Seeing Through New Glasses

This week I continue to look at what I have personally learned from the Jonah story. I previously wrote about the fact that Jonah perceived the world in terms of the ‘truth’ that he received from his father, who mediated the perception of reality held by his social group.  This group perception of reality can be likened to him wearing a pair of glasses, the lenses of which refract what he sees in a particular way. I call this the ‘group consciousness’ of his social group; in his case the Jewish community that had been dominated and held in subjection by the Assyrians.

The lenses of the glasses of ‘group consciousness’ tend to have two intrinsic flaws: they lead to both myopia (short sightedness) and tunnel vision (seeing only a narrow band of reality). In the first instance, it focuses only on the perceived group needs of the present moment. Groups want their present aspirations and needs met, regardless of the consequences for future generations. We need look no further than the ecological disaster waiting to happen that confronts us at present. Secondly, they focus only on their own aspirations and needs, and disregard those of other groups. In the Jonah story the Jewish community that Jonah was a member of looked at the Assyrians with animosity, hatred and fear.

God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, and call them to repentance so that they would be saved from destruction. By doing this Jonah would be instrumental in extending the ‘Blessing of God’ to the enemies of Jonah’s social group. As depicted in the Jonah story he resisted this and ran away. By being swallowed by the fish and having a near-death experience he underwent a transformation in attitude from resistance to compliance. God was calling Jonah to put on a new pair of glasses, which had different lenses. These lenses would refract what he saw before him in a new way. He would see things more closely to the way that God sees them. These glasses would correct the flaws in the glasses of group consciousness that he had been wearing. He would be enabled by them to begin to see further ahead, into the future; and perceive a new, different reality. He would also begin to perceive a broader reality, one which encompasses the future of other social groups besides his own. He would be set free to recognize that the grace of God is not just confined to the wellbeing of his own particular group, but to others as well.

 I have come to recognize how hard this is for me to embrace. I too, like Jonah, have been trapped in the group consciousness of my own social group. I am a ‘white’ native of South Africa, who was born and raised during the dark days of Apartheid. Growing up in this social climate I naturally took on the group consciousness of my social group. My social reality in South Africa was different from that of Jonah and his Jewish social group during the time that he lived. In my context I was part of a minority ‘white’ group that dominated and held in subjection a majority ‘black’ social group. Due to the fact that they were in the minority the white overlords viewed the black majority with suspicion, animosity and fear.

 In South Africa race was used as a criterion to classify and separate the inhabitants into different groups. These race groups were forcibly moved into separate areas and legal restrictions were placed on the way they interacted with each other. It was a horrendous exercise of social engineering. It was an artificially created reality. The principle of ‘divide and conquer’ was being implemented. Each of these groups then took on the group consciousness of their particular race group and saw reality through the lenses of those glasses. The vested interests of the race group then became paramount. Adding to this situation, the black majority were divided into different tribal groups, creating fragmentation and fostering tribal rivalries. The interests of the tribe and getting as much as they could then became important. The model facilitated the interests of the groups becoming more and more myopic, localised and exclusive.

However, history bears testimony to the fact that the exercise in social engineering was unsuccessful and eventually collapsed. As we well know Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 and the system of Apartheid was dismantled. A new democratic era began in 1994 with the election of a democratic government. The country moved into an era of hope and promise, especially for those who had been excluded from the freedom and opportunity that the white minority had enjoyed. The challenge for each of the previously segregated communities was to discard the glasses of group consciousness that they had been using and put on new ones. They had to start using glasses with lenses that that had a more expansive, inclusive vision. This was the vision of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who spoke about moving from seeing ourselves as being different, separate, colours in opposition to each other; to seeing ourselves as being part of a Rainbow Nation with a common hope and destiny. Fast forward to the present, the questions that confront me is to what extent has this been my personal experience; and how do I see this being realized in South Africa as a whole?

The short answer is that there has been some movement, but also many hindrances and setbacks; both within myself and the country. Like Jonah, most individuals (including myself) and probably all groups have resisted and tried to run away from changing their previous perceptions of reality. Old habits (including perceptions of reality), as they say, die hard. As I saw in the Jonah story it took a near –death experience to shake him out of his resistance to change. I am praying that the Lord will change my stone heart to accept and embrace a different perception of reality. This includes a change of circumstances that will extend the ‘Blessing of God’ to all in our nation.

 My hope and prayer is that the many opposing groups in our nation will choose to change their respective group consciousnesses to open them up to change as well. As I try and feel the pulse of our nation there appears to be a quickening of pulse rates, along with a perceptible hardening of group hearts. I pray that the entrenched antagonisms, hatred and fear can be healed and defused before they lead us down the horrible road of violence; yet again.

Questions for reflection:

·         Are you aware of the glasses and lenses that you see through?

·         Are you open to change the way you see?

·         Is the Lord inviting you to see things differently?