Veil of “Natural” ignorance

“I begin by considering the following sentences (1) Are those his natural teeth or a set? (2) The dog in his natural state is covered with fleas. (3) I love to get away from tilled lands and metalled roads and be alone with Nature. (4) Do be natural. Why are you so affected? (5) It may have been wrong to kiss her but it was very natural.

…The Natural is what springs up, or comes forth, or arrives, or goes on, of its own accord: the given, what is there already: the spontaneous, the unintended, the unsolicited.” — C.S.Lewis, Miracles

To think I have the exalting knowledge and wisdom to offer some insight or be daft enough to proclaim, “Eureka! or hear ee, hear ee,” is mere ignorance, but I can’t shake this compulsion I possess to write about our enslavement is natural. All must know. All must be fore warned. Your entrapment. My entrapment. Now before you get your knickers in a bunch let me indicate the enslavement I say we are naturally prone to succumb is obvious; yet, we’ve been culturally taught to avoid. It’s around you no matter your location. My friends our enslavement is to the world, and it can manifest itself in many facets through your actions, thinking, and consequences, so let’s begin.  

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” — 1 John 2:15-17

In religious circles the aforementioned verse is one of many warnings throughout the Bible that culminates into the idea: worldliness. For our mutual understanding my definition of worldliness is gathered from, Worldliness by C.J. Mahoney, who says, “it[worldliness] is to gratify and exalt oneself to the exclusion of God.” Are we really that naive and daft to exert such a claim? Yes. We partake in worldliness whether intentionally or unintentionally through our conscious or subconscious. “What’s the problem?”, you may wonder, and I’m hear to say that natural tendency of yours is killing you. The natural innate desire, a.k.a worldliness, has a cost. A life of misery seeking commiseration with fellow worldly seeking companions; yet, the day of reckoning approaches all the more. Let us cast off this cloud of ignorance, the veil of justifiable self-exaltation, see the reality of our heart and world:

• “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” — Jeremiah 17:9
• “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” — Galatians 5:17

The continuous beat of life presses on our minds and the tune appears unique: wake, seize the day, make steps toward your goals, live, fulfill your longings, be happy, etc… As Yoda, Jedi Master, wisely said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” What compulsive urge rises inwardly hearing, “you can’t”. Why can’t I? It’s not fair! The issue at hand then resolves around suppressing our, my, desires, delaying my gratification so to speak. That’s preposterous!!  This kinship of repulsion is embedded in many of our hearts, so to speak in westerners alike. On the global sense other nations realize the economic and political factors that press upon their lives that suppressing self-exalting or self-gratifying desires is means of survival. My point is not to argue which political regime rules correctly or that democracy has long lasting, fruitful effects. It’s that at the end of the day whether you have all the money you desire, which isn’t achievable, obtained your achievement or goal, which that euphoria dwindles quickly since we set a new one almost instantaneously, or acquired your deemed object hoping for happiness actually aren’t satisfying that deep desire. Aiye, there in lies the rub.

“The incredible rise in living standards for the majority of Americans and Western Europeans has made them more affluent, healthier, more comfortable, more free, and sovereign over ever taller piles of stuff — but has not made them any happier.” — Gregg Easterbrook’s, The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse 

I’m passionate and kinda speak about the same thing habitually, because I have missed the deep desire and believe my eye’s satisfying desires are the only ones that matter, shoot, I still miss it at times. We don’t matter? Of course you do, how could you even doubt yourself; However, they fall infinitesimally short of our design and purpose that leads us shortsighted. What leads us shortsighted beings? You guessed correctly my friend, Sin. “All sin strikes at the holiness of God, the glory of God, the nature of God, the being of God, and the law of God.” — Thomas Brooks

“Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” — (1 Corinthians 10:12)

God is the author of this life. You are begotten by your parents. If we want to chase that evolution rabbit trail, which who says God didn’t use evolution as means of progressing His creation, but I digress, it all started at a point. A bang so to speak and that bang, I believe, hopefully you conclude, had to have an originator. Atoms, that contain no brain and thinking to date, randomly floating around and just happen to converge and form intricate objects obeying laws, time, and precise alignment to the billionth degree for certain planetary placements, to name just one, requires a bigger faith then simply acknowledging the existence of an author of life. God wasn’t begotten. He is, “I am” (Exodus 3:14) He has no author or made up by finite human minds centuries ago due to their primitive thinking as if our ways of thinking are superior to our ancestors since we have technology.

“I am” calls to cast off the veil of ignorance of justifiable self-exaltation, because it leads to destruction of discontentment. You and I are going against our purpose and living in the natural design of sin which engulfs this broken world. The ability to achieve perfection in this aspect of holiness is unheard of, incapable, futile ON YOUR OWN which leads to the unbelievable merciful, daft GOOD NEWS that Christ did it for you already. What you want to do you can’t do, but what you must do repulses your natural heart. What a pickle. It’s easier said then done, but if all desires seem unattainable like a wisp of vapor, I beseech you to look at Christ.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. — 1 John 1:9

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. — 1 Peter 2:9-10