredient to living fully in this tragic place is learning to tell the truth about how we feel—learning to accept that we are not bigger than life. When we embrace that life gets to us and express to safe people how life gets to us, then we are on our way to living fully in this tragic place. 

​
So as we navigate the week, let’s not expect everything to go according to plan, and let’s not be surprised when life’s twists and turns affect us. Instead, let’s remind ourselves that we're not bigger than life, and then let’s give ourselves a break. Cut ourselvs some slack. Offer ourselves grace. Care for our hearts. Repeat after me: “I don’t have to be superhuman (your turn) . . .  and pretending I am will always diminish and never enhance my true humanity (your turn again).
​
​Here’s to a humble, healthy, happy week,
Daniel