Mental illness
Demons, angels, anthropomorphisms of agglomerations of people, prinicipalities, powers, The Economy, consumerism, Pirsig’s Giant, loneliness, fashion, forces that oppress or uplift.
Perhaps mental illness is possession by the demons of the age, at least as much about societies’ sicknesses than any particular sufferer’s.
Says Walter Wink (quoted here):
So formidable a phalanx of hostility demands spiritual weaponry, for it is clear that we contend not against human beings as such (“blood and flesh”) but against the legitimations, seats of authority, hierarchical systems, ideological justifications, and punitive sanctions which their human incumbents exercise and which transcend these incumbents in both time and power. It is the suprahuman dimension of power in institutions and the cosmos which must be fought, not the mere human agent. For the institution will guarantee the replacement of this person with another virtually the same, who despite personal preferences will replicate decisions made by a whole string of predecessors because that is what the institution requires for its survival. It is this suprahuman quality which accounts for the apparent “heavenly,” bigger than life, quasi-eternal character of the Powers. Naming the Powers, pp. 85-86.
6 responses to “Mental illness”
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The version of legal ethics I was taught at Auckland Uni required that one adopt the obligations and responsibilities of a role defined by a societal insitution, putting aside questions of ‘personal’ morality.
There is *some* truth in this, but only some. The much larger truth is that there is no role that may be placed outside the representation of God; nothing may be allowed to replace His image – including any institution.
Perhaps our institutions, and I am thinking particularly now of liberal democracies, are the gods – the graven images – of our day. The highest good; the source of all law and the organising principle of life; the ultimate expression of man’s nature (as argues Francis Fukuyama in The End of History and the Last Man).
To take this exalted view of liberal democracies is to exalt the nature and ultimacy of man – which for Christians is a completely untrustworthy thing to do. God alone is completelt trustworthy, and even our roles in liberal democratic institutions must be forsaken if they cannot express His character.
Pisrig’s giant ?
In Lila he talks about the giant that people who live in the city work for. More here
Ah right. I’d forgotten that metaphor from Lila. Are you an MoQ lurker Matt ? You’ll probably have noticed I’m a Pirsighian, with Pirsig based aspects to my web-pages, though not a very active MoQ’er these days – seems to have degenerated into rather extreme political flame-wars recently.
Not a MoQ’r, though have read a little bit of stuff from the site. I find lots of Pirsig’s ideas to be really resonant and helpful, especially dynamic/static quality and the craftsmanship stuff.
Matt, I like your analysis of mental illness, it does have a context.