The Inner Temple: The Desecration of Self and the Worship of False Gods
Now more than ever, the preconditioned wants of society are being put into a stasis that does not have a foreseeable end. The climb of the corporate ladder, the pursuit of external fame, and the conquests of love and lust have been left for the solitude of the forests and the hills. But now it is not a luxury, an exhortation, or the excess of the spiritual-minded; it is a requirement for the sake of the health of others and our own. This entropy, and chaos of the mind, that we are facing is showing us the flawed structure of our being. The endless stream of pleasures is meeting the call of the sirens, and it is foretelling of certain death.
As many lose their lives to the deadly virus that takes hold of the globe, many are succumbing to the decay that had already been festering for quite some time. The mental instability, emotional immaturity, and idle nature of the modern individual cannot fathom the complete upheaval of civilization. The strong minds of the past, where death was near, disease common, and pleasures few has been replaced by the fickle resolve of the voluptuous courtier who has been corrupted by the vices of the king that they serve. And this king is very evident in our day: the idols of technology, of the body, of transitory power. The beauty of the creative mind is a rarity because satisfaction is so certain, and danger so far away. There has been no impetus, no tragedy, no inspiration to inspire true genius in the majority of men. Now it is evident that most of us are weak. That beyond money, sex, and power, our dreams are not so bold or worthy of legend. It is a sad state of affairs when even the dreams themselves are not of any note. Regular, normal, and comfortable are more desirable than a journey into the unknown.
It is of no help that despite the amount of time for solitude and self-reflection, there is still an endless opportunity for distractions. The familiar noise of television, social media, and popular music helps us to feel like everything is ok. But everything is not fine. Our hearts are sick and bursting from the seams with illness. Isolation becomes more terrible in the midst of these comforts as we flee from ourselves, even now where this may be our only company. Maybe true loneliness comes not from being alone, but from being estranged from the ideal-self that lies buried within. We are experiencing this reality now. If we only knew how to speak to ourselves and to explore our inner realm, we would have no need for our common idols. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that we may have no choice. With so much time on our hands, even the pleasures that we longed for with vigor are becoming burdensome. The Netflix shows are redundant, every Instagram post feels more fake, and every song feels like rehashed lyrics with a reimagined beat. There has to be something more!
For many, these times are a much needed dark night of the soul. It is finally time to clean the closet of skeletons within ourselves and to come to terms with who we are, where we are wretched, and where we can grow in goodness and peace. It is finally time to slow down, and the facade of the fast-paced lifestyle we’ve been leading is no longer a crutch for avoiding the questions we dare not ask ourselves. In a world where it is no longer possible to be reassured by the communion of friends, we must enter into communion with self. To become strong, centered, and at home with the inner chaos will make us whole. It will be a tragedy if a monumental event like the one we are facing will not cause us to change, but leave us worse.
It may very well be that we are completely destroyed. We may have lost ourselves to despair and nihilism in the wake of the current disaster. Dreams may not longer seem worth pursuing, and the soul may very well be dead. It is time then, for a katabasis on the most spiritual level. To descend deep within the nether of self, and to make a bed with our darkest emotions. It is dark, damp, and lonely, but within the belly of the whale strength can be found.
