What has been will be again,
what
has been done will be done again;
there
is nothing new under the sun.
[Ecclesiastes
1:9 (NIV)]
There
is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a
lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We
give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep
on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the
same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all
the ages.
Mark Twain, a Biography
True,
there is nothing new under the sun—the 92 naturally occurring
essential elements have existed since the creation of the world.
Thus we can say that nothing is ever invented from scratch (even
beyond essential elements we find subatomic particles). However, it
is yet undeniable that innovations of profound importance in fact do
occur. I suppose the simplest way of looking at this is to view a
new-born baby as simply a combination of tired old essential
elements—there is nothing new under the sun. However, surely the
unique combination of genes (the one and only) is in some sense
entirely new. The potential that the child represents will make
possible some new innovation that would have been impossible without
her.
Frankly
the adage that “there's nothing new under the sun” troubles me
somewhat....much as the adage “the poor are always with us.”
Again, the question is “so what?” Do the adages imply that we
are to make no attempt to alleviate suffering and want through
arduous effort or not to lean heavily upon divine inspiration to
improve management techniques or innovate coping mechanisms upon
planet earth?
Mark
Twain moves on from the world of physical elements into the world of
ideas, and he says “There is no such thing as a new idea.” As
with turning a kaleidoscope, we simply churn old ideas about and come
up with new and curious combinations. But all arise from the same
old pieces of colored glass that have been around through all the
ages.
I
like to consider the Bible and search through it for pieces of
colored glass. We begin with TRUST between God and humans. But then
arises TEMPTATION and BETRAYAL and EVIL. Thus, very early on we
appreciate the flawed nature of man—man resides in a state of
IMPERFECTION and must strive to overcome his imperfections through
looking beyond himself to GOD. (The imperfections are aptly
summarized in the Seven Deadly SINS while in contrast perfection is
summarized in the Fruit of the SPIRIT). Much of the Old Testament
deals with the imperfection of man and the churning sea of
complications that result. We learn that man foolishly seeks to
ESCAPE from his weaknesses rather than dealing with them. He seeks
to escape through IDOL WORSHIP. The abject failure of these idols to
stand the test of time brings us to MONOTHEISM—belief in the one
true God. The ascendency of GOD is complimented by the BROTHERHOOD
OF MAN. We are to regard, respect, and treat our neighbor as we
would ourselves.
Since
man is flawed we must rely on DIVINE GRACE to endow us with
GENEROSITY and LOVE. Because of the flawed nature of man and limited
resources, we find that LOVE often calls for SACRIFICE at the expense
of self-interest as egocentrically defined. That is, EGOCENTRISM is
often the foil of love. Thus, the relationship of the INDIVIDUAL and
SOCIETY can present persistent CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.
Governments
in the Bible include TRIBES, KINGDOMS, and the EQUALITY found in the
church of Christ. The latter outside the Bible bleeds over into
FORMS OF GOVERNMENT in which equality is a bedrock belief.
Nevertheless, equality can be refracted in unfortunate ways.
Basically we confront the challenge presented by the difference
between the “LETTER OF THE LAW” and the “SPIRIT OF THE LAW.”
Often strict adherence to the letter of the law can gut the spirit of
the law. In other words, a dogma that glitters as gold on paper can
when implemented result in the IRONY that one ends up harvesting what
one most wanted to avoid. That is, we encounter the PARADOX OF
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.
The
Bible often speaks of God’s FORGIVENESS and our need to express the
same towards others (as explicitly stated in the Lord’s Prayer).
The
Bible makes clear that there are ETERNAL VERITIES that embody MEANING
and PURPOSE. These long term values need to be present and regnant
even the SHORT TERM. In the Bible there is much UNBELIEF and the
absence of FAITH. Yet these conditions can be REDEEMED though the
acts of God and our REPENTANCE. ETERNAL LIFE thus begins in the
present and extends forever into the long, long-term.
The
singular value of the Bible is that it lays bare the colored rocks of
the ages that warn, enlighten, and inspire. It is my belief that
most every form of human behavior can be clarified with study of the
Bible. We ignore or “outgrow” it at our great peril.
We must never seek to supplant the Bible with the myopic “pursuit of happiness.” All we need remember is that every tragedy ever inflicted by man upon man (even oneself) has ironically been perpetrated through the pursuit of happiness—the veritable Venus flytrap of human affairs that constantly entices and persistently destroys. By far the majority of those who sadly sit in prisons (made of stone and steel or of the mind) got there through the relentless pursuit of happiness.
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