There’s beauty in a variety of viewpoints. I’ve gone back and forth about whether or not that was okay to say. I have an inner struggle in my heart about whether or not that’s a safe phrase to base a whole blog post over. I have a lump in my throat just thinking about all of my friends who are theologians and pastors and concrete thinkers who are probably uncertain as to whether or not that’s even a statement of truth. Then I have other friends who base their whole lives around that phrase. Those friends tend to be fellow artists and activists of another kind. And even in this wrestling in my inner-self I see the beauty of this phrase. That’s the point. The struggle is what makes it beautiful. But just because something is beautiful doesn’t mean it is meant to be foundational.
I find in my own life that I’m in this constant struggle of purpose and meaning and direction. In one light, I see the life of a church leader, a worship leader, maybe even (and this gives me stress just thinking about it) a pastor. In another light, I see a life of a touring artist, a songwriter, an inspirer. That also makes my blood pressure rise. I have this amount of stress that makes me want to give it all up and go be an accountant just because it would be a simpler life and much easier to keep organized. But then, I not only ease up, but I feel empty. That sense of purpose and direction that feels chaotic not only settles down, it basically dies. The tension that I felt goes away, but so does my drive. Without the pressure of the journey of succeeding at one or both of these things, I literally go into a depressed state. And that’s where this phrase “there’s beauty in a variety of viewpoints” takes life in a tangible light for me.
Before I go in depth into that, I need to make myself clear: this depression wouldn’t be caused because being an accountant isn’t good. There is an accountant out there who is called to that, and that gives them life. That is the calling that creates in them purpose. My calling is what gives me purpose and drive. Without that calling, I am a depressed little boy.
I see my personality and what gives me life in both of these paths. I don’t think I can truly and honestly choose one over the other. It might be the curse that I’m given, to walk the line of two paths at once. And this tension makes me anxious and makes me scared. But it also gives me peace. Peace that I’m not just “doing” for the sake of “doing”, but “doing” for a purpose. Being a being of direction. Living with my heart on my sleeve. I “do” because I “am”, and what I “am” is a concoction of these different traits that were handed down to me from God himself through the DNA of my parents and the experiences of my life. The DNA of my parents create in me a drive (my parents are both very driven people) and my experiences create in me a process. I experience failure in some situations: don’t do that again. I experience success in others: DO THAT AGAIN. This all seems very elementary. This is just letting you see my example of my own circumstance. So let me move along to what the issue is here.
This beauty that is found in variety is an abstract thought. Not everybody thinks variety is beautiful. Some see beauty in order. Others don’t think there’s beauty in order. As an artist AND as a leader, I get to experience the blessing and curse of seeing beauty in and necessity for both. Organization and chaos both have merit to me. Sometimes this chaos is enticing, even refreshing, because it breeds creativity. Other times organization helps keep me collected, sharpening my creativity and shaping the art that I make. The most successful creators (note that I don’t necessarily mean the “best” creators) know how to take from the chaos and give it order. Chaos and variety is the paint, and the order is put on the canvas. The process is the tool which they use to make order out of the chaos (this is where artists differ, because we don’t all have the same process). What makes this a struggle for people, specifically those who are more concrete thinkers, is when we take this idea and apply it to life directly. That you can see beauty in a variety of worldviews, say religion for example, makes some people uncomfortable. For me as a Christian to say that my Islamic friend’s faith is beautiful might be scandalous. Some would even say that it’s a heresy for me to even consider that what they believe is beautiful. My first response to them would be to roll my eyes and assume they are closed-minded (don’t do that), and then my second response would be to ask why it’s so heretical to consider another worldview as simply beautiful. After a long conversation I would probably see a lot of concrete and absolute thinking in a lot of aspects of thought that don’t NEED absolute thinking, but their experience has led them to decide that there are clear lines and distinct sides to everything. This black-and-white mentality where everybody needs to choose a side on everything is applied to their whole lives. It’s sad, because they’re literally putting a veil over their own eyes. They see any amount of chaos and difference as dangerous. Metaphorically, they need the order of waffles with their individual compartments and clear lines drawn instead of the chaos and uncertainty of spaghetti. But there is a value in that black-and-white mindset.
Where my artist friends see restriction when they see order, these other people see beauty. I have a friend who would say that everything has a place, everything has a purpose, everything has a specific design. She was talking about notes in a notebook when I heard her say this, but I know better than to assume that was a one-time thought. The beauty is in recognizability. Anybody can find what they need to find and learn from the programs created by these people. These are the people fit more for organizational leadership. The danger is when instead of intently listening to outside perspectives, they create a “my way or the highway” attitude where everything is absolute. When everything is an absolute, you live a life of complete subjectivity. There is no collaboration. This is dangerous. This is lonely. The struggle for abstract thinkers is when they think that all absolute thinking is bad. That absolution is a straight-jacket, meant to bind people into conformity. That is a sad thought, because there is a lot to be said about someone who intentionally plans events, intentionally creates programs, has specific direction, and takes a stand for what they believe to be true, as some things do actually require a firm decision. That takes intense care, and some of us artistic types need to remember that that amount of care oftentimes even trumps our own. Indecision and perennial chaos isn’t enlightenment, it’s typically laziness.
So what is it that is dangerous about this phrase in the beginning? What truly IS the harm of “There’s beauty in a variety of viewpoints”? If your foundational truth is based on variation, you will never have foundational truth. By saying “there are no absolutes” you are, in fact, creating an absolute on a sand-based foundation. There is a need for absolutes. Inversely, there is a need for question-askers. There is a need for people to pose hard questions, even against things that ARE absolute truths, in order to validate these things as fact, and to catch those of us up who might not have the same depth of understanding of how these things came to be.
Whatever side it is that you are, know that there is a balance. Even if you don’t buy that fact, it’s the truth. There are absolutes in a lot of things. That is an absolute. There are not absolutes in everything. That is also an absolute. And that is beautiful.
Without tension, an arrow won’t fly far from the bow and the bow will be useless.
We Can Be One, my friends
-Kevin
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Kevin McClure is a songwriter, musical artist, and worship leader. His singing & songwriting has led to him touring the United States both as a performer and worship leader. Kevin lives in Omaha, Nebraska with his wife and two daughters. You can follow him on all social media platforms under @KevinTMcClure.
Kevin McClure 