I love that phrase: “the victorious dead.” This is why people— modern people— who deny the past can have no future. They believe that ignorance and half-baked ideology will produce a brave utopia. They don’t see how the dead have shaped them. They deny the strength of their ancestors.
In their flight from “determinism” and “repetition” they think they will escape a dire fate. I think modern people believe the future is a blank slate if only they can forget and ignore all that went before, good and evil alike. But their fear is founded in an error— they presume that human beings are fundamentally a product of material forces. This is Marxism.
But to call upon the dead, to recognize the power of the dead to inform us, is the way to hope, the way forward. The dead have such riches to impart, if only we can pay attention.
Thinking about this. It is relevant to me, but not literally. Not all *dead* are physically dead -- the ones who are most in need of being brought back to life are those who are spiritually *dead* in some way or other: alcoholism, trapped in abusive relationships, physically or emotionally, *dead* to spirit in the world, damaged by failed relationships so they cannot love -- there are a number of such souls. Does this apply to them? I am inclined to think so. What this means is not that Jesus must physically die and go to Hell and physically retrieve people, but that God or the Spirit of an Emissary or Representative of God lends strength to enable that once *dead* person to emerge from their emotionally and spiritually frozen state. Sometimes -- usually, I guess -- there is a *living* person -- someone who is emotionally and spiritually more awakened -- who brings that *dead* person's attention to the spiritual Power from Whom they can derive the strength to shake off the shackles of their dead state; sometimes the Power can penetrate he fog of *death* around such a person and drag them back to life without the need for any adjacent human as a facilitator. This is my "take" on the post, because I am mainly concerned with the world I inhabit, and this is a very useful guide (if this is a proper interpretation) to how to accomplish some goals that I have been struggling with lately -- and maybe I don't need to bear all the burden -- I have Help.
Thanks, Phillip. This is a great point! I agree that the "death" we see around is mainly spiritual death which, then leads to physical death. Physical death is a direct consequence of spiritual death. Awakening people from spiritual death is primary. Christ did both. He was the embodied Emissary of God and as such carried spiritual life in his body. He awakened people by just being around them. Then, we went down into death itself (both spiritual and physical) and overcame it from within. Death couldn't resist so much spiritual light and fled.
I love that phrase: “the victorious dead.” This is why people— modern people— who deny the past can have no future. They believe that ignorance and half-baked ideology will produce a brave utopia. They don’t see how the dead have shaped them. They deny the strength of their ancestors.
In their flight from “determinism” and “repetition” they think they will escape a dire fate. I think modern people believe the future is a blank slate if only they can forget and ignore all that went before, good and evil alike. But their fear is founded in an error— they presume that human beings are fundamentally a product of material forces. This is Marxism.
But to call upon the dead, to recognize the power of the dead to inform us, is the way to hope, the way forward. The dead have such riches to impart, if only we can pay attention.
Very true! Because they are truly alive.
"The living cannot rescue the dead. Only the dead can rescue the dead… and the living.".
...and the living...perfect twist i needed! ty!
Thank you, Anne!
Thinking about this. It is relevant to me, but not literally. Not all *dead* are physically dead -- the ones who are most in need of being brought back to life are those who are spiritually *dead* in some way or other: alcoholism, trapped in abusive relationships, physically or emotionally, *dead* to spirit in the world, damaged by failed relationships so they cannot love -- there are a number of such souls. Does this apply to them? I am inclined to think so. What this means is not that Jesus must physically die and go to Hell and physically retrieve people, but that God or the Spirit of an Emissary or Representative of God lends strength to enable that once *dead* person to emerge from their emotionally and spiritually frozen state. Sometimes -- usually, I guess -- there is a *living* person -- someone who is emotionally and spiritually more awakened -- who brings that *dead* person's attention to the spiritual Power from Whom they can derive the strength to shake off the shackles of their dead state; sometimes the Power can penetrate he fog of *death* around such a person and drag them back to life without the need for any adjacent human as a facilitator. This is my "take" on the post, because I am mainly concerned with the world I inhabit, and this is a very useful guide (if this is a proper interpretation) to how to accomplish some goals that I have been struggling with lately -- and maybe I don't need to bear all the burden -- I have Help.
Thanks, Phillip. This is a great point! I agree that the "death" we see around is mainly spiritual death which, then leads to physical death. Physical death is a direct consequence of spiritual death. Awakening people from spiritual death is primary. Christ did both. He was the embodied Emissary of God and as such carried spiritual life in his body. He awakened people by just being around them. Then, we went down into death itself (both spiritual and physical) and overcame it from within. Death couldn't resist so much spiritual light and fled.
https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=392b79e5fd33f0c2&sca_upv=1&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS1001US1001&tbm=vid&q=doubt+comes+in+hadestown&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3wtP3ms-IAxXpD0QIHT3iFMcQ8ccDegQIUxAD&cshid=1726756050213804&biw=1175&bih=496&dpr=1.63#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:317a0340,vid:W2C845FB00Y,st:0
Thank you!