Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Peace and Pekoe

Home

Home
Catholic
Drink Your Poison Yourself

Drink Your Poison Yourself

Last updated on: March 24, 2017 at 2:29 pm by Kate Cousino

Drink Your Poison Yourself 2017-03-24T14:29:08-04:00 Kate Cousino

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.

poison-bottle-medicine-old-159296

I spent my morning on Facebook trying to communicate with a super-bitter, misogynistic geek guy with a chip on his shoulder the size of Rhode Island and talking points straight out of Elliot Rodger’s manifesto.

I was going to write today about ADHD and messiness and the illusion of control in the goal of perfect efficiency and predictability, but instead I am brimming over with sadness for the kind of hurt, the smallness of heart and experience, that leads to the brittle hostility I saw today.

There’s so much I’d like to say about this. As with yesterday’s post, I can see clearly the hurt, pain, and confusion that underlies these toxic responses to the contradictions young men grow up with, the different ideas of worth and masculinity and identity that clash with one another and with the experiences and struggles of the women they later encounter.

It would be easier if I could write off these poisonous strains of misogyny as either evidence of the desperation of a dying, malevolent breed or as a understandable and justifiable response to an unfair, man-hating society.

But I can’t. Neither of those responses are adequate. The first dismisses the painful and frustrated experiences of these men too lightly; the second takes as granted a power inversion that simply isn’t so cut and dried, while dismissing the real inequities women still face on multiple levels.

What I see is this: There is no “us” and “them.” There are people, and some of them are hurt. And the people that hurt them were usually hurt themselves.

Hurting people hurt people. The cycle of hurt has no winners. The “war of the sexes” has no victory to hope for. It’s a grim scrabble for the smallest scraps of control in a world which eludes control.

But there’s a dark kind of fierce satisfaction the devil tempts us to in making prophecies of misery that fulfil themselves in the very uttering. It’s drinking poison to spite another.

And I don’t have an answer to that.

Go away, Satan. What you offer us is evil. Drink your poison yourself.

Image via Pexels.com, CC0 license, https://www.pexels.com/photo/purple-liquid-poison-on-brown-wooden-surface-159296/

Striving for Holiness

Previous Post

March 23, 2017

The problem of Ken and Barbie

Next Post

April 4, 2017 Should your teenage daughter learn NFP?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category ADHD Blog Business Body and Soul Books Faith Faith in Action Family Feminism Fertility Awareness Friendship Geekiness Guest Post History Hope Just For Fun Love Marriage Memory Mental Exercise Movies Parenting Personalism Poetry Prayer Quotes Scripture Seven Quick Takes Striving for Holiness Television The Stories We Tell The World Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 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 August 2016 June 2016 March 2016 January 2016 November 2015 October 2015 August 2015 July 2015 May 2015 April 2015 February 2015 December 2014 November 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 August 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 November 2009 October 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many seals, trumpets, and bowls of judgment are there in Revelation?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Five each Ten each Seven each Twelve each

Support this
Column