PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

November 24, 2024

CYCLICAL NATURE OF LIFE

                I am in the midst of digesting Professor Joseph F. Kobyika “Great Course” about the cycles of American political thought.  Through out his thirty-six lectures Professor Kobyika identifies five recurring themes.  The first is American exceptionalism; the second, the dynamic malleability of liberalism (a political philosophy grounded on the primacy of the individual); third, America has hand many foundings; fourth, the demands of increasing inclusiveness; and finally, the role of “space.”  I have been intrigued by how what Professor Kobyika has to say has been reflected by the recent elections.  We would appear to be going through one of many recurring cycles that has dominated American political thought.

The Book Of Ecclesiastes begins with the reflections of a royal philosopher.  He sees all life as being cyclical.  In part he says, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.  Is there a thing of which it is said, ’See, this is new?’  It has already been, in the ages before us (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10).”

This cyclical nature of life is well illustrated in the Judges.  There we see a pattern which keeps repeating itself over and over again.  The Hebrew people do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, forgetting the Lord and worshiping other gods.  As a result of their forgetting, they find themselves in a desperate situation.  The Lord raises up a Judge to deal with the crisis.  The Hebrews are saved and they return to their worship of the Lord.  Unfortunately, in time they forget and a new cycle begins.

Churches, organizations, businesses, and other institutions go through life cycles.  They begin with a vision that energizes a growth period.  In time the vision becomes institutionalized and the church, organization, business, or institution goes through a stable period of productivity.  However, eventually there comes a period of decline and if something is not done the institution dies.  What is needed to keep the church, organization, business, or institution going is a new vision that addresses the conditions of the present age.

If it is true that there is nothing new under the sun and that life under the sun is essentially cyclical, there is great value in knowing what has gone before as one lives in the present and makes plans for the future.  Where can we find examples of what has taken place in our country the last six months?  What were the outcomes from these examples and how might they inform a person who wants to understand and respond to what might likely happen in the future?

George Santayana in his The Life of reason: Reason in Common Sense has the following quote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” An alternative for this quote is “Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.”  Put another way: what comes around, goes around.  Professor Joseph F. Kobylka’s Cycles of American Political Thought has provided me with an historical context to better understand the present political climate.

(Comments may be sent to davidh15503@embarqmail.com.)