..
"You Don't Owe Anybody Anything"
The little boy's name is Calvin. Of course, he's only a comic strip character,
and his best friend, Hobbs, is actually only a stuffed tiger who becomes very
life-like in Calvin's imagination. Its the only comic I read with regularity. I,
for one, do not think that Bart Simpson holds a candle to Calvin, in
entertainment value; in wit;
or in educational value (yes, Calvin actually gives me some worthwhile things to
think about).
Last week there was another Calvin strip that got me thinking. Calvin is hunched
over an ant hill, talking to the ants. He says, "Hey ant, you're working like a
maniac
and what have you got to show for it?" In the next scene, Calvin continues:
"What's the colony done for you lately? What about your needs?" Then Calvin
throws up his arms and exclaims, "You don't owe anybody anything! Let the others
fend for themselves! Move out! Discover yourself! Express your individuality!"
In the final scene, Calvin confidently places his hands on his hips, smiles in a
self-satisfied way, and explains, "If they listen, this will solve our ant
problem."
Many today exemplify the attitudes Calvin was trying to instill in the ants.
Rugged independence, lack of consideration for others, and a "what's in it for
me?" attitude. Many of the heroes in films, TV and books are those who
break the rules and flaunt their "independence." "I gotta be me!" It is not a
good thing that interest in the common good is trashed in favor of an obsessive
interest in the individual. Frivolous lawsuits abound and people are rewarded
huge sums for suffering the
consequences of their own foolishness or crimes. Greed drives up costs for
everybody, but that's O.K. as long as I get mine!
And, of course, respect for God and His word do not fit in very well with
prevalent ideas of "doin' everything my way." No sir! Forget it! Things are not
better this
way. Such selfishness and greed are contemptible. They deserve no place in the
hearts of God's people! Such attitudes are in complete opposition to what Jesus
taught concerning our relationships with God and man (Matthew 22:37-39). The
church is a body with individual members working together for a common purpose.
No one who lives by faith seeks independence from God, His Will or our
responsibilities to one another as human beings.
There was a time, during the early days of our nation, when a family of settlers
would move into a locale that others would all join together and have a
"house-raising." The house would go up quickly and everyone would enjoy
themselves in a spirit of interdependence. Much of that has been lost on us, and
we are not stronger for it, nor are we better off. Perhaps we need to
re-evaluate our heroes. Maybe "Natural Born Killers" are not as deserving of
hero status as so many
evidently think they are.
Calvin was right... if the ants listen to him, the ant problem will soon be
over.
By Jon W. Quinn
The Final Page
From Expository Files 2.7; July, 1995
