A philosophical breakdown.
When I watch a sermon or seminar with titles like “Achieve Your Best” & “Healthy Habits” & “How to Succeed at Everything,” I suspect they only work for a certain group of people. Those who have. Those who can. Those with no obstacles in their path. 1/
This “believe to achieve / you attract your energy” mentality assumes an up-and-up trajectory with no variables and a perfectly contained environment where one unit of input equals ten units of output. It doesn’t consider systemic failures or baked-in environmental pitfalls. 2/
Hustle Culture is like those physics formulas where you shoot a cannon ball & you calculate vertex (height) & parabola (curve). It never considers the wind or weather or slight imperfections in the cannon. Those sort of inspirational advice-laced speeches only work in a vacuum.3/
I always try to imagine the homeless, hospitalized, and grieving watching these seminars. They are the people I weep with & serve. I know, the pushback is always “Obviously hat seminar isn’t for them.” But if it doesn’t work for the suffering, why should it work at all? 4/
When someone tells me “I would never say that to a hurting person,” why ever say it at all? Who isn’t or hasn’t been hurt? When someone says, “There’s a right time for that sort of advice, obviously not when they’re hurting,” if not now, why should it work for any other time? 5/
In these seminars, I always hope for how to handle the obstacles. Not to overcome them. But to live with them. Some compassion & a next step through the debris. Because we can’t always beat the odds. Chronic pain & racial trauma & systemic pressure will sometimes (often) win. 6/
I want to know how to handle burn-out, failure, fatigue, internalized hostility, a system that starts you a lap behind, moving a step forward & two back, the setbacks, the letdowns, working through the disappointment of those who do not see us. I do not want the hero story. 7/
If you succeeded because you had the resources to study and be equipped and learn from the best and not be interrupted by oppressive authorities or malicious structures, then, well, anybody in that circumstance could make it far. I mean, cool story. But not for me. 8/
You and I are not self-made. So if you must give me advice to “win like you,” tell me about the darkest hour. The hardest valley. The worst of the wilderness. Your sweat, blood, tears, and angry prayers. How you crawled. And be honest: tell us who helped along the way. 9/
I do not want the pristine cannonball in a sealed vacuum with no wind. Tell me about the dirty stone in a slingshot where you missed. How you limped all the way to the finish line.
I don’t need the hero story.
I need your guts pouring out. Mine are already on the table. 10/10

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More from @jsparkblog

3 Mar
Someone needs to hear this. Your value cannot rest on your usefulness. No one must prove to be a cornerstone of their community, a pillar of their people, a positive net worth, to be a whole person or to be treated as one. You have value apart from what you do. #ableism
Those who contribute are pouring out of given resources in an environment they did not choose by generational accomplishments they did not earn. They’re to be applauded, but not inherently worth more than others & not to be rewarded for passing on the blessing they received.
We are not tethered to our gifts, our purpose, our utility. We are called to do good, but not because it makes us good. Not to earn a point value. The good we do is an extension of the grace we were gifted. To do good is simply good in itself, just as you are too.
Read 6 tweets
15 Feb
For those saying “I can still appreciate Ravi Zacharias’ teaching”—I disagree. The “good” he did is only cruelty & hypocrisy to his victims. But was his teaching actually any good? As a former Ravi fan & ex-atheist, here’s a breakdown of why it was not. 1/
I first heard Ravi when I was 19, still an atheist & learning about religion. I was impressed by his delivery & argumentation. I became a fan. I read two of his books, saw him live twice, listened to 100s of hours of his sermons. But I noticed a pattern. 2/
I noticed Ravi would raise an incredibly interesting question, bring in Philosophy 101, then describe a time he stumped someone in an argument (or stumped a person seeking faith), and tie it up with a sentimental eloquent illustration. He did this over & over. The thing is, 3/
Read 13 tweets
28 Dec 20
I have to be honest. This year I nearly lost my faith again. Like many of us, I was in a bad place. I turned to the church for hope. Online & off, I asked how to deal with the isolation, the loss of George Floyd, & hate crimes against Asian-Americans because of “China virus.” 1/
I was angry & afraid. I needed something, anything, to speak to my anxiety. But it seemed the church did not hear my worries. It turned these events into a culture war that I barely understood. The answer for our suffering was apparently self-righteous politics & posture. 2/
I know many churches, including mine, have done good things in this time. Yes, I still love the church, always. But my inbox, comments, & interactions told one story: too many Christians were more offended by my grief rather than listening to it. They couldn’t wait to argue. 3/
Read 8 tweets
6 Oct 20
Culture breakdown.
There’s a philosophical principle in South Korea called Hongik-Ingan (홍익인간): the devotion to benefit all of humanity. Basically many Koreans are told if they don’t make a surplus, they should take their own lives. Always contribute, never consume: or die.
The upside is that Koreans (and easterners) have a remarkable work ethic. We work crazy hard. We love to work. Of this, I’m proud. But the downside: if any of us encounter failure, disaster, or imperfection in our performance, we immediately fall into an abyss of worthlessness.
I’m convinced Hongik-Ingan (홍익인간), this relentless desire to contribute good with our lives, is at least one of the reasons why South Korea has the tenth highest suicide rate in the world.
Read 19 tweets
8 Oct 19
I have heard the worst kinds of advice when it comes to depression. If you say “I’m depressed” you’ll be surprised how many of your friends do hot yoga, eat steamed kale chips, have google degrees, drink seven kinds of herbal tea, & watch TED Talks in their sleep. #mentalhealth
But I get it. I’m trying to understand that when someone gives bad advice, it’s not because they’re bad. Sometimes it’s because they don’t know what else to say. They feel helpless. They have to say something. Anything. #mentalhealth
Many of us have been trained to fix-it. We’re told that silence is bad, so we fill it. It’s hard to say, “I really don’t know.” And honestly, I’d rather hear your bad advice than be alone. I’d rather you try badly than leave quickly. #mentalhealth
Read 4 tweets
5 Dec 17
Okay, church. I’m angry. Flipping tables angry. On politics, I’ve been quiet & neutral. I’ve played the inspirational blogger to not alienate anyone. I’m the token diversity & “atheist turned Christian.” But I can’t stay silent when this foolishness has gone on long enough. 1/
I’m surprised (and not surprised) how blinded the western evangelical church has become, calling “evil” good and good “evil.”
I mean really—can’t we see we’re being had? 2/
That the church is choosing party over Jesus?
That politics are a temporary manmade institution that has become the church’s new god?
That the church has killed compassion and made an idol of cultural war? 3/
Read 19 tweets

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