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{"id":6666,"date":"2018-11-29T09:41:11","date_gmt":"2018-11-29T16:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/paperbacktheology\/?p=6666"},"modified":"2018-11-29T09:41:11","modified_gmt":"2018-11-29T16:41:11","slug":"advent-is-a-time-for-hope-oscar-wilde-on-cynics-sentimentalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/paperbacktheology\/2018\/11\/advent-is-a-time-for-hope-oscar-wilde-on-cynics-sentimentalists.html","title":{"rendered":"Advent is a Time for Hope: Oscar Wilde on Cynics & Sentimentalists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n

Most people react to the disorientation in one of two ways: Cynicism<\/em> or Sentimentality.<\/em><\/p>\n

The cynic<\/strong> looks at the world and says love is impossible. Self-interest has overpowered virtue. Selfishness is really what motivates people. Oscar Wilde said: \u201cA cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.\u201d\u00a0The cynic can be terribly pessimistic, skeptical, and they make relationships painful.<\/p>\n

The sentimentalist<\/strong> looks at the world and says love is everywhere. Even though love is obviously not<\/em> everywhere. They attempt to ignore the dark side of everything and live on happy feelings. Oscar Wilde said: \u201cA sentimentalist is simply one who wants to have the luxury of an emotion without paying for it.\u201d Sentimentalism is a form of escapism\u2026 ignore the negative and life will work itself out. They make relationships shallow and thin.<\/p>\n

Of course, the cynics and sentimentalists eventually end up in pretty much the same place: they both disengage from responsibility for the future. The cynic says, \u201ceverything\u2019s terrible why bother to work for change?\u201d The sentimentalist: says \u201cEverything\u2019s fine, so there\u2019s no need to change.\u201d Both approaches abandon the human call to co-create and shape our common life toward the kingdom of God.<\/p>\n

During the season of Advent we try to open up a space between cynicism and sentimentality, and find a space for hope.\u00a0<\/strong>Hope combines the best of cynicism (the ability to tell the truth about the world), and the best of sentimentality (this belief that the world is essentially good), and transforms them into action\u2014a new way of being in the world.<\/p>\n

Hope is able to say: although things are broken, they won\u2019t always be.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s hope: although things are broken, they won\u2019t always be, so let\u2019s get on with life and stick together. Jesus taught us to pray, \u201cthy kingdom come\u2026 on earth as it is in heaven,\u201d and heaven hopes. We are meant to be conduits of hope. Hopeful people make relationships deep, rich, wholesome, and regenerative.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s an old Native American proverb I love:<\/p>\n

The old man confessed to his grandson, \u201cThere are two wolves inside of me: one is good, and generous, and filled with hope, the other is angry, cynical, and despairing. They are constantly fighting within me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich wolf wins,\u201d the wide-eyed grandson asked?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhichever wolf I feed.\u201d<\/p>\n

My wish for you this Advent is that you will take the days and weeks between now and Christmas to intentionally open up space within your life for hope to grow and flourish. That you will feed the hope-wolf and reject cynicism and sentimentality.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"