Addictions…

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), philosopher, physicist and mathematician, besides being all these was an inventor of considerable note, creating alongside the geometric arrangement, Pascal's Triangle, another small device of broader practical use – the roulette wheel. Quite ironically, the inventor of such a device, which for many has become a pastime and for others an addiction, and for yet others, both, discussed at considerable length in his famous work, Pensées, about the semi-neurotic need of many individuals to seek distractions and diversions in life, so as to take their minds away from the larger existential questions.

As Pascal commented about those addicted to distractions:

"Their error does not lie in seeking excitement, if they seek it only as a diversion; the evil is that they seek it as if the possession of the objects of their quest would make them really happy. In this respect it is right to call their quest a vain one … And thus, when we take the exception against them, that that they seek with such fervour cannot satisfy them, if they replied – as they should do if they considered the matter thoroughly – that they sought in it only a violent and impetuous occupation which turned their thoughts from self, and that they therefore chose an attractive object to charm and ardently attract them, they would leave their opponents without a reply. But they do not make this reply, because they do not know themselves. Thy do not know that it is the chase, and not the quarry, which they seek". (Pascal, 1952, p. 197)

Distractions from what really matters…

According to Pascal, by avenue of our distractions, our gods become those objects that temporarily satiate the insatiable spiritual questions; we fumble among these created things — digging our heads deeper in the ground, always failing to see the Creator standing on the surface. Similarly we go away and spend large amounts of money on things that we hope will make us feel better about ourselves, or that we perceive will provide purpose to our lives — all the while not understanding that the Spirit within us will never be satiated by any water drawn from a well that springs from the earth.

Pascal writing in an era of far greater religious belief and adherence than our own, (at least on the level of outward appearance), had he been born today, may answer that modern man's life is filled with even greater need for distractions; for in the contrived absence of God and the subsequent ambivalence toward the notion of an after-life, all that is left is the material and the need to make the most of today before the great 'nothing' after death arrives. As such, the modern person thus seems to have become a victim of a large wave of materialism, which although lifting them above pestilence and other 'primitive' forms of hardship, have taken the individual away from their Spiritual roots, pulling them hither and tither — wherever the powerful tide wills. As part of this modern cataclysm a veritable tempest of consumerism rages, demanding the individual to buy that piece of clothing; or to change this part of their physical appearance, or to drown in credit card debt in order to consume more. One need only consider how during Christmas Sales, a red-light will flash in a department store, and like Pavlov's famous dog, or the moth attracted to the headlights of a fast on-coming vehicle, we rush to be there first, in the process forgetting the rudiments of common propriety, let alone the final remnants of Christmas cheer. We must have that item which the red-light beckons us ever toward — we must get that need that we didn't even know we had until that red-light so kindly advised us of its existence.

Why?

So why do we purchase this item? We purchase because by so doing, we have found meaning in our lives; something to tell our family and friends about. We may indeed have a small case of buyer's remorse, when with our pockets empty we see something else we could have bought in its place — yet in general we walk away saying to ourselves: "If only we could be so 'lucky' everyday!"

So pervasive is consumerism as a means of distraction that if Descartes taught us that we 'are' because we think, then perhaps a more apt modern existential adage could be: "I exist, because I consume!" What we purchase indicates something about ourselves — it even helps to give us identity. Thus the great question that best encapsulates the existential crisis for modern man becomes: "Do I cease to exist once I have no funds available in order to consume?" If indeed the answer is in the affirmative, then nothing shall stand in my way in order to sustain and secure my existence — I will sell my body, my soul, my all — in order to 'exist'.

Plato would say of such people in Laws V: "he sells all that gives the soul its beauty and value for a few paltry pieces of gold; but all the gold upon the earth and all the gold beneath it does not compensate for lack of virtue". (Plato: The Complete Works, 1997, p. 1411) Christ also never spoke about the human person in terms of existence – but in terms of life: "'I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full'". (John 10: 10, The New Jerusalem Bible) According to Christ the human person does not identify one's self with things – but rather with God.

That the notion that consumerism may have become the short-term meaning to living may indeed be more pervasive in Western society than is first thought. In an article for The Weekend Australian entitled, "The I-want-it-now years", Deborah Hope noted that:

"Halfway through [this decade], diversity and eclecticism are the buzzwords and instant gratification the name of the game. Whether you're talking about fashion, food, music, fads, news, finance or conspiracy theories, the combination of broadband internet and search engines means every possible permutation is accessible at the press of a button. The rise of the iPod … symbolises the smorgasbord life has become. Podcasting and music video downloads let us read, hear and even watch what we want, when we want it". (Hope, December 31, 2005 - January 1, 2006, Inquirer, p. 15)

Using and being used…

The same article mentions how sexual relations have now been reduced to a form of consumption, rather then as an expression of intimacy and committed love. Commitment and intimacy require time — and time is something that the modern individual seems to have very little of; our spouses and partners become 'products' for personal gratification and stress release. We even don't feel so bad in using them — for we in turn expect to be thus used — we are 'human capital' — part of a production process.

The cultivation of Spirit…

When Christ appeared before the Samaritan woman at the well, the mere drawing of water became the pretext for a discussion regarding a far more vital source of life — that is the cultivation of the Spirit. In essence, our distractions, our habits, our perceptions, our prejudices, our values, and our vices are all indicative of a thirst within ourselves, a parched part of our soul, crying out, for meaning in living. We turn to distractions, as an elixir to spiritual crises of various shapes and sizes. Yet as Gregory of Nazianzen tells us in Oration 17, such distractions never satisfy: "They are shortlived. The things we see, though made by the Creative Logos and the wisdom that transcends all wisdom, are always changing, now one way and now another, born upward and then downward. That is why it seems we are being played with. Before something can be laid hold of it flees and escapes our grasp. Yet there is a purpose in all this, for when we reflect on the instability and fickleness of such things, we are led to seek refuge in the enduring things that are to come. For if life always went well, would we not become so attached to our present stare, even though we know it will not last, and by deception become enslaved to pleasure? In the end we would think that our present life is the best and noblest, and forget that, being made in the image of God, we are destined for higher things". (Maximus the Confessor, 2003, p. 67)

It is for this reason that Christ offered a richer water, that will never fail to satiate, a water by which both body and soul can find nourishment, a water that will relieve anxiety, and provide contentment; a water that places all in perspective — the course of a person's life, as well as the nurturing of their capacity to love rightly and live fully. For in the end, as St. Maximus the Confessor teaches, every human being, whether they recognize it or not, takes their being from God, and their solace in life, from that water that springs from the wound of Christ. For without God: "We are a dream that does not last, a passing phantom, the flight of a bird that is gone, a ship passing through the sea and leaving no trace, dust, vapour, the morning dew, a flower that blooms for a time and is gone". (Maximus the Confessor, 2006, p. 168)

Image Credit:
The background image for today's headline comes from stock.xchng. Titled "D.light 3" the image is by Martin Jans of Dusseldorf, Germany.

©2008 Dr Andrew Thomas Kania

[Andrew Kania's Archive]