The 18th century Danish Philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once wrote a story about a circus performance. With a large crowd out front, the performers were preparing to a start the show, when suddenly a fire broke out backstage. Knowing that the huge crowd was in great danger, one of the circus clowns ran out on stage to warn the audience. However, the crowd saw the clown and assumed it was a gag. They laughed and applauded. Frustrated, the clown repeated his warning louder and more frantic. The crowd laughed and applauded even more at the joke. Kierkegaard concludes his story with the ominous line: “come to an end: to general applause from wits who believe it’s a joke.”
To some degree, the story was probably a self reference. Kierkegaard spent much of his career writing warnings to the Danish people that their churches and religion had grown stale and lifeless. In response to his warning, newspapers mocked him mercilessly. One editor famously wrote: “One day people will name their dogs after Kierkegaard.” Children mocked him in the street. He was a funny looking guy already, and the world treated his warnings like they were a joke.
Though this is certainly part of the philosopher’s point, I think there’s another lesson to be found for us today. We live in a time where people are doubting traditions, beliefs, authorities, news outlets, and just about everything else. Intact families are growing increasingly rare. Folks are wandering away from their religious beliefs. We’ve seen a technological revolution that has resulted in the average American child spending less time outdoors than prison inmates. Politics have divided and destroyed us. Institutions and norms are changing and degrading around us.
The crazy part is that many of the people who are stepping out to raise alarms aren’t being taken seriously. A recent survey found that pastors are considered less trustworthy than used car salesmen. News outlets are considered even less trustworthy. Academics are looked at with suspicion. Nearly every cultural authority has declined in the esteem of the general public. They’ve gradually become the clowns in Kierkegaard’s story. I suspect they’re taken less seriously because it has become fashionable to cry that the sky is falling and catastrophe is upon us just to get people to listen. It’s hard to believe the world is ending when you hear it every 5 minutes.
The solution to the problem of clowns and circus fires today isn’t screaming that the circus is on fire. The simple fact is that taking the volume down and not acting like clowns is the master key to the challenges we face. Ministers must return to reminding people that God made us for better things than more expensive toys and nonstop entertainment. Living for Jesus is not a get-rich-quick, feel good, snake oil sales pitch. It’s what we were designed to be. Parents need to recognize that the best thing they can give their kids is their time and attention. Spouses need to recognize that their marriage is the most important thing to focus on. Communities need to focus on supporting families and each other. We don’t need to worry about whether or not the sky is falling or listen to the repeated cries of “this is the most important election of our lifetime.” Rather we need to focus on building our families, focusing on our values, teaching our kids about God, and enjoying the life God has given us.
