What drives us?

Yesterday, I was talking to a professional researcher. Currently, he is looking at the effects of Government cuts on poorer families. In particular, he is doing a study of families in Bristol and Liverpool in conjunction with MORI polls. Apparently, the evidence is conclusive: many of these families are already in real difficulties - and it looks like it will get worse as the austerity measures are stepped up. No way are we 'all in this together'. This is not only serious for those families now; it is serious for society in the longer term, as a whole generation grows up without work, with little money, few choices and without purpose, angry and frustrated.

What drives us? A number of things, anger being one of them. It could also be fear. A health-care professional says she cannot converse with a patient without worrying whether she is ticking all the boxes; and when something goes wrong, she and her colleagues have that sick feeling in the stomach: 'was it me that failed to do something?' Compassion is overcome with fear.

I sense a lot of people operate out of fear.  I remember a young woman I counselled years ago, who had strong religious views. She told me that she lived in fear of what God would say to her at the end of her life. Fundamentalism of all kinds is driven by fear.

Guilt is another. I was talking to a brother priest about the burden of expectations on us clergy. He said, 'the trouble is, you want to do all that is asked of you (by the bishop etc) but it all seems too much sometimes'. I said, 'do you mean we act from guilt rather than grace.' 'Well put,' he said.

The highest virtue, of course is love (see Tom Wright's book, 'Virtue Reborn' for an excellent study of this). To which I would add the word 'courageous' in some instances. A love which truly cares, and does and says what is right at cost to oneself, out of loving obedience to God. Like the Tibetan monk who refused to flee his monastery during a Chinese invasion. The commander said, 'Don't you realise I am the one who could run you through with a sword in the blink of an eye?' The monk replied, 'Don't you realise I am the one who could let you run me through with a sword in the blink of an eye?'