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Worshipping the Chains that Enslave Us

Worshipping the Chains that Enslave Us

Last updated on: May 27, 2015 at 5:53 pm by Christian Piatt

Worshipping the Chains that Enslave Us 2015-05-27T17:53:02+00:00 Christian Piatt

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My dog is weird. She’s great, actually, but she’s also weird. We can’t say the word “walk” or even talk about “going on a you-know-what” near her because she freaks out. When Amy gets her walking shoes out it’s a sign, too, that the best thing ever is on the horizon.

But the thing that makes her lose her mind more than anything is if we touch her leash. And that’s weird.

The fact that a leash – the thing that tethers her to us – represents freedom for her makes sense in a way, but it’s also a little bit counterintuitive if you really think about it.

It also got me thinking about how we humans, especially in our 21st century western culture, do much the same thing. Losing your gourd when someone hooks you to a leash isn’t really that much different than getting excited about getting a new version of the electronic equivalent: a mobile phone.

Or your first credit card.

Or a thirty-year mortgage.

Or a job that confines you eight (or more) hours a day to an office doing something you you wouldn’t be doing, given the choice.

Part of our capitalist system requires that we hold up these methods of enslavement as a symbol of social status. Otherwise, why in the world would we submit ourselves to them? What’s more, we convince ourselves that they actually represent freedom and power, rather than recognizing them for the bondage they actually place on us.

In my most recent book, postChristian, I consider the rich man from Cana who asked Jesus what it took for him to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. At first, Jesus offered him a pretty benign answer about following the commandments and more or less making an effort not to be a schmuck. But the guy persisted, as if there was a deeper longing within him to know what real freedom, real liberation, looked like.

So Jesus showed him. And it scared the hell out of the man.

Jesus told him to sell all he had and give it to the poor. Sometimes we mistakenly read this as a broader command to everyone to do the same. But I am of them ind that this was particular to him, though it might apply in a lot of ways to many of us too. Jesus was a master of discernment. He could see deep down into the heart of someone he just met. He could recognize their yearnings, their limitations and what enslaved them. In some cases, such discernment was easy, especially when someone was oppressed by poverty, disease, sexism or actual slavery.

But the wealthy man’s bondage was more subtle, and even more desirable to most of those present. Which is why Jesus said it was easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye than to get into heaven. This isn’t because rich people inherently suck more than poor ones. It’s because their chains, gilded and admirable as they are, are often herder to recognize. They’re invisible to the people who mistake them for status and freedom.

The rich man left despondent, because he couldn’t do what Jesus told him to do. Jesus wasn’t being a jerk. He wasn’t trying to shame the guy; on the contrary, he wanted to liberate him. Instead, the Canaanite chose to go home and worship his golden handcuffs.

What are your handcuffs made of?

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