How do we/I/you find personal meaning and depth and also have community?
Yes, that sentence resonates for me. I have struggled with it. Christianity is essentially communal. So is Judaism. And probably also Islam although I don't know enough about Islam to speak to it. One can not really be Christian without a community. One can admire Christ, believe in one's own fashion but to be a follower means to be one of the community of believers.
To be "pagan" is that also to be communal? Is belonging to a "coven", a "circle" a group of some sort necessary? But people call themselves "solitary". And there is every degree of personal belief. One of the charms of being "pagan" is that you can self define, make up your own religion. There is no "book", no central "authority".
As to women and media and inner life: Every woman must define herself and by her choices create herself. To have an inner life means to control one's "outer life". There is all that "stuff" out there. But no one is compelled to let it in to one's world. The media, the popular culture makes us feel that we have to be part of everything. To be "modern", to be part of our world, we should have, do, be. But is that true?
There have always been people who have said NO! Thoreau is often quoted. But there are many others in different times and places. The Desert Fathers went into the desert to hear God but also to find themselves. Some people radically separate themselves from their society. Many many more simply create their own world by picking and choosing.
Privacy is necessary for an inner life. How can it be "inner" if it is known to everyone on facebook or where ever? Somethings can be so personal that there are no words for them. And why would we want to share this? What benefit is there to have many know what is so important to me?
You pose some very interesting questions. Thank you.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2010-08-12 04:53 pm (UTC)Yes, that sentence resonates for me. I have struggled with it. Christianity is essentially communal. So is Judaism. And probably also Islam although I don't know enough about Islam to speak to it.
One can not really be Christian without a community. One can admire Christ, believe in one's own fashion but to be a follower means to be one of the community of believers.
To be "pagan" is that also to be communal? Is belonging to a "coven", a "circle" a group of some sort necessary? But people call themselves "solitary". And there is every degree of personal belief. One of the charms of being "pagan" is that you can self define, make up your own religion. There is no "book", no central "authority".
As to women and media and inner life:
Every woman must define herself and by her choices create herself.
To have an inner life means to control one's "outer life".
There is all that "stuff" out there. But no one is compelled to let it in to one's world. The media, the popular culture makes us feel that we have to be part of everything. To be "modern", to be part of our world, we should have, do, be. But is that true?
There have always been people who have said NO! Thoreau is often quoted. But there are many others in different times and places. The Desert Fathers went into the desert to hear God but also to find themselves. Some people radically separate themselves from their society. Many many more simply create their own world by picking and choosing.
Privacy is necessary for an inner life. How can it be "inner" if it is known to everyone on facebook or where ever? Somethings can be so personal that there are no words for them. And why would we want to share this? What benefit is there to have many know what is so important to me?
You pose some very interesting questions.
Thank you.