Most if not all of my previous posts have been either about the Bible or Biblical topics (theology). This one will be a little different in that it stemmed from something secular.
This post will be about the soul.
After reading Plato’s Republic*, I understood that humans, and especially Americans, are messed up. Now, I’ve known for awhile that it’s because we are no longer one nation under God, but that fact would typically end the discussion for me. We are no longer a Christian nation, so God is allowing us to take a tumble (read the Old Testament to learn all about this).
As for specifics, I wouldn’t bother. I had the bigger picture, and that was enough. Until I read the Republic. Let’s get to it.
The soul has three parts:
1) Appetitive – the animal desires like eating, sleeping, procreating
2) Spirit – emotions and feelings
3) Rational – reasoning and logic
A person and a nation has a good, pure soul when the appetitive part of his soul is disciplined, the spirited part loves what is good and hates what is evil, and the rational part is developed and rules how a person acts and thinks. Read that again and understand it, cuz’ that’s the thesis of my thoughts on this issue and this post.
America? Get out of here.
Most of America is obese, or drunk, or high. Disciplined? No, the appetitive part is wild and untamed.
Americans hate what is good and love what is wicked. That’s why people can stand by while a woman is getting beat up on a bus, call tennis ball splats art, worship gangsters who rap about hatred, etc. We see good and hate it. We love what is wicked. Love good and hate evil? No, our spirited part has not been refined.
Americans watch around four hours of television a day and don’t read, which is the only way to develop the mind. If you don’t read, your mind and ability to think linearly (though A, then thought B, etc.) won’t exist. John Mark Reynolds, a Christian philosopher, talks about this lifestyle that is prevalent throughout America. We love what he calls “yum-yum”, which is mental powder puff. Except we make it our main diet.
What happens when someone eats a diet of candy and soda? Yeah, bad things happen. However, in small amounts that stuff is okay. The equivalent of candy and soda in mind-input is television. It’s okay in small amounts, but when “yum-yum” is the only thing you are digesting, you are going to be one stupid cookie. Rational? We don’t know the meaning of the word.
When the rational part of the soul is nonexistent (undeveloped), the soul’s fall back is to allow the spirited and appetitive parts rule the soul. Where does this lead? America, really. Unhealthy lifestyles, knee-jerk reactions, love of detrimental habits, and no vision of the future are symptoms of an unreasonable soul in a person and a nation.
I’m particularly looking at the next generation, really. Teens don’t know anything about anything, but what’s worse is that they don’t care that they don’t know about anything. What’s worse is that they don’t know why it’s bad to not care that they don’t know anything. You get the picture.
My next post will affix blame, and offer a solution. Cheery stuff, really :)
*I don’t agree with a lot of the Republic, but Plato understood that the human’s soul must be balanced for a life to be worth living. Oh, and his book inspired the post, so that’s another plus.
No comments:
Post a Comment