At a very deep level, it seems that people (and indeed beings of all kinds) react differently to awareness of "thrownness" - react differently from finding oneself "thrown into" God's creation, and where the only possible positive purpose and meaning is to participate in (or, at least, contemplatively enjoy) this ongoing creation.
I think that some beings react to this experience of thrownness with an attitude of existential resentment. They respond to this situation by resenting the fact that they are in "somebody else's" project.
In other words, we recognize (usually implicitly, but sometimes explicitly - as with the "I never asked to be born" feeling and complaint) that reality is something other than our-selves.
The Being also finds that he himself is, to a significant extent, the product of creation - and may resent that also. After all, he "did not ask to be created - which is a more fundamental complaint than birth.
It seems a fact that each Being was (to a degree) created without his consent; and finds himself in a world created without his consent, and heading towards some goal that he himself had not agreed to...
The question is how he reacts to this situation - negatively, or positively? Is he delighted and grateful to be and inhabit a creation of meaning purpose - and love?
Or not?
Good, or evil.
Our choice in response to thrownness thereby determines our alignment to one or the other side, in the spiritual war of this world.
6 comments:
Surely it wouldn't be seemly of a loving God to first create something that didn't exist before without it's consent and then not provide a way back to this nonexistence, if desired?
@T. Your question seems to make assumptions I don't share!
I don't believe that creation was ex nihilo/ from-nothing; but was a shaping and addition to what was pre-existent. Also I believe that God does allow for a return to non-awareness (including of existence) of those who want it.
But this does not make any difference to the argument of the post.
I've noticed that when I express gratitude at the challenges I face (which can teach me things, no matter how difficult the lessons seem), or at the beauty of nature (truly a wonder), a relationship that I enjoy, or just my meals and food, etc., I am much more grateful to be here. When I resent the fact that I am not a wealthy scion of the material world, because I compare myself to others on social media (obviously a bad habit), I feel resentment and an acid destructiveness.
A very timely post for me, thanks. I struggle with this feeling and especially recently. For me, it has notes of "why did you give me a role I am so clearly unsuited for?" I get that my sentiment is petty and presumptuous, but I do get consumed by it at times. Anyway, thanks again for the post, you shook me out of that mindset! At least temporarily (I am petty and presumptuous after all) hahahah
I mostly feel like I'm outsider to this world and that this world is a mere purgatory, where your needs never can be truly satisfied, where you go from one unsatisfied state to another with only little inclusions of good feelingness. I often wonder why nature created me to be like this, because I'm an antipode to a successful instinct-driven person and from evolutionary point basically a big mistake
@Ap - That's why it seems to be true and important to recognize that one's own life is for one's own spiritual learning.
Perhaps this is the only way to discern the meaning that Must be present: assuming (as Christians do) that The Creator is indeed a personal and loving God, and we are God's children.
We should therefore be confident that our life has a purpose of importance to us personally - whatever the appearances; and therefore to focus on understanding and learning from our actual situation.
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