In his work The Second Coming, Irish poet William Butler Yeats shares the following bleak reflection:
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.”
Alex Gallimore
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Yeats penned The Second Coming in 1919 in the aftermath of the First World War and with the chaotic political landscape of early 20th century Ireland still very much a daily reality. For this modernist poet, the world was tearing apart at its seams. The overwhelming reality of death and destruction brought about by the Great War was causing the traditional center of European culture to quite literally, fall apart.
Be it political, social or religious, the institutions which formerly dominated Yeats’ Europe were changing, and nobody knew how to embrace or meet this new change. Nihilism became necessary to make sense of one’s position in the world and innocence was dead. The falcon could no longer hear the falconer.
America has been rather removed from this type of worldview for the last 100 years. As Europe struggled to rebuild physically and ideologically from two wars, the 20th century was America’s finest hour. Our economy boomed, church attendance exploded and what was once a dream had become reality. It seemed that everyone owned an automobile and home with a picket fence in a safe neighborhood with quality schools. At least, that is how things seemed. While it would be a worthy act to consider those for whom such dreams have never become a reality, that is not the purpose of this article. The 20th century was America’s century. Things were great and we were the best nation on earth.
Fast forward to 2012. Today we find ourselves engaged in the longest military conflict in American history and four years into the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. As the market drops lower each day, so too does the legitimacy of any organized institution in the minds of the American people. Confusion reigns and the general public wants answers. How could such a strong nation fall so quickly? Who is to blame? Who knows the way out?
Unless you have been living under a rock the past few weeks, you know that the 2012 presidential campaign is already well underway. Political ads and scare tactics have already begun to clutter even the most peaceful television program. Regardless of with which side you most identify, you should be afraid of the other. You should understand that a vote for the other would end American life as you know it.
More than truth or fact, almost every single ad only serves to drive a wedge deeper into the chasm that separates Americans from one another. We don’t know who to blame and we’re unsure of where to go from here, so we yell and try to scream louder than those on the other side and fight over the smallest, most insignificant issue, which only serves to force us further and further apart. In modern America, the falcon can no longer hear the falconer for the squawk of angry, unproductive noise. We need a break, something to recenter us, something to remind us who we are as a people and where we should be going.
Over the past several weeks, the London Olympic games provided such a break for many of us. Competing under the banner of unity, fair play and peace were athletes from 204 different countries, some of which have no diplomatic relation with one another. While many feel the Olympics only serve to temporarily mask the deep seated and hostile differences present in international relations, the events prove that for at least a couple weeks, we can embrace those from contrasting viewpoints and work together and compete against one another towards humane ends. In fact, I believe that the Olympics should serve as a reminder that humans are capable of working together to resolve differences and build global unity without the presence of fear, hate and war. If this is possible, even temporarily on a global scale, surely there is something to learn on the American front as we head into what is perhaps the most divisive presidential campaign in our history.
Perhaps the greatest moment of Olympic spirit came during a medal ceremony where freestyle wrestlers Jordan Burroughs of the U.S. and Sadegh Goudarzi of Iran stood with arms around the other’s shoulders. Burroughs defeated Goudarzi to earn the gold, but, really, humanity was the winner on that day. Strange how the gap between American conservatives and liberals is almost laughable compared to such unity.
As the volume of political noise rises, may we all reflect on the unity we can attain. As we listen for the voice of The Falconer, we might just discover the kingdom of God.
Alex Gallimore (alexcgallimore@gmail.com) is pastor of Hester Baptist Church in Oxford, N.C.