Going to the Mythos in Times of Crisis

As noted in a previous blog, I reiterate the value of cultural diversity. Cultures have evolved over time and have withstood the test of time. When a crisis appears on the horizon, it is to our benefit to be able to draw on the vast array of human experience to meet the challenge. That said, a crisis has appeared on the horizon in our democratic society. Entrenched narrow interests (to include self-interest and "special interests") and a divided political sphere threaten our society as a whole. This can be described as a crisis of the spirit. To meet this crisis we should not fear to go to our mythos, the dynamic of our moral culture. As demonstrated in previous blogs, under the auspices of poetry, we can make vital use of the symbols capable of inspiration.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Mark 8:34)

While such symbols can lend themselves to the ascetic and the didactic, the Promised Land Project, grounded in poetry, strives to make use of them inspirationally. To simply state, didactically, "What would Jesus do?" is of limited value and easily can create a negative affect. Self-interest is human nature and the use of moralizing and shaming in an attempt to transcend entrenched interests in a complex society is more apt to degenerate the public discourse.

Yet while recognizing self-interest is part of human nature, we must also recognize the dynamics of our collective nature, such as our capacity to love. By differentiating between the mythos and religion, we can draw on such symbols and frame them poetically, yet truthfully, then interject the arts as a means to inspire.

The essential function of art is moral. Not aesthetic, not decorative, not pastime and recreation. But Moral. The essential function of art is moral. But a passionate, implicit morality, not didactic. A morality which changes the blood, rather than the mind. Changes the blood first. The mind follows later, in the wake. -- D.H. Lawrence

Art can be many things -- it's not worth arguing about -- but I believe Lawrence was on to something. The promotion of a collective narrative aligned with the truth can erode the foundations of false ideologies that excuse self-interest and harbor a deep sense of shame, propping up falsely one's sense of self, and causing the occlusion of sympathetic love. Yet it ultimately validates because it restores one's sense of self through a truthful level of self-acceptance towards self-interest and enables one to see more clearly one's own contribution to the greater good. Well, that's how it's supposed to work, as I see it.