From Nastiness to Glory
Ruth Ann Stites, Staff Writer
Do you know which American president is a published mystery author? Bill Clinton who co-authored The President is Missing with James Patterson published in 2018 and followed by two more titles, The President’s Daughter and, released this year, The First Gentleman. Their collaboration provides exciting insider stories with plenty of action and insight. Even more prolific in that genre was another White House resident, Margaret Truman, who authored the Capital Crimes series totaling more than 30 books (some with a co-author). A dozen presidents in the last century and a quarter are known to have enjoyed mysteries. I feel in good company with my preference for mystery novels with their propensity for wrong to fail and justice prevail.
In a recent novel, John Sandford describes the attitude of two of his characters, investigators who were, “cynical about the possibility of progress in human nature.” That phrase resonated with my view of humanity.
I wish I could see most of my fellow humans as good people. In one sense most are. But rare indeed is the individual who can say with sincerity that they never encounter an evil characteristic in their nature. When I was a small child the highly popular radio series, The Shadow, ended its run. Its opening line, though, had become a part of the pop culture of the mid-twentieth century, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” The Shadow always found the evil doer, for “The Shadow knows!” Sometimes our evil inclinations are small, and even habitually overcome. An example most of us can recognize is to be tempted to hateful gossip but not acting on the impulse. We find we are tempted to do that which we find reprehensible in others even if we resist falling into the trap—most of the time.
Michael Crichton in his ecological thriller, State of Fear, says, “The nasty little apes that call themselves human beings can do nothing except run and hide.” We are, in a fundamental sense, nasty little apes hiding from the storm. I think this is one of the most succinct statements of the human condition I’ve encountered. After revealing human depravity and stupidity from venial businessmen to tribal cannibals in the story, the author sums up human nature as “nasty.” Furthermore, we run away and hide from the forces arrayed against us. Truly, the human condition, in its unregenerate state, is pitiable.
In John 3 Jesus explains to Nicodemus that the human condition is hopeless unless we believe in the Son of God, “Whoever believes in him [Jesus] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed” (John 3:18-20). But there is hope for the hopeless, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17). Love makes a way for even nasty little apes in hiding from both the fears of this world and the revealing of their nastiness.
The Apostle Peter sums up our hope in 1 Peter 1:3-12. Let us never forget that, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).
(Photo credit: R. A. Stites, Northwest Arkansas)
