What Is Wrong With People?
This question could be asked at any time from the dawn of man until the end of time. A father might observe the behavior of his adult son and wonder where he and his wife went wrong. We could ask how it was possible for the Egyptian, Persian, Greek, and Roman Empires to have more colorblind societies, where skin color was hardly an issue, whereas modern man cannot seem to escape the racial problems that never get resolved in any meaningful way. We could ask how it is possible that Harvey Weinstein could have abused so many actresses for nearly 50 years, amassing more than 80 known victims, especially when his behavior was common knowledge in the entertainment industry. We could ask how so many bishops ignored the abuse of so many children, or how Joe Paterno and others overlooked an assistant coach that abused children for at least 15 years. No matter how good a producer, no matter how good a priest, and no matter how good a coach they might have been could not possibly justify such willful negligence. Again, what is wrong with people?
The same question applies to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. After the unspeakable atrocities committed on October 7th, how could anyone expect Israel not to respond? It must also be remembered that this is no minor squabble given that Hamas has pledged to exterminate every Jew in the state of Israel. It is not a dispute over territory or over political control but a true genocidal crusade on the part of the supporters of Hamas. The Israelis have no such genocidal appetite despite being accused of carrying out a genocide against the people who desire genocide upon the Jews. If the state of Israel really wanted to kill everyone in Gaza, they could have done so in a matter of a month or two.
So how do we go from the atrocities inflicted on one population and the desire for extermination of that population to the victims being blamed for atrocities and genocide? Even better, why do we see American college students of non-middle eastern ancestry siding with Hamas and calling for the extermination of the Jews? How, after less than 100 years, did antisemitism become so common among American elites in politics, the media, and academia even while there are still nearly 250,000 Holocaust survivors living today? These same elites happily condemn white supremacists for antisemitism while being equally or even more antisemitic than the people they condemn. Again, what is wrong with people?
Quite simply, sin and hatred can be utterly confounding. Sin, especially when it leads to or flows from hatred, can greatly blind us to the point that we fail to see hypocrisy and self-contradiction. How could middle and upper class American students who side with antisemitic promoters of genocide think that they are promoting justice? How could self avowed proponents of feminism push behaviors that are absolutely contrary to the best interests of women?
That feminists support and promote promiscuity, abortion, childlessness, careerism, men pretending to be women, women pretending to be men, etc. can be laid at the feet of secularism and the human need to find purpose in life. The cause of feminism, or any other -ism, can give meaning to life apart from proper religion, even to the point that the cause essentially becomes a religion complete with idols, dogmas, and high priests. In the case of antisemitic students siding with atrocities and genocide, this also represents a cause that gives purpose. Feeding the young on a constant stream of doom and gloom calamities – covid, global warming, student debt, inflation, out of reach home ownership, etc. – has made for a perceived future that seems utterly hopeless. Most of these anxious youth do not have religion to keep things in perspective. Without religion they have no purpose and they have little to no hope. Finding a cause – even a bad one – can alleviate that angst. To a point.
Knowing our purpose – ‘to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in heaven’ (Baltimore Catechism 1, #6) – is absolutely clarifying. Truly, only God can give our lives absolute meaning, and apart from Him, we will seek meaning in all sorts of odd and inappropriate places. Indeed, what is wrong with people – all of us – is that without God, His teachings, and His promises we will seek to find meaning apart from our Creator only to find deep misery.
—Fr Booth