In Will and Spirit by Gerald May, the author makes one of those profiles that are supposed to fit each of us into one or a combination of several psychological types. May claims that these types are produced by how we handle a perceived rejection of unconditional love in our early childhood. Briefly, he finds that we fall into one of 3 categories: 1) the rebel, who rebuffs others so that he will never be hurt again; 2) the Obsessive-compulsive, who believes by doing everything just so, love will not be lost; and 3) the dependent, who believes that love can be maintained by giving up will to another. Looking at these categories with as clear an eye as possible, I found that I would fit into #1 the most, but not exclusively. This type would be the rugged individualist, an old American ideal. Still, age has taught me that I am not complete, and even in youth I always held out hope that a great love was on the horizon, and that maybe an attitude of #2 or #3 might obtain and keep it.
But really, these profiles did not seem that insightful to me, as with most lists of broad categories. Rather, it was a question that the author asked later on : why do we turn to the spiritual? Again, being as honest as I could be, I quickly wrote down reasons that I had never really thought about, and came up with these: for a greater Love, for Beauty; as well as for security, for an answer to my fears of death, and for the intellectual security of knowing where I am in a world that is, on deeper thought, an outrage to quotidian ways of thought.
On final consideration, it came down to love and beauty, the two being parts to a whole. It is what one encounters in a unitive experience. Gerald May repeatedly claims that ALL of us have had unitive experiences, but that these experiences are often repressed because as great as they are, they threaten the ego. As he says, though, even if we repress our experiences, and despite fears, the experiences linger in the unconscious, and we strive, nearly all of us, to return to this. Seeking the spiritual, then, regardless of our protective psychological screens, is not to seek the security and "oneness" of the womb, as some psychologists have claimed, but is rather an effort to return to a desired state that we all, at times, have had in maturity.
In short, I believe that identifies what we seek pretty well. But there are pathologies that obscure this seeking, which will be treated in the next chapters to come in May's book, and they include such infamous leaders as Jim Jones and Michael Karesh (Waco shoot-out), as well as another phenomena that is relevant to what is happening now: violent Muslim jihad. What, might we ask, are these people seeking? It is not, clearly, love and beauty.
Perhaps the answers will come in the following chapters, and if so, I will pass those on in another blog. As it is, I have read the Muslim mystics, and they are as deep and real as those from any other religion. As a Christian, I am somewhat disturbed over the violence of Mohammad, the founding prophet, but this is clearly not what compels most Muslims to worship. Rather, I believe that they, too, are seeking this love and beauty, and I am in no way trying to be politically correct in saying this. But the violent ones, besides some of the obviously psychotic leaders, are angry; and anger comes from both a feeling of impotence and of fear, a fear in this case that concerns the very existence of the social-cosmic world of the believers. As such, when reporters ask the question, "what could have possibly been the motive?" it seems that they are ignorant of social and religious crises, and how deeply they are rooted. The Jihadist, it appears, by in large are immature people who fear a world that is consuming their ancient and sacred traditions. They might be labelled #2 on the list made by May - obsessive compulsives who would rather die than have their routines disturbed - routines which they think connect them to both their tribal roots and to Allah. The modern world is disturbing the ancient ways of doing things" just so," just as it has disturbed all the other major religions.
Just why it is that Muslims, almost alone now, should have these pan-world violent sects is rooted in history and perhaps the nature of the founding prophet himself, but one thing is clear - the bad guys have forgotten the very foundation of what they seek: the love and beauty they have encountered in those peak moments of unity. If only they could remember this, they would understand that the particulars of their tradition are only window dressing for what they really seek. But just try to take away an obsessive-compulsive's security blanket - that is when the fighting usually gets more intense. Would only that the great wise men and women of Islam could stand up and address this issue with the same power as the power-hungry theocratic Immans. It might be the best hope. FK
But really, these profiles did not seem that insightful to me, as with most lists of broad categories. Rather, it was a question that the author asked later on : why do we turn to the spiritual? Again, being as honest as I could be, I quickly wrote down reasons that I had never really thought about, and came up with these: for a greater Love, for Beauty; as well as for security, for an answer to my fears of death, and for the intellectual security of knowing where I am in a world that is, on deeper thought, an outrage to quotidian ways of thought.
On final consideration, it came down to love and beauty, the two being parts to a whole. It is what one encounters in a unitive experience. Gerald May repeatedly claims that ALL of us have had unitive experiences, but that these experiences are often repressed because as great as they are, they threaten the ego. As he says, though, even if we repress our experiences, and despite fears, the experiences linger in the unconscious, and we strive, nearly all of us, to return to this. Seeking the spiritual, then, regardless of our protective psychological screens, is not to seek the security and "oneness" of the womb, as some psychologists have claimed, but is rather an effort to return to a desired state that we all, at times, have had in maturity.
In short, I believe that identifies what we seek pretty well. But there are pathologies that obscure this seeking, which will be treated in the next chapters to come in May's book, and they include such infamous leaders as Jim Jones and Michael Karesh (Waco shoot-out), as well as another phenomena that is relevant to what is happening now: violent Muslim jihad. What, might we ask, are these people seeking? It is not, clearly, love and beauty.
Perhaps the answers will come in the following chapters, and if so, I will pass those on in another blog. As it is, I have read the Muslim mystics, and they are as deep and real as those from any other religion. As a Christian, I am somewhat disturbed over the violence of Mohammad, the founding prophet, but this is clearly not what compels most Muslims to worship. Rather, I believe that they, too, are seeking this love and beauty, and I am in no way trying to be politically correct in saying this. But the violent ones, besides some of the obviously psychotic leaders, are angry; and anger comes from both a feeling of impotence and of fear, a fear in this case that concerns the very existence of the social-cosmic world of the believers. As such, when reporters ask the question, "what could have possibly been the motive?" it seems that they are ignorant of social and religious crises, and how deeply they are rooted. The Jihadist, it appears, by in large are immature people who fear a world that is consuming their ancient and sacred traditions. They might be labelled #2 on the list made by May - obsessive compulsives who would rather die than have their routines disturbed - routines which they think connect them to both their tribal roots and to Allah. The modern world is disturbing the ancient ways of doing things" just so," just as it has disturbed all the other major religions.
Just why it is that Muslims, almost alone now, should have these pan-world violent sects is rooted in history and perhaps the nature of the founding prophet himself, but one thing is clear - the bad guys have forgotten the very foundation of what they seek: the love and beauty they have encountered in those peak moments of unity. If only they could remember this, they would understand that the particulars of their tradition are only window dressing for what they really seek. But just try to take away an obsessive-compulsive's security blanket - that is when the fighting usually gets more intense. Would only that the great wise men and women of Islam could stand up and address this issue with the same power as the power-hungry theocratic Immans. It might be the best hope. FK
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