One of the great gifts our recent ancestors have given us is the rails on which to put bicycle trails. Those same people would be dumfounded that we would dismantle rail lines for recreational purposes, as most back then had so much exercise that it often led to early deaths. But we are privileged, and many have found that the steady rhythm and effort of bicycling on flat trails well away from cars and highways not only provides exercise, but an empty space in which the mind can travel.
The ideas that we come upon in those empty spaces might be surprising. One such idea occurred to me out of the blue concerning the vast changes in thought brought on by 19th century scientism – which happened in the same era as the construction of our now-abandoned rail lines. I believe that the three greatest changes in group thought occurred with the popularization of Darwinism, Marxism, and Freudian psychology. Until I sat for an hour peddling under the leafy canopy of a rail- to- trail, however, it never occurred to me that one of these – Darwinism – might fundamentally cancel out another – Marxism. I do not want to belabor this, and so will put it into compressed form:
Darwinism postulates that natural selection, not God with his various means, is the maker and mover of the mortal frame of all living things. We all are aware of this mechanism, encapsulated in the phrase, “survival of the fittest.” The natural process, in this view, is overall a rugged struggle between and among species, where some live to reproduce and others don’t. There is no supernatural element involved in moving species forward in time.
Marx is in total agreement when it comes to the supernatural – or, rather, the lack of it, as shown by his famous quote, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” In his philosophy there is nothing beyond the physical in the universe. However, when this philosophy speaks to the human social situation, it states that Man’s struggle with his fellow man is due only to the unequal relations of classes. Remove that inequality, and life would be paradise. But in a purely material world, how could that be? According to Darwin, life would still, and always has been and always will be, a struggle that inevitably leads to winners and losers. No paradise would be possible in this world except by an intercession of a supernatural source. By giving all power to the mechanics of natural forces, Marxism makes its goal of permanent, unforced peace impossible.
Perhaps that is why there is currently a trend to deny grounded biological facts about such things as gender: the thought being that if we as a race can deny a part of it, then we can deny the whole, including its dog-eat-dog manifestations. In a world without Spirit, only then could a man-made utopia survive.
The seat of a bicycle, I recently found, is also a good place for solving spiritual problems. We have recently discovered U Tube on our TV, and have been drawn to some videos of people who have had near-death experiences or who otherwise believe that they were brought to the ‘other side.’ In all of them – let me repeat, ALL – they experienced a life review, or what writer Christine Watkins calls in her book by the same title, the “illumination of conscience.” This is nothing new: I can recall watching cartoons in the 1960’s that have characters comically recall this review. There is even an old saying among those who have come close to death, “I saw my life flash before my eyes.” The stories told in the accounts, however, go into much greater detail about these life reviews, and for all but a few, the related experiences are not comical or petty. Beyond ordinary time, people see every action they have ever taken in great detail, as well as the reaction of all those around them. For instance, let’s say that a man called a girl “fat face” in 7th grade. In the life review, he might discover that this girl was so hurt by this that she became bulimic, fell into psychological illness, got into drugs, and then died. Horrible stuff. In the review, everyone is shown what great sinners they are, and then are left to their own personal judgement. Most conclude that they should go to hell. Most, however, are given a second chance, and subsequently change the course of their lives for the better.
My wife and I trembled before this possibility, especially since the accounts seem by their ubiquity to be authentic as well as unavoidable. For myself, I can think of dozens of actions I have taken – or have failed to take – that have hurt others. In a close review, I would probably discover hundreds more. This brought to mind the reason I left the Catholic Church in my late teens: because I was sick and tired of feeling guilty all the time. I wanted to be free and happy, and so rejected the Church as a fraternity of bitter fun-killers who were hopelessly out of step with the times.
But according to these stories, including many by those without religion, the Church had it right. There is no way out of our guilt. We have to face it sooner or later- preferably the sooner- so that we might change for the better before it is too late.
As I pedaled on the shady path that day, then, I was suffering from melancholy over the terrible inevitability of this confrontation with myself. Slumped as I was in this spiritual funk, I began to do what I always do on hikes and bikes these days now that I have reconverted – recite the Rosary. It was then that something very powerful happened. I cannot say that what came to me was a real miraculous vision, but rather an interior one that strongly hinted that the Virgin Mary was present. By those who have experienced her in real, full-blown images, she is spoken of as a presence of indescribable beauty and love. I did not see her like that, but do believe I experienced the love of her presence. This love is not like what we might have for a dog. It is relatable to the love we have for our small children, but still it is different. It is intangible but all-pervasive, like a beautiful smell, and it brings with it a feeling that we have known this love forever but have somehow forgotten it. As tears came to my eyes, I understood why people cry at such experiences: it is as if they have finally returned home after a long and difficult journey. This is often followed by another thought: “My God, why did I leave in the first place?”
And it was in this field of inner vision that the answer to the illumination of our guilt and punishment came. “Don’t let it bother you,” it said; “this is only small potatoes, a hard but necessary lesson. Understand that this love you feel is just a hint of what there is in full. God isn’t there to condemn. He wants you way, way more than you might want him. He is yours just for the asking, just for saying ‘yes.’” That’s it. The rest will be done to bring you there with incomparable wisdom.
I felt great the rest of the day. This was not a stand-on-the mountain moment, however, but only a moment on a bicycle, nothing (I was told) that was meant to set me apart. This is for everyone. And more; I recalled how the people of Thessalonica (I think) started to party hardy after Paul told them they were saved. “NO!” he said. ‘You do not have the right to do as you please now. Rather, you are given the grace to do as God pleases.’ And so I understood: once it is known that the forces of Spirit are rooting for you, you should make the effort to root for them. The earth-bound side of us will always be there to pull us back, but the cosmic forces will remain to teach us to not be seduced by the laws of the jungle. Somehow, that was how we left home in the first place. But if we continue to say “yes,” we will be brought back.
The road of my past took me far from home in my teens. This is not unusual. But the world turns. Somewhere along our way, we are allowed to discover that the love for the prodigal son or daughter is never exhausted.
As circumstance would have it, this essay has brought us back to Darwin and Marx. Darwin was right and Marx delusional about our reality on Earth. The world as we know it is dog-eat-dog and will never bring us to utopia. In its de-spiritualized guise it will never give us the kind of love that a part of us always seeks. Like every pilgrim that has ever been, we must travel beyond our ordinary world to find what has been hiding within right here at home, forever and ever.
One of the great gifts our recent ancestors have given us is the rails on which to put bicycle trails. Those same people would be dumfounded that we would dismantle rail lines for recreational purposes, as most back then had so much exercise that it often led to early deaths. But we are privileged, and many have found that the steady rhythm and effort of bicycling on flat trails well away from cars and highways not only provides exercise, but an empty space in which the mind can travel.
The ideas that we come upon in those empty spaces might be surprising. One such idea occurred to me out of the blue concerning the vast changes in thought brought on by 19th century scientism – which happened in the same era as the construction of our now-abandoned rail lines. I believe that the three greatest changes in group thought occurred with the popularization of Darwinism, Marxism, and Freudian psychology. Until I sat for an hour peddling under the leafy canopy of a rail- to- trail, however, it never occurred to me that one of these – Darwinism – might fundamentally cancel out another – Marxism. I do not want to belabor this, and so will put it into compressed form:
Darwinism postulates that natural selection, not God with his various means, is the maker and mover of the mortal frame of all living things. We all are aware of this mechanism, encapsulated in the phrase, “survival of the fittest.” The natural process, in this view, is overall a rugged struggle between and among species, where some live to reproduce and others don’t. There is no supernatural element involved in moving species forward in time.
Marx is in total agreement when it comes to the supernatural – or, rather, the lack of it, as shown by his famous quote, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” In his philosophy there is nothing beyond the physical in the universe. However, when this philosophy speaks to the human social situation, it states that Man’s struggle with his fellow man is due only to the unequal relations of classes. Remove that inequality, and life would be paradise. But in a purely material world, how could that be? According to Darwin, life would still, and always has been and always will be, a struggle that inevitably leads to winners and losers. No paradise would be possible in this world except by an intercession of a supernatural source. By giving all power to the mechanics of natural forces, Marxism makes its goal of permanent, unforced peace impossible.
Perhaps that is why there is currently a trend to deny grounded biological facts about such things as gender: the thought being that if we as a race can deny a part of it, then we can deny the whole, including its dog-eat-dog manifestations. In a world without Spirit, only then could a man-made utopia survive.
The seat of a bicycle, I recently found, is also a good place for solving spiritual problems. We have recently discovered U Tube on our TV, and have been drawn to some videos of people who have had near-death experiences or who otherwise believe that they were brought to the ‘other side.’ In all of them – let me repeat, ALL – they experienced a life review, or what writer Christine Watkins calls in her book by the same title, the “illumination of conscience.” This is nothing new: I can recall watching cartoons in the 1960’s that have characters comically recall this review. There is even an old saying among those who have come close to death, “I saw my life flash before my eyes.” The stories told in the accounts, however, go into much greater detail about these life reviews, and for all but a few, the related experiences are not comical or petty. Beyond ordinary time, people see every action they have ever taken in great detail, as well as the reaction of all those around them. For instance, let’s say that a man called a girl “fat face” in 7th grade. In the life review, he might discover that this girl was so hurt by this that she became bulimic, fell into psychological illness, got into drugs, and then died. Horrible stuff. In the review, everyone is shown what great sinners they are, and then are left to their own personal judgement. Most conclude that they should go to hell. Most, however, are given a second chance, and subsequently change the course of their lives for the better.
My wife and I trembled before this possibility, especially since the accounts seem by their ubiquity to be authentic as well as unavoidable. For myself, I can think of dozens of actions I have taken – or have failed to take – that have hurt others. In a close review, I would probably discover hundreds more. This brought to mind the reason I left the Catholic Church in my late teens: because I was sick and tired of feeling guilty all the time. I wanted to be free and happy, and so rejected the Church as a fraternity of bitter fun-killers who were hopelessly out of step with the times.
But according to these stories, including many by those without religion, the Church had it right. There is no way out of our guilt. We have to face it sooner or later- preferably the sooner- so that we might change for the better before it is too late.
As I pedaled on the shady path that day, then, I was suffering from melancholy over the terrible inevitability of this confrontation with myself. Slumped as I was in this spiritual funk, I began to do what I always do on hikes and bikes these days now that I have reconverted – recite the Rosary. It was then that something very powerful happened. I cannot say that what came to me was a real miraculous vision, but rather an interior one that strongly hinted that the Virgin Mary was present. By those who have experienced her in real, full-blown images, she is spoken of as a presence of indescribable beauty and love. I did not see her like that, but do believe I experienced the love of her presence. This love is not like what we might have for a dog. It is relatable to the love we have for our small children, but still it is different. It is intangible but all-pervasive, like a beautiful smell, and it brings with it a feeling that we have known this love forever but have somehow forgotten it. As tears came to my eyes, I understood why people cry at such experiences: it is as if they have finally returned home after a long and difficult journey. This is often followed by another thought: “My God, why did I leave in the first place?”
And it was in this field of inner vision that the answer to the illumination of our guilt and punishment came. “Don’t let it bother you,” it said; “this is only small potatoes, a hard but necessary lesson. Understand that this love you feel is just a hint of what there is in full. God isn’t there to condemn. He wants you way, way more than you might want him. He is yours just for the asking, just for saying ‘yes.’” That’s it. The rest will be done to bring you there with incomparable wisdom.
I felt great the rest of the day. This was not a stand-on-the mountain moment, however, but only a moment on a bicycle, nothing (I was told) that was meant to set me apart. This is for everyone. And more; I recalled how the people of Thessalonica (I think) started to party hardy after Paul told them they were saved. “NO!” he said. ‘You do not have the right to do as you please now. Rather, you are given the grace to do as God pleases.’ And so I understood: once it is known that the forces of Spirit are rooting for you, you should make the effort to root for them. The earth-bound side of us will always be there to pull us back, but the cosmic forces will remain to teach us to not be seduced by the laws of the jungle. Somehow, that was how we left home in the first place. But if we continue to say “yes,” we will be brought back.
The road of my past took me far from home in my teens. This is not unusual. But the world turns. Somewhere along our way, we are allowed to discover that the love for the prodigal son or daughter is never exhausted.
As circumstance would have it, this essay has brought us back to Darwin and Marx. Darwin was right and Marx delusional about our reality on Earth. The world as we know it is dog-eat-dog and will never bring us to utopia. In its de-spiritualized guise it will never give us the kind of love that a part of us always seeks. Like every pilgrim that has ever been, we must travel beyond our ordinary world to find what has been hiding within right here at home, forever and ever.
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