Yet to be human is to be simultaneously in both.
In the worldly realm of politics, independence is a high value - perhaps one of the very highest; politically, individuals and societies seek independence and liberty. Yet in the spiritual realm, humans come to recognize that they are dependent; indeed, dependence upon God and interdependence with other humans are spiritual goals, as is the awareness thereof.
Likewise, control is a value in the political world: indeed, it is all too often the goal of the entire political process. It is a natural human desire to be able to be in control of situations, processes, things, and even other people. In a spiritual perspective, however, the goal is giving up the illusion of control: the realization that, in many situations, we have choices, but we don’t have control. When we do have control, we’re often called to surrender that control, or to use it not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of others.
Goal oriented behavior in general is different in the two domains. In worldly thought, one sets one’s goals: they may be selfish or altruistic; and in worldly thought, one then pursues those goals. Success or failure is determined by one’s achievement, or failure to achieve, those goals.
Following Jesus on a spiritual plane, one allows God to set one’s goals: concretely, this can mean deferring to others to set goals or deriving them from Scripture. Success or failure is not based on achieving those goals, but rather on faithfulness in following Jesus.
We are called, then, to live in a political and worldly realm, and operate by the principles of that realm, while simultaneously living in a spiritual realm and operating by a different, and even diametrically opposed, set of axioms.
The economy of the world is based on earnings. One earns not only money, but respect, credentials, affection, fame, and many other things.
The economy of Jesus is based on unearned gifts. We humans are flawed, imperfect, even corrupt. We are sinners and we are sinful. Yet God gives us so much more, and so much better, than we deserve.
This does not minimize real and significant human suffering. But the principle stands: God gives unmerited blessings.
The strength of the tension between the very different principles of worldly thought and spiritual thought is so great that it is one of several reasons that rational reflection is forced to embrace the concept of mystery.
