“Say the secret word and the duck will come down and pay you 100 dollars.” Some variation of this line was used on the radio and TV show, “You Bet Your Life,” which was a small part of my childhood. The show combined the wit of Groucho Marx, light-hearted interviews, and a game in which contestants could win up to 10,000 dollars. The secret word was a simple common word (wall, table, voice) that might occur in casual conversation. If either contestant stumbled upon it, both would be rewarded 50 dollars, over 1000 dollars today.
In the 1970’s, our music theory professor used Groucho’s duck metaphor to help us identify a secondary dominant chord – “it’s a duck!” Later, in the TV version of “M.A.S.H.,” Hawkeye Pierce made regular references to Groucho Marx. Such was his influence on popular culture and my life.
I’ve been thinking about secret words. Secret societies come to mind. They certainly have secret words and phrases. Each profession has specific terminology practitioners must know. And business jargon is notorious these days. Yet, I’m more interested in our desire to be in on the secret, whatever that might be. There is even a 2006 self-help book that purports to share The Secret, notwithstanding Marcus Aurelius’ meditation, “Our life is what our thoughts make it,” and Emerson’s proverb, “A man is what he thinks all day long,” or Maxwell Maltz’s assertion, “You will act like the sort of person you conceive yourself to be.”
We all want to believe we possess the secret, that if we say the secret words, we will win the game of life. Because what we believe is true. What others believe is obviously false. Further, some claim a sense of certainty that others, like me, can only dream about. A few are so certain that they feel justified in beheading or bombing those who do not say their secret words. Others settle for suppression or disenfranchisement of those who think differently. Freedom for one group turns out to be oppression for another. All in the name of certain secret words.
“By their fruits you shall know them,” the Master said (Matthew 7:16). The fruits of thinking “our words are true, but the words of others are not,” are often fear, hatred, division, and violence. And what we say becomes irrelevant to what we do, how we act towards others. Jesus also said, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, yet don’t do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). Talk is cheap, we say. The right worship words are easy. Claiming to be a follower of a loving God is cheap talk compared to actually following Him. That part is hard. I fail at it each and every day.
Often, we get wrapped up in the secret words of our religion, denomination, or sect. Differences in style, not substance, can dominate our thinking. It’s not hard to think that just because we say the right prayers and quote the right scriptures, we are therefore the true followers – of whatever God we claim to believe in. But what are the fruits of this kind of thinking?
St. Francis of Assisi allegedly said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” Mother Teresa continued in this tradition, “Spread the love of God through your life but only use words when necessary.” Both knew that words alone are problematic. Words can be misunderstood. Words can be used as weapons. And words can quickly evaporate into hollow sentiment – “thoughts and prayers…”
It doesn’t matter whether one goes to prayer meetings, recites the Rosary, attends Synagogue, kneels facing Mecca, or participates in any of the other rituals or liturgy surrounding their religion, if that observance does not result in doing something good for others. I’d even go out on a limb: It doesn’t matter whether one calls their God Jesus, Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh, Abba, or any particular name, if one does harm to another in that name. Whenever people use violence to achieve their goals, I’d say their secret words are meaningless and their beliefs are worthless.
Maybe we put too much stock in words and not enough in doing what our God wants us to do. Imagine a world without secret words, indeed without names that can be used to justify the worst of our biases and prejudices. Imagine a world where we lived our lives in spirit and truth, where the rightful possessors of those names would one day know us for what lies behind our mere words, for who we truly are. “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24) Secret words are for game shows.
MurrayWorks 