It’s All Been Done Before
Amongst my character flaws is a tendency to feel like I’m not being properly appreciated. This is yet another example of how Jesus’ life serves as a compass and a crutch in my moments of weakness. If I feel a pity party starting, I remind myself that there once was a Man who went around healing people and giving them incredible words of encouragement and wisdom. In return, the people He was trying to save tortured and murdered Him. Even His closest friends betrayed and abandoned Him, including Peter.
If that isn’t shocking enough, here’s the truly inconceivable thing: Knowing full well all of this would happen, Jesus went through with it anyway, and then forgave everyone while He was dying from the wounds they inflicted on Him.
So I pretty much need to suck it up and ask myself what the Lord wants me to do right now. I’m pretty sure the answer is NOT, “Reflect on all the things you don’t like about others.”
Off-topic for this post (more appropriate for the one with triple-digit comments), but what is going on here.
As a regular reader of Scott Summer, Krugman, yglesias, Karl Smith, and even the other Austrians, you’re the economist that makes the most sense in our present day mess. Keep the good work coming. I’m sure there are a lot of people like me who developed our passion for liberty from listening to what you had to say.
Oh, thank you John, but oops I really wasn’t fishing for compliments with this one. 🙂
Tell you what I don’t appreciate. Now I’ve got that stupid Bare Naked Ladies song of the same title of your post stuck in my head.
I bet if those guys read your comment, they would feel un-appreciated.
To be honest, your blog and work ranks the best in my book (which still has yet to be written). I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate what you do.
Dave
I read you blog quite frequently because I want to come to a better understanding of economics and you are very helpful, so I just wanted to thank you and encourage you to keep up the good work. I would also like to encourage you by reminding you that Christ proclaims “the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mat. v. 3). So when we feel beat down by the world we should remember not only Jesus’ life but also that it is in His crucifixion and victory over death that we find appreciation and acceptance. For it is the under appreciated whom He came to save.
I found this post fascinating because while I am very much anti-religious I have a quite similar experience from time to time. Although I don’t use Jesus of course, I do think of people like Ludwig von Mises to snap me out of my “pity party”. To think of the sacrifices he had to make all his life, fleeing Nazis, coming to America not speaking English in his 50s etc. is always inspiring to snap me out of any funk.
Especially when I consider how easy it would have been and comfortable to just play ball. But he never wavered in his passion for spreading the ideas of liberty. And it sure wasn’t motivated out of a desire to get that cushy top paying job espousing Austrian Economics! Pretty remarkable in my view.
Good perspective.