A HOPEFUL SOUL IN A CHAOTIC WORLD

If there is one word that best describes the world today, it is chaotic. There are a lot of challenges that the world faces that induce this chaos, and among these, moral confusion seems to be the most dominant.  Moral confusion is most evident in the increasing disorderliness on what the society considers to be good or bad, morally acceptable or not. Just take for example the Philippine controversy concerning the Reproductive Health Bill. Using natural method over artificial contraceptives is still a much-heated debate up to now, especially in this conservative Christian nation. 

So why is the world in its present condition today, in a state of chaos and of moral dilemma, despite the fact that God created the world to be good? First of all, the statement “God created the world to be good” needs to be clarified. God, in His image and likeness, created human beings, who ruled over the other creatures of the Earth. Since God is the Ultimate Good, and he made man in His image and likeness, human has the unlimited capacity and responsibility to be good. Human has the capacity to be good for as he strive for his highest being or true self, he becomes closer to God, who is the Ultimate Good. And human has the responsibility to be good for it is a vocation, a calling from God. We are all called to be like Jesus of Nazareth, and to be able to do that, we must believe his beliefs and do his deeds; that is, having faith in the power of goodness and spreading out the goodness virus.  

However, it is in the very nature of human that he or she is imperfect and incomplete, subjected to various weaknesses and defects, making him or her vulnerable to temptation and sin. And human having the gift of free will can opt to resist the temptation or give in. He can choose to move towards or against goodness; and thus he can violate the very nature of him being good.

This turning back from God, the Ultimate Good, alienates human from himself, from others, and from God. His heart, stained with sin, is what makes him in himself chaotic. Morally confused, he was blind on what values to follow, what movements to make, and what goodness to believe. And since human in himself is chaotic, the world he dwells in is also chaotic. The process is reversible; that is, humanity reflects the world and the world reflects humanity.  

And as a human living in this world, I also experience that chaos of morality. I am no stranger to insecurity, indifference, pain and hatred that is brought upon by this seemingly endless chaos. But I am also no foreign to acceptance, sympathy, happiness and love that counteract its dominion. I live as an individual but I am no completely different from humanity. I also own a chaotic heart, which further contribute to this chaotic world. I sin every day of my life, consciously or unconsciously, even after undergoing the intense reflection of what is morally good or bad. Once in a while I find myself doubting the existence of a good in this world, where the prominent social realities are poverty, corruption, and marginalization among many others. Most often I need to re-examine myself if I still hold on to the good, and if I’m still willing to fight for it. And worse, I find myself alone in my faith for most of my ideas contradict with the Roman Catholic Church, which I perceive to be so conservative with its teachings and beliefs. But despite all these, just like the humanity, I still possess a hopeful spirit which keeps my faith alive amidst disorder and confusion. This is perhaps why, regardless of the chaos and moral dilemma, the light of hope of humanity never dies.

So what is my greatest challenge today? That is to keep the light of hope shining to help bring order to the chaos. And this can be done by recognizing, accepting and executing my vocation of love and goodness despite the temptation to indulge myself in worldly goods and personal desires.