Saturday 11 February 2017

How to inspire people?

This is the nub of the problem.

I don't personally believe that stinging critiques are going to help evoke a spiritual awakening - yet nearly everybody in modern Britain is heavily pre-immunised against the spiritual perspective; indeed multiply immunised by layers of ignoring, mocking, disinformation and sheer incomprehension: when one defence of materialism fails, another kicks-in.

Then again, most people who are 'spiritual but not religious' seem indistinguishable from the mainstream leftist materialistic masses; probably because the spirituality is not the true bottom-line or bedrock of their conviction- it is too feeble, too vague, too ironic; too much a self-therapy rather than a metaphysical framework.

Probably, one cannot be truly aware of and living-by spiritual (non-material) values unless these are explained and sustained by metaphysics - and that usually implies religion.

The difficulty is apparently that we need religion to sustained a spirituality which is real; and we need spirituality for a religion which addresses the main modern problem of alienation - yet getting them both at the same time is difficult and unlikely, and either alone will seldom suffice.

It can't really be done by argument; but it can sometimes be done by presenting an imaginative vision; when the whole 'picture' is seen simultaneously, in a 'flash'.

That is perhaps what we should strive for - something brief enough to be taken in in one go; and deep enough to have the necessary impact.

2 comments:

William Wildblood said...

I agree with you about the stinging critiques because spiritual awakening has to be primarily a positive thing not a reaction to a negative one. The critiques do have their place as supports for those who see that modernity is wrong but don't have the metaphysical teachings through which to condemn it but real awakening has to come, I believe, by an appeal to the imagination on the one hand and a yearning for real goodness, truth and beauty on the other. At present we are surrounded mostly by sham versions of these.

dropit said...

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/overwatch/images/7/74/Pi_guardianangel.png/revision/latest?cb=20160706001115

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Luuy3SjDbM



"3 And it came to pass that in this year Nephi did cry unto the Lord, saying:


4 O Lord, do not suffer that this people shall be destroyed by the sword; but O Lord, rather let there be a famine in the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee.

5 And so it was done, according to the words of Nephi. And there was a great famine upon the land, among all the people of Nephi. And thus in the seventy and fourth year the famine did continue, and the work of destruction did cease by the sword but became sore by famine." (link)

When you can't accomplish what's needful by yourself, it's time to ask for help.