THE LAST RIVER MILE

I’m a fan of the Netflix series “Stranger Things.” The last (?) episode features one of the characters giving a valedictorian speech at a high school graduation. In it he speaks of “bad chaos” and “good chaos.” One destroys and divides, he says, and the other is fertile turf for something new. The scene is a great segment in what I believe is a classic series concluder.

I’ve been thinking about good chaos and bad chaos ever since. In general, I don’t think we like chaos of any kind. We tend to want order, and we want that order to make sense to us and to benefit us. In effect we worship equilibrium, or at least the concept of it. But life consistently demonstrates to us that equilibrium is an illusion. Change is that which is consistent, and often chaos precedes change or creates it.

I believe we’re seeing “bad chaos” in real time in many ways. Politically, chaos can be the greatest ally of those who are in power, those who seek to gain power, or those who are desperate to retain power. The formula is fairly simple: 1) Create or claim to identify chaos; 2) Fix blame on some “other” for the chaos; 3) Claim to be the only one(s) who can re-establish “order” in the chaos; 4) Acquire unchecked power to “fix” the chaos; 5) Utilize force and fear to allegedly tame the chaos. Then rinse, repeat, etc. This kind of chaos destroys, divides, and degrades. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness become very secondary to “law and order,” as carefully defined by those in power. This is the chaos in which people like Capital police personnel, Ashli Babbitt, Charlie Kirk, and Renee Good die. Ultimately nobody “wins” in bad chaos, ad much as many delude themselves into thinking that they do.

Good chaos can be just as scary at first, depending on where a person stands. This is especially true for people who depend on their definition of stability for personal benefit. However, where bad chaos seeks division, destruction, and control, good chaos seeks life and freedom. Good chaos breaks apart that which is calcified and deadening. Good chaos enlivens. It creates hope in possibilities never before imagined. Good chaos defies that which divides by seeking to heal and unite. While bad chaos tears down, good chaos clears the way for a new foundation on which to build up. Jesus of Nazareth created good chaos in the midst of a deadened faith in Israel and a deadening Roman Empire. The good chaos that gave birth to the Church (Acts 2) unleashed a movement that turned the world upside down. Our very nation was born out of a good chaos. The good chaos turmoil of the anti-slavery movement of the 19th century and the civil rights movement of the 20th century demanded a new birth of freedom. There are endless examples of good chaos.

Sometimes it may be hard to tell the difference between good chaos and bad chaos. Maybe we need to look for where in this mess is perfect love casting out fear. In the Creation story (Genesis 1) the Spirit of God moves or hovers over the “deep”, which represents chaos. The actual Hebrew verb means to “brood”, as a mother bird does over her young. This is an act of nurturing, feeding, protecting, and giving life. Where is that happening in the midst of any given chaos? That may give us our answer.

I’ll see you around the next bend in the river.