Balancing Self Interest and World Loyalty: On Dee Dee Risher’s ‘Soulmaking Room’

Last updated on: May 13, 2016 at 1:08 pm by Bruce Epperly

Balancing Self Interest and World Loyalty: On Dee Dee Risher’s ‘Soulmaking Room’ 2016-05-13T13:08:37-04:00 Bruce Epperly

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This post is part of a conversation on the new book The Soul-Making Room by Dee Dee Risher, for the Patheos Book Club.

Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead claims that religion, at its best, aims at world loyalty. It begins, as the philosopher notes, with solitude, with our own personal experiences of the holy and the privacy inherent in every life, but recognizes what I call “the grace of interdependence,” recognizing that each moment is a gift of the environment as well as our choices and contributes to the world beyond itself. Much of who we are comes from the impact of family, culture, economics, and politics, from which our limitations and possibilities emerge. As part of this grace of interdependence, our lives, consciously or unconsciously, are our gifts to God.

Dee Dee Risher has written an insightful and honest book, exploring how we can live simply, consciously, and globally, and yet nurture our families and spiritual lives. Not holier than thou in approach, as many writings and testimonies of social activists and simple livers are, she expresses the ambiguities and challenges of living simply so that others can simply live, going green in a society based on consumption, and balancing her children’s well-being with commitment to inner city public schools. I share this ambivalence, although I have taken a different external path, for example, in choosing to live in the suburbs to insure quality education and a safe learning environment for our son.

I recognize that I am a not-so-innocent bystander. I do not apologize for my life choices or who I am – the latter is simply the given from which my limitations and possibilities emerge – but I have come to recognize and hopefully respond with grace and intentionality to the ambiguity of benefitting from white privilege while being committed to the image of God in all people; supporting national security and a strong national defense while being a pacifist in my daily interactions and challenging global interventionism; living in a nine room, three bathroom home while encountering the homeless and supporting the local shelter and Habitat for Humanity in my Cape Cod town; practicing ecological intentionality while owning two cars and flying whenever my work or play necessitates it; being concerned for economic equality while living comfortably and regularly checking my retirement investments. I am one of the anxious affluent and worried well, having more largesse than most of the world and many of my fellow citizens in otherwise upper middle class Cape Cod, but also worried that it will be enough to support me should I live into my nineties.

Whitehead’s comment helps me find my way spiritually and ethically. First, it reminds me that self-interest is built into the nature of life. “If I am not for myself (and my family and church), who will be?” as Rabbi Hillel opined. My calling is to be as creative as possible and to embody as much beauty and love possible, congruent with the well-being of others. I am grateful – and recognize that I have no entitlement – to the leisure and largesse to read Risher’s book, write this blog, walk on the beach each morning for prayer and exercise, write books, teach at a seminary, pastor a church, and spend quality time with my wife and grandchildren. These are activities many cannot even imagine, given the realities of economics, social structure, and family situation. I can aspire to the top rungs of Maslow’s hierarchy of values due to the accidents of birth as well as my own creativity and initiative.
Self-interest enters into decisions I’ve made about school, travel, benevolence, and social involvement. I have had choices and I am painfully aware that others do not.

I need to make the most of my gifts, freedoms, and privilege, but as Hillel also says, “If I am only for myself, what am I?” That’s where world loyalty comes in. Self-interest must be balanced by world loyalty, and the willingness to live more simply so that others might simply life. This is the calling to use my resources to benefit and not destroy – although some destruction is inevitable – the world in which I live. As a resident of a beach community, I am aware of the realities of global climate change, and they call me to consider the rising ocean and species destruction, as well as my enjoyment of beauty.

World loyalty involves what Mother Teresa of Calcutta counseled, “Do something beautiful for God.” Ethics involves considering with our decisions: Are we giving God a more beautiful or uglier world? What actions tip the scales toward life for the most vulnerable and for the planet?

Hillel concludes by saying, “If not now, when?” To me this is the call of the uneasy conscience. This is not paralysis, but the recognition that our privilege, economics, self-interest, and imperfection are not impediments to seeking the highest good for others in all my short term and long term decisions. Jewish mystics say that when you save a soul, you save the world. I would add that each act can contribute to saving the world, and let me – in my own ambivalence and ambiguity – do the best I can to be faithful to myself and “my” people and the world and persons I’ll never meet. I conclude with gratitude to Risher’s book that invites us to an uneasy conscience and commit ourselves to lives that bring beauty to this good Earth.

Previous Post

May 13, 2016

The Adventurous Lectionary - Trinity Sunday - May 22, 2016

Next Post

May 18, 2016 Does the Pursuing God Ever Stop Pursuing?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews The Adventurous Lectionary Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2026 October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 December 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz