Sometimes it is not a bad idea to look at the way we look, think, and feel to see how these causeblockages. Lonergan, a theologian, explores three kinds of distortion that can obstruct our road ahead. The first distortion is a kind of prejudice that only looks inward at one’s self so that one puts one's own self at the centre of the universe.
In such situations one is caught up with oneself and ones problems. One can’t ask questions and rise above the problem because one’s own needs are so big that they take over one’s outlook. Everyone else is just a hindrance. The result is that one can’t work together with others who have the same problems. Only a united community has the power to change problems.
A second tendency is called 'group bias' that shows itself in prejudices that are part of a section of society. This perspective of ‘my’ circle or sub‑culture can distort my outlook on life. If we feel that 'We' are always right - outsiders will be viewed with suspicion. We feed on hostility thus constructing a negative identity for ourselves. Such a closed set of attitudes can paralyse the capacity for social change, including the source of transformation that is our religious values and faith.
The third bias consists in a liking for short‑term pragmatism –quick solutions at the expense of getting to the root of problems. When dealing with practical concerns we feel we are in control - but actually the difficult issues that must be faced for real change remain underground. Here we need to bring in God or the divine to make a bigger picture. We need a 'stretching forth' that asks what God/the divine wants in our situations.
Communities afraid to look deeper will stagnate and become impotent so that situations slowly creep towards crisis and violence. The freedom to imagine life differently disappears, and with it the spiritual freedom to believe that God could have entered into our chaos.
All three forms of bias can stifle our 'orientation to the divine' – to wider inclusive vision, to nobler attitudes, to greater actions, to profound peace.
Where are my and your blind spots?
(Adapted from Gallagher, G 2010. Faith Maps. 67,68).
