The tragedy—the enduring moral catastrophe—is that the sociopathy of the state does not end at the borders of the proxy war. It is highly contagious, and it infects the democratic citizenry. When the public willingly consumes the lies of the “Non-Combat Pretenders,” when they accept the sanitized vocabulary of “collateral damage” to avoid confronting the butchery done in their name, they adopt the exact same sociopathic detachment as the architects in Washington. They choose the comfort of the anesthetic over the agony of the truth.
"This is the psychological requirement of the empire. The American citizen demands the Angel to soothe their conscience, so they do not have to look at the Devil required to maintain their standard of living."
Liberation theology, or at least liberation spirituality, make so much sense to me. Isn't spirituality about opening ourselves to everything, and not putting up walls? Isn't everything connected?
I don’t know much about anything… and I don’t think anyone else does either. I think once that condition is imbedded in one’s psyche, the rest more or less falls into place.
Trying to fix the oligarchs who make every decision while making it look like the will of the people first takes fixing oneself spiritually. We are a long way off from stopping their merry-go-round of horrors.
My goodness, I was not even 20 yrs old when my former mother in law told me about liberation theology - sorry to be negative - but did it achieve anything?? We 'humans' are a mistake by the evolutionary process (our brains too big to do the right thing)
Thank you Caitlin for shining a bright light on a shadow aspect of our society large enough to march an army through. The willingness to block awareness of atrocities to not disturb the good vibes is spiritual bypassing on steroids. Thank you for all you do 🙏
"True spirituality is the never-ending process of getting real about what’s real. Letting the light of truth pervade every aspect of the human adventure, from our unexamined habits of perception and cognition, to our understanding of global power dynamics. And letting our actions flow from there."
I don't know if it's our natural state or not, but it would transform the world if we all became avid practitioners. Animals and plants included of course.
Caitlin, I agree with some parts of your article and disagree with others.
CJ>>"The overwhelming majority of what people call “spirituality” in our society is really just glorified escapism. It’s about avoiding reality by focusing on good vibes, nice feelings, and comforting stories about the nature of the cosmos."
I agree 100% with your above observation of the 'state of spirituality' today. I would guess that 90% people espouse a definition of spiritualality that you and I would consider to be 'FAKE spirituality'.
CJ>>"Authentic spirituality moves in the exact opposite direction to all this. While false spirituality is about turning away and avoiding, true spirituality is about turning towards and facing. Turning and facing all the uncomfortable realities about yourself, your internal dynamics, your trauma, your maladaptive coping mechanisms, your belief systems, your interpersonal relationships, your community, your society, your nation, and your world."
Caitlin, I am not spiritual (and don't consider myself to be spiritual). But I espouse very similar (if not the same) morals, ethics, values, concerns, deep thoughts,etc. as you do WITHOUT 'needing spirituality' (or going down the road of spirituality). So why do I need spirituality? I don't need to be a religious person to be good/moral/etc., so why would I need to be spiritual? Why do people think (and assume) that spirituality (the good kind) is the 'only way' towards an enlightened path? Why is this 'spiritual phenomena' pushed on people from all spheres of human culture? (I would use the same arguments against the 'neccessity of spirituality' as I would against the 'neccessity of religion').
While I like 'your definition/understanding' of 'authentic spirituality' and what you consider as 'true spirituality', I would make the following two counter-points:
(1) One could accuse you of the 'no true Scotsman' fallacy in your adherence of 'what is included in true spiritiuality and what is not' (I'm not too concerned with this though)
(2) What really bothers me is that SPIRITUALITY (and the world of spirituality) seems to cover a WIDE area of beliefs (and thus justifications for particular behaviors) - many of these are TOXIC, and there is a whole sub-culture of 'using spirituality' to oppress, exploit, gaslight, scam, and hurt people (physically and mentally).
It is SUCH a loaded word that it turns me off whenever someone starts talking about 'spirituality'. Why is it not possible to have the same discussions without introducing contentious words like spirituality? Am I a 'lesser' or 'less moral/ethical' person becuase I don't subscribe to spirituality? I can think, feel, and do the same things as someone that believes in (authentic) spirituality WITHOUT needing to subscribe to spirituality.
So why are people making such a big deal out of spirituality? Sure, spirituality might be one way to reach a certain destination (in personal growth and development), but there are other ways to get there too. Sometimes, I get piqued when people keep 'throwing spirituality' on my face like it's the end-all and be-all for everything.
Caitlin, I have no issues with your description/understanding of spirituality (and I rather agree with it), but it bothers me that 'spirituality' often gets used in the same way that 'religion' gets used, and often for many of the same purposes.
Leading a life that avoids all those evil things humans are prone to commit, while being a decent human being doesn't require religion . Just looking at the history of evil done for religious reasons proves that. Spiritualism is IMO a core personal belief that keep us from doing evil, a conscience so to speak. Doing the right thing ,because it is the right thing to do. Not because some one or some being said so.
A timely reminder from Caitlin, to those of us who hide behind some kind of "spirituality" and refuses to engage in the suffering of the many. How can we - if we have an iota of compassion and empathy - ignore the dystopia that surrounds us , and for the suffering masses who are directly subjected to untold violence. We have to engage politically, socially and in every small way we can to alleviate and share and raise our voices against the injustice and inhumanity of our political class, the oligarchs and their entitlement and corruption and greed.
We must have contempt for those who cheered on the trillion dollar oligarch.They have created a poisonous environment of iniquity, exploitation and wars and genocide. How else does the rich become richer and the poor, poorer. Whole nations are made into wastelands to satisfy their insatiable appetites.
We also can understand the good monks who have seen the vast suffering humanity and realised they are unable to do anything, dropping out and finding refuge in stillness.
This also reminds me of an anecdote of the monk who was meditating among the anti-Vietnam war protesters when a protester told him ".... a fat lot of good that will do.... ". I can understand both.
I cringe when I hear the word spirituality. I can't help it. " When stripped of the vague label, the core of what people are trying to describe usually comes down to basic human psychology: finding a mental framework that helps navigate suffering, build community, and make sense of life."
I would suggest that rather than playing gatekeeper for what is spiritual, we drop the whole overused term and speak more concretely and specifically of the issues that concern us. That's all.
Full disclosure: in the late 60's I saw the New Left and our Revolution evaporate and people migrate into spirituality: the New Age, now an industry of aging healers and life coaches and vendors of crystals and self-affirmations to attach to your fridge. Ugh. In Nazi Germany the "good people" who didn't like the Nazis but saw no way to fight the took the "interior migration" into spirituality, seeking peace in a world of genocide.
I say let's just drop the whole damned thing and directly become political beings, following our conscience but using our talents, to gain power for that is the only way things will change.
There's a spirituality that can be found in doing work that needs to be done. We usually don't notice it is there and it is hard to be aware of it while you're doing the work. It's hard to remember to be aware of the spirituality in the work while you're doing the work. (Work that is often physical and/or emotional labor.)
At the risk of being very cliche and Captain Obvious, I'm reminded of the old zen bhuddism story. The first time I heard it was in a recording by Alan Watts, but I've heard and read it told several other times from other people. I will attempt to paraphrase and retell (no doubt badly) the story here.
"How do I find enlightenment?" ask the seekers of the zen masters. "Chop wood, carry water," answer the zen masters, and the seekers do so.
Eventually some of the seekers find enlightenment and become the enlightened. The enlightened ask, "What should I do now that I've found enlightenment?" "Chop wood, carry water," answer the zen masters, and the enlightened do so.
another amazing writer, Mary Turfah, has a piece in the Baffler called "Warrior Pose" which is about this very brand of fake spirituality in Isr*eli society
Thank you for sharing this Baffler piece— I had not yet seen it. This form of Israeli spiritual bypassing (widespread in the “plant medicine”/psychedelic healing world as well) that co-exists with the culture’s collective sadism is hard to wrap one’s head around.
"A spirituality that is uninterested in ending war, genocide, poverty and injustice is a dead spirituality." That describes Christian Zionism. Or any Zionism for that matter. It also describes some meditation practices which are really good for getting the self focussed, but not always so good at recognizing what is getting in the way of that ability to focus on what is important. Our interconnectedness with other humans, with the earth and with the plants and creatures that live on the earth.
“Enlightened teachers” are selling their perspective to as broad an audience as possible, whatever label they apply to themselves- politician, spiritualist, priest, journalist. Compromised by their capitalistic tendencies, as my ‘pink’ father used to say.
I gave up on so-called spiritual advisors some 40+ years ago, too many of them were charlatans out to make money from those searching for a better way, while encouraging drug use - no thanks.
I found a Christian Spiritualist Church to be the closest to truth, possibly because the founder there was not asking for anything in return, and it was just a little place where seekers did get answers. We were warned about those telling us to reach out psychically to steal money, goods or whatever, which the church of scientology told its followers they could do - you know the excuse "There's plenty of money around, it won't run out." I suppose not if it's only done outside of reality.
Too many of these churches(?) popped up rather suddenly, some with bands playing sort of pop music, but would also bring in a cacophony that hurt the ears which meant, their pastor said, you could not be spiritual. They, I think were the ones without a spiritual cell in their bodies, just money hungry and in need of worship themselves, as long as money came with it.
As a child I was taught that all people are God's children, not one of us put above the other in His eyes. Also, in Scotland the people who were born on the land are the keepers. Not a king or queen who is given the task of caring for the land for the people, but do not own any of it. That belief should spread to countries who think king own it there would be less fighting about stealing land and then claiming to own it.
We own nothing in this world but our souls, and even that has to be returned eventually.
Thanks for sharing, Davina. I worked for 30+ years with vulnerable refugee adolescents in Australia, and I believe that when the 'western' world understands how we are manipulated through fear (patriarchy and capitalism — and its institutions), we will be able to shift by making choices for all of humanity and the environment.
"True spirituality is the never-ending process of getting real about what’s real." A phrase that could well lead to this quote from John Kennedy: "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
The tragedy—the enduring moral catastrophe—is that the sociopathy of the state does not end at the borders of the proxy war. It is highly contagious, and it infects the democratic citizenry. When the public willingly consumes the lies of the “Non-Combat Pretenders,” when they accept the sanitized vocabulary of “collateral damage” to avoid confronting the butchery done in their name, they adopt the exact same sociopathic detachment as the architects in Washington. They choose the comfort of the anesthetic over the agony of the truth.
https://griobhtha1.substack.com/p/hemisphere-of-plunder-el-salvador
Great writing.
"This is the psychological requirement of the empire. The American citizen demands the Angel to soothe their conscience, so they do not have to look at the Devil required to maintain their standard of living."
Liberation theology, or at least liberation spirituality, make so much sense to me. Isn't spirituality about opening ourselves to everything, and not putting up walls? Isn't everything connected?
I don’t know much about anything… and I don’t think anyone else does either. I think once that condition is imbedded in one’s psyche, the rest more or less falls into place.
Truth does not emit from the glowing rectangle from whence you are reading this.
Only simulacrum seeps from there. Highly valuable false selective realities provoking a myriad of ordered responses from which they feed.
They are dining, and your emmanently manipulative emotions are on the menu.
The desert course is coming up, cue the feel good story of the week.
Trying to fix the oligarchs who make every decision while making it look like the will of the people first takes fixing oneself spiritually. We are a long way off from stopping their merry-go-round of horrors.
My goodness, I was not even 20 yrs old when my former mother in law told me about liberation theology - sorry to be negative - but did it achieve anything?? We 'humans' are a mistake by the evolutionary process (our brains too big to do the right thing)
I agree that that may be so. but if we don't at least try nevertheless to avoid catastrophe, we're definitely doomed.
Thank you Caitlin for shining a bright light on a shadow aspect of our society large enough to march an army through. The willingness to block awareness of atrocities to not disturb the good vibes is spiritual bypassing on steroids. Thank you for all you do 🙏
This is so well observed and written. Spot on.
"True spirituality is the never-ending process of getting real about what’s real. Letting the light of truth pervade every aspect of the human adventure, from our unexamined habits of perception and cognition, to our understanding of global power dynamics. And letting our actions flow from there."
Indeed.
"In loving the spiritual you cannot despise the earthly." ~Joseph Campbell
Agreed. This never made sense to me. Why be human if the purpose is to transcend our humanity?
Cultivate empathy.
Empathy with all living beings seems to be our natural state, and we are indoctrinated to think we are separate from each other. More empathy, please!
I don't know if it's our natural state or not, but it would transform the world if we all became avid practitioners. Animals and plants included of course.
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” ~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Caitlin, I agree with some parts of your article and disagree with others.
CJ>>"The overwhelming majority of what people call “spirituality” in our society is really just glorified escapism. It’s about avoiding reality by focusing on good vibes, nice feelings, and comforting stories about the nature of the cosmos."
I agree 100% with your above observation of the 'state of spirituality' today. I would guess that 90% people espouse a definition of spiritualality that you and I would consider to be 'FAKE spirituality'.
CJ>>"Authentic spirituality moves in the exact opposite direction to all this. While false spirituality is about turning away and avoiding, true spirituality is about turning towards and facing. Turning and facing all the uncomfortable realities about yourself, your internal dynamics, your trauma, your maladaptive coping mechanisms, your belief systems, your interpersonal relationships, your community, your society, your nation, and your world."
Caitlin, I am not spiritual (and don't consider myself to be spiritual). But I espouse very similar (if not the same) morals, ethics, values, concerns, deep thoughts,etc. as you do WITHOUT 'needing spirituality' (or going down the road of spirituality). So why do I need spirituality? I don't need to be a religious person to be good/moral/etc., so why would I need to be spiritual? Why do people think (and assume) that spirituality (the good kind) is the 'only way' towards an enlightened path? Why is this 'spiritual phenomena' pushed on people from all spheres of human culture? (I would use the same arguments against the 'neccessity of spirituality' as I would against the 'neccessity of religion').
While I like 'your definition/understanding' of 'authentic spirituality' and what you consider as 'true spirituality', I would make the following two counter-points:
(1) One could accuse you of the 'no true Scotsman' fallacy in your adherence of 'what is included in true spiritiuality and what is not' (I'm not too concerned with this though)
(2) What really bothers me is that SPIRITUALITY (and the world of spirituality) seems to cover a WIDE area of beliefs (and thus justifications for particular behaviors) - many of these are TOXIC, and there is a whole sub-culture of 'using spirituality' to oppress, exploit, gaslight, scam, and hurt people (physically and mentally).
It is SUCH a loaded word that it turns me off whenever someone starts talking about 'spirituality'. Why is it not possible to have the same discussions without introducing contentious words like spirituality? Am I a 'lesser' or 'less moral/ethical' person becuase I don't subscribe to spirituality? I can think, feel, and do the same things as someone that believes in (authentic) spirituality WITHOUT needing to subscribe to spirituality.
So why are people making such a big deal out of spirituality? Sure, spirituality might be one way to reach a certain destination (in personal growth and development), but there are other ways to get there too. Sometimes, I get piqued when people keep 'throwing spirituality' on my face like it's the end-all and be-all for everything.
Caitlin, I have no issues with your description/understanding of spirituality (and I rather agree with it), but it bothers me that 'spirituality' often gets used in the same way that 'religion' gets used, and often for many of the same purposes.
Hello Chang, Nice to have you back!
Thank you Indu! Hope all's well with you too!
If I could triple ‘like’ your comment, I would do so! ❤️❤️❤️
Good comment Chang.
Leading a life that avoids all those evil things humans are prone to commit, while being a decent human being doesn't require religion . Just looking at the history of evil done for religious reasons proves that. Spiritualism is IMO a core personal belief that keep us from doing evil, a conscience so to speak. Doing the right thing ,because it is the right thing to do. Not because some one or some being said so.
A timely reminder from Caitlin, to those of us who hide behind some kind of "spirituality" and refuses to engage in the suffering of the many. How can we - if we have an iota of compassion and empathy - ignore the dystopia that surrounds us , and for the suffering masses who are directly subjected to untold violence. We have to engage politically, socially and in every small way we can to alleviate and share and raise our voices against the injustice and inhumanity of our political class, the oligarchs and their entitlement and corruption and greed.
We must have contempt for those who cheered on the trillion dollar oligarch.They have created a poisonous environment of iniquity, exploitation and wars and genocide. How else does the rich become richer and the poor, poorer. Whole nations are made into wastelands to satisfy their insatiable appetites.
We also can understand the good monks who have seen the vast suffering humanity and realised they are unable to do anything, dropping out and finding refuge in stillness.
This also reminds me of an anecdote of the monk who was meditating among the anti-Vietnam war protesters when a protester told him ".... a fat lot of good that will do.... ". I can understand both.
Thanks Caitlin what you describe is known as “spiritual bypassing” and is a huge trap for the unwary and the unmindful.
Indeed. See Lizzy Liberty’s comment below re: collective Israeli spiritual bypassing.
I cringe when I hear the word spirituality. I can't help it. " When stripped of the vague label, the core of what people are trying to describe usually comes down to basic human psychology: finding a mental framework that helps navigate suffering, build community, and make sense of life."
I would suggest that rather than playing gatekeeper for what is spiritual, we drop the whole overused term and speak more concretely and specifically of the issues that concern us. That's all.
Full disclosure: in the late 60's I saw the New Left and our Revolution evaporate and people migrate into spirituality: the New Age, now an industry of aging healers and life coaches and vendors of crystals and self-affirmations to attach to your fridge. Ugh. In Nazi Germany the "good people" who didn't like the Nazis but saw no way to fight the took the "interior migration" into spirituality, seeking peace in a world of genocide.
I say let's just drop the whole damned thing and directly become political beings, following our conscience but using our talents, to gain power for that is the only way things will change.
There's a spirituality that can be found in doing work that needs to be done. We usually don't notice it is there and it is hard to be aware of it while you're doing the work. It's hard to remember to be aware of the spirituality in the work while you're doing the work. (Work that is often physical and/or emotional labor.)
At the risk of being very cliche and Captain Obvious, I'm reminded of the old zen bhuddism story. The first time I heard it was in a recording by Alan Watts, but I've heard and read it told several other times from other people. I will attempt to paraphrase and retell (no doubt badly) the story here.
"How do I find enlightenment?" ask the seekers of the zen masters. "Chop wood, carry water," answer the zen masters, and the seekers do so.
Eventually some of the seekers find enlightenment and become the enlightened. The enlightened ask, "What should I do now that I've found enlightenment?" "Chop wood, carry water," answer the zen masters, and the enlightened do so.
I came across a spiritual master many moons ago, and this is what he told me: "If it ain't fun, don't do it!"
So apparently, even Sisyphus is not the only spiritual path.
Excellent piece CaitOz🔥
another amazing writer, Mary Turfah, has a piece in the Baffler called "Warrior Pose" which is about this very brand of fake spirituality in Isr*eli society
https://thebaffler.com/latest/warrior-pose-turfah
Thank you for sharing this Baffler piece— I had not yet seen it. This form of Israeli spiritual bypassing (widespread in the “plant medicine”/psychedelic healing world as well) that co-exists with the culture’s collective sadism is hard to wrap one’s head around.
"A spirituality that is uninterested in ending war, genocide, poverty and injustice is a dead spirituality." That describes Christian Zionism. Or any Zionism for that matter. It also describes some meditation practices which are really good for getting the self focussed, but not always so good at recognizing what is getting in the way of that ability to focus on what is important. Our interconnectedness with other humans, with the earth and with the plants and creatures that live on the earth.
“Enlightened teachers” are selling their perspective to as broad an audience as possible, whatever label they apply to themselves- politician, spiritualist, priest, journalist. Compromised by their capitalistic tendencies, as my ‘pink’ father used to say.
I gave up on so-called spiritual advisors some 40+ years ago, too many of them were charlatans out to make money from those searching for a better way, while encouraging drug use - no thanks.
I found a Christian Spiritualist Church to be the closest to truth, possibly because the founder there was not asking for anything in return, and it was just a little place where seekers did get answers. We were warned about those telling us to reach out psychically to steal money, goods or whatever, which the church of scientology told its followers they could do - you know the excuse "There's plenty of money around, it won't run out." I suppose not if it's only done outside of reality.
Too many of these churches(?) popped up rather suddenly, some with bands playing sort of pop music, but would also bring in a cacophony that hurt the ears which meant, their pastor said, you could not be spiritual. They, I think were the ones without a spiritual cell in their bodies, just money hungry and in need of worship themselves, as long as money came with it.
As a child I was taught that all people are God's children, not one of us put above the other in His eyes. Also, in Scotland the people who were born on the land are the keepers. Not a king or queen who is given the task of caring for the land for the people, but do not own any of it. That belief should spread to countries who think king own it there would be less fighting about stealing land and then claiming to own it.
We own nothing in this world but our souls, and even that has to be returned eventually.
Thanks for sharing, Davina. I worked for 30+ years with vulnerable refugee adolescents in Australia, and I believe that when the 'western' world understands how we are manipulated through fear (patriarchy and capitalism — and its institutions), we will be able to shift by making choices for all of humanity and the environment.
"May the inner and outer (hu)man be one."
A quote I read somewhere. I can't find out who said it, but it makes sense.
"True spirituality is the never-ending process of getting real about what’s real." A phrase that could well lead to this quote from John Kennedy: "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."