Meek Heirs

The Beatitudes are one of the more enigmatic passages of the Bible. In fact, they sometimes seem downright oxymoronic. For example, the verse: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” It’s probably one of the more puzzling of the Beatitudes, and certainly goes against the popular thinking of today. “Nice guys finish last” is the trendier perception. Virtually nothing one sees in either the entertainment or political world suggests that anyone but the tough guys will triumph in the end.

Given that this Beatitude is such a riddle, it has spawned endless interpretations and explanations. I have no intention here of entering either the philosophical or theological arenas and getting mired down in speculation, or even try to guess what Jesus meant by this statement. Many of his biblical quotes pose paradoxes for us, and the true meaning of these statements probably has many layers and varying interpretations—depending on our particular circumstances. One of the beautiful attributes of Semitic languages—such as Aramaic and Arabic—is that they can have multiple meanings, depending on a given situation. Their relevance continues to speak to us, even as times change.

A similar paradoxical statement is found in the Tao Te Ching, the scripture of Taoism. Two example partial verses are:
“The hard and stiff will be broken. / The soft and supple will prevail.”
“The soft overcomes the hard, / The gentle overcomes the rigid.”

In contrast to popular interpretation, the dictionary definition of meek is to be quiet, gentle, and soft—not weak and frightened. Thus the Tao suggests—as does Jesus—that it is the gentle and soft people who will eventually triumph, that they will ultimately “inherit the earth.”

What started me thinking along this line recently was pondering the fact that mammals—once the meek critters skittering among the feet of the huge dinosaurs—eventually came to inherit their earth. For nearly 200 million years the dinosaurs ruled the planet. Think of that: 200,000,000 years! That’s a thousand times longer than we humans have been a separate species! During the dinosaurs’ realm the mammals were relegated to the shadows—meekly scurrying about the edges. The dinosaurs were big and powerful. Mammals were small (more diminutive than a kitty cat) and indeed quite weak.

In time, however (and aided by a crashing meteorite), mammals came to take control. Why did they (the “soft and supple”) prevail, while the dinosaurs (the “hard and stiff”) disappeared? How is it that the mighty dinosaurs, who were superbly fit at the time, did not survive this celestial catastrophe? The main reason is that the dinosaurs had evolved to a very static state of equilibrium, wherein they were no longer being tested and didn’t need to struggle to survive. They were boss! They could afford to become set in their ways, fat and happy, and not worry about any challenges that they could see on the horizon. Those puny little mammals were effectively sidelined and forced to scramble for the scraps. No competition.

Things worked fine (for 200 million years!) for the big guys, until the game suddenly changed. When times got tough in the wake of the meteorite crash (the planet went into a deep freeze and food nearly vanished), the entrenched, overconfident creatures couldn’t cope, while the humble and flexible (the meek) little mammals who were used to tough times, persevered. Mammals could roll with the climatic punches and better deal with adversity. They came to inherit the earth and Homo sapiens came to be the main heirs.

What might this meek inheritance issue mean to us today—other than maybe being an interesting puzzle? It seems quite possible to me that one of the key advantages the meek have is their patience—their ability to withstand and accept suffering. They have no choice, if they want to survive. The powerful hold the trump cards—no need for them to suffer. Those who are patient also tend to be gentle and humble—no sense in acting belligerent if you hold the short straw. Sooner or later, however, conditions always change. The current balance will be upset and the meek just might then be favored—especially if they have learned how to be flexible and nimble.

We are in a situation today wherein the meek are once again being ruled by the powerful—the masses of people who are being controlled by the very rich. Our culture tends to look upon the meek as weak and cowardly, and that is why they are easily manipulated by the powerful, and even thought to deserve their plight. But what if, instead, they are really gentle, soft, supple, and humbly patient? Might their time be coming, to inherit the earth? Even more interesting, that same reasoning might also apply to all of the human species—currently the dominant player on the planet. We humans tend to shove around many meek species—insects, birds, frogs, etc.—who may simply be waiting for their inheritance, while we are busy upsetting the environmental applecart and just possibly our earthly dominance with it.