"Lifeboat Theory: How to Kill Your Neighbor"

“Because the world owes me nothing
We owe each other the world.”

Those words, originally penned by Ani DiFranco, propelled me via Josh Garrels’ soulful rendition as I traversed I-64/I-70 to Columbia, MO this weekend. I’d been feeling troubled by the realization that the “real world” more closely resembles middle school hierarchy than I'd previously thought.

Donald Miller speaks of "Lifeboat Theory" in Searching for God Knows What. It’s the idea that in life, as in middle school, we are constantly evaluating our worth as compared to those around us. In essence, if five of my coworkers and I are in a lifeboat with the capacity for only five people, am I valuable (i.e. attractive, hard-working, athletic, intelligent, etc.) enough to avoid being pitched overboard? Miller suggests that this is the way all post-Fall humans live their lives. We feel this pressure to prove our worth each and everyday because something is missing in our lives that insures that worth. Read the book; it’s basically amazing.

Anyway, as I pondered the reality of Lifeboat Theory in my own life, I realized how easy it is to denigrate others for the sake of proving my own validity. I think how foolish this is, because ultimately only people, only relationships, matter. Here I am, thinking I’m preserving my very existence when in reality I’m torching it.

Last night, Cliff and I viewed a wonderful chunk of cinema called Luther. In one of the most powerful scenes, Martin Luther extols his congregation to love one another in his absence as he faces excommunication from the church. Not long after he’s gone, the people turn on one another, fueling their wrath with twisted interpretations of Luther’s own writings. Watching it all unfold, I wanted to scream at those people for how wrong they were, but in the end I realize I do exactly the same thing.

I feel like I’m constantly playing defense, like I’m ever under siege from an enemy threat. In reality, that’s just the human condition. I will never feel entirely secure here on this earth, but maybe security is not the point. I’ve always known I wanted to live for adventure, but it’s easy to lose sight of ambition when reality knocks at the door.

Whatever the consequence, I want out of this lifeboat. I know the world is not going to endow me with worth. The only viable Source for what I seek is God Himself.