Saturday, January 25, 2014

Hewing Crosses

A line from my previous post 'The Cross Unseen' states: "countless unknown, crucified with questions hang upon crosses of meaninglessness and alienation".  The theme of alienation is prominent in my writing for I regard it as contemporary society's greatest challenge.  Although the cross is a Christian symbol, it represents human suffering--and often the suffering it represents is not acknowledged by those not directly effected buy it.

As we advanced from horse and buggy villages to the jet-powered intercontinental world, we  unwittingly left God behind; so busy were we with out 'advancing'.  Historically different cultures have given what each considers to be God, different names--be it Yahweh, Christ, Allah, The Tao, The Great Spirit, The Buddha, Benevolent Universe . . . but by whatever name, the 'god concept' embodies purpose and the way people are to live.

In our society's progress we have championed individualism, competition and technology.  Each of these have played a legitimate role in the nation's development but they have been overstressed; without balancing elements that include a moral code and common goals they have led to a kind of tyranny--emphasis on individualism makes us forget that although we are individuals we are also a part of a society whose proper functioning requires respect and compromise.  The emphasis upon competition blinds us to all else but 'winning' while craving trophies that display our success.  The advancement of technology has relentlessly taken us away from the human element; we've become narcissistic, myopically intent upon taking care of #1, remote and removed from heartfelt human interaction.

With these developments we have allowed God's prominence to fade from guiding our thoughts and actions so, as our knowledge advances and our horizons expand, we find ourselves alone in an ever more confounding universe without map or compass. . . . thus are we surrounded by a sea of lost and alienated individuals who have heard of, and come to believe in, life's meaninglessness.  Without an anchor in moral principles or any meaningful purpose beyond their small selves, life seems absurd . . . so we are plagued with a spectrum of irrational behaviors from senseless mass shootings, to youthful suicides, to self-destructive life choices, to wild rave partying and event riots . . .
                                                 each age hews its crosses . . .

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