There are two temptations that frequent exposure to national and world events can pose: on the one hand, to become so discouraged and cynical that we abandon the public sphere and just retreat into a comfortable private sphere of entertainment, close friendships, and career advancement; and on the other hand, to fight so hard to make the world a better place that we become consumed with the “cause” and forget the immense value of the life we have been given to lead, in the here-and-now, with these people at our side.
It is pretty easy to grasp the harms of apathy and disengagement from public life. If citizens check out in great numbers, they make it easier for bad and irresponsible actors to harness public institutions to selfish ends at odds with the public interest. If a sufficient number of citizens retreats into the private sphere, the very notion of public accountability in a democracy becomes reduced to the formality of periodic elections. For an apathetic and uninformed citizenry is easy to manipulate and hoodwink.
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Sometimes it is not so easy to grasp the harms of excessively consuming forms of political engagement. For one thing, they have a lot to do with attention and attitude, something that is not always easy to spot in one’s external actions. If one’s attention is given over to the recent tragic attacks on Israeli citizens, or the tyrannical actions of this or that government, or the manipulative behaviour of public officials, to the point where one is inattentive to one’s own soul, or one’s own spouse and children, or one’s own children, colleagues, or neighbours, then one has lost one’s balance.
Maintaining a balance between public engagement and attention to one’s own soul and the world “up close” is no easy task. But the art of living is surely working hard to maintain such a balance, or to make periodic corrections when one senses that one is either becoming excessively absorbed by public affairs, or excessively absorbed by the private or semi-private sphere of family, career and recreation.
Many of us feel indignant and helpless in the face of human suffering inflicted by reckless, cruel and self-serving individuals, governments, and corporate actors. This sentiment is understandable and very human. But it should not distract us from the business of living our own lives to the fullest. No matter how tough things get, we only get one shot at living. No matter how much we may lament the imperfections and injustices of this world, the clock keeps ticking, and every day is a precious gift that will only come around once.
While we may - and should - strive to bring about a world in which political structures are more just and fundamental liberties are better protected, we should never have contempt for the little things that give life meaning, in the here and now. The smile of a baby child; the love of a spouse; a family dinner; a close and enduring friendship; or a bit of support we give to someone in need.
Don’t get me wrong: I understand the importance of fighting for a better and more just world. But the noble fights we join are not just a stepping-stone to a better life; they must also be part of a life worth living. The zeal with which we fight for change should not be allowed to obscure our duties toward ourselves and our loved ones to make the most out of the life we have, today.
One of the ways we fight for what is right and good is by shaping our own life into something beautiful, no matter how ugly things may get in the world around us. If we lose our soul or get cut adrift from our loved ones in the pursuit of a better world, the pursuit itself becomes senseless.
On this matter, the experience of the young utilitarian crusader John Stuart Mill is rather instructive. The young John Stuart Mill, who had been taught by his father from an early age that his mission in life was to bring about the “greater good of the greater number,” entered the political fray with great enthusiasm and energy as a young man, fighting for noble causes like womens’ suffrage. He had barely reached the age of 20 when he was already confronting what might otherwise be described as a “mid-life crisis.” He realised, for the first time, that even if he made the whole world happy, his own life would be devoid of meaning:
It was in the autumn of 1826. I was in a dull state of nerves, such as everybody is occasionally liable to; unsusceptible to enjoyment or pleasurable excitement; one of those moods when what is pleasure at other times, becomes insipid or indifferent; the state, I should think, in which converts to Methodism usually are, when smitten by their first "conviction of sin." In this frame of mind it occurred to me to put the question directly to myself: "Suppose that all your objects in life were realized; that all the changes in institutions and opinions which you are looking forward to, could be completely effected at this very instant: would this be a great joy and happiness to you?" And an irrepressible self-consciousness distinctly answered, "No!" At this my heart sank within me: the whole foundation on which my life was constructed fell down. All my happiness was to have been found in the continual pursuit of this end. The end had ceased to charm, and how could there ever again be any interest in the means? I seemed to have nothing left to live for.
Mill then entered a deep and prolonged depression, according to his own account, which you can find in his short autobiography. And what lifted him out of his depression was the discovery, through romantic thought, that what gives meaning and purpose to life is not just achieving good in the world, but realising one’s full personal potential, or growing on the inside as a human being. Mill began to see that he must care for his own soul, and that if he did not, he risked losing his bearings completely.
None of this means that fighting hard for a just cause is a bad idea, just because there’s a risk we’ll lose our interior bearings or burn out. However, there are more and less intelligent and gracious ways to pursue a cause. If we pursue a cause in the world so zealously as to forget who we are on the inside, the cause itself can become our own undoing.
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These last 3 years especially, I 've been torn between the two opposing forces you describe in your post. Despite not being a public figure or anything remotely like that, I' ve tried talking with friends and colleagues about things like the erosion of our civil liberties, my concern about the dreadful way Covid was handled, and more. It got me nowhere, although some people seem a bit more aware due more to what they experienced personally and/or around them than to anything I or anyone else might have said.
So, it's a reminder for me that it's also good to live day by day and appreciate what's worthwhile in our private sphere. Besides, feeling concerned and anxious makes us vulnerable to manipulation, so I try to do my best to keep things in perspective.
Finally, I also felt the need to go back to Mill. In fact, after some hesitation, I started a Substack recently and my first two posts both focus on Mill's defence of freedom of speech.
Thank you for your insightful newsletter.
Thank you for this. I am struggling with balance on this exact subject. I am avid reader, researcher on everything political, covid, war, child trafficking, all the Satanic, demonic entities trying to dissolve America. It is hard when God gives you a heart of passion to find the truth. I am a critical thinker, take nothing at face value, question everything, do not go with the flow, etc. Family and friends are a struggle, those whose eyes cannot see, ears that cannot hear, lukewarm and want to know nothing. It is a battle. However, I am a creative person with an art business, play golf 3 times a week, and these balance me. With a first grand baby coming it gives me hope but also scared for his future. The balancing act is so hard, hoping one day all truth is revealed and that God’s world He created will be peaceful, in mind, body, and spirit. Until then, never give up but try and balance. Thank you!