Man In His Fateful Journey

 

Anointed man regally bearing the likeness and nature of a god both physically and mystically, is designed in due course and in the fullness of time to perfect himself to be worthy to lodge in his rightful place beside his Creator.  This truth is not just his fate but is immersed in his very DNA.

And this is not one lazy or presumptuous man’s idle declaration.  God himself promised this ultimate sharing in his Godhead.  If man has earned it.  Remember, man, thou are made to the image and likeness of your God!

And because of this, man abundantly blessed ought with dogged determination and resolve to perfectly tailor his life toward this end.  Marshall all his efforts and resources to guarantee that in the fullness of time, he gets to his place of destiny.

Well and good.  But is man on the rightful path toward his anointed end?

As a species?  No earnest observer of humanity collectively adjudicating his temporal journey could consider the human condition in a positive light.  Many could say that man has instead retrogressed, to a time beyond the coarse and crude milieu of an Abel and Cain.

Consider the hate, the chaos, the anarchy, the willfulness, waywardness, etc., man has flagrantly exhibited toward his own kind and to Nature.

Nations willfully try to destroy other nations whether in actual war or in stealth subterfuges.  In their politics the order of the day is hate and loathsomeness, and falsehood and cheating as the weapons of choice to bring down opposing ideologies.  Even in the realm of religion we are witness to the debauchery and willful negligence of high-echelon members of the clergy toward their appointed tasks as shepherds of their flock.  Friends and families loudly alienate themselves from each other because of detestable and unruly rhetoric, using such caustic and harsh language to express their anger, intolerance and hate.   It appears there is no segment and sector of society or civilization that has not been tainted with the cupidity and mendacity of man.

Is there any deliverance from this, here on earth?  Or do we need to sojourn first to the land of mist and mystery before we can attain the reward for whatever goodness and righteousness we may each individually have gathered and attained?

It appears that culling from the ample history of man, these same worrisome periods in man’s journey just keep on revisiting, from unbridled cycles of ups and downs, and back again, each time not only not learning lessons from the previous, but the willful acts of banality and malevolence ramping up in degrees.

So what is the endgame for man?

Extinction?  With a new and better species to take his place.

Why not possible?  Natures seems to favor this kind of a resolution, in the lower species. 

But born with a nature both hardy and stubborn, I for one refuse the see the inevitability of this doom and gloom.  Somehow, that inscrutable Mind up there will think of a way.  He just needs our attention and cooperation.

So, empty your minds and soften your hearts, deliverance is always nigh.

Claim the promise of a foretaste of eternity right here on earth.

Away From the Madding Crowd

 

Away From the Madding Crowd.

A time to glorify the homebody? The loner?  The rugged individualist?

We know that this dreaded pandemic has been a great equalizer, in the political, social and economic realms.  But beyond that what one could consider most impactful has that it has also been an equalizer in the area of priorities.

Pre-pandemic, it was easy to see that the inexorable path that civilized society generally had been taking had been skewed toward those pleasurable or entertaining activities which though quietly considered and accepted as non-essential humanity has devoted way too much time and effort, and resources.  We mean those massive gatherings in the areas of sports and entertainment, and leisure travel.

Man has so focused on those first two areas on very grand scales and expense that practitioners actively participating in them have grown into almost like gods and goddesses in terms of following, influence, and yes, wealth.  Look around you and you can tell easily who these people are.  They are idolized, lionized and fabulously rewarded.  Yet we know that honestly in terms of contributions to the welfare and well-being of humanity one could be hard pressed to justify their assumed importance.  We do not doubt their human meaning in areas like culture and leisure, but one doubts to the degree and significance that they have been elevated. And leisure travel has become such big business enterprises accommodating large masses of clients, and patronized by a predominant segment of society with the resources and wherewithal to afford them.

Primarily because of the pandemic there has been unwelcomed reassessment of our priorities in life not only personally but also socially.  Now we are constrained to limit our activities to those that are considered essential for our continued health and well-being. And professional sports, entertainment and other allied activities like leisure travel are not anymore considered as having serious priorities.  Though nothing much in their very nature and activities have changed. Except that mass gathering of people has become a built-in restriction for most social gatherings.   Thus by and large, many of them have been greatly curtailed.  Some even stopped altogether.  Some even said to be unfairly so, like the freedom to gather for worship.

So is man the better because of this development?  By serious reckoning, one would think so, though one could easily take exception in the way the freedom of worship has been handled.  But a good segment of society welcomes the respite from professional sports and entertainment, especially with the petulant and unpatriotic behavior of many of their players.

But this wholesale curtailment in some economic activities would necessitate realignment or refinement of other economic activities considered having more urgent and beneficial priorities. We would like to believe that if all essential economic activities are restarted, then the negative impacts of the lockdowns and the mental health issues of social isolation caused by these harsh restrictions could easily be ameliorated.  Man will find a way to channel resources and efforts on more commendable activities that would redound to the benefit of society.  Like more beneficial outdoor activities like farming, hiking, visiting parks, etc.

A return of traditional priorities to their rightful places! 

The Binary Nature of things.

The yin and yang of things.  Good or Bad.  In or Out. This or That. Love or Hate.  Words or Action.  Hard to think of unitary things in this world.

Yet because of the binary nature of things, we are always making choices between at least two things.   If we are prudent and wise, good choices are those when we earnestly weigh all with the critical eye of picking those that benefit us or the commonweal, or are the least harmful to us.

That is our lot.  But do we always take the prudent and wise route in making our choices?

During election cycles we are again confronted with having to make choices.  How do we fare?

In my virtual travels, these are the relevant observations.

In US politics, countless times and words are devoted detailing all the shortcomings and deficiencies of the incumbent, as the primary reason for not voting for him.  Well and good, but we know that is only half of it.   The other half is the other choice.  How come not a single complementary word about that choice?  Not a single reason why he would be a good choice?  Always think binary, folks!   The only way to go to have informed choices.

Following in the same vein, the detractors of the incumbent are always exploring and parsing his supposed statements to uncover for gotcha moments.  And for a person who undoubtedly and unequivocally always “speaks his mind” there is a treasure trove to be mined.  But again that is only the half of it.  The other more significant aspect is his actions which are all out in the open and are provable.  So if one must criticize, pick on that and not what he is supposed to have uttered, especially in private and in confidence.

Imagine if there are many of us who incessantly “speak our mind” and we are always taken seriously every time, many of us would be jailed or killed, or at the very least condemned or ostracized.  We know our minds have minds of their own and will race whichever ways they are allowed.  But we do typically control our runaway minds and act only on things that typically are socially and morally acceptable in society.  And we are judged based on that.  Ever heard of somebody being sentenced for thinking lustful thoughts about another?  Or one who had thought of killing somebody because of what that person has done to him?

 

The Case for the Solitary Life and Solitude

 

 

For too long now the time-honored concepts of strict monastic life endured in isolated and secluded monasteries have become somewhat hazy figments of a past long gone and best forgotten.  The world has seemingly changed too much for those age-old practices to be continued and acknowledged as relevant and even appropriate.  What used to be such a laudable but very selective way of living a life has been set aside on the wayside, along the road to oblivion. This is true, if we have to admit it, for the most of us including those who still consider themselves quite religious and strict practitioners of their faith. 

Oh, there are still hardy bands of ardent adherents in some cloistered enclaves belonging to a few obscure religious orders who still practice old-time and challenging asceticism.  But they are largely though unwittingly ignored together with the other abbreviated practices devoted to them and intended to remind us of them.  Take for example the extended or closed retreats which were designed to accord laymen a foretaste of that kind of a dedicated life.  These used to be quite common during our school years.

So has the way to salvation been changed, revamped to attune to changed conditions?  Christianity has survived all these years, and takes pride in having kept intact and hardly changed the standards and precepts, the morals and ethics, the philosophy and natural laws, etc., that all have set it apart from all else.

But modern man has to put his nose to the grind and determine for himself what gives.  Best then to reexamine those old, staid and steadfast teachings we learned from the faith that has survived all these years.

In the subject then of solitude and the living of a solitary life, we begin the exercise of examination.

Are these admonitions still apt and relevance for our modern days?

As we begin our life journey on this earth, the first important impression we are given is that as a daily routine, we ought to set aside time and attention to focus on the benefits of God, and pushing aside all concerns and curiosities.  Better if we do this to begin the day and another one to end it.    In school, we learned this as our daily examination of conscience. A daily routine to be adhered to with no let-up and exception. So is this as true today as before?

Then the more detailed admonitions begin.

If you must have to read as to be informed, read matters that move thee to compunction, rather than occupation.  Because when we decide to withdraw from superfluous talks and idle visits, as well as all the news and reports that occupy our day, then we allow ourselves more time to devote to meditations.  The greatest saints practiced these, avoiding as much as possible the company of men, and choosing to live in the company of God in secret.  This they did learning that it is easier to be altogether silent than not to exceed in words when we talk long.  To stay alone and retired is much easier task than to constantly be on guard with ourselves when abroad.   John the evangelist counsels that for the followers of Christ, those aiming at arriving at interior and spiritual things must go aside from the crowd as He did.

“No man is secure in appearing abroad, but he would wittingly lie hid at home.”

“No man securely speaks but he who loves to hold his peace.”

“No man securely governs but he who would willingly live in subjection.”

“No man securely commands but he who has learned well to obey.”

“No man securely rejoiceth unless he has within him the testimony of a good conscience.”

Here is another we were taught from the Psalms IV:5.” Have compunction in thy chambers.”  Thus, if you would find compunction in your heart, retire into thy cell and shut out the tumult of the world.  Thus you shall find in thy cell what you shall often lose abroad.

Further we learn that that claustrophobic cell as we visit it often becomes welcoming and grows sweet, and will not stay tedious and distasteful for long.  Thus, later it becomes a friend, a haven to retire to when travails assail us.  In silence and quiet, we learn the secrets of our faith to guide us.

“There she finds floods of tears, with which she may wash and cleanse herself every night, that she may become the more familiar with her Maker, the farther she lives from all worldly tumult.” (Psalms VI)

From this fountainhead flows the valuable knowledge and wisdom we learn from the temporal things we encounter each day.

Thus, why do we desire or see the things that we cannot have, for “the world passeth away and the concupiscence thereof”.

The very strong urges of sensuality push us abroad, but what do they bring back home when the time comes?   Only heavy weight on conscience and dissipation of heart.

As they say, “a joyful going abroad often brings forth, a sorrowful coming home; and a merry evening makes a sad morning”.

So, man, the ball is in your court.

 

 

The Case for Social Interaction

A wise man once said  "As often as I have been among men, I have returned home a lesser man."(Seneca, Epist. VII)

A little review may enlighten us more about this quoted admonition.  An admonition that has hounded my personal efforts at improvement all these years.  The reason being that indeed I have noticed that the more I go out of myself and associate with other people, especially for reasons other than for worship or to commemorate or memorialize somber events like wakes or other milestones, I return to myself feeling lesser than the man that I was.  That those occasions have instead contributed to the loss of composure and focus on the things that count.

A time of earnest introspection has then become necessary to make careful assessment or needful repair caused by those unintended lapses, and which I now regularly adhere to.  As a matter of fact, before attending to such likely events if I really have to, I have had to prepare and condition my mind, heart, and efforts, so as not to lose my focus and resolves.

Social interaction has been a deep-rooted part of human nature, and as such it has greatly advanced over the years, so keenly evolved that man now finds it almost second nature.  Many now believe that he has to continually partake of it to live a committed and fulfilled life. We are conditioned to believe that it is in the company of other people that we find our way and salvation.

But referring to our timeless design we are taught that this is not the case.  While indeed it is a critical fragment of human nature, it is supposed to be practiced only if in so doing man himself derives benefits from it.  That is its intended design.  As a tool for man to use for his own salvation and to fulfill his deliverance.  The subject of abuse or over-use then could apply.

We have to learn to navigate through them, and the ways are legion, to find which are beneficial and which would be avoidable occasions that could work against one’s own spirituality. 

Community worship clearly is on example of voluntary gathering where people come together for commendable and inspired causes.  Christ himself had declared that where two or more of his devotees gather together in prayer He will be in their midst.   Thus, even during these pandemic times this community practice ought not be curtailed and ways should be explored where the faithful can continue with their faith practices and worship.

A lot of other coming together events however partake of pleasure and entertainment, and yes, mollifying relief, for the masses, like sports events, live entertainment, or the ever popular gatherings for gustatory delights, or even leisure travel.  These are clearly voluntary social interaction events that could work to the detriment of one’s inner peace and desired solitude.  While they provide temporary relief from our everyday lives of boring routines and the attention to ubiquitous problems of modern life, they could also open up to possibilities of over-use to the point of satiation or ennui.  

This is what is addressed by that admonition about gathering together.  It targets at being discriminating about which ones could work against one’s own salvation.