I know anger and rage is at least as old as Cain and Able. And I am not under the illusion that somehow my generation has an extra share, what does intrigue me is that the anger is now directed not at injustice but at people we think are the problem.
Let me explain. It used to be we had categories for our hate that fit into the general notion of "right and wrong" which in turn came from a world view that believed in some way shape or form in redemptive value even in suffering.
Whether it was illness,disaster or injustice even the most secular person had a semi-biblical understanding that good can come from evil. And in connection with that the belief that good triumphs over evil in the end.
Additionally there was the understanding that there is to some degree or another a constant war against the evil inclinations in individuals and societies, and that it is inherently noble to fight figuratively and litteraly against evil.
These ideas: redemption, and fitting against evil only make sense from a biblical world view. And once we loose the story of redemption we also lose the capacity to suffer in a redemptive and noble way.
This was brought home to me in a recent viewing of the movie, Second Hand Lions. In the film, one of the characters is a bitter old man, his life has been full of adventure, but due to the death of a loved one and old age he has given up hope and now is just passing the time in vain attempts at reliving the glory days while waiting to die. What struck me about it was that the character makes the statement that whether is it true or not we must believe that "good always triumphs over evil."
He doesn't believe it is true. He is an angry old man, bitterly wishing that life was not so hard, he is not looking for redemption, he is not expecting any good to come if his situation. He has no hope, he doesn't have the story of redemption to anchor his ideals.
And yet he knows the truth, and the film proceeds to weave a story of redemption. But our culture is caught. You see it used to be that you could battle injustice and still have hope. You could fight against slavery or oppression and still be content, because there was a certainty of redemption. You could endure evil and still do what was right because there was always hope.
But our culture does not embrace the story of redemption. They embrace the story of personal victory against the odds to be true to yourself at all costs. Not going to battle against lust because fighting evil is noble, but fighting any restrictions on lust because there is no concept of redemption. Not battling injustice while believing that people can change, but battling people because we feel that injustice is their fault, and since there is no redemption, we can't even see that there might be value in suffering
And so people are angry in a self and others destructive way. Because there is no redemption, and no real hope that good will win I the end. So people are angry, and afraid, and without hope.
These angry people need to hear and understand a story of redemption, or their world will never make any sense.