Before reading this, I would recommend taking the time to peruse the article I wrote for my friend BenjaminGJW on his blog (@BenjaminGJW on Twitter). It’s not required reading, but the ideas here are linked to, and an extension of, those in that piece.
That aside, let’s start.
Contentment
It’s essential we find contentment.
Without it, life is incomplete. And an incomplete life breeds misery.
How contentment is found varies from person to person, but having meaningful work, good health and robust relationships are essential to both its discovery, and maintenance.
Despite the importance of feeling content, I believe that Western – in fact, modern – society is suffering from a crisis of discontent. There are ample reasons for this, but one factor that supersedes all else is the demise of faith. As I will describe, the ripple effect of its departure from our lives is far reaching.
As a result, it is imperative we find a way to reconcile the destruction of faith with the new world if we are ever going to stop the spread of endemic discontent.
There are many ways this can be done.
On a micro level, it requires hard reflection and self-knowledge – something that unfortunately most people lack. Whilst we are all capable of this, it’s up to each individual to unlock, and our culture is not currently set up to facilitate it. As a result, change is possible on a case-by-case basis, but is not wide spread enough to impact the macro level. What we can do, however, is create a societal structure which could enable a cultural reawakening.
It’s worth remembering that all societal reform is risky. There are always the consequences of second, third and fourth order effects which can be incredibly damaging. In fact, the crisis of discontent is a case-in-point.
Some would argue this is a reason we should never attempt top-down restructuring. Some would argue that it’s better to try and fail, than to not try at all. Some would argue that these ripple effects don’t matter, as long as we get what we want.
I’m not going to deal with these debates here. What I am going to do is reconcile new problems with old ideas in an attempt to innovate a solution.
It’s necessary. We cannot carry on like this.
Death of metanarratives
Traditional and modern (as opposed to post-modern) societies always had an overarching metanarrative that bound them together. Religion, the primacy of family and ideologies such as Marxism are all examples of metanarratives shaping culture. Each had faults, but they gave context to disparate events and provided social cohesion.
However, this is no longer the case. Whilst individuals still hold these thoughts, on a mass cultural level they have died – or at least fractured – killing their powers of unification. It is for this reason that homogeneity of faith is no longer feasible as societal glue.
The end of metanarratives is primarily due to advances in technology. For example, birth control ‘liberated’ women from the family, intensely changing familial structures; mass media allowed the propagation of messages which educated about the ills of Communist dictators causing, along with the system’s own intrinsic flaws, their toppling; Social Media and individualised consumption of news shattered any attempts to consolidate new grand stories.
And one thing’s for sure – we cannot wind the clock back on technology. Once it’s here, it’s here. We’ve opened up Pandora’s Box and we must adapt, or die.
Because of this, we can’t go back to the old ‘one story fits all’ approach. Instead, we must form a way without metanarratives. They were useful in the past, but no longer fit our current course.
But what I think can be addressed – and indeed must be tackled – is the death of God.
Rise of Nihilism
Whilst faith was a metanarrative, it is far more than a simple story told for societal cohesion. It is also a system which provides personal cohesion.
But this kind of faith has also disintegrated as a result of technological change.
When reading the news today and seeing talk of creating Artificial Intelligence, our capability at a cellular level and genetic manipulation, this is unsurprising. We have ascended to a point of absolute potency leading to the advent of – what I would consider – the epoch of Man as Gods.
Because of this, the belief in external God(s) has dwindled. How can we believe in an omnipotent force when we observe what humans ourselves can do? We can measure, see and feel our own capability, providing a quantitative hardness which grants validity. This coupled with the qualitative, hidden nature of faith meant there could only be one winner in the culture war.
Science’s utter dominance has created an environment where we no longer trust anything without certainty. Faith is just one casualty. I would argue this also contributes towards why less and less people enter relationships.
But this change has divorced us from our souls.
Those that remove faith from their lives have a tendency to focus on the transience of life, rather than potential transcendence. Realism is a useful tool, but by becoming entrenched in it individuals engender nihilism.
It’s tangible. When meeting people, I feel the discontent inside them. They can’t find meaning and, as a result, dope themselves up with entertainment, drugs, alcohol, and casual sex.
Hedonism has morphed into the religion of the masses, with many using it to fill the void that the magic of technology opened up; the void that technology couldn’t plug.
Unfortunately, it too is unable.
Further to this, I would argue current trends of people ‘converting’ into vegans, social justice warriors and third-wave feminists are also a response to faith’s demise.
I’ve heard these ideologies described as ‘death cults’ and in my own piece ‘Psychosis’ on veganism, I ran with a parallel idea to this. Semantics aside, one thing’s for certain: they are all misanthropic at heart.
A focus on the meaninglessness of life twists into self-loathing, before contorting into misanthropy – which eventually descends into hurting others.
Moving away from death cults, endemic nihilism is also demonstrated through language’s warping. Examine how my parent’s generation talked idiomatically: “there’s plenty more fish in the sea”; “it was a blessing in disguise” and “every cloud has a silver lining.” Now compare these with modern phrases uttered by my generation: “fuck my life” or “we’re all gonna die anyway.”
Instead of focusing on the good, or seeing the beauty of the world, people have become fixated on the ‘realistic’ and ‘true’ negatives.
I believe I’m placed to be able to witness this. I was raised a staunch atheist and was derisive towards people of faith. Luckily, I’ve repented from this view. This change came in part because my nihilistic worldview was causing me misery, but also because I have been lucky enough to witness private acts of devotion. I’ve seen first-hand its practical effectiveness. Since then I’ve had my own spiritual experiences and can even attest to a miracle (which could be rationalised away, yet what this act enabled me to achieve was undoubtedly miraculous).
Faith as Essential
I’m a rationalist by nature, but I came to realise my hard-line scepticism was proving detrimental due to the fundamental need of irrational spiritualism.
And yes, I’m aware of the irony in this thought-process.
With this maturing I came to realise that spiritualism and belief are absolutely fundamental to life. In response to this epiphany, I changed my behaviour and resultantly my life improved. I don’t personally subscribe to a particular faith – I’m not one for in-out group dynamics – but I do believe there is more to life than atheistic nihilism.
I posit that humans have evolved to require faith as a balance to our immense intellect. It is the humility to our arrogance; the Yin to our Yang.
I have no reasoning for this, beyond my own experience. But anecdotally it plays out.
The need for faith is further highlighted by the fact that there is no society which doesn’t have some form of sacred act. There’s a reason for that. Hell, even our closest relatives, chimpanzees, have been observed taking part in ritualized behaviours.
Having faith is an expression of hope. It’s the belief in the ability of the unexplainable and external to provide for us. It is a release from the pressures we place on ourselves, and provides a foundation on which we can build. It lights the way to forging our own path, without which we are left scrambling, unable to find the road’s threshold.
So faith is essential – but how can we reconcile its necessity with modern cynicism, scientific advances and individualism?
The Third Way
Well, we can’t turn the clock back. Instead, what we must do is look backwards, but go forwards.
Now, here’s a qualifier. What I’m about to detail is not about creating a new religion. What it is about is taking pre-conceived ideas and blending them, forming personalised religious view and empowering each of us to become the masters of our own faith.
How is this achievable?
Well, it is made possible as (I believe) we have already unveiled every aspect of humanity – current technological trends aside. Different faiths and different paths have different understandings, but taken together they’ve uncovered all the mysteries of the human psyche.
Prior to the internet, it was access to these different views which was the limiting factor, creating the illusion of psychological mystery. But for the first time, with digital connection to infinite information, we can explore it all. We have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in Zen Buddhism, Stoicism, Christian Morality and Eastern Mysticism and build a faith and philosophy that fits us.
This post-modern take on religion I believe is a necessary development. Previously, the collectivist experience of religion was fundamental, but our society is no longer collectivist. I think this is the path that must be trodden for faith to regain primacy in human existence.
The one commonality I would call for is the belief in some form of higher power which, as previously argued, I believe is imperative. But what exact form that higher power can take is entirely subjective. It can be a monotheistic God, polytheistic Gods, animism or the divinity of transcendental states. It doesn’t matter exactly what, as it is the faith that matters.
From this foundation each individual can build a philosophy that suits them, and enables their own personal contentment. No longer will they be stuck in nihilism, but have a faith they can believe in; a faith that doesn’t foster in-out group dynamics, doesn’t oppress their character and doesn’t lead to crusades.
This would require each individual to become fully actualised and developed. No-one would be able to do this from birth. Each of us is inculcated with our parent’s philosophy (which informs our own), but after a certain point, this model would force individuals into challenges with the express goal of separating them from their preconceptions. In doing so, they’d uncover their personality and find a mix of faith that suits them.
In turn, this would lead to more well-rounded individuals, helping develop a better society regardless of religious benefits.
A rite of passage at the turn of adulthood premised in self-discovery would be central to this. What it would exactly be, I’m not sure. I feel psychedelics could play a part, but I don’t think requiring people to take mind-altering substances is morally feasible – or would be advantageous for all. Perhaps they could be facilitated, but not forced.
With the modern Higher Education system failing, perhaps it could be morphed into a kind of ‘spiritual University’ where, instead of tests with grades, we provide a general advanced education consisting largely of philosophical, physical and life challenges. It would end with a year on the road – alone – for true self-discovery.
Throughout this there would be a requirement to study philosophy and theology in order to develop the understandings required for this form of faith.
This idea still needs some developing – I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.
These kinds of journeys are already possible – many an alpaca has trod this road. But if society encouraged religious self-discovery as the ‘correct’ path I feel this would go some way to solving modern issues of discontent and the rise of psychotic death cults.
It would bring back the importance of faith without the tribalism of the past, and by enmeshing the importance of the collective without disregarding the sanctity of the individual – each person fitting a faith to them, rather than they having to fit to the faith – it is in keeping with our current trajectory.
We no longer need to stick with the dichotomy of Faith or Atheism. Instead, we could take the best elements of each and create something new.
By merging modern innovation with ancient knowledge, we can birth a Third Way.
If you have any ideas or thoughts about this piece, please get in touch. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I believe I’m asking the right questions. DM me on Twitter (@ThinkInPeach) or leave a comment here.
Thanks for reading!