Kierkegaard's Geese

Our speaker last Sunday quoted Soren Kierkegaard's well known Parable of the Geese.  It was originally an attack upon the Danish Lutheran Church of Kierkegaard's day - and is still profoundly disturbing today.  Here it is for your edification and comment:

"A certain flock of geese lived together in a barnyard with high walls around it.  Because the corn was good and the barnyard was secure, these geese would never take a risk. One day a philosopher goose came among them. He was a very good philosopher and every week they listened quietly and attentively to his learned discourses. 'My fellow travellers on the way of life,' he would say, 'can  you seriously imagine that this barnyard, with great high walls around it, is all there is to existence?

I tell you, there is another and a greater world outside, a world of which we are only dimly aware. Our forefathers knew of this outside world. For did they not stretch their wings and fly across the trackless wastes of desert and ocean, of green valley and wooded hill? But alas, here we remain in this barnyard, our wings folded and tucked into our sides, as we are content to puddle in the mud, never lifting our eyes to the heavens which should be our home.

The geese thought this was very fine lecturing. 'How poetical,' they thought. 'How profoundly existential. What a flawless summary of the mystery of existence.' Often the philosopher spoke of the advantages of flight, calling on the geese to be what they were. After all, they had wings, he pointed out. What were wings for, but to fly with? Often he reflected on the beauty and the wonder of life outside the barnyard, and the freedom of the skies.

And every week the geese were uplifted, inspired, moved by the philosopher's message. They hung on his every word. They devoted hours, weeks, months to a thoroughgoing analysis and critical evaluation of his doctrines. They produced learned treatises on the ethical and spiritual implications of flight. All this they did. But one thing they never did. They did not fly! For the corn was good, and the barnyard was secure!"

 

*An English translation as quoted by Athol Gill, The Fringes Of Freedom: Following Jesus, Living Together, Working For Justice. (Lancer, Homebush West, NSW) pp. 30f.

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Comments

[Don]

That reminds me of this.

"A PARABLE OF A LIGHTHOUSE

On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur there was a once a crude little life-saving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves, they went out day or night tirelessly searching for the lost.

Many lives were saved by this wonderful little station, so that it became famous. Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding areas, wanted to become associated with the station and give of their time and money and effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews were trained. The little life-saving station grew.

Some of the new members of the life-saving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and so poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea.

So they replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in an enlarged building. Now the life-saving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they re-decorated it beautifully and furnished it as a sort of club.

Less of the members were now interested in going to sea on life-saving missions, so they hired life boat crews to do this work.

The mission of life-saving was still given lip-service but most were too busy or lacked the necessary commitment to take part in the life-saving activities personally.

About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boat loads of cold, wet, and half-drowned people.

They were dirty and sick, and some of them had black skin, and some spoke a strange language, and the beautiful new club was considerably messed up. So the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where victims of shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club's life-saving activities as being unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal life pattern of the club.

But some members insisted that life-saving was their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a life-saving station. But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save the life of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own life-saving station down the coast. They did.

As the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old. They evolved into a club and yet another life-saving station was founded.

If you visit the seacoast today you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are still frequent in those waters, only now most of the people drown."

[Ella]

Thanks for recounting that parable for us David. I enjoyed it on Sunday and I enjoyed reading it again today. However, the analogy that most stuck in my mind from Sunday's message (not entirely dissimilar to the parable of the geese) was of the grass that always seems greener on the other side of the fence. Aint that the truth! A favourite old saying, but I especially appreciated the added reflection that we can sometimes get SO caught up in paying attention to the 'green-ness' of everyone else's 'grass' that we forget to tend to our own. I imagine the idiom can then become self-fulfilling! So this week I'm endeavouring to appreciate the lovely (and unique) green-ness of my own grass - no comparisons necessary! Don't know what on earth I'm talking about? I guess you had to be there...

Thanks for your blog David (and contributors), I enjoy reading it.

[David Chatelier]

Thanks for your reflections, Ella. Yesterday, I heard a variation of the "grass is greener" theme - the grass is greener where it is watered. So the challenge is to not focus on someone else's patch, but to water the grass where God has placed you.

[Paul]

David & Don,

There is a common thread in these two analogies; the institutionalisation of the church. It happens to local churches and denominations.

So many have started with such great promise. Their passion was to reach the world with the good news of Jesus Christ. At first, many would deny that they were 'denominations', but as time progressed that's exactly what they became.

I'm not opposed to denominations per say, but it rare for even the best intentioned not to put self-preservation, and the social-club mentality ahead of mission.

I've observed with interest, and some dismay as Willow Creek has morphed from a small emerging fellowship of believers, into a mega-church with a highly structured world-wide 'association' of churches.

Will they stay true to their mission to reach seekers with the Gospel?

One can only pray.

[David Chatelier]

Great comment, Paul. One of the reasons why mission should always ne the up-front priority of the church is because our natural tendency is toward comfort and self-interest. Regular, honest review of our activities, budget, and priorities is essential if we are to maintain a mission focus.
(On the issue of Willow Creek, I don't see them having sold out their original values at all. That is because Hybels constantly reinforces vision and values. I also appreciate their open self-evaluation and willingness to change in order to gain greater effectiveness. My concern is more about how Willow Creek will maintain their distinctives post-Hybels.)