Wise men not Wise guys . . .

Sarcasm kills. That doesn’t mean a person should never be sarcastic, just that he should be sarcastic about ideas or things he wants to wither and die. This can be quite appropriate for a political candidacy, for example, though never for the candidate!  We love our enemies, but we can be quite sarcastic toward their ambitions.

Epiphany is coming, the feast of the Wise Men, and it is worth nothing that they were not Wise Guys. At this point my children are waiting for me to rail against our “make fun of everything culture.” Considering the season, raillery is better, but humor is harder than anger!

So it is with sarcasm or wise cracks. We can “make wise” as the old black-and-white movie stars say without needing a clever writer, but nobody would deny for a quip. We live and die for something greater, but something greater exposes us to quips, wise cracks, and sarcasm.

So be it.

The wise men believed in their beliefs enough to act of their beliefs. Most of us scarcely believe in our beliefs enough to believe them and when they are difficult, then we are unbelievers! Yet few great deeds will be done by anyone who lacks belief in something outside himself. Mostly we are not interesting enough for our inclinations and understanding being the basis of an entire life.

Instead, religion, to the extent it is true, gives us beliefs that are external to ourselves and may be based on ideas, reasons, or arguments too difficult for us. Many want to get rid of religious doctrines, because they cause arguments, but it is the ability to produce arguments that give them the potential to do great good. Without doctrines we believe in enough to defend, we will not have doctrines strong enough to send us on an adventure that ends in seeing the Christ child.

When we see the star, the doctrineless person can’t “rejoice with great joy,” because “maybe this is something” doesn’t produce much of anything.

“Maybe” is a good start, but we need a very strong “maybe” to act. We don’t need certainty, there is the danger of extremism, but we do need a strong enough “could be” to build excitement. The Nigerian businessman who writes you could be genuine, but that “maybe” isn’t strong enough (if you are a rational) to produce excitement. Imagine instead personally knowing a Nigerian business leader and having him tell you that he will help pay for your schooling . . . you could be wrong, people we know do scam us, but you have grounds for hope, maybe (depending on how well you know him) grounds for action, and joy.

Taking off to follow a star always opens a magi to criticism. Staying home never looks as stupid as following a star and finding a baby in a small house, the son of a carpenter. Even worse, what if you follow the star and find nothing? The stay at home magi always looks wiser in the short term, but history is not made by sedentary mages.

Get your camel and go if you think you know something splendid. The risk is high, but the reward of following the Star is priceless. Let the stay at homes make wise and go and be wise.

Off to get on my camel to follow the Star.