Beautiful Chaos

Conventional wisdom and popular thought over the short twenty-three years of my life have lead me to believe that at moments of catastrophe, when the world is its most chaotic, people stop caring about one another, lose all of their civilization, and revert to not much more than animals who see life as “every man for himself”, “dog-eat-dog”, and “kill-or-be-killed!”  However, as I grow older I have begun to find this “assumed truth” to be less and less true.  When life throws humanity into the very heart of chaos and disorder a unique opportunity arises for us; the opportunity to move beyond ourselves and become truly selfless.  Fear in these situations often motivates us to aid our neighbor and make them “safe”; even if we ourselves are not “safe”.  This posture of self-sacrifice is nothing more than a beautiful picture of “God on Earth”.  Even in the Screwtape Letters we see the character of Screwtape upset about the level of service and selflessness that danger and chaos can have on a local community (Chapter 28). 

In fact, chaos almost seems to be a positive aspect of human existence.  Chaos, danger, and “the unknown” seem to keep humans on our toes.  In times filled with more rest than unrest I have often found myself drifting from the attributes of my God: loving others, disciplined seeking of Him, and intentionally attempting to make my world a better place.  When I get too comfortable “I” become the main focus of almost every one of my actions, but chaos causes me to focus outward.  

“This, indeed, is probably one of the Enemy’s motives for creating  dangerous world—a world in which moral issues really come to the point.” ~~ Screwtape Letters (ch.29)

When chaos hits home, people tend to love each other the way God loves…