You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World

by Alan Noble

Implicit in our society is the promise that you can become a fully realized human if you: 1. Accept that you are your own and belong completely to yourself. 2. Work every day to discover and express yourself. 3. Use all of the techniques and methods perfected by society to improve your life and conquer your obstacles. If you adjust to living in this habitat, you will be happy. And if you aren’t a fully realized human, it’s either because there’s some injustice in the environment (an inefficiency), a flaw in your will to improve (another inefficiency), or some natural/biological hinderance (also an inefficiency!). But society is self-correcting: collectively, we are purging the injustices, improving ourselves, and overcoming the burdens of the natural world—a process we call “Progress.” Our hope in Progress lets us overlook the brokenness of society. But by its own standards, our society cannot fulfill its promise. The gods are mute. And those who make them become like them.