Interesting. HvB must have stumbled upon MOTT at the time he was working on the Theo-Drama, because volume III begins with a quote by Unknown Friend. It has to do with the idea that the Christian message makes no sense to those who worship only wisdom or power rather than the God of freedom and love.
Come to think of it, I should really try to weave in some of the Theo-Drama while we're discussing the Theo-Logic, since I'm currently well into the former, and it's more on my mind. It is full of provocative and paradoxical insights that I don't think I'll be able to assimilate until I've gotten to the end of the series, or the "last act" of the play.
Just the idea of God's revelation being a drama that unfolds through time is pregnant with meaning. For example, HvB compares the Father to the author of the play, the latter of whom is always "transcendent" to his work, very much like the Dreamer of your dreams. In order to make the play come to life, it will require actors, a stage, and a director. While realizing the inadequacy of the analogy, HvB compares "the God-man with the play's hero and the divine Spirit with the director."
But what about us? Well, on the one hand, we are the audience. But this is an unusual play -- you know, one of those postmodern ones that breaks the rules of drama -- in that the "fourth wall" of the stage is transgressed: "man is startled out of his spectator's seat and dragged onto the 'stage'; the distinction between stage and auditorium becomes fluid, to say the least."
For example, what's happening right at this moment? Am I writing about the theo-drama? Or am I now a participant on the stage? What about you? How did we get here? This is not my beautiful house. Water dissolving... and water removing. Into the blue again, into the silent water. Under the rocks and stones, there is water underground.
Who could disagree? Speaking of once in a lifetime pop references, HvB's erudition is at times off-putting, because it seems to literally be the case that he has seen, memorized, and interpreted every great drama that has ever been staged, from the ancient Greeks to 20th century masters such as Eugene O'Neill or Bertold Brecht, and everything in between. And not just the major works, but all of them. Which is fine. The problem is, he's constantly making reference to these, as if the mere mortal is supposed to be able to make sense of what he's referring to. I won't bore you with examples.
Where did the man find the time to attend the theatre every night? Because on top of that, he is also thoroughly familiar with every novel, every painting, every poet, every theologian, and every philosopher. He talks about a fine point of Hegel or Heidegger in the way you or I might talk about David Byrne or the Talking Heads or the Honeymooners or Gilligan's Island.
Then I realized. We simply are what we are exposed to, and that is what he spent his life being exposed to. You know the old crack, "the soul is all it knows." He probably didn't do anything special. He just never spent a moment watching sports on TV, playing video games, or listening to Boss Radio KHJ in the 1960s.
Since I did the latter -- obsessively -- I know more musical trivia from 1965-1973 than any other person I've ever met. I didn't "try" to memorize it. It's just that especially when you're young, your mind is truly a sponge that sops up everything in sight, with no participation of the will. Indeed, I've long since forgotten the things I "tried" to remember in school. Who knows what the soul will remember and use to develop and articulate itself?
We have no control over the cultural environment into which we are born, so we are placed in the position of using whatever materials are at hand to guide us through our soul journey. Again, we all must identify the people and objects we need in order to find and articulate our true self. But is it possible to do this with "low culture," so to speak, not just the immortals -- the Shakespeares, Dantes, Bachs, and all the rest?
I hope so! After all, Jesus was not a "cultured" man. This is obviously a critical point, for one of the most provocative elements of the Theo-Drama is that God should cast such a lowborn "nobody from nowhere" in the lead role. He didn't choose a prince, a scholar, a religious authority, or an affluent man with the leisure to attend the latest works of Seneca the Younger. You know what they say: nothing cool comes out of Nazareth.
Nor was anything groovy supposed to come out of Liverpool, or Hibbing, or Hoboken, but I don't think we would have ever had the Beatles, Sinatra, or Dylan if they had grown up in London, or Beverly Hills, or the upper east side of Manhattan. Not to romanticize material and cultural impoverishment, but I think the creative genius can take just about anything and turn it into art, whereas many more privileged people can take any cultural treasure and turn it into kitsch. Look what Pinch has done with the New York Times, or Obama to the Constitution.
Is this post going anywhere? What is my point? Take the example of Lileks. Look at how he is able to take so many seemingly worthless cultural artifacts that nobody notices, and elevate them to some kind of weird transcendence. How does he do it?
Simple. The man is a genius, and when stuff gets filtered through a genius, it somehow gets elevated beyond itself. This is the secret of the great blues musicians -- Howlin' Wolf, or Muddy Water, or John Lee Hooker. Sure, it looks simple, but you try turning three chords and a tapping foot into transcendent art. Creedence Clearwater is "simple." But if you think simple is easy, let's see you produce a perfect song such as Born on the Bayou.
So I was thinking along these lines the other day in contemplating HvB's freakish erudition. Then it dawned on me that I know as much as he does, except that it's all different stuff. But I don't go around tossing out all of these bobscure references that I know no one else will get. Sure, I could talk about the fine points of the cult classic of sunshine pop by the Yellow Balloon, but what would be the point? I could go on and on about the twin telecaster and freight train rhythm of the Buckaroos, but how many readers are connoisseurs of the Bakersfield Sound? I could talk all day about the healing powers of Liquored Up & Lacquered Down by Southern Culture on the Skids, but who else would know what I'm talking about?
So I am a cultured man. It's just that I take culture where I find it, and try to Bobtize it, which is all a man can do. In fact, this is what I was trying to do in the Coonifesto -- see p. 298, footnote 6.
All right. Enough of that. Back to serious business, The Administration of Truth. How's this for starters: "God does not wish to be in sole charge of the truth but appoints human beings to be his joint administrators." How do we know this? Because we can know and administer truth, that's how. To be shattered by truth can never be a "neutral" experience, devoid of any moral imperative. Rather, it seems that to know truth always carries with it the responsibility to tell -- and even "be" -- truth. How strange!
But even the leftist is aware of this meta-truth -- for example, in their absurd self-flattery about "speaking truth to power." Of course it's not true, but they believe it is true, again because this is what truth does: it speaks down to power. But not just any power. Rather, it speaks to -- and convicts -- purely worldly power. But since the left is all about worldly power, the best thing we can say about them is that they are a bunch of spiritual perverts sitting on a park bench, eyeing little girls with bad intent and watching the frilly panties run.
Because man is spirit, he "must bear witness to truth." One way or the other, you could say that man is condemned to truth -- either embracing it or fleeing from it. But "embrace" is a misleading term, for that subtly implies "containment," which is something we can never do. Rather, we can only "open" and surrender to truth, which comes at us from all directions: from deep within ourselves, from others, from the world, and from God. We must be open to all of these sources, and somehow metabolize them into a living unity.
And none of this can take place in the absence of freedom, which is again why the left is such a deathly caricature of liberalism. Statism and political correctness are death to truth, or simply death for short. Truth can only be spiritually "disclosed," not coerced by the state or culture. We must bear free witnesses to truth, not be compelled to give only a preconceived testimony on the witless stand of political correctness.
I would go even further: in the absence of the God of love, it is not possible to sincerely embrace and disclose truth, for a whole host of reasons. After all, there is a reason why we have people swear on the Bible in a court of law. Why not have scientists do the same? For if a scientist were to swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, he might be far more circumspect in his grandiose truth claims.
Yes, for the benefit of readers in Rio Linda, that was a rhetorical point. But HvB is perfectly accurate when he says that "The mouth of falsehod can be dripping with individual truths; it can build up astoundingly, flawlessly coherent systems. But, detached from the fundamental movement of love, even these formally correct propositions serve falsehood, and their 'truth' only helps to multiply it."
Folks, love it or hate it, that's what you always get here at One Cosmos: my honest testimony, to which I swear on a stack of Van Morrison CDs.
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31 comments:
spiritual perverts sitting on a park bench, eyeing little girls with bad intent and watching the frilly panties run. Heh - sounds like my ride on the local light rail yesterday. Well, except that I wasn't wearing frilly panties.
Not for nothing was Jethro Tull the inventor of the seed drill.
Ah, but who are Gerald "Little Milton" Brastock, Elizabeth Reed, and Doctor Winston O. Boogie?
Wow, that is obscure - if you google Gerald "Little Milton" Bradstock, only one result pops up. :D
Again, we all must identify the people and objects we need in order to find and articulate our true self. But is it possible to do this with "low culture," so to speak, not just the immortals -- the Shakespeares, Dantes, Bachs, and all the rest?This parallels a line of thought I've been mulling over lately, having to do with Abhishiktananda's view that renunciation - particularly silence and solitude - is the key to the spiritual life. There's obviously truth to that, since almost all of the people to whom we can look for guidance were monastic types from one faith or another, but what good does that do for us, who really don't have the option of hanging out in a cave for days, weeks or months at a time? There has to be a way for ordinary people living ordinary lives to still respond to the call. Of course, the answer is the raccoon way, essentially, but it does highlight the fact that it seems we've chosen (or been chosen) to do things the hard way.
(And as an aside, what's up with my paragraph spaces disappearing? That's the third time it's happened. I haven't misplaced my "return" button. Is anyone else having this problem?)
Julie -
>> . . monastic types from one faith or another, but what good does that do for us, who really don't have the option of hanging out in a cave for days, weeks or months at a time?<<
I think the places of sanctuary, the caves and grottos in which the monastics seek silence and solitude are, in effect, symbols for the rest of us. After all, the monastics, those high-wire-walking daredevils, are symbols themselves. To be such a symbol, such an embodiment of spiritual archetype, is a particular calling and a particular service to the world.
In a way, these folks *dramatize* the calling to which we all should take heed. In much the same way, myths of dragon-killers dramatize the spiritual struggle in which we are engaged, ie., overcoming our material/animal natures. The difference between the dragon-killer and the monastic is that the latter lives out the myth *in the flesh*.
In any event, it's the "inner cave" in which most of us find silence and solitude.
My Bad. Bostock, not Bradstock.
Julie - Yes. Blogger has temporarily gone stupid over the past several days...
"The mouth of falsehood can be dripping with individual truths; it can build up astoundingly, flawlessly coherent systems. But, detached from the fundamental movement of love, even these formally correct propositions serve falsehood, and their 'truth' only helps to multiply it."Here in the spiders' age of the world wide web, the equivalent of a can of Raid gets you branded as an extremist. True symbols are tarped over or replaced or usurped. It's a time to monitor distraction and to cleave to the True. It gets harder to live in this world every day, but easier too, as the things that don't remain are let go.
I just refreshed before posting - Will said it better. Back to the inner cave...
Will - indeed, and beautifully elucidated.
When it all comes down to it, finding silence and solitude in that inner cave is both the simplest (in concept) and most difficult (in execution) thing to do, what with the cacophony in there. And that's no doubt true whether one is living in a solitary cave or in cramped quarters with a multitude of people.
Back to the first tangent (I'm slow on the uptake today), Aqualung does pretty well describe the apparent inner state of the guy who was hitting on me yesterday (a younger version of the old man in the song, perhaps)... it was certainly one of the more surreal conversations I've had lately.
"The mouth of falsehod can be dripping with individual truths; it can build up astoundingly, flawlessly coherent systems. But, detached from the fundamental movement of love, even these formally correct propositions serve falsehood, and their 'truth' only helps to multiply it."Here, for instance, is an artist with true skill and talent. His craftsmanship is quite marvelous. His message, so exquisitely jaded and vile. It balances on the artistic high wire of edginess between disturbingly funny and just plain disturbing; funny, because it's true (if you view American culture as filtered through the lens of leftism). Or bitterly ironic, because it's true (as a mockery of the leftist perception of American culture). But either way, deeply disturbing.
I bet he sells a lot of these, and gets invited to all the right parties.
In my life I have met a handful of people - male and female - who I have regarded as truly superior spiritually and from whom I learned important lessons. Not a one of them was a hermit, or an ascetic or lived in a monastary.
One was a cabinet maker with a wife and children. He was and I assume still is a humble, generous and kind man who gives of himself freely to others with no thought of personal reward or recognition.
One is a man with a degree in hospital administration who is now disabled with Parkinson's disease and a moderate heart condition. He is one of the sweetest, most generous men I have seen. He is God-centered and has devoted himself to family, friends and neighbors with no thought of personal reward or recognition. He serves many hours a week in his church working with both members and non-members giving material assistance and comfort where he can. His wife is no less an exemplar than he is.
Another is a man who measures his wealth in the hundreds-of-millions of dollars (which he earned without benefit of a college degree). He has given freely to provide for others less fortunate, always attempting to maintain anonymity (those to whom he has given haven't always kept it a secret). He has paid rent and mortgage payments sometimes for many months, provided groceries over periods of weeks and months, paid medical bills and even bailed out the government of the small town where he lives when they were about to default on some loans (without asking for or recieving repayment). He worked long hours for his church and for his community always quietly and without thought of recognition. He is a man who prays, fasts, studies scripture and seeks revelation Last time I saw him he lived with his wife in a four bedroom home on a few acres of land in central California.
I suppose I could go on but I think I have made the point. There are saintly people in our midst. They are quiet, humble and God-centered. Finding one is a very good thing. Whether they can expound learnedly on esoteric religion or not I do not know (though the man with Parkinson's and his wife are both definitely seekers who have received revelation and insight). But being able to observe and learn from them is a priviledge.
I'm thinking the formerly obscure Susan Boyle is, if not a saint, per se, then a pretty good example of a life spiritually well-lived. Stayed home to take care of her aging mom, etc.
That she should suddenly find renown - perhaps a harbinger of the Parousia, the time when the "last shall be the first"?
Cory,
There are saintly people in our midst. They are quiet, humble and God-centered.
That's an excellent point, and I stand duly corrected. For my part, I can't honestly say I've known personally anyone who stands out as you've described - not because they haven't been there, I believe, but because in all likelihood I did not (and maybe do not yet) have eyes to see them. I am dreadfully nearsighted with no small amount of corneal corruption, and it's only recently that I've acquired the correct prescription to address this problem. It requires much more than mere lenses and lasers to adequately resolve. But a sound schooling in wisdom is most efficacious; thank you.
“…the Christian message makes no sense to those who worship only wisdom or power rather than the God of freedom and love.”
“…it seems that to know truth always carries with it the responsibility to tell -- and even "be" -- truth.”
"...in the absence of the God of love, it is not possible to sincerely embrace and disclose truth."
Today’s post led me to the Apostle Peter’s 2nd recorded missive. Speaking of cultured, Pete was the first of a number of "refined white trash" fishermen that the Carpenter chose to hang out with.
"...His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
...he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature...
...make every effort to add
to your faith goodness;
to goodness, knowledge;
to knowledge, self-control;
to self-control, perseverance;
to perseverance, godliness;
to godliness, mutual affection; and
to mutual affection, love.
...if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ...
Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them... I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder..."
On Susan Boyle and beauty.
We now have to put the space in before we close the Italics tag.
One of the few things I actually know is that if there were not a few saints scattered among the mass of mankind this earth would truly be a hell.
Another thing I know is that saints never think of themselves as such. Those who know God know where real holiness lies and would never elevate themselves above even the lowliest of their fellows.
If you are like me you have, at one time or another, had grandiose thoughts about yourself. And if you are fortunate you will have had these knocked out of your head either by circumstances and actions that demonstrate clearly that you are certainly no holy man or by the object lesson of encountering a man or woman who really IS living a truly righteous life and thus having your own silly pride thrust right in your face because your self image suffers so much by comparison. Sort of like thinking you can sing then hearing a Susan Boyle.
God bless all.
There are saints, and there are prophets. Though I suspect that if there were more of the former, we wouldn't need the latter. All the more reason to strive to be open to the truth.
[T]he saints are the authentic interpreters of the theo-drama. Their knowledge, lived out in dramatic existence, must be regarded as setting a standard of interpretation not only for the life-dramas of individuals but ultimately for the "history of freedom" of all the nations and of all mankind. --HvB
An acquaintance of St. Francis once asked him if he considered himself a saintly man, to which St. Francis replied, Lord no, I am the worst of sinners. And he said this with an utter and utterly resigned conviction.
I think spiritual attainment means, among other things, an ever-dawning awareness of one's spiritual failings; and the more one attains spiritually, the more those failings and weaknesses become evident to the consciousness. The weight of our impurity and what that impurity really means becomes all too clear to us.
I don't think we can ever escape spiritual failure in this life. It's useless to bemoan the fact that there are some weaknesses we cannot entirely overcome. We do, however, have to continue to try and transcend them. It's the struggle that matters, the willing sacrifice - that's the thing for which we will be called to account.
"I don't think we can ever escape spiritual failure in this life."
I agree 10000000% with the above Will. . . Not of our own will-power. No, never.
Unless and until kundalini Shakti/Holy Spirit has its way with us, there's no way, no how we can ascend into God-union.
Theofilia
Or is that the Spirit Shakti/Holy kundalini?
Hmmmm.
Oh well.
An activated Kundalini can prove to be a lifetime purgatorial process, depending on the degree of the awakening.
And - depending on the degree of the awakening - one can take on world karma, which is yet another arena of struggle. Kundalini certainly shrives the soul to the max, but I'm not sure if the struggle ever ends as long as we are corporeal. Krishnamurti, an Enlightened soul, dealt with the K process until the day he passed from this world. For whatever people think of him, Bhagwan sri Rajneesh was an Enlightened soul, a K-veteran, but he failed a challenge and fell from grace with a mighty thud. Went insane, actually - which is what can happen when one falls from that height.
I will say this, however - these are not times as usual. We could be approaching the finishing line, in which case, maybe a heaven on earth is coming and we can catch a bit of a rest. While still corporeal, that is.
"And none of this can take place in the absence of freedom, which is again why the left is such a deathly caricature of liberalism. Statism and political correctness are death to truth, or simply death for short. Truth can only be spiritually "disclosed," not coerced by the state or culture. We must bear free witnesses to truth, not be compelled to give only a preconceived testimony on the witless stand of political correctness."
You can say that again... which I guess I just did for you.
One of the most decent, and surprisingly so, people I've known, was a drummer we happened upon on the beach in San Diego. We were sitting on the beach, trying to enjoy being stranded in paradise, we'd just lost our drummer in the midst of a stretch of bookings up the west coast, and this Viking (I'm about 6'3" and I had to look up at him) walks up with his surfboard "Dude, I hear you guys are looking for a drummer? I'm Thud." He was living out of his van... course I was suddenly doing the same, but he was doing it on purpose... doing odd jobs, picking up gig's and surfing. And he was a damned good drummer. But what stood out about him when you met him, was his warm, calm, decency. Those of you who know, or are, drummer's, gotta do a head shake at that.
Everywhere we went around there, people would smile and wave... not the 'Ooh! They're in the Band!" like we got, but warm wanting to smile and make contact with him smiles and solicitous 'anything we can do to help?' sort... seen the end of "It's a wonderful life"? Those gratefully eager to offer help kinds of looks. If a waitress in the coffee shop dropped a glass, he'd interrupt his meal to help. Not in a "Here I am to save the day!" kind of way, but in a very smooth, almost unnoticeable manner. No flash, just damned decent, kind, polite 24/7.
Point is, here was a surfer dude beach bum, who other than drumming, had no remarkable skills, intelligent and fairly well informed, but by no means erudite, not financially successful, but self sufficient... and a truly fine person who people would visibly warm up and perk up around because he was passing by. Someone who could easily have taken or intimidated people into getting anything he wanted, was one of the most humble and wealthy in spirit people I've known. I’d make bet that, even though we made our mark on the ‘scene’ at the time, we are completely forgotten around there, but I wager Thud is still warmly remembered throughout the region.
It doesn't take learning or power, it takes choosing to focus on what is good - and that requires the freedom to choose to spread the light, or to choose to tend your own candle, or to choose to be a darkening Aqualung.
Truth and goodness requires that people be able to choose to be otherwise.
People who rail about 'No Good god could possibly allow a world of crimes" and who then propose their schemes about how they are going to 'fix' everything, know nothing of goodness or truth and will more than likely spread material and spiritual darkness with their 'help' - I fear the do-gooders in suits far more than I do the aqualungs on the park bench.
We interrupt this program......
Please let me recommend, especially for Leslie, the Easter Triduum, three talks by Father John Corapi for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
The dvd is available from Amazon.com for about twenty-five bucks.
So far,I've only watched the Holy Thursday talk. I have never seen such a powerful talk. Fr. Corapi is sort of like Jimmy Cagney channeling Padre Pio, or if Francis of Assisi had been an ex-gang leader from Brooklyn before he picked up his cross. Definitely not another candy-ass priest, this guy is the Real Thing.
Hope someone takes me up on this.
"To be shattered by truth can never be a "neutral" experience, devoid of any moral imperative. Rather, it seems that to know truth always carries with it the responsibility to tell -- and even "be" -- truth."
We return you now to your regular programing......
I fear the do-gooders in suits far more than I do the aqualungs on the park bench.
Me, too.
I concur with many of the great comments and quotes today from Will, Cory, Julie, Nomo, and Bob...
I also concur with Bob F. Father Corapi is great. A strong and gifted communicator for the Truth.
His story is incredible, too.
A former golden gloves boxer and football player in his youth, he then went on to become a Green Beret. He went to Vietnam, but was sent home after receiving an injury. His whole squad was killed afterwards.
He then went to Vegas after obtaining a business degree and worked high up in the Tropicana. He went on to Los Angeles and became a millionaire in real estate. Partied hard with actors, musicians and politicians. Got hooked on drugs. Lost it all. Spent a year in a psyche hospital and then three years on the streets of LA.
He finally gave in to his mother's request and offer to fly home to New York. He began praying a little which grew into a desire to go to confession. At the end of his confession (having been 20 years since his last), the old priest said to him that he sensed there was something more to it, to which Corapi replied, "I think I know what it is, Father. I'm being called to be a priest." The old priest was taken back and said, "Well, anything is possible with God."
He went on to be ordained in Rome by Pope John Paul 2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhAyEZR4gUk
Posting that link, got me surfing the sidebar and saw this from Bishop Fulton Sheen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKcxm-VhxUw&feature=related
Can you believe that just over 50 years ago, his show "Life is Worth Living" was not only on main stream televsion but actually won an Emmy?? My, how times change.
Apparently, his Emmy acceptance speech went something like, "I'd like to thank my writers...Matthew, Mark, Luke and John". : )
Hey Will,
Maybe we can get a rest while still corporeal now? - say you.
Not so much for this soul whose body is plugged into and is processing world karma.
St. Francis spoke about his sinful-self. Had he lived another decade or two longer he may have changed his tune. Even sainthood has degrees of 'attainment'. Of course in those years and in that culture people were on the look and apprecitaed "sainthood."
True, some folks loose their minds when kundi hits them. . . the guy who introduced "kundalini" to the West (can't think of his name) feared loosing his mind every day. Lot's of karmic-chaff there to burn.
Me? Not so much . . . I saw insanity and just wanted to have the time to be alone at times. I craved to be alone. At times wishing I could get ill and go to the hospital for some guilt-free rest time. . . Being 'unproductive' housewife who did it all didn't count as "work".
Father-in law said in this day and age a familly needs two incomes.
*
There is someone who I would like talk to -- and may even make an attempt via her "friends".
She, who is named Bernadette Roberts lives with her brother and sister-in-law like a 'recluse' and doesn't have a computer.
Finally, to add to my I agree 100000% riff that we can NOT escape failure in this life without the Holy Ghost's grace -- a
quote or two from Wikipedia on how Bernadette expressed the spiritual maturing process. (I read one of her books and recognized her description of something that happened to her on an energy level. I had same, but in comparison it was so powerful I thought I was a gonner.)
"Beyond self, the revelation is not of an immaterial soul or spirit but, rather the revelation of the true nature of the body as part and parcel od Christ's eternal nature. This Mystical Body dwells in the glory of the Father and its enlightenment is the Holy Spirit."
"What the "no-self" event reveals is that union with God is not the end but the beginning of our life with God. The end of journey comes many years after union."
"Maturity possible only through the grace of GOd. The Self, the mature human in state of union with God, also falls away.
With years of selfless giving, the self is literally eroded away as God consumes more and more of the human being."
Theofilia
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