LOOKING BEYOND DESPAIR AND ANGUISH

This Passion Week presents a good opportunity for personal change and hope, especially for persons who are overwhelmed by life’s vicissitudes, writes MONDAY PHILIPS EKPE 

Thomas Hardy, renowned 19th/20th centuries English writer, explored the familiar themes of the self-sabotaging nature of pride, predictability of character-enabled tragedies and certainty of fate in his timeless novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge. Michael Henchard, its protagonist, sufficiently embodied those features and more. A key summation of that epic work is stated within its lines: “Happiness is but an occasional episode in the general drama of pain.” This assertion goes against the core tenets of epicureanism, a school of philosophy that revolves around the pursuit of pleasure as the predominant (or only) existential goal. Not debauchery. Not profligacy. Neither wanton hedonistic behaviours nor reckless indulgence of the senses but a validation of anything that leads to liberty from physical and mental pain.

To be fair to the Epicureans, whether they do it consciously or not, most human beings are often attracted to and favourably disposed towards comfortable and tranquil existence. Those philosophers can’t, therefore, be accused of promoting abstract or unrealistic theories. Every Nigerian child or adolescent, for instance, knows instinctively that energy in whatever form is preferable to the bouts of darkness which confront him or her at every turn. The screams of “up NEPA!” that greet light restoration are both impulsive and symptomatic of deep longings for the good life. So, getting anyone to learn to live with discomfort or agony is like admonishing someone to get used to headaches, even as curable as they are.    

The image of Jesus of Nazareth crucified on the Cross of Calvary is, arguably, Christianity’s most iconic representation. The Passion Week is underway in many parts of the world. Even those who doubt the authenticity of this fundamental truth about the faith are confronted with it, directly or otherwise. It’s simply a message that won’t just go, be brushed aside or wished away. One of Hollywood’s all-time best movies, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ released 22 years ago, attempted to re-enact the total dehumanisation, torture and excruciation of the one who doubled as the son of man and son of God. Not unexpectedly, and the film’s remarkable successes notwithstanding, the well-presented, passionate depiction fell short of conveying the complete picture of that pivotal point in history.      

How could Jesus pull that moment off? According to Timothy Keller, pastor, theologian and Christian apologist, “When Jesus looked down from the cross, he didn’t think ‘I am giving myself to you because you are so attractive to me.’ No, he was in agony, and he looked down at us – denying him, abandoning him, and betraying him – and in the greatest act of love in history, he stayed. He said, ‘Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.’ He loved us, not because we were lovely to him, but to make us lovely.” No doubt, there must be a lofty motivation for that sort of mission.

Sophocles, ancient Greek’s tragedian and philosopher who predated Jesus, put this phenomenon succinctly: “One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love.” That Sophoclean remedy, symbolised and exhibited by Christ, must be otherworldly. God’s beloved son was going through what was clearly his loneliest, most traumatic experience at Golgotha. Even his heavenly father who was his quarterback throughout his earthly stay abandoned him at a point. Yet, he remained glued to his assignment.

Ironically, travail in whatever form can be interesting. Here’s a bouquet of relevant statements by persons who should know: Benjamin Disraeli: “There is no education like adversity.” Bob Dylan: “Behind every beautiful thing, there’s been some kind of pain.” Mahatma Gandhi: “Nobody can hurt me without my permission.” Julius Caesar: “It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience.”

Theodore Roosevelt: “It is only through labour and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things.” Rollo May: “One does not become fully human painlessly.” Arthur Schopenhauer: “Life without pain has no meaning.” Bob Marley: “You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.” Robert Greene: “Too many people believe that everything must be pleasurable in life, which makes them constantly search for distractions and short-circuits the learning process.”

Tony Robbins: “Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.” Neale Donald Walsch: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Arnold Schwarzenegger: “Pain makes me grow. Growing is what I want. Therefore, for me, pain is pleasure.” James Dyson: “Excellence is the capacity to take pain.” Walt Disney: “After the rain, the sun will reappear. There is life. After the pain, the joy will still be here.” Leo Tolstoy “If you feel pain, you’re alive. If you feel other people’s pain, you’re a human being.” Mary Tyler Moore: “Pain nourishes courage. You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you.” Maxime Lagacé: “You must go through that short-term pain to reach long-term gains. A meaningful life is about growth, not comfort.”

Back to Jesus Christ. It was one thing for him to develop the stamina that saw him through that agony; but quite another to remain focussed in the midst of that unprecedented distress. Or, perhaps, his rationale produced the strength. Chapter 12 of the Book of Hebrews in the Holy Bible provides a clue: “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God – he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honour, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he ploughed through. That will shoot adrenalin into your souls! Others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through – all that bloodshed! So, don’t feel sorry for yourselves….”

Encouraging people to embrace the example of Christ – enduring in the face of daunting odds – in order to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel may be herculean but, is there really any reasonable option? Sadly, those who end their own lives abruptly or take dangerous routes to achievements do so when the vision of a better future fails. But, luckily, tomorrow could actually hold the fruits we desire. And many more.    

Dr Ekpe is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

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