I have noticed that quite a few writers on the Internet whose main focus is spiritual are getting increasingly drawn into commenting on and analysing current affairs. I understand why people do this especially with each new development revealing an ever greater descent into insanity. But the danger is that too much of one's energy gets focused on irrelevancies. We know, or should do, that the state of a civilisation that denies God becomes more and more detached from reality. We have been in such a state for decades now and it was inevitable we would follow the trajectory we have done. Loss of God leads to lose of the sense of reality because once you reject God you soon start to reject nature as well as there is nothing to anchor you to objective truth. You feel you can make reality what you want and what you want becomes corrupt because it is based on the desires, aspirations and ambitions of your earthly self which is mired in ignorance and egotism. We are some way down that road.
I'm not saying we should ignore what is going on in the world but nor should we allow ourselves to get caught up in it or react to it. To do that will inevitably drag us down to worldly concerns. If you really believe in God you see that life in this world is all about the preparation for heaven. And when you understand how entropy works in terms of human consciousness you see there are going to be times when the world can be coordinated to the heavenly pattern, to a greater or lesser extent, never completely, and times when it goes against that pattern. You have to have the discernment to know what sort of time you are living in. Surely anyone can see that we are now living in a time of spiritual decay and nothing will improve that situation. That doesn't mean you let evil have its way unopposed. You should always resist evil in your heart and stand against it, but you need to know that the trend is irreversible so don't hope for a bright new dawn. Not before there's been a clean sweep anyway.
This clean sweep may be what is starting to happen now. At the end of an age all the muck of that age has to rise to the surface so it can be brought out and dealt with. Imagine a pond. On the surface the water looks reasonably clear but stir everything up and all the filth that lies at the bottom will be brought to the top. Only then can you clear it away. This is what is taking place in the world today. It is a kind of purification in that our sins are all coming out. It's not pleasant but stand back from what is going on and observe the process from a spiritual vantage point, from above and with a much more extended temporal point of view. Our task is to focus on the spiritual. It doesn't mean we accept the worldly on its own terms but the insanity of the present times has its own logic. That doesn't make it in any way right but fighting it with the idea that you might overcome it externally is a fruitless task. Speak out against so as to support others who might be struggling to make sense of a crazy world but know that the only resolution is spiritual.
I have written about this before but the madness will only grow which means that the reaction to it will become more extreme, more vehement. That reaction is based on healthy human instinct and common sense (see, for example, this article), but the trap is it can be lured into intemperate response. The proponents of the madness can truly be said to be possessed by the devil in the sense that they have succumbed to malevolently seeded mind viruses because of unacknowledged sins such as envy, resentment, pride and the like. We must be careful not to let their capitulation to sin bring out our own innate tendencies to it which is what Jesus meant when he said resist not evil, something I have also mentioned in previous posts.
The article I link to makes complete sense on the level of everyday normality but it shows no real insight into why the lamented changes are happening. Unless you understand the demonic impulse behind all this you will not grasp that the only resolution to it is to transfer your attention to the spiritual world. Then you will eventually find that everything you think you have lost, and you have lost in a worldly sense, actually exists in a purer and more real form in the higher worlds. That is the reality, this is only the shadow. It is right to lament the destruction even of the shadow of goodness but know that the true goodness can never be harmed by evil. It remains inviolate.
Added note:
Some people might think this is defeatist talk. It is not. We should all fight the madness in whatever way we may be called to do so but we should also know that victory will not be in this world, not at this time. At other historical periods that may have possible but not now. In fact, one of the reasons the madness is allowed is so that we may remove our focus from this world to the higher one. Christians are being called to the Kingdom of Heaven. When the earthly kingdom becomes very obviously the province of the adversary that shift in focus becomes easier to make.
6 comments:
"The article I link to makes complete sense on the level of everyday normality but it shows no real insight into why the lamented changes are happening."
That's it. When really crazy (inverted) and evil things are happening as a matter of course and are sustained across time, and are (usually) getting worse; the reason must surely run very deep; and there must (I think) in fact be *multiple* causes that are supporting each other.
Once this is acknowledged, and then you realize that there are many such *evil* problems, then I think we should be honest enough to acknowledge that it is more likely that we are dealing with - as you say - underlying *demonic* impulses, which must also be strong enough to be dominant.
I do believe that more and more people will wake up to the demonic inspiration behind all this because there really is nothing else than can explain it.
@William I agree with what you are saying. For a long time I have felt that church in America is getting replaced by politics, and the institutions of church are becoming more of a social organization.
The spiritual vantage point is the ultimate reality. Despite the many reasons for pessimism, my real life interactions with people give me some hope. But yes there will be no grand victory, but perhaps some awakening and that is worth celebrating.
Some feel that engaging in the system is supporting an evil system. I believe that boiler plate politics has a place just because it is tangible, and you can prevent some harms or assist the needy in clear and obvious ways. Politics isn't for the faint of heart and only a rare few should spend much time in it.
We all have different talents. Not everyone has your talents, but there are many people who are doing good things in their own way and I love these people. They'll never get interested in the philosophical stuff I'm into, but they are doing good things for people.
Works are not salvation and it is important to encourage people see beyond it. This understanding is more important than the works because it has eternal significance.
I agree with your comment, Jay. We are all called to different posts, as it were, and we have to serve where we feel we can. As you say, there won't be a great victory in this world but the struggle against evil will certainly bring some people to awakening and so is very much worth doing.
I suggest that we pay attention to politics in the same way we pay attention to the weather. If we ignore it entirely, we will get caught in the rain without an umbrella, caught in the cold without our mittens. From birth to death, we live our spiritual life in the world, and the world makes living that life hard with various "temptations." As St. Anthony discovered , these "temptations" follow the hermit into his cave, so withdrawing from the world does not cause the world to withdraw from you. I think Christians should prepare for :"bad weather," but should not delude themselves that they can take control of the "weather" and bring back "sunny days." I just this morning read the second to last chapter of Genesis, in which dying Jacob foretells the fates of his sons. There is a lot going on here, but I think it significant that he passes authority to Judah, who is a man both in and out of this world. Jacob of course curses his three oldest sons are a fool and two rascals, and then settles primacy on "the lion" who will protect the tribe without dishonor or deceit.
I think we can also draw instruction from the figure of the Good Shepherd, who is ready to face down wolves as well as lead his sheep to still water. The Good Shepherd does not abandon his flock in order to hunt wolves, and he does not fantasize about "one quick trick" to extirpate wolves from the world; but if a wolf slips into the fold, the Good Shepherd does not shrink from taking that wold down,
Yes, we can't ignore politics because we are in the world and need to understand how it works. If we do ignore it, it will catch us out, Not to mention that to ignore the world is irresponsible because it goes on whether we pay attention to it or not. It is our current theatre but we should still remember that we are only actors in this theatre.
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