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I can never read the story of the golden calf without thinking of Edwin Friedman, the rabbi who applied Bowen family systems theory to congregational life in his classic Generation to Generation and to the practice of leadership in his posthumous book A Failure of Nerve. In these books, Friedman explains that anxiety is like a chronic illness lurking in every human system, whether that is a family, a congregation, or even a nation. And systems without healthy ways of managing that anxiety find themselves caught in a downward spiral of emotional regression.
When the Israelites have this massive freakout at the foot of Mount Sinai, when anxiety about Moses’ long absence overwhelms them, when they wonder what the heck they are doing in a wilderness with no familiar god to appeal to, when they demand that Aaron do something—anything—to fix this situation … well, they are embodying all five characteristics of a chronically anxious system, as Friedman outlines it in A Failure of Nerve:
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Reactivity: People can’t stay calm. Every little stress sets them off, nothing is funny anymore, and people get aggressive, hostile, and even vicious to one another.
“As for this Moses,” the people complain, “the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” And twice they demand, “Make us gods!”
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Herding: People value togetherness over progress. Groupthink increases, and tolerance for differences of opinion decreases. The group adapts to the needs of its least mature members, and any leader who tries to contradict them gets accused of cruelty.
The people come as one in their anxiety to Aaron, sad little Aaron, who is clearly out of his depth.
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Blame displacement: Everyone becomes a victim, no one takes responsibility, and nothing is anyone’s fault.
Later, when Moses asks Aaron how this all could possibly have happened, his brother says, “You know the people, that they are wicked.” And even worse, Aaron blames the fire … “I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off,” so they gave it to me, and I threw it in the fire, and out came this calf!” (Exodus 32:22-24)
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Quick-fix mentality: The group can’t tolerate discomfort and turns to symptom relief, rather than attempting any significant change.
Why wait for Moses to return? Why wait for the Lord to provide further guidance? A golden calf will fix everything, they claim.
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Lack of well-differentiated leadership: The people in charge devolve to the group’s level of immaturity. They cave to every demand and fuel the anxiety spiral.
Aaron does what the people want, even though he knows it’s a terrible idea. And as Moses assesses the situation later, he sees that “the people were out of control (for Aaron had lost control of them, prompting derision among their enemies)” (Exodus 32:25).
We can find these characteristics in scripture, but apparently, humanity has not progressed much, because we can also see them everywhere today. Where are people rushing to demand our era’s version of a golden calf? Who are the leaders caving in to the least mature among us? When are people reacting instead of responding? Whose fault is it that things have gotten chaotic?
Whether it’s ancient Israelites or contemporary Americans, these characteristics of chronically anxious systems endure, unfortunately, throughout the ages.
