Conspiracy

Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me.

 - From Psalm 31

King David, one of the most beloved and revered figures in history, seems to have had some problems coping with life in the centuries before Christ. All he ever seems to do is talk about his problems. Somebody's always out to get him. He's always trying to hide from . . . something. When will he suck it up and just deal with it?

Psalm 31 is full of this stuff. Sure, he has some praise for God in there, but that's only because he wants God's help getting around, and away from, his presumed enemies, these people that are "secretly" always trying to take him down.

I thought David was a likable guy? Doesn't he have it all? He even got away with murder, from a legal standpoint. Murder and adultery. It takes some moxey for him to act like he has such big problems from his privileged standpoint.

But the problem is . . . there were conspiracies to get him. One of the most noteworthy #resist campaigns during David's reign, was led by his own son, Absalom! Really, now . . . who could David trust?

His entire life was typified by him, for the most part, trying to do right. And for the most part, he did, in fact, do right, almost all of the time. His chief characteristic is that he was a good man and a good king.

And yet . . . someone was always out to get him.

His brothers.

King Saul.

His son.

He had every right to be paranoid. Except that you can't call it paranoia. You can call it being realistic.

It's okay for people to be paranoid, in a way. There simply are plenty of people out there, wanting to take others down. We've known that since childhood. There will always be people that want to ruin it for others, for no apparent (good) reason. As we get older, it is naive to assume that they basically change for the better. In some ways they do . . . . but at the same time, many of them end up with money and power. And when you combine money and power with unresolved issues from childhood, you've got trouble.

If David could be wary of the world, then so can we.

Let's not be so quick to put down conspiracy theorists (the new "bullies" seem to be just like the old bullies. The advantage that they now wage is their supposed "expertise" and/or scientific credentials that we all should yield to, unconditionally).

Conspiracy theories are driven by the root values of a person. And your fundamental values are a good thing. No wonder people embrace "evidence" that supports their basic worldview. We all do it. We just may not be on the right side of society all the time - the side that is presently in favor.

It's Mother's Day. When it comes to conspiracy theories, I like what my Mom always said about it: "What if they're right?" It wouldn't hurt us all, to pepper our view of current events, with just a little skepticism. King David would approve.