In the Middle Ages, religious ecstasy was considered the highest form of attainable human state. Hence the famous Bernini sculpture of St Teresa.
But now that we live in more secular times, the question remains, what has replaced it?
Should we even try to replace it? Wouldn’t our time be better spent trying to figure out solutions to more rational problems (The Environment, Third World poverty, Politics, etc.), and cosigning these old superstitions to the dustbin of history?
I don’t think that will happen. Our need for mystery, and our connection with *the* mystery is as strong as it ever was. I do think, however, that the mistake we often make these days is, like the fellow in the illustration, treating it like any other commodity- something that can easily be accessed via the latest app or trendy “system”. For three easy payments of….etc.
No matter how we make our living, lead our lives… whether we be rockstar entrepreneurs, mom n’ pop tradesmen, or just quiet cogs in large corporate machines, we are amazing, mysterious beings leading amazing, mysterious lives, and we need to keep discovering new ways to remind ourselves of this, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.
Is that not one of the great challenges and joys of being alive?
