Unknown Unknowns

Matthew 25:5 – “Because the bridegroom was delayed, the bridesmaids slumbered and slept.”

This reminds me of Donald Rumsfeld and “unknown unknowns.” Talking about the invasion of Iraq, he famously said, “There are things we know we know. We also know there are some known unknowns. That is to say there are things we know we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns. The ones we don’t know we don’t know.” Despite the awkward phrasing, this is true. Unknown unknowns are things that have not come up in our contingency plans. We can’t know everything, nor can we think of every contingency.

Looking at our verse today through these various “knowns,” the bridegroom being delayed was an obvious hitch in the plan. Definitely a known unknown. Not being prepared for that was unjustifiable. Yet, if we got a group together and came up with all the known unknowns about this situation, we still wouldn’t account for all the ways the plans could go wrong. There would still be some unknown unknowns. This is not denial of these contingencies; not looking through rose-colored glasses. We’re human, and that means our knowledge – about anything – is limited. 

Today, in the US, this is a problem. There is an expectation of perfection in famous people, politics, sports, newscasters – everyone. The slightest flaw in another person can have twitter raging for hours. Pointing out the flaws of others, especially those who are famous, is an easy way to feel good about ourselves. We expect our leaders to not have any unknown unknowns, we expect them to make perfect decisions, we expect them to do this on their own.

In many cases, the fault is pointed out with glee. That is destructive criticism; it pulls people apart into camps. This attitude precludes forgiveness. This expectation of perfection goes beyond constructive criticism. Constructive criticism recognizes that perfection is not an option, but tries to point out errors or alternate ideas in a way that keeps people together; keeps the conversation going. It is criticism that leads to solutions. 

Jesus has foreshadowed the need to criticize or critique the five bridesmaids who did not bring extra oil with them. His critique is meant to lead us to think about being prepared; the bridegroom being late is an obvious event to prepare for, and five of the bridesmaids failed to do so. Jesus wants us to learn from their mistake. We cannot be prepared for every contingency simply because we cannot imagine every contingency. That does not absolve us of the responsibility of having a plan for those contingencies we can imagine.

 Having said that, I feel the need to address the conduct of Donald. Our current government has a lot of unpreparation to answer for. (Yes, it’s a word now.) They have a lot of criminal acts to answer for. Criticism of this administration does not fall neatly into these categories of constructive or destructive, simply because they exhibit no desire to learn from their mistakes, and their mistakes are not garden-variety miscalculations but rather intentionally criminal conduct. Ironically, many people were not prepared for Donald to act exactly as he has acted for the last four decades. Many people in government were slow to recognize or don’t care about the threat he posed and continues to pose to our democracy.

Today, let’s be intentional about our thinking and our decisions. Sure, we cannot imagine every contingency. But we have a duty to ourselves, our neighbors, and our country to be prepared for the dangers that are obvious when we’re not wearing rose-colored glasses.

B

Wisdom

Matthew 25:4 – “but the wise bridesmaids took oil in flasks for their lamps.”

Wisdom. Part of wisdom is making a habit of looking at possible consequences of our decisions. I admit, I often make decisions without considering the consequences. In our verse today, the wise bridesmaids didn’t assume the bridegroom would arrive on time, and they prepared for his late arrival by bringing oil for their lamps. The calculation here holds no moral choice – at least in the literal sense of the verse.

One other aspect of wisdom is to be able to include the moral calculation along with the financial or emotional ramifications of any decision. Knowing which axis should take precedence over the others is crucial. When I took Econ 101, the goal of businesses was to build a product or offer a service and make a profit at the same time. Now, the goal of corporations is to “increase shareholder value.” This is a completely different calculation and one that has clearly threatened our existence and the world as we know it. Oil companies fought long and hard to create a narrative that climate change isn’t real, even though they knew the truth. Their calculation left out the moral piece of the equation, which is the one piece that should never be ignored.

The movie “Wall Street,” with Michael Douglas was a cautionary tale to companies and corporations about the destructiveness of greed. Many people took the wrong lesson. The game, “Monopoly,” was created to illustrate the inherent inequity and immorality of unfettered capitalism. There’s a reason playing it sometimes upsets people. Yet people took, and still take, the wrong lesson from playing it. The lessons of both the movie and the game are that the people who are employed by, live near, or are consumers of a company’s product should matter at least as much as shareholders. The term “human resources” points to this valuation. Employees are not liabilities as many companies seem to think, they should be viewed as assets, as should the people living near a company and those who use its services or buy its products. Too often the only valuation companies make when taking action is their bottom line – and the profit of the shareholders.

God uses a different calculation and urges us to do the same. I have a friend who calls this “spiritual math.” One could substitute moral math, or humanist math. It reflects the reality that God’s values are different from human values. If you read the bible straight through, one thing that jumps out is how concerned God is with those less fortunate, those who are oppressed, those to whom injustice has been done, those who are ill or disabled. As an example, all through the Old Testament, God subverts the expectation that the oldest son will inherit the land. Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph were all younger sons. King David was Jesse’s youngest son. God’s values are not our own. Where we value money, wealth, and comfort, God values loving our neighbor even to the point of selling all we have and giving it to the poor in order to follow him.

The wisdom of God is not human wisdom. It is concerned with relationships rather than material things. In business terms, the relationship between the company and its employees, customers, and shareholders are more important than the money generated. It’s possible to play Monopoly cooperatively, just as it’s possible to have and run a company centered on right and healthy relationships. When we exclude relationships from our decision-making, our decisions will often harm our relationships; with ourselves, with others, and with God.

I invite us all to consider the consequences of our decisions before taking action and to include the consequences to our relationships in that calculation. Let’s do spiritual math.

B

Be Prepared

Matthew 25:2-3 – “Five of [the bridesmaids] were foolish, and five of them were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they brought no oil with them;”

Be prepared. The Boy Scout motto. It could be the motto of any organization or family. Part of being an adult is being somewhat prepared for the future. Being able to look at consequences that might arise from a decision and preparing for it. The foolish bridesmaids did not take their oil, because if everything went well, they wouldn’t need it. We learn later that everything did not go well; the groom was late. Prudence has always been a virtue.

I know this passage is talking about lamps and bridesmaids and weddings and grooms. But I want to apply this to cities. The leadership of cities has a responsibility to be prepared, especially for obvious things. The city where I live has let down its residents who are experiencing homelessness by not being prepared. In several ways.

I live in Cleveland, OH. The city of Cleveland has no comprehensive cold-weather plan. Cleveland, where the weather turns reliably sub-zero every winter. Unlike Chicago, they have no warming stations when the temperature drops below zero due to polar vortexes. There are not enough shelters for the people who are homeless, and many choose to sleep outside for various reasons. This has been the case for many years.

Currently, the city, well at least one council person, is actively working against a local church trying to keep people from freezing to death by letting people stay there. The council person for that ward is weaponizing the police force and the fire department against them rather than recognizing the problem and working with advocacy groups to address it.

Homelessness in Cleveland increased 26% from 2018 to 2019, and six people have frozen to death in the last two years. This is partially due to the focus on fixing up the downtown area rather than working to build affordable housing all throughout the city. There is not enough affordable housing for the people who qualify. Yet, there are always tax breaks for those wanting to build luxury housing. 

Cleveland’s city council are not acting prudently; they’re not prepared to take care of our homeless residents nor are they prepared to provide housing to those who do not make enough money to afford rent or who are on disability. The city of Cleveland is like those five foolish bridesmaids. 

Advocacy groups and churches are not taking this lying down, because loving our neighbors means caring about their welfare. We are protesting and working to get the city council to address these issues. They have been ignored too long. I’m hopeful that with enough pressure, we can improve the lives of all of Cleveland’s residents. Affordable housing is a key part of that.

How’s your city doing in regard to its residents currently experiencing homelessness? Are they wise or foolish? 

B