R is for Reverence

Reverence (according to Merriam Webster) is honor or respect that is shown to someone or something. According to Wikipedia, reverence includes awe and is often used in relationship with religion. The site says "Reverence involves a humbling of the self in respectful recognition of something perceived to be greater than the self."

Now, Mark Twain, interestingly enough, had a lot to say about reverence. Coming from a satirist, it is ironic, as satire often pokes irreverent fun at things of society. He even said, "Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its only sure defense."
- Notebook, 1888



Mark Twain

However he also had this to say: "The ordinary reverence, the reverence defined and explained by the dictionary, costs nothing. Reverence for one's own sacred things--parents, religion, flag, laws and respect for one's own beliefs--these are feelings which we cannot even help. They come natural to us; they are involuntary, like breathing. There is no personal merit in breathing. But the reverence which is difficult, and which has personal merit in it, is the respect which you pay, without compulsion, to the political or religious attitude of a man whose beliefs are not yours. You can't revere his gods or his politics, and no one expects you to do that, but you could respect his belief in them if you tried hard enough; and you could respect him, too, if you tried hard enough. But it is very, very difficult; it is next to impossible, and so we hardly ever try. If the man doesn't believe as we do, we say he is a crank, and that settles it. I mean it does nowadays, because we can't burn him."
- Following the Equator

I quote Twain because he is one of my favorite authors. But also because he has traveled a great deal, and has seen more of the world than most Americans. In fact, he says this about travel: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
- Innocents Abroad

The reason I share these is that reverence is about respect. And in order to respect something that is not our own, we need to have a charitable view of other people.

Now, I've traveled enough to get out of that little corner of the earth that I was raised in. Quite a bit, according to some. I've lived in post-communist, pre-Putin Russia. I spent an amazing year in Taiwan. Then I took the leap to mainland China. I've been back and forth ever since. There are several things I've learned on these journeys.

First: American tourists can be really rude, pushy, and egotistical.
Second: Monuments abroad are not toys, no matter how much fun they look.
Third: You have a richer experience abroad if you respect the people and cultures you are mingling in.

Let me share an example. When I was in Taiwan there was this big Buddha you could climb inside. There were stairs that led all the way to the top. Lots of faithful believers would ascend the steps, gaze upon the murals depicting Buddha's life, then reach the top where they could look out Buddha's 6 orifices. That is, his eyes, nose, and ears were open so people could look out them. Now, this particular Buddha statue had this chicken wire mesh blocking the holes so people could not stick their hands or arms out these holes. And as we walked down to look at the outside again, I realized how disturbing it must have been for the faithful Buddhists to see arms sticking out Buddha's nose and eyes.

You're laughing. Aren't you? But imagine that this was not Buddha. Imagine it is someone you revere. Maybe it is Jesus. Or the leader of your country. Or the prophet of your religion. Or your mother. I think this is also why insulting someone's mother is so offensive. When it gets personal, it is not so funny.

In our day and age there is the attitude that nothing is sacred. That it is ok to talk about anything and to joke about anything. Yet, what is lost when we behave this way?

I can tell you this, Americans have lost a good reputation abroad. They see us as American Imperialists. Or just really obnoxious. Or egotistical. And this is mostly because American culture has lost reverence for others.

For me, this fat guy comes to mind.

If you don't mind the car chase....

Often people lack reverence because they are more 'scientific minded'. That is, without the sense of awe towards deity, they see no need to treat something so politely. Funny, Twain also had something to say about that. "We have not the reverent feeling for the rainbow that the savage has, because we know how it is made. We have lost as much as we gained by prying into that matter."  - A Tramp Abroad

And yet this is much like a kid who, when trying to find out how the radio works, tears it apart in a way so that it can't be put back together. This kid, in essence, lacks the sufficient knowledge to reassemble what they destroyed. But think of a person who constructs radios, there is in fact more awe...not less. They take more care when building, as they know certain things must be precisely done for the proper effect. When science tears things apart without the ability to put it back together, reverence is lost. But when discovering, patiently, the true way of creation, awe increases. It is the same way kids don't really learn to respect their parents until after they have become parents themselves.

Sir Isaac Newton

Speaking of rainbows, I've always been fascinated by Sir Isaac Newton. This was a man who believed more in God through his study of science. Not less. He invented Calculus and is known as the first Physicist. And though several of his theories have since been replaced, much of what he had established in the realm of science and mathematics is still used today.

That said, modern science has entirely rejected even the possibility of God, even when possible proof comes up.

I wonder about that, really. Rejecting something because you don't want to believe in something isn't exactly scientific. It's more like a temper tantrum.

But this is a tangent.

Back to reverence.

A lot of people do have a hard time showing reverence in our modern age simply because they can't reconcile with disagreeing views and the inability to treat others kindly. I found while going abroad the best way to show reverence to those I visited was to think in terms of the Golden Rule. (I know. People twist this rule as part of a cynical joke. But hear me out). Ask yourself - what do you love and respect? Would you like others to tromp all over that thing/belief and treat it badly? I think we'd all say 'No' to this one. Then don't do it to others. That simple, yet it takes a conscious effort.

Why is reverence a Godly trait? Honestly, when getting to know God better, I have learned that He respects my little whimsies and gives me space to go about on my own pace. But He also teaches us to do the same to others. Reverence is quiet. It is respectful. There's this kid's song in my church that goes like this:

"Reverence is more than just quietly sitting,
It's thinking of Father above.
A feeling I get when I think of His blessings.
I'm reverent for reverence is love..."

Which is the point. Reverence is Love.

Irreverence is disdain. Maltreatment. Selfish.

Reverence is a virtue because the core is love.

R is for Reverence