Easy-Peasy Breezy

Are you gullible?

Image by Denise Husted from Pixabay

I knew a woman who fell for every scam. If a slick, celebrity pastor wanted money to fund his hair product supply, there she was—phone and wallet in hand. After all, he seemed so sincere and his eyes were so blue and his suit was so shiny. He must be a good guy. 

This woman belonged to an older generation. Their tastes trends no longer dominate primetime TV. Most of us might not feel moved by a phony smile and aerosol, molded bangs. But we have our own versions of what convinces of truth. We think we can spot the real deal. Real people let you see their messy house, and always wear flip-flops, right? 

When my husband and I lived in Santa Cruz, we noticed something interesting about many of the locals. They lived just minutes from the beach in sketchy looking houses with overgrown yards. 

There was a reverse snobbery going on. They were proud of how “poor” they appeared, never mind that those same properties probably coast a cool million each, and their driveways were littered with BMW’s. They looked unpretentious, genuine, laid-back and real. They had bought into the idea that looking wealthy, plastic and put-together is automatically suspicious. 

Those are just a few of the kinds of ingrained assumptions we all carry around with us. We all have a particular set of lenses by which we think we can perceive truth. 

Big Scams

We take these on easy opinions without noticing, they simply become the air we breath. They feel right and real. 

These ingrained assumptions vary based on age, upbringing and many other factors. One generation swoons over country-club etiquette, another over loungewear. One person assumes progress is always good, for another, tradition is king.  

Are these varying assumptions always bad? No, of course not. But we should keep a vigilant watch on what ideas we are freely sliding into.

In one sense, “scams” are going on all over the place. They might not always be after our wallet, they may be after our vote, our support, or our hearts and souls… Arguments are put in such a way that they seem so true. It seems like no sane person could possibly disagree. You don’t care about squirrel rights? You are such a bigot. You won’t do this one thing to help all of humanity? You only think about yourself.

Simplistic thinking goes down as easily as sweet tea. 

A comfy couch

Foolishness is the smooth, painless path. It is the way everyone is going. “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Mathew 7:13). It is that simple, easy view point that “must be true! Look how many people agree!” You find it everywhere… street corners, magazines, streaming on Netflix, your aunt’s living room. “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps” (Proverbs 14:15). 

Foolishness does not require much thinking. Don’t worry, others will do the thinking for you. It is a shallow, easy-to-grasp set of pseudo-facts, smoke screens, hasty opinions and mob mottos. It fits nicely on bumper stickers. It is the new “truth” published fresh from the opinion mill and handed down for the masses. Thinking becomes mere mantra repetition. 

Growing more foolish does not require any effort. The Bible often associates foolishness with laziness: “The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly” (Proverbs 26:16). You see a situation, form a quick judgment, and deliver it hot from your fast food window to anyone who will listen.

Yes, she was giving a dirty look. She is probably mad at you and will hate you forever… Yes, your bitter friend who is telling you the long story of how she was mistreated by twelve people last week, is perfectly unbiased… People who attend formal churches are necessarily uptight… Rich people are always bad… Poor people are usually honest… Everyone should just get along and stop being meanies… 

Avoiding foolishness, gaining wisdom

What opinions/ideas should you be weeding out? 

Well, do they come easily? Is it what everyone thinks? Does it feel so instinctively right? If the answers is yes that does not automatically mean you are wrong. However, these are indicators that we should be wary. 

Push for a deeper perspective. 

Some people tend to see truth as wooden—black and white. They comfortably have all the answers and always make sure to wear their judgy-pants. Others, like the hippies I grew up with, see truth as a mushy, muddy, soupy, dreamy, acid-trip leading to nowhere.

What do both of these views have in common?

They come easy.

Wisdom is earned through difficulty. Why must it be difficult? I will go into that more next time. The short answer is, wisdom comes with personal growth. With hard work, with intense study, in dark times and trials, with humility. 

We do not have the all answers and that is a good place to start.