Symbolism

Andrew A. Rooney (Andy to everyone who knew him) was a wordsmith.  That is to say his life and career was taken up with writing and speaking.  He had a love-affair with words that began when he was a kid in high school when he won a prize for an essay.  It was the high point of his formal education, and portended his reporting of the experiences he had in Europe during World War II, and learning from other effective reporters.  The war gave him (as it did for other serious persons) a different look on life than would have been the case otherwise.  He became something of a curmudgeon, but a friendly one that was visited with self-criticism.  When he was dropped from the decades running TV program, Sixty Minutes, the program lost viewers.  He was returned to the program until he retired.  His death followed within a few weeks.  At this writing the program continues with high ratings.  The focus continues related to life development.

Rooney wrote his little essays as something of sermonettes entirely humanistic in context.  His readers and listeners would not find anything helpful beyond life in the natural world.  He would likely have called himself a skeptic in the spiritual realm – at best.  His short essays would be helpful in understanding how the mortal life fits into what the Christian would call common grace – life on earth for the thinking person, and the free society.  It is a life of individualism seeking a beneficial society and taking responsibility.  Rooney wanted to make it a no-nonsense world, reviewed with a lurking humor so as not to be disregarded in his wordings of the human condition, not as an enemy to anyone except exploiters.  Persons had to like Andy because he never came off as better than any other person.  He was something of an Everyman.

I take this time with Rooney so to carry a point.  He was honest about persons and the world, but death closed not only the voice and pen of Rooney, but the meaning related to all things.  If death is the end, Rooney would find the follies of daily life.  Mankind sees those follies as evidence that something needs to be done to address whatever constitutes natural life occurrence.  It all has meaning, but narrow as related to the natural beginning, middle and end of life – but the end is seen as the end.  We do not get the meaning without some attention to it, and respond accordingly.  The humanist inevitably deals only with the transitory that ends (except for passing legacy) for every individual in death.  Even if there is considerable error found in the faith of persons who believe in God, at least there is some address of that which follows death so to offer hope.  Even if in wrong thinking there is elevation to some faith – better for the person in this life than to take death as ultimate closure for the individual.  That person may find the thinking was not wrong, and faith is efficacious under God.  If the humanist is right, nothing is lost for those who held faith.  Studies show that faith persons make better citizens, are happier in their lives and feel responsibility for others, especially their families.  The value added for faith persons even in the limits of natural life make faith a benefit.  What follows for faith persons, if those persons believe something follows, and they find ultimately to be so, is added to the contributions of faith on earth.  This becomes the reason for earth’s transitional purpose.  The person of faith believes the earth experience will have something to do with whatever follows nature.  It is expressed in the words: We shall be known as we are known.  As Rooney wanted to be known for what he said and wrote, but was never satisfied that it was good enough, so I want to depart wanting to be known for communicating the life in God that makes sense of nature’s life.  From the womb of nature, the Christian will awaken in a new and different environment.  We do not know but that environment may be formative for another beyond it, but belonging to it.  We know that it will be an elevation that includes only the best characteristics that life preserves.  All this is achieved in a limited earth context with the words that answer the Apostle’s claim for Jesus – You have the words of eternal life. Our concern is much like Rooney’s.  Is our presentation in word and action good enough to accomplish the purpose?  If I understand Scripture rightly, my concern is to live the life and speak/write the words that represent Christ and Scripture faithfully.  With that I can rest in the belief I have carried through on God’s will for the purpose of my life.  In this, I am to serve to make earth life better. It helps our persuasion.