Richard Eddleston wonders whether we can turn the story on its head Samaritan story. Why should the Samaritan be regarded as good?
Stephen Mitchell, in his article in Sea of Faith 35, states that it is blindingly obvious what the Good Samaritan should do.
But why should the Levite not be regarded as good? After all, he negotiated a tricky situation but managed to keep his time and money intact. Well done! At least in “worldly value” terms. But those of a “spiritual” ilk would probably think differently. Why?
The idea of having a set of values written in stone clearly has its risks. It would become just another religion to follow, and we all know what following the letter of the law does to it. At that level, religion is about control, not about freeing people. Not that in itself that is all bad. Many people do find it easier not to have to think too deeply, and if there have to be simple and straightforward answers, let us as least promote the best values that we know of for living life fully.
It is this single answer approach that explains for me, in part, the success of Jubilee 2000. For many people involved it is clearly a matter of pushing a single, well-defined, and yet very important issue. It is also one that does not necessarily force them into questioning their own lifestyles too deeply, or facing up to any changes. To campaign against poverty in far-off countries is less threatening than facing up to poverty on our own doorstep. The complexities of the debt issue can also be conveniently ignored.
Spirituality on the other hand is about challenging ourselves. It is about the way we reflect on ourselves and on [= myself troubled by the Good “Why should the Levite not be regarded as good? After all, he negotiated a tricky situation but managed to keep his time and money intact. Well done!” life about us. It is about the journey into self-awareness, cosmic consciousness, the fourth way, enlightenment, the fulness of Christ, the opening of the third eye, the Divine revelation, the search for the Holy Grail, the fulness of love - the labels are endless. But what does all that mean?
It means exorcising the devils or the darkess within us. Turn that around and we talk about walking in the light - a light that is freedom from the power of those devils to control us. That may not be about getting rid of them, but accepting that they are a part of us - a necessary part. We all of us have defences that we use when we cannot face things in ourselves or events in the world. We project onto others what we cannot face in ourselves, our bigotry or our repressed anger. In religious circles we want, or need, others to believe the same as us. It is, however, about freeing ourselves from the power of the stereotypes, labels and prejudices and the whole cultural overlay that skews our vision. , For me that means being aware of myself as a white, middle-class, heterosexual male and the assumptions I make based on that. More importantly, it means recognising the power those labels bring me, and with them the potential to act oppressively. It is not a one-off event, but a gradual peeling back of the layers of an onion. Others might refer to the peeling back as a rebirth, or being born again, the importance of which Stephen Mitchell refers to in his article.
What we then need are ways to peel back the layers. Stories are good. They challenge us to think in different ways, to reorder our thinking and make that jump to those “aha!” moments when we make sudden connections and view life in a deeper way. There are so many examples: the Bible, the-stories of Idries Shah, the Zen koans. They have a habit of shaking us out of our complacency.
But also good are a set of written values that we can apply our thinking to.
There does not need to be a conflict between the two. As a social work teacher I find it very valuable to have an accepted set of values that underpin social work to use as a starting point with students. There is much thinking and analysis that they can do around them. Without them it would be far more difficult to enter into a constructive dialogue.
The end result of those processes is a set of values that are not set in stone, but ones that we own. They are living values that become the ground of our being. In one sense we do not need to strive to live them out, they do flow naturally; we simply “are”. That does not mean though that there are not times when we have to struggle with difficult moral issues. Life is not that simple, ours is an increasingly complex world.
Should a child be admitted to care or not? I may have a set of values around empowering, respecting rights, the need to protect the vulnerable and so on.
STORIES “It’s not your day mate. I’m a right bastard of a Samaritan” They will underpin the way I work , but situations are complex and we never know everything. The needs of people compete and there are risks whatever decision is made. Two workers could have the same set of values yet still reach different decisions. A trainee social worker will find it easier to find an answer, whereas a very experienced social worker will struggle much more, simply because they are more aware of the complexities in the situation.
If we looked at car use and relate it to the climate change issue, there are no simple answers that our set of values would give us. We would have a concern for equity, both in this country and with respect to the developing world.
We would recognise the positives the car brings in terms of freedoms, and for people with limited mobility. But freedom also brings responsibility. We would recognise the polluting aspects.
All of which would not give us a ready answer as to whether we should use our car today, or share our car with someone in need, or sell it. Only we can decide what is right for us today in our own particular situation - and that’s not always easy, especially the more we know.
So why is our spirituality important?
Because it means we are more open to what is happening around us. Our spirituality and our values open us up; they do not give us answers. Thus they help me to see what is the right thing for me to do in this situation, what is right for me. That is not being selfish, because what is right for me, based on my spirituality and values, will also take into account the other person and the fulness of the situation. Meanwhile, the person standing next to me has to work out what is right for them.
My role as a teacher of social work students has an element of challenging them to face up to their stereotypes and ‘prejudices. They need to learn that often there are no simple answers. Is that not the same as a priest challenging sinners, only using different jargon?
Unfortunately religions tend to push the notion of simple answers.
Is there any common ground to values? Should the Samaritan be seen as good? The common theme in “spiritual” awareness seems to be a sense in the depths of our being of our profound intereonnectedness with what is increasingly realised to be a living and pulsing earth. There is a deep sense of us being of equal worth, not the same, but of the same value. There is also the sense of the earth, or our environment, being of value, or in some way sacred. From these revelations flow a certain set of values. How we interpret them in practice may vary. They may be conditioned by our Western, white interpretation of that revelation. I do not think it is solely a male interpretation when I look at the work of Hildegard von Bingen or Julian of Norwich.
Finally, is there a conflict between a set of values and stories? Or are they in fact complimentary and equally necessary to each other? The brain has two hemispheres, one of which is more logical and one more creative. It relates to the yin and yang symbol which, when dovetailed together, forms a perfect circle. One side is seen as more female and creative, one side as more male and analytical. Both need the other to form the whole.
When we have a problem we can wrestle with it logically to the point where we can go no further. We can then leave it and let the creative side of our brain take over, as when puzzling over a crossword clue, and all too often, the answer will suddenly come to us. It is the kind of balance in Quakerism between the written “Advice and Queries” and the Quaker gathered meeting, when in the silence we are opened up to our more creative side. The same is true in meditation, or in any form of art we undertake, such as painting or dance. There is a constant interplay between the two sides, and in that interplay, with the stress on “play”, we are gradually opened up. Some would call that gaining wisdom.
I now feel okay with the value judgment that the Samaritan was good @ Richard Eddleston is involved in social work education. He is an attender at Nottingham Quaker meeting, active in the Green Party and in Nottingham Real World Coalition e-mail will But how will it feed the hungry?