Friday, March 20, 2020

STUMBLING IN THE DARK

The many dimensions of darkness

As a child, I layawake at night, careful not to let my hand dangle over the edge of the bed, fearful that something under the bed might grab it. I didn’t really believe there was anything under my bed, but I could never be sure. It was a feeling – fear of the unknown.

As a college student I spent a week camping in the boundary waters of northern Minnesota. One night, I layon a rock outcropping near our campsite. All was dark except for the stars twinkling in the sky above. The only sound was that of water lapping at the edge of the lake. I lay there, suspended between earth and sky – floating. All was peaceful and quiet. Time stood still.

These days, I wake in the night. My surroundings seem briefly unfamiliar. I get out of bed, stumbling in the dark toward the bathroom.

These images of darkness come to mindas I consider our world. We stumble in the dark trying to find our way. We are bereft of the guideposts of the past – political ideologies, religious belief systems and cultural conventions. As in my childhood experience, we dare not expose ourselves beyond our comfort zones. The world is a fearful place filled with global threats and uncertainties.We fear the unknown, concerned that something might grab us and pull us under. We yearn for a place in the darkness where we can let down our guard and float free.

How can we retain or even rediscover our compassion for others and our moral guidance in this darkness?

Advice from a Mystic – passionate yearning – the dart of love and longing. 

At the beginning of the Renaissance, an anonymous fourteenth century mystic wrote a book, “The Cloud Of Unknowing,” i.

Six hundredyears later, the shift that began with the Renaissance is full blown. The industrial revolution has come and gone. We live in the Information Age. With cloning techniques we can duplicate living beings. Using this technology combined with 3D imaging we are close to creating body part replacements and machines that mimic human characteristics. Contemporary psychology and physiology have made the concepts and images of God obsolete for many. 

As we stumble in the dark, searching for moral grounding, the advice of this unknown mystic is strangely relevant. He tells us that all of our accumulated knowledge will never lead us to a higher moral standing. He advises that those dimensions of our existence that produce altruism are beyond our knowing. These dimensions can only be engaged by a passionate yearning, that he calls the dart of love and longing. 

This love has little to do with the sentimental love of TV sitcoms. This yearning is different from emotion. Emotions are transient feelings. (“Oh, what a beautiful flower.” “That was a really scary movie.”) Passion compels one to act. It becomes a central motivating force in one’s life.

Greta Thunberg,iia 17 year old Swedish climate activist, first learned about the climate crises when she was 8 years old. She convinced her family to lower their carbon footprint. As a 15 year old, she shamed representatives at a UN climate negotiations summit in Poland (COP24), telling them, "You are not mature enough to tell it like it is. Even that burden you leave to us children.” 

This is the passion the unknown mystic defined as the dart of love and longing. He insistedthat this is the only thing that can pierce the Cloud of Unknowing. In today’s language, the mystic is insisting that the existence or non-existence of God can never be described conceptually. The mystery can only be experienced from something deep within each of us that defies concepts.

Greta Thunberg is led by her passion into the Cloud of Unknowing. She put itwell when she said, “I don't care about being popular. I care about climate justice and the living planet." iii

Rev. William Barber II ivhas been on the forefront of actions for justice since he was a teenager. His passion led him to organize the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. Following in the foot steps of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Barber advocates for the disenfranchised of our world. By every reasonable measure, his efforts are bound to fail. He continues; motivated and energized by his passion.

John Kirvan put it this way, vWe are being asked to overcome our need to make sense, to set aside a perpetual pursuit of meaning, to overcome the driving character of our humanity, our intense need to understand. We are being asked to resist our very human efforts to capture God. Spirituality is never about understanding. It is always about “not understanding.“ It is about surrendering to mystery, to the unknown and the unknowable.vi

This surrender isn’t a “giving in” or an attitude of “Que Sera Sera,” (“Whatever will be will be.”) Rather it is like committing to an inner drive that makes no rational sense. Joseph Campbell referred to this dynamic when he advised, “Follow your bliss.” vii

John Kirvan continues, “The spirituality of “perfection“ that has so long dominated our lives—and intimidated them – has given way to a spirituality of desire, of longing, to a spirituality of “incompleteness and contradiction.“ A spirituality of restlessness. viii

When we are gripped by our passion, we are less controlled by theknowledge, insights and goals of the past. We are less reactive in terms of old hopes, hurts, angers, and motivations. The mystic names this state the Cloud of Forgetting. In more contemporary language, we might substitute ‘forgetting’ with the words, ‘detachment,’ ‘untangling’ or ‘freeing up.’ ix

When we are gripped by passion, we are torn between two poles. On the one hand, our passion pulls us into the unknown. At the same time, we are held back by fear and uncertainty. It is difficult to let go of old hopes, hurts, angers and motivations. We are often controlled by the dominant patterns of our culture. We want to continue as slaves to the knowledge, insights and goals of the past. The mystic terms this the Valley of Desire.

Desire,” like “love,” is easily misinterpreted. The word must be rescued from common societal definitions. “Desire” is more than idle dreams and wishes. (e.g. “I wish I could take a vacation in Hawaii.”) Also, “Desire” is not equivalent to lust, whether it be for sex, money, fame or power. John Kirvan writes, “Desire is not about satisfaction. It’s not about who you have been. It’s not about accomplishment. Desire is a focussed passion, a life force that centers our existence, that energizes our journey.“x

Most of us have experienced the Valley of Desire – this tension between fear and passion. For some it is the tension between wanting to be a good parent and the demands of work. Others are torn between the desire to achieve excellence in a field of endeavor and the need to lead a normal life.

The unknown mystic warns us that the Valley of Desire is filled with many risks.

Risks in the Valley of Desire

Fear of the Unknown

As with my childhood fear of dangling my hand outside the bed, we all experience night sweats. We worry about things that might hurt our family and those we love. We are troubled by uncertainties in our future. We agonize over global crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic. We stress about commitments we have made that feel like burdens. 

Stepping into the unknown is frightening. Metaphorically, it is like a tightrope walker stepping onto the wire, with no safety net. Even the stress of our present lives seems more desirable than this.

Cynicism

One of the greatest killers of my passion is cynicism. When things are tough we slide into a sneering “Know-It-All” self. We rant about those awful people and demonic institutions that are leading to our destruction. We step back from involvement. We become observers who know that catastrophes are inevitable no matter what we do.

Misplaced Faith

Misplaced Faith is tricky because it masquerades as passion. People imbedded in faith traditions, political frameworks or business environments are tempted to say, “I’ll put this in the hands of God, the party or the corporation.” They may also say, “God, the party or corporation will stand with me because I have been faithfully involved in the effort.” 

If we believe everything will be taken care of, we don’t have to get involved. If we believe that our every action is supported by a superior presence, we are free to act according to our established beliefs and practices. We assume they are condoned by a higher power. In either case we become part of the problem. We justify wars and oppression. We join the crowd, and shout, “God bless America!”

Regrets

We all have regrets or feelings of guilt about past actions or inactions. I regret I wasn’t more available to my family when our children were young. These regrets pull us into the past. They dampen our passion and leave us angry, depressed, stressed and restless. 

Addictive Compulsions 

Addictive compulsions can be mistaken for passion. The major difference between the two is that addictive compulsions are exclusive, while passion is inclusive. 

I am a recovering work-o-holic. I am ashamed to admit that I once said, “I will choose God even at the expense of my family.” This was my work-o-holism speaking. I was caught in a compulsive attempt to earn love and validation. My addictive drive to promote justice caused me to neglect my family. It finally drove me to burnout through chronic fatigue syndrome.

Passion – the dart of love and longing

I am beginning to experience the passion described by the unknown mystic. This is not some radical conversion where my life is completely reoriented. It’s more like a dream image that hovers in the background. Sometimes, it draws me forward with real power. At other times it is almost obscured by everyday cares, concerns and hopes. 

I am changing. I am less affected by the constant stream of chatter that tells me to fear this or hate that. Bit-by-bit my compulsions are diminishing. I am discovering a deeper love for my family even as my passion for justice remains.

I appreciate the unknown mystic’s insistence that all our accumulated knowledge will never allow us to step into the unknown. The only way is through the passion of love and longing. The Cloud of Unknowing surrounds us in mystery. 

It reminds me of what happens when we see a small child in danger. We risk ourselves in an instant with no thought of the outcome. The passion of which the mystic speaks is like that. Only it persists. When we are guided by our passion, we become vulnerable. In this vulnerability there is strength.

Originally, I hoped that my journey would allow me to rest in darkness, just as I rested by the lake those many years ago. There are times when I do experience this peace. It is not the norm. 

The passion of which the mystic speaks, causes pain, sorrow and anguish as we grow in our concern for others. We move forward into the unknown doing what we can, using all our intellect, experience and wisdom. As with adults racing toward endangered children, we can’t predict the outcome of our endeavors. We are simply compelled to act. 

A personal insight

I will close with a personal insight. As I stumble forward in my own darkness, I am more sensitive to my personal yearnings and losses. Rather than following my addictive compulsions, in a desperate effort to fill that empty space in my heart, I am beginning to engage that emptiness. 

When I was four years old, my father was killed in an auto accident which seriously injured my mother, my three year old sister and me. Part of the emptiness in my heart is a yearning for the love and nurture of my dad during those early years of my youth. This was taken from me. Recently, during my meditation, I had the palpable image of walking beside my father, holding his hand. Something of this mysterious image comforts me. I am grateful.

A glimmer of hope

These are difficult times. We stumble in the dark, haunted by fear and uncertainty. We are prone to manipulation by those who play on our fears and sow distrust for personal gain. 

There is hope. I am convinced that each of us has experienced, however briefly, the passion described by the unknown mystic. Allow yourself to engage this passion. Sit with it. Let it grow. Take some tentative steps following it. 

We may never be as well known as Greta Thunberg or Rev. William Barber II. We need to remember that it isn’t about fame and fortune. As we live into our passion, our lives will make a difference. I invite you to join me as we stumble in the darkness of these times.
Stumbling In The Dark
https://www.facebook.com/cdpfeifer/posts/10159564483564745?notif_id=1584732774440262&notif_t=feedback_reaction_genericStumbling In The Dark
i“There is a God. There Is No God: A Companion for the Journey of Unknowing” by John Kirvan
iiiibid
ivhttps://time.com/5784068/william-barber-ii-faith-injustice/
v“There is a God. There Is No God: A Companion for the Journey of Unknowing” by John Kirvan (p. 97)
viJoseph Campbell put it this way, “Follow your bliss.”
viii“There is a God. There Is No God: A Companion for the Journey of Unknowing” by John Kirvan (p.42)
ixIbid. (p 60)
xIbed. (p 57 ff)

Saturday, February 1, 2020

A DREAM UNFULFILLED

I began writing this reflection on Martin Luther King day while at a coffee shop near my home. Sitting there, I was overwhelmed by memories of past MLK day celebrations when I was heavily involved as the director of Madison Urban Ministry (MUM).I remembered noon commemorations at the State Capitol with nationally known speakers; evening celebrations honoring local persons with the MLK award; free breakfasts at a local college where people from different backgrounds sat together. Those were the days!

As I age, I lack the energy of my younger years. I am no longer at the center of these activities. This year l spent Dr. King’s holiday with my wife and daughter taking my grandson to the top of the Prudential Center where he could view the city from this lofty perch. 

I miss my active involvement in thework for justice. The yearning for the lost energy of my youth is deepened by the realization that our nation is regressing in its commitment to liberty and justice for all. We are torn by internal fears and hatreds that distract us from our deep human potential. 

The political establishment makes a mockery of the constitutional checks and balances. Unscrupulous people manipulate the population through fear tactics. We place children in detention centers, separated from their parents, perhaps permanently. Public officials dehumanize people with dark skin and immigrants. Politicians dismantle the safety net of food, housing, job and educational programs with little justification, other than the fact these programs were designed by political opponents. 

There is a mean spiritedness in our country which makes a mockery of the inscription on the Statue of liberty.i

Having said this, I realize it is easy to romanticize the accomplishments of past civil rights movements. We recite the lofty ideals of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speechiiignoring his “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” iiiand his “Beyond Vietnamspeech ivin which he broadened his criticism to include US foreign policy. This speech, coupled with the “Poor Peoples March” vwhich challenged structural racism in the north, turned public opinion against him and against the movement with which he was identified.

It is also important to remember that the period from the 50’s to the 70’s included the Vietnam war; the antiwar protest movement; the assassinations of Dr. King, Jack Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy; the FBI efforts to discredit Dr. King and the civil rights movement; the nuclear arms race with MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction); and the Cuban missile crisis.

I mention these facts, not to minimize the present threat, but to emphasize the fact that we also faced dire threats during the earlier civil rights era. 

I am increasingly convinced that Dr. King’s warning in his Vietnam speech, at Riverside Church, was on target. He said:

When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.vi

Rep. Adam Shiff in his closing testimony during the impeachment trial onThursday, January 23, 2020 echoed similar concerns when he said:

If right doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter how good the constitution is. The framers could not protect us from ourselves if right and truth don’t matter. And you know what he [Trump] did was not right. That’s what they do in the old country ... that my great-grandfather came from or the old country that my ancestors came from, or maybe where you came from. If right and truth don’t matter,we are lost,”

I have spent my life promoting inclusiveness and nonviolent means for settling conflicts. I have encouraged people to live lives motivated by love, wisdom and compassion. As I mature, I realize that the world is not perfectible. It’s more like we are on a treadmill. We need to work just to keep from sliding backwards into earlier regressive traits.

I am not surprised that discrimination, violence, fear and hatred are still with us. I assume they will be with us into the foreseeable future. The civil rights victories that we celebrate on MLK day, are only temporary accomplishments in an ongoing struggle. 

Dr. King had a premonition that he would not live to see his dream fulfilled. When he preached his last sermon in Memphis on April 3, 1968, the day before his assassination, he stated:

Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody I would like to live a long life. Longevity has it's place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land. So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

What does that mean for those of us who are concerned about justice?  How are we to persevere in the face of dynamics that counter our deepest beliefs knowing that we may never see our dreams fulfilled? How can we maintain the struggle when the religious and moral restraints in our society are in decline? What is required of us if we are to continue the struggle for love, compassion and justice? How can we develop within ourselves a centeredness that minimizes the natural tendency to be triggered by the manipulation of others. (See my November Blog Post, “The Price of Fear.”) vii

The civil rights leaders in the 60’s and 70’s addressed this same concern when they admonished one another to “keep your eyes on the prize.” If we respond to hatred with hatred - anger with anger - all is lost.

I find the words of Joseph Campbell viiihelpful in this regard. This first statement is one of his most quoted admonitions: 

Quote #1

He explained why this works when he stated in this second quote:
Quote #2

Finally, in this third quote he stated:
Quote #3
Joseph Campbell’s words are not rocket science. Like many wisdom statements, they are simple to enuciate but difficult to accomplish. I will comment a bit further on his statements below:
  1. (Quote #1) It takes a good deal of introspection to discover what makes one deeply happy. As with addictive patterns, the things we crave – alcohol, drugs, food, sex, power, fame and fortune - mask deeper authentic yearnings of which we are unaware. These include our need for love, acceptance and a sense of self worth. These can’t be obtained by frantically chasing after them. They must come from within. Once we have discovered these deeper needs we will be open to what makes us truly happy.
  1. (Quote #2) Many of us spend our lives chasing goals and self definitions that are determined by family or cultural expectations. When we do this, we may reach the end of our lives without really having lived. This is why we burn out. Our “living” becomes work; driving us to anger, hatred and cynicism.
  1. (Quote #3) Engaging our bliss doesn’t just happen. We need a “place of creative incubation” where we can discover and bring forth who we are and what we might be. We need to commit to a practice were we regularly return to this place even when nothing seems to be happening. For some, this place and practice involves meditation in its many forms. For others it is sitting quietly in nature allowing it to speak. For some, it involves exploring what dreams have to teach us. Still others find this space in reading scriptures or other spiritual writings. I’m sure you can add to this list. 
I can’t overemphasize the need for some regular practice as we live our lives promoting love, compassion and justice. Such a practice helps us grow in wisdom. If you find it difficult to be alone in solitude, as suggested above, join with others in meditation or some other group activity. This can take place in a religious/spiritual community or in secular communities. This could even be built into the reflection portion of action/reflection among activists as was done during the earlier civil rights groups.

Whether you engage in these practices individually or communally, you will discover your authentic self. This self knowledge will stabilize and sustain you in the face of adversity. You will discover a deep certainty in who you are and what it means to be truly alive.

The issues Dr. King and other civil rights leaders faced, continue to plague us. If we don’t heed the wisdom of people like Joseph Campbell, our efforts to promote justice, love and compassion will, not only fail; but they will contribute to more violence and divisions in an already violent and divisive world.

I will close with quote from Joseph Campbell that gives me hope:

Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.”

    "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming   shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”.
ii     https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/i-have-dream-address-delivered-march-washington-jobs-and-freedom
iii   https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/Letter_Birmingham_Jail.pdf
iv   https://ratical.org/ratville/JFK/MLKapr67.html
v    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_People%27s_Campaign
vi   See footnote #4 above
vii  https://drchuckpfeifer.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-price-of-fear.html
viii https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell

Monday, November 4, 2019

THE PRICE OF FEAR

Some may find my thought in this blog disturbing. Please remember these posts are intended to promote reflection and discussion. They are not intended as dogmatic statements of belief.

We took our grandson to see the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) in early August. He brought a model of the ship that he and and his mom made out of plastic soda bottles and duct tape, with thread for the rigging, wooden dowels for the masts and plastic for the sails. It was quite impressive. As we walked among crowds of tourists from all over the world, parents pointed out the wonderful model to their children. Some asked to take pictures. One little boy told us that he and his dad were going to make a model of Old Ironsides when he got older. 

Tragically, that same weekend in Dayton Ohio and El Paso Texas, armed gunmen killed 31 people and wounded more than 50 in mass shootings. If those shooters had chosen the site of Old Ironsides, we could have been among those killed or wounded.

What is wrong with our nation? In one place people of all ages and races gather peacefully. Elsewhere, armed men kill and maim those who are not like themselves? 

After the shootings, James Comey (director of the FBI from 2013-2017) spoke prophetically in an open letter to President Trump.iMr. Comey used the metaphor of a nuclear reactor.

In part his letter read: 

America has long had a radioactive racist soup in the center of our national life. Donald Trump thinks he is stirring it for political benefit. He’s actually doing something more dangerous. For much of our history, the soup was deadly and uncontained, spewing radiation that led to the enslavement, terrorization, murder and oppression of African-Americans.”

Yet something good happened over the last 50 years. We erected a containment building made up of laws; we passed statutes making the abuse and mistreatment of people by virtue of their race a crime. More important, we began enforcing the laws we already had.” 

But the containment building of law was only part of the solution. Radioactivity lasts for centuries and it can still blow the lid off the building; true safety lies in control rods, pushed down into the soup to calm it, to cool it. Those control rods in America were cultural.”

Today, the control rods are being lifted. With each racist assault — on a judge, an athlete, a country, a member of Congress, or a city ... our president allows the stew to boil and radiate more dangerously. Only fools believe they can ride the gamma rays of hate.”

James Comey's remarks have broad implications. They apply, not only to Donald Trump, but to all of us. Anyone - conservative, liberal, right, left, religious or none – anyone who uses fear and hatred to promote their cause is subject to Mr. Comey's criticism. If we sow hatred and violence we will reap the consequences in tragedies like the shootings in early August. 

There is a deeper pattern in humanity that gives rise to this “radioactive soup.” It is related to the primitive fight-or flight response buried deep in the brain of all vertebrates. 

We all have experienced it. I remember when a driver passed and cut in front of me on the freeway. In a burst of animal frenzy, I floored the accelerator in an attempt to race past him. Soon after, I was ashamed. Something other than my conscious self had dominated my reaction. 

The fight-or-flight responseoccurs when we perceive a harmful eventattack, or threat to our survival.”iiIt is activated by the amygdala at the base of the brain stem. This triggers thesympathetic nervous system, that acts largely unconsciously and releases adrenaline into the blood stream. If the perceived threat persists, cortisol, a more potent stimulant is released. Chronic activation of the stress response can give rise to hyper-stimulation which is triggered more easily and often. This causes many body symptoms when triggered.iiiIt is like driving your car with the engine always revving. Eventually, the engine wears out.

When the threat is passed, the parasympathetic nervous systemactivates the "rest and digest" response and returns the body to equilibrium. This was when I “returned to my senses.” I felt remorse and embarrassment for my actions on the highway.

Early humanoids operated in small family units or tribes. Those who survived, learned that fear, triggering the fight-or-flight response, was a necessary adaptation. Like other animals,ivour ancient ancestors learned fear from personal experience, observing others and from tribal elders. They also learned to distrust members of other tribes. 

This evolutionary advantage of distrusting other tribes has a down side. We humans have an innate distrust of those who are different from us. The fear response, at it's core, is learned from tribe mates. It is uninformed, illogical and can turn violent because tribal stories and ideologies do not engage the rational and empathetic abilities of our brains.v

One of the earliest civilizations with historical records, arose (2000-1600 BCE) among Sumerian and Babylonian tribes in Mesopotamia (the area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers). Here, collective stories about how to survive danger took on mythic proportions in the story of Tiamat and Marduk which Walter Wink called the Myth of Redemptive Violence.viAccording to this myth, the god, Marduk killed his mother, the goddess Tiamat who represented chaos. He then created the world out of her bloody body.. 

Walter Wink claimed that this ancient myth, not Judaism, Christianity or Islam. is still the dominant myth or religion in our modern world.This myth is largely invisible because domination and killing seem to be “what works.” According to this myth, humankind didn't originate evil. Evil is a given in our world. 

Wink continues: 

Our origins are divine, to be sure, since we are made from a god, but from the blood of an assassinated god. We are the outcome of deicide.... the Myth of Redemptive Violence is the story of the victory of order over chaos by means of violence. It is the ideology of conquest, the original religion of the status quo. The gods favour those who conquer... The common people exist to perpetuate the advantage that the gods have conferred upon the king, the aristocracy, and the priesthood. Religion exists to legitimate power and privilege. Life is combat.... Peace through war, security through strength: these are the core convictions that arise from this ancient historical religion, and they form the solid bedrock on which the Domination System is founded in every society.vii

Wink goes on to warn that we are programming our children through social media.Any story with “good guys” defeating “bad guys” promotes this myth. Eventually, redemptive violence becomes addictive. Violence is no longer a means to the higher good. It is the end.viii

This is what lies beneath the “radioactive racist soup in the center of our national life.” Donald Trump, as well as both political parties, are fueling fear and hate as a means of maintaining political control. These promote regressive trends through which each of us is governed, not by empathy and logic, but by the attitudes of our tribe which are uninformed, illogical and tend toward violence.Any religious belief system, political ideology, or personal ethic that demonizes the “other” is complicit in this process.

We fear and hate people who are different. We trust those like us. Our nation is incapacitated by divisions among its people which divert us from larger issues: depletion of plant and animal species; global warming and gross disparities among peoples of the world. 

Happily, there is more to the story. The evolution of human consciousness took a giant step forward during the Axial Age (800 - 200 BCE).ixDuring this time, the world religions came into being. People began to turn away from merely appeasing tribal or civic deities. toward speculation about “The Good” and how human beings can be “good.” They contemplated the cosmos and the way it works rather than taking for granted that it works. 

The primitive, fear driven Myth of Redemptive Violence was no longer the only force affecting human actions. It was directly challenged by the Biblical myth of Genesis.xThis myth depicted a good God who creates a good creation. Chaos does not resist order. Evil enters the picture later through the disobedience of Adam and Eve who are tempted by the serpent.xi
Humans were challenged to make moral decisions about good and evil. As part of this evolution, religious communities formed who were less fear driven, more motivated by empathy. For centuries the affects of the Axial Age established moral principles for humanity.

The affects of Christianity in Greece and Italy were obvious when Jean and I had the privilege of traveling to these countries. We were awed by the magnificent cathedrals filled with art like that of Michaelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I was intrigued by little altars along the roads in Greece honoring people who had died. 

Humanity benefitted from the advances in consciousness of the Axial Age (AAI) for nearly two millenia. 

Beginning in the mid-18thcentury, traditionally Christian societies became more secularized. Secularization was influenced by the Renaissance, the Reformation, religious wars, geographic explorations, the development of natural sciences and rationalistic philosophy.xii

The vision of a person's role in the world changed.xiiiIn addition to preparing for the afterlife, people actively participated in organizing and shaping the social order based on the rational, objective, demystified ‘natural laws’ of the Universe. This transition was escalated after WWI when people questioned whether or not history had any direction and purpose. 

Today, the affects of the original Axial Age continue to wane. The Christian Church as a major influence in stabilizing the moral standards of the western world is in decline, particularly among the young.xivThere is now no consistent ethical base for our societal norms. 

Politicians, corporate leaders, and other powerful people are no longer limited by social attitudes that promote fair play, justice and compassion. They play on our fears and invent their own rules to enhance their wealth and power. The situation is further destabilized by the technology explosion that is leaving people feeling isolated, alone and fearful.xvAll the while, humankind is menaced by the triple threats of climate change, decimation of plant and animal species and global economic inequities.xvi

This coming epoch may indeed require a spiritual maturity and consciousness well beyond that of our present species. I am hopeful that the transition we are experiencing is a second-axial-awakening. The new axis for this awakening may well be “the human being-in-the-world.” 

I catch glimpses of this possibility in friends who are no longer gripped by the Truths of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Still their hearts glow with a love for other human beings, and their lives are energized by a passion for justice.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor who left the safety of America to return to Nazi Germany. He led the Confessing Church in opposition to the evils of the Third Reich. He was captured, imprisoned and eventually martyred. He presaged our coming age when he wrote about religionless Christianity in his “Letters and Papers From Prison.” I will close with three quotes from his writings.

We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.” 

The same God who is with us is the God who forsakes us (Mark 15:34“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me”). The same God who makes us to live in the world without the working hypothesis of God is the God before whom we stand continually. Before God, and with God, we live without God.” 

The world come of age is more god-less and perhaps, just because of that, closer to God than the world not yet come of age.”
We must carry on in these confusing times. We do make a difference.

iihttps://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety/stress-response.shtml
iiihttps://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety/hyperstimulation.shtml
ivhttps://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-neuroscientist-explains-how-politicians-and-the-media-use-fear-to-make-us-hate-without-thinking-2019-07-18
vihttp://www2.goshen.edu/~joannab/women/wink99.pdf
viiIbid.
viiiIbid.
ixThe Axial Age/ 5 Fast Facts | Britannica.com
xThere may be parallels in other great religious/spiritual/moral traditions. But I don't feel qualified to comment on these. Furthermore I am speaking primarily about changes in the Western world.
xihttp://www2.goshen.edu/~joannab/women/wink99.pdf
xiiiIbid.
xivhttps://news.gallup.com/poll/248837/church-membership-down-sharply-past-two-decades.aspx
xvhttps://www.pewinternet.org/2018/04/17/concerns-about-the-future-of-peoples-well-being/
xvihttp://theconversation.com/the-hypodermic-effect-how-propaganda-manipulates-our-emotions-94966

Blog Archive