Francis Berger
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We Are Spiritual and Social Beings

10/3/2021

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At best, society is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, we depend upon it in a somewhat servile manner. Social influences, suggestions, and manipulations obscure and distort religious beliefs, moral values, and our grasp of truth. On the other hand, society plays a major role in dissemination of religious beliefs, moral values, and our grasp of truth.

At its base, society is the interactions and relations between people. We do not enter this world as isolated spiritual beings, and with rare exceptions, do not live out our lives as isolated spiritual beings.

During our time in this world we are also fundamentally social beings. The acquisition and dissemination of knowledge forms the core our social interactions and communities, both of which play key roles our spiritual learning in this world.

In times of high "spiritual community", the family forms the nucleus of society. The spiritual communion, communication, and communicability formed within the family extend beyond the family through its members who seek and form interactions and relations with other families and individuals. A shared understanding emerges - truth is not meant to serve society. Instead, society is meant to serve truth 

The quantity and quality of human social relations depends very much on the spiritual state of man. If the spiritual state of man is firm and solid, society tends to be firm and solid. If the spiritual state of man is yielding and disintegrating, society also tends to yield and disintegrate. As society breaks down, so does the quality and quantity of knowledge at the collective level. People stop serving truth and expect truth to serve them.

We live in a time and place when the spiritual state of man is at an unprecedented low. This is readily reflected in our collapsing societies. Though man is by nature a social being in mortal life (and beyond!), he has entered a phase of spiritual isolation in this world. At best, society and its purpose of shared knowledge and truth-serving has retracted back to the level of the family. At worst, it resides within the souls of the secluded and the shunned. 

The prospects for the establishment of genuine large-scale spiritual community in this world are extremely low at the moment. At the same time, the establishment of spiritual truth-serving and knowledge sharing at the individual, family, and micro-community level have rarely been better.

Nurture those interactions and relations once you have sorted out your intention to serve truth. And if you have no relations to nurture, then seek them out using discernment as your guide. A state of prolonged spiritual isolation - though endurable, perhaps even beneficial for some - is a virtual death sentence for most.

The destruction of society - the banning and elimination of practically all authentic and meaningful interactions and relations between people is deliberate and methodical. Those on the side against God and Creation know that we are spiritual beings. They also know that a great deal of the learning we are meant to do in this world depends upon our relations and interactions with others as spiritual beings rather than as things. 

Any society that emerges after our current one destroys itself must be built up from a high degree of spiritual community where the individuals involved live the reality of serving truth.

And if no such society emerges, the rare relations between people who recognize each other as spiritual beings will glow like cinders - and these cinders will forever threaten to combust the darkness. 
​
Note added: I believe heaven is synonymous with spiritual community (in the truest sense).  
2 Comments
Todd Ojala
10/4/2021 16:20:21

What a beautiful post, just what I needed this morning. God bless you, Francis.

Reply
Francis Berger
10/4/2021 19:44:17

@ Todd - Much appreciated.

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