Fact of the World: The more money you have, the more space you are allowed to take up.
It seems that when one has more money, it gives them some sort of right to have more space around them. The richer you are, the bigger your house, the more square footage you have per person. The less money you have, the less the square footage of your house, the closer you are to other people. I guess that makes sense because if you don't have money, you don't have anything to buy stuff to fill extra space with... there's no need for the extra space if you can't fill it i guess (says the world).
There's an idea of distance. The more money you have, the more distant you are allowed to become from people if you like. Now this does not mean that you are distant. Or that you are purposefully distancing yourself. But somehow in the course of time society has made the idea of having more room a statement. Things are different when you have room. If you would like to be alone, you can. If you would like time to yourself and no one else, you can. If you would like to drive alone, you can. And you can even go get lunch alone and watch other people. Who may or may not be alone. But somehow humanity has created a... i don't know the word for it exactly but.. created a privelege in being alone if you like. The fact that you can still have many many friends yet still go home and have more than enough space for yourself. I do not say this cruelly at all, but maybe that's why some of us get a big head... in a room that size, you've got to fill it with something. So maybe if you can't absolutely fill the room with stuff, maybe we begin to fill all of our extra space with ego. There's something dangerous about having too much space... about having too much room to be comfortable.
Likewise, there can be something observed in poverty as well. Nearly every time someone comes back from a mission trip, especially from poor countries, they say (and I've said it myself) "Despite the poverty- the lack of any materials- they are so joyful and loving and always praising God." Well, what if this statement has something to do with the lack of enclosed extra square footage per person? And has everything to do with God.
The result of not having alot of space brings you closer to people. No longer do you have the luxury of distance. If you wanted to distance yourself, you might not be able to. Yes you could run away, but then you'd take a nice run out into God's creation (not enclosed in the walls of architecture) and you'd once again realize his Glory and probably turn back. People are His delight. So the less space you have, the closer you are to other people, the more you have to learn to share and love others because one: there might not be any other way to survive, and two: there is no other way to survive. So naturally, it brings you closer to the heart of God. And you praise Him, because He's all you've got. No extra space to fill with your thinking. No extra money to worry about how to spend it tomorrow. No extra food, but that's okay because your neighbor's got some and he's just a door or a room away. And if he doesn't have some, then you get the beautiful opportunity of finding some or creating some together. And if you create some together by farming you get the beautiful opportunity of watching God grow things and provide- a system He put in place since the beginning of time. Before the fruit was bitten.
So this beautiful idea of space. It makes a difference. How much space are you giving yourself?
"Now i will break their yoke from your nexk and tear your shackles away."
-Nahum1:13
Nahum means "comfort"
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