Dear Anti-Guy

Dear Anti-Guy,

No one likes you. For real. Some people know you by names like "hipster," or "elitist," but I have much more simple moniker: you're a tool.

You have this knack for finding out what the majority vote is just so you can go against it. Your desire to listen to underground music so that you can eventually say, "I listened to them before they were cool," is one of the fastest ways you alienate the people you know. You troll your friends' Facebook status updates to come against the "mainstream culture" or "Western philosophies" that you so adamantly resist despite the fact that you exist with both of those as staples in your everyday life. You take every opportunity to act like you know something obscure or deep so that you can make yourself feel like you're an intellectual king.

I should ease up on that hatin', though, right? I mean, the only reason you are the way you are is probably because you feel like doing these things will get you respect, acceptance, praise, and love from people. Scratch that, it's probably just for the love. In any case, you're going about it all wrong. You don't need people to respect you in order to feel like you're worth something. You don't need their praise as a cheap imitation of the love you truly seek. And you definitely don't need anyone imperfect to fill the hole made for the Perfect Person to fit in.

In any case, if you truly want to be counter-cultural, get rid of the ironic cardigan and vintage shades, put on some real clothes, and take a cue from the Bible.

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." (Luke 9)

"What? Letting go of the life that everyone has a death grip on?" Yup.

'But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.' (2 Cor. 12)

"Taking joy in weakness because it ultimately leads to strength? That can't be right." It is. And the Bible is chock-full of seemingly counter-intuitive ideals.

Why?

See, God is different. He said Himself, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways..." (Isaiah 55) You see, in His ultimate knowledge, God saw what the human mind would consider normal and decided, "No. My people will be different."

So for all of the intellectual snobbery and condescension, be a real man and have the guts to really go against the flow of modern culture - follow Jesus Christ.

Sincerely,

-Believers Everywhere

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