A problem we have - a real problem! - is that "doing good" does not mean that good is done.
Of course, in practice, this was usually only a loose-ish connection. But overall it made sense to talk in terms of virtuous or moral actions, of beautiful artistic products and performances, of truths (from science, philosophy, history etc) that were valuable of themselves.
But nowadays there is a very substantial disconnect - up to and including opposition between Doing Good, and being good.
To be blunt; a lot of the generally-accepted "good stuff" in life (especially the stuff that we get to hear about) is nowadays produced by people who are actively on the side of evil.
This Is A Problem - and one that challenges the usual ways of thinking; not least because it often means that the bits of good which are done, are often/usually used for net-evil purposes.
Such has always been the most effective form of propaganda - e.g. is the elements of truth within propaganda that make the lies believable. It is the experience of beauty that makes the ugliness of the message seem appealing and convincing.
Yet, at the same time; when the System/ Matrix/ Black Iron Prison mixes Good with its evil, truth with lies, beauty with vileness, virtue with manipulation; it also thereby somewhat undermines itself. So the combination is unstable.
On the other hand, at the level of institutions; things have becoming more evil for long enough to show that this is not enough to cause self-correction.
There has been no pendulum-swing back towards net-Good motivations. There are no grounds for complacency! - and it seems entirely likely/ possible that things will continue to get worse, as the underlying motivations of more and more participants continue to get worse.
And when the civilization is totalitarian (as ours is) then any aspects of truth, beauty or virtue that require resources or organization, anything involving publicity or media - will normally and mostly be harnessed to the agenda of evil.
Thus, in the spiritual war of this world, Doing Good (in an obvious and public way) is nearly-all on the side against God; and that which is truly motivated by Good tends to be invisible and unappreciated at a cultural level - maybe known only among the circle of family or friendship.
The situation is that there is still a sense in which truth/ beauty/ virtue are as real as ever they were; yet there is also a sense in which they have - in practice - been weaponized against God and Divine Creation.
For this Not to happen, and for public-Good again to evoke inner-good; we moderns of 2025 must become more consciously aware of the situation, we must make discernments and choices.
We need to be able to know what is good, and distinguish the good from the evil uses being made of it.
Our thinking needs to be active and purposive; not passive, not dreamy-drifting.
Returning to my recent experience of choral evensong...
To give ourselves up to a contemplative-appreciative state of immersion in external "Good" - on the basis that external Good can-must-and-shall "do us good"; is actually, in practice, to open-our-selves to manipulation and exploitation by the system of evil.
If, instead, we yield to the overall experience like floating in a warm bath, half-asleep, with eyes closed; we will be absorbing toxin through our dilated pores, even as our minds are beguiled!
It is a matter of spiritual trust, and who can or should be trusted here-and-now. So long as there is a likelihood that the "provider" of Good experiences is on the wrong side in the spiritual war; for so long we must aim to exercise continual discernment. And be ready to repent when (as inevitably happens, sometimes) we fail to do so.
4 comments:
When one's core metaphysical assumptions are anchored in the *absolute necessity* of "divine totalitarianism", then totalitarianism is not only palatable, it *just is* necessary, unavoidable, and, ultimately, good. May as well make the best of it and try and do some good or see some beauty or whatever because the Fall . . . or something.
@Frank. That's true. For me, the High Medievalism by which the material institution, structure and symbol is regarded as directly-linked (and necessarily -linked) with reality; is something that never was ideal - even when it worked well overall and in most circumstances.
I mean, there always were very significant compromises, and "necessary evils" in Christendom (whether Eastern Orthodox, Western Catholic, or something like a Calvinist state such as Geneva under Calvin, or Scotland under Knox - or, most recently, Deseret under Brigham Young) - even at its very best; and these innate evils would have been present even in an ideal social and motivational arrangement.
Of course, a (mostly secular, Nietzschian or leftist) negative critique of Christendom has been mainstream and increasing for more than a century, at least among the intellectual class.
But now that this has led to an incoherent, collapsing, and evil totalitarianism; the revival of desire of High Medievalism (a Christian State) has become relatively much more attractive - even to the point that its very obvious limitations and incompleteness are touted as strengths.
But the negative critiques were and are (significantly) true. And if High Medievalism is actually impossible (due, I would say, to differences in the nature of human consciousness) - then the symbolism would not work now as it did then.
We would then have the limitations and necessary evils of High Medievalism, but Without the spiritual benefits it used to include.
If we moderns tried to impose Christendom on the medieval model; we would instead, in other words, merely make a different flavour of the current secular totalitarianism.
This would, therefore, in practice be an Antichrist phenomenon: claiming to be Christian, but (because the symbolism is broken) just operating as a comprehensive social system of monitoring and control.
Dr Charlton, I just thought you may like to know that Orthodox blogger Al Kimel is making a series of posts about Middle-Earth that may be of some interest. https://afkimel.wordpress.com
@K - I took a look. It's good stuff.
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