Beauty and Truth were and are forever the pursuit of mankind. It was so with the philosophers and the sages, as primordial man tried to reach higher and touch the energies of God, return to the simplicity and to Beauty itself. It seems true that no created thing in the world is necessarily ugly or evil, but only that the beauty that it once was has been distorted, gone awry, or askew. It has become twisted, deformed or misshapen. The original image becomes perverted by its use primarily as a means to another end, misused. The pursuit of Beauty and pursuit of eternal love, joy, peace, and truth will remain the sole core of mankind's existential life. This is unavoidable, unimagined, without it. Why do we sometimes miss this beauty in its pure undistorted form or accept any twisted variation of it? Why are our thoughts so scattered to the winds of emotion and intellectual vanities or our body's sole use for the purpose of amusement? Why does the material world of things and more things ever sometimes smother us with the chasing of shadows and dust? Is it possible that our view of beauty is distorted, lost in one form or other? Can the material world satisfy our needs permanently? Can our intellectual accolades fulfill the most basic needs permanently? Can the amusements of our bodies gratify us permanently? If we find that nothing in this world can fully satisfy, fulfill or gratify us, then are we truly seeing things as they are before us or have we accepted a counterfeit beauty? It seems that the pursuit of virtue for its own sake, or as Confucius' way of the gentleman or Lao Tzu's Tao, stresses a simple and guarded life as essential to even see beauty or experience it. In Plato and Socrates, we understand something deeper, essential, marked by a strange and highly subtle thing. In Heraclitus we encounter the Logos, visible and invisible, a paradox impossible to fully comprehend, but never less real. Mr. Lewis searches, the all corner's mind to find what will finalize his hunger and what will answer the deeper questions. What to compare to the Absolute or why to compare at all if no truth exists? Finally in St. John we experience in person that which we long for.... And that any course of way outside of this has been marked by road-signs to turn back, stop, slow-down, wrong-way, watch for falling rocks, etc. Yet to continue down the wrong way is to ignore the most basic fundamental to life. It is to ignore Truth and remain with the false however it appears to be otherwise.
In the Theologians and Saints we are elevated to the true meaning and pursuit of Philosophy, The lovers of wisdom as a Person...here we see and experience the crowning achievement and goal of the philosophers and sages... we experience the Maker of our soul and the source of all who have sought out, are seeking and will seek. We move from human philosophy to Theology.We experience, truth, love, joy, peace and see the beauty that the things of the world are only a reflection of and when we know this beauty, experience it, we hunger for nothing more. We are full. We are afraid of nothing, we need nothing, we pursue nothing. We have come to our journey's end and this is not the end but the beginning of eternal heaven where there are no worries or fears, and growth eternal, never dull, ever expanding. The nous has received its desire. Christ, the return of the king, the return of beauty to earth, has triumphed over decay, death and the devil. In this truly we Say, Christo Anesti!
In the beginning was the Word (Logos), the Word was with God and the Word was God...
- St. John
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
John 14:6
Of the Logos, which is as I describe it, people always prove to be uncomprehending, both before and after they have heard it. For although all things happen according to this Logos, people behave as if they have no experience, even when they experience such words and deeds as I explain, when I distinguish each thing according to its constitution and declare how it is. The rest of humanity fails to notice what they do after they wake up just as they forget what they do when asleep.
- Heraclitus (535 – 475 B.C.)
We should let ourselves be guided by what is common to all. Yet although the Logos is common to all, most men live as if each had a private intelligence of his own.
-Heraclitus, fr. 2 (p. 19)
Although intimately connected with the Logos, men keep setting themselves against it. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. C. S. Lewis
1898-1963
If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.
C.S. Lewis -
“Love may forgive all infirmities and love still in spite of them: but
love cannot cease to will their removal.” (39)
C.S. Lewis
1898-1963 (Problem of Pain)
The Church grows under the harshest persecution and grows lethargic
and dies when apart from it
C.S. Lewis
1898-1963
My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? -
- C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity
I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
- C.S. Lewis – Mere Christianity, pages 40-41.
My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? -
- C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity
I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
- C.S. Lewis – Mere Christianity, pages 40-41.
Zi-lu said, "The ruler of Wei has been waiting for you, in order with you to administer the government. What will you consider the first thing to be done?"
The Master replied, "What is necessary to rectify names."
"So! indeed!" said Zi-lu. "You are wide off the mark! Why must there be such rectification?"
The Master said, "How uncultivated you are, Yu! A superior man, in regard to what he does not know, shows a cautious reserve.
If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things.
If language be not in accordance with the truth of things, affairs cannot be carried on to success.
When affairs cannot be carried on to success, proprieties and music do not flourish.
When proprieties and music do not flourish, punishments will not be properly awarded.
When punishments are not properly awarded, the people do not know how to move hand or foot.
Therefore a superior man considers it necessary that the names he uses may be spoken appropriately, and also that what he speaks may be carried out appropriately. What the superior man requires is just that in his words there may be nothing incorrect."
(Analects XIII, 3, tr. Legge)
Confucius
He who sets to work on a different strand destroys the whole fabric.
- Confucius
Heaven means to be one with God.
-Confucius
It is upon the Trunk that a gentleman works.
- Confucius
"If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself."
Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC)
For every man striking away at the root of a problem, there are millions striking away at the branches
- Plato
424/423 BC – 348/347 BC
All men are by nature equal, made all of the same earth by one Workman; and however we deceive ourselves, as dear unto God is the poor peasant as the mighty prince.
- Plato
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
Plato (423BC – 347BC)
"A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true."
- Socrates (469 BC–399 BC)
“Would you like to save the world from the degradation and destruction it seems destined for? Then step away from shallow mass movements and quietly go to work on your own self-awareness. If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself. If you want to eliminate the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation.”
― Lao Tzu
“When men lost their understanding of the Tao, intelligence came along, bringing hypocrisy with it.”
― Lao Tzu
“If you search everywhere, yet cannot find what you are seeking, it is because what you seek is already in your possession.”
― Lao Tzu
“So it is that some things are increased by being diminished, and others are diminished by being increased.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“When things flourish they decline.”
― Lao Tzu
“not to show them what is likely to excite their desires is the way to keep their minds from disorder.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.”
“The words of truth are always paradoxical.”
― Lao Tzu
“The words of truth are always paradoxical.”
― Lao Tzu
"Esteemed friend, citizen of Athens, the greatest city in the world, so outstanding in both intelligence and power, aren't you ashamed to care so much to make all the money you can, and to advance your reputation and prestige--while for truth and wisdom and the improvement of your soul you have no care or worry?"
— Socrates
"Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers."
— Socrates
"One should never do wrong in return, nor mistreat any man, no matter how one has been mistreated by him."
— Socrates
The end of life is to be like God, and the soul following God will be like Him.
- Socrates
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.
Siddhārtha Gautama (563 BC to 483 BC)
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and with the prayers of Saint Peter, the intercession prayers of St. Demetrios myhrr streaming and St. Paisios "the new"of the Mount Athos, may we all be changed by the divine love of God and to a good account before the awesome judgment seat of Christ unto life everlasting. Glory to God.
thanks to source:
http://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/aftoday/crisis_of_beauty
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