The Holy Fathers were making predictions about the last generation. They said, "What have we ourselves done?" One of them, the great Abba Ischyrion replied, "We ourselves have fulfilled the commandments of God." The others replied, "And those who come after us, what will they do?" He said, "They will struggle to achieve half our works." They said, "And those who come after them, what will happen?" He said, "The men of that generation will not accomplish any works at all and temptation will come upon them; and those who will be approved in that day will be greater than either us or our fathers."
-Sayings of the Desert Fathers
In our daily commutes, we often see someone hunched over, scrolling mindlessly on their phone, or with earbuds in while walking through the city, blocking out the natural noises and rhythms of the day. One's attention is with their favorite app and they no longer consciously participate in their environment. It's as if they are floating through, just mere phantoms, until something or someone jolts them back into reality.
The phone has evolved from being just a simple tool to becoming a part of our very anatomy. This raises the question of who is in control - us or the technology?
Many of us need to set limits on our usage and consumption of content, negotiating with our devices. For instance, we may restrict ourselves to watching only a couple of episodes of a TV series instead of binge-watching the whole season, or limit our exposure to news and social media to a single source. If we don't place our phone away or switch it to do-not-disturb mode, we might miss our deadlines at work or school.
In ancient times, communities based their way of life around religious ceremonies, rituals, or spiritual teachings. Now our phones act as the New Jerusalem, to which we make a daily pilgrimage, prostrating and pleading before the technocratic lords. It's unfortunate that the dystopian future depicted in works such as "Idiocracy" and Neal Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" are no longer just parodies, science fiction, or far-off prophecies, but rather a reflection of our current culture.
According to Postman, people will come to adore technologies that undo their capacity to think. As our fate is being written, will we continue drifting along or oppose this progression by our intentional way of life?
Silence and contemplation are foreign concepts in today's culture of instant gratification. Narcissism is an insidious trait that has slowly seeped into many aspects of modern society. This self-centered attitude is arguably the cornerstone of the world, with its disciples producing a host of negative behaviors such as greed, envy, lust, gluttony, vainglory, and idleness.
Awareness continues to wane as all our facilities are given over to the digital world. Yes, technology can be used for good and as a means of uniting people. But our world still feeds on the forbidden fruit and man’s heart is poisoned. Many of us lack the self-control and the strong foundation that is necessary to maneuver through the wilderness of this new age. Wolves lurk at each corner, ever ready to devour, misguide, and mutilate our already fragmented souls.
Some of the basic themes of the existentialism of Heidegger, laying stress as they do on the ineluctable fact of death, on man’s need of authenticity, and on a kind of spiritual liberation, can remind us that the climate in which monastic prayer flourished is not altogether absent from our modern world. Quite the contrary: this is an age that, by its very nature as a time of crisis, of revolution, of struggle, calls for the special searching and questioning which are the work of the monk in his meditation and prayer. For the monk searches not only his own heart: he plunges into the heart of the world of which he remains a part although he seems to have “left” it. In reality the monk abandons the world only in order to listen more intently to the deepest and most neglected voices that proceed from its inner depth.
-Thomas Merton
Do you feel like you have a firm grasp on your own opinions and beliefs, or are they merely a reflection of what others tell you to think? Do our ideas belong to us, or do they possess us?
Have you ever taken the time to reflect on your true self? Does your ethnicity, political affiliation, nationality, or ideology define who you are? Imagine if you suffered a head injury and lost all memory of your political beliefs from the past twenty years. Would you still recognize yourself or feel lost in a meaningless world?
“One cannot love what one does not know.”
As members of the human race, do we share a fundamental bond that transcends our differences or are we merely the result of random chance? Is there a more profound thread that connects us from our origins to the present day? Is our existence imbued with meaning, or do we create our own sense of purpose? These are profound questions that should not be left to the whims of Google search results or the platitudes of TikTok self-help gurus.
But underlying all life is the ground of doubt and self-questioning which sooner or later must bring us face to face with the ultimate meaning of our life. This self-questioning can never be without a certain existential dread- a sense of insecurity, of “lostness”, of exile, of sin. A sense that one has somehow been untrue not so much to abstract moral or social norms but to one’s own inmost truth. “Dread” in this sense is not simply a childish fear of retribution, or a naive guilt, a fear of violating taboos. It is the profound awareness that one is capable of ultimate bad faith with himself and with others: that one is living a lie.
-Thomas Merton
Our thoughts hold great power in shaping our lives. They are like seeds that grow into actions, which in turn have consequences. Therefore, it is vital to ask ourselves what kind of influence we are having on our community - are we a parasite that feeds on negativity, or are we a pupil of the Paraclete who genuinely supports and encourages others?
In our fast-paced society, it has become increasingly common for people to believe that happiness can be found in the pursuit of pleasure and comfort. This message is often reinforced by social media influencers, lowbrow Hollywood films, and advertisements that bombard us with images of people living glamorous lifestyles and indulging in every temptation.
While this may seem appealing at first, it's worth taking a step back and looking inward to examine ourselves. It's in these moments of quiet reflection that we may become aware of our inner darkness and the times when our thoughts and actions have hurt ourselves and others.
This is where the light of Christ comes in - here he illuminates our flaws and imperfections, giving us the strength to confront them. But it's not always easy to face our shortcomings, and we may be tempted to retreat into self-pity, shame, and sorrow.
Throughout this healing process, we are given the opportunity to distinguish between self-centered pain and the pang of consciousness that calls us to repentance. Repentance is not about punishment, but a transformation of the heart. Christ made this clear to the Pharisees when he said that it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of him.
In silence, we listen and question what we claim to know. This process both humbles and refines us. Despite this purgation, illusions will continue to entice us. Thankfully, we have the Word, as our ultimate repellent. It’s important to note that one cannot ascend to the Truth simply by reading the right books or adhering to the proper dogma.
Rather, we advance along the Way through a personal and relational knowledge of Truth incarnate. Our active lives are rooted in this Wisdom, our Pearl of Great Price. To obtain this pearl, we must be willing to sacrifice and follow the way of the cross - which involves kenosis or the process of self-emptying in order to be filled with the energies of God. This process is like a second birth, but more on that later.
