War, Peace & The Grace Between

Two men, one reality.

---

This is perhaps one of my most favorite thought pieces regarding Higher Ground so far because I think it reaches to the very core of the conflict between Steve and Oliver. It stems from the meaning of each their names, what they require to survive as a result, and tells us where---and with whom---Shane ultimately belongs in the process.

War

We've established Marek means "warlike" and that war is “a state of competition, conflict or hostility” or “a sustained effort to deal with or end a particular unpleasant or undesirable situation or condition." At its very core, war is born out of fear, and fear thrives on insecurity. To allay the fear requires regaining security, which often comes at the cost of the security of others, a concept so vividly demonstrated by Shane and Oliver's situation throughout Higher Ground. When it came down to it, Steve's security, "winning Shane" as it were, ultimately came at the cost of Shane and Oliver's security, which, under attack, caused them to lose security in each other and even feed their worst fears. What's worse, Steve's security relied upon confusion (the "hit & run" on Shane's porch), asymmetric information (lies) and lack of choice (keeping Shane long after her skills were no longer needed) to be maintained.

The problem with war is that it is---or at least it should be---a temporary state of affairs.  It can only be "maintained," and its maintenance is often a series of day-by-day strategic decisions---or lack thereof---that robs its participants of long-term vision. This accounts for Steve's failure to really know what to do with, or about, Shane, once he managed to get her back in his orbit, and why, once the crisis was over, he was forced to manufacture the ongoing threat to keep Shane in D.C. Steve was so busy tending to the lie he didn't have the capacity to envision what his future would look like with Shane in it, or, more importantly, how to even begin pursuing such a path.

Grace

The What's In A Name? series reminds us that Shane's name has two meanings:  "God is gracious" and "gift from God." And it's in these meanings that it becomes clear, at a fundamental level, why Shane would never belong with Steve in the long run.

First, what room is there for grace in war? We often imagine war as ruthless and unforgiving, it is an absence of love or compassion. "Gracious" means "abounding in grace or mercy; manifesting love; disposed to show kindness or favor." Grace is fundamentally incompatible with war. Remember how Shane pardons Steve, "he's not a bad guy, he's just...competitive." In this moment "grace" shows unmerited mercy to "war." To make peace with what Steve had done, Shane had to exercise grace.  From this perspective, it appears grace is the mechanism for transitioning from a state of war to a state of peace. In fact, where grace is incompatible with war, peace requires grace to survive. ​

Peace

Peace is the antithesis of war---they are direct antonyms for one another. So it should be no surprise that peace requires the exact opposite conditions to survive, and exhibits the exact opposite behaviors when achieved. We see this in how Oliver, whose name means "peace," navigates his relationship with Shane when she is at his side, versus during their separation.

Where war relies on upheaval, insecurity, discord, etc., peace is a state of contentment that contains grace, but, when threatened, relies almost solely upon receiving the gift of grace to be saved. We see this in the interaction between Shane and Oliver on her porch just before she leaves for D.C. Being grace herself, Shane offers that gift to Oliver, filtered through Gabe and Hattie:

"Promise me that you'll find Gabe, and that you'll tell him not to be too hard on himself. He didn't have to say it---she knew...that he loved her. She knew."

Of course we know that Oliver didn't completely receive this gift. As time passed his mind forgot what his heart, evidenced later when he produces the napkin from his suit pocket, remembered. If Oliver had only held onto the content of that message for himself, he might have navigated through his season without Shane differently. Notice that when he finally "received" the gift of grace (kissing Shane) his peace is restored.

And when Oliver is operating out of a place of peace, we see a man we've only seen glimpses of before. Oliver is optimistic, believing Gabe was in love with Hattie. He is secure in his relationships with the people around him. Because Oliver is not coming from a place of fear, he exercises great vision. Oliver "has plans to call...Shane" by her name on their date, dusts off the porch swing in anticipation of its use at the end of their evening, plans drinks at the Ephlat Lounge before dinner, and doesn't fret when they miss that reservation. But perhaps his most unexpectedly telling moment of vision was his response to "so what do we do now?" Oliver only takes a moment to ponder before taking a knee, almost a subconscious nod to his ultimate intent for Shane, before "proposing" smoothie-making and letter-reading, even if it "[took] all night." Not only does peace, like Oliver, require grace to survive, he expresses himself, perhaps most fully, in the presence of grace as well.

The clash between Steve and Oliver is rooted in something much deeper than competition, reaching to the very core of who they are, and who Shane is, in the process. Unable to coexist, war and peace are perpetually in conflict, much like Steve and Oliver were constantly at odds in Higher Ground.

Embodying the meaning of his name, Steve's "warlike" mentality, and the fear associated with it, rendered him unable to fully receive---or retain---grace, costing him Shane in the end. As for Oliver, his peace relied heavily on the presence of grace and, in its absence, became lost and even at war with himself and his past. Only when he was fully able to receive grace in light of Shane's return was his peace finally restored, reaffirming the inextricable link between peace and grace for mutual survival.

The struggle of each man throughout Higher Ground has much to teach us about the delicate balance between war and peace, and how grace is the key to mediating ourselves away from "war"---in our spiritual lives and in our relationships with others---when required, and maintaining peace in the long run.

From The State Of Grace,
~C