KEEP THE OLD WARM

For a long time the spirit, and the sufferings of the spirit, were positive values and the things more worth striving for in our peculiar Christian culture. Only in the course of the nineteenth century, when spirit began to degenerate into intellect, did a reaction set in against the unbearable dominance of the intellectualism, and this led to the unpardonable mistake of confusing intellect with spirit and blaming the latter for the misdeeds of the former. The intellect does indeed do harm to the soul when it dares to possess itself of the heritage of the spirit. It is in no way fitted to do this, for spirit is something higher than intellect since it embraces the latter and includes the feelings as well. It is a guiding principle of life that strives towards superhuman, shining heights. – Carl Jung Psychological Reflections: The Life of the Spirit: 1

I have experienced this in my life and confirm it contains truth. It is hard to explain, but I will try.

Before enlightenment, before the industrial revolution, before the emphasis on capitalism, economics, sciences, material things, there was an emphasis on the religious, the philosophical, the spiritual.

In each of us there is something that does not seek to produce profit, to be mechanically efficient, to break down things and processes into their atoms and relationships, there is something that strives towards the immaterial – the spiritual.

This is our spirit that strives towards something we cannot grasp, for it is not material, cannot be seen, is higher than us, something we are a part of and that grasps the whole of existence.

This spirit over the last few centuries has devolved into an emphasis on intellect. If one can simplify, the heart and soul has devolved into the brain. The misdeeds of the intellect have been blamed on the spirit, and when the intellect is given “the heritage of the spirit” we devolve into machines, schemers, clever people, calculators without feeling, without spirit, seeking profit and pleasure and nothing higher.

The intellect is incredible in itself. We only need look at the great achievements of mankind over the last few centuries. It allows me to write to you now, wherever you are, through the internet and a computer. Two inventions that have changed the world.

Yet why do I write? I write because I see no spirit, but only intellect abounding in people around the world, in the “developed” countries more than others that lead technological innovation or “intellectual” innovation.

The world is high in intellect yet poor in spirit, and it is because intellect rules and pushes to increase its own power while neglecting the spirit and seeing it as devoid of real “intellectual” value.

Yet the spirit is “a guiding principle of life that strives towards superhuman, shining heights”. The spirit calls us to our purpose, our reason for living, our love for ourselves and mankind, the strength to stand up to cruelty and injustice, to fight for that which we truly know to be good and just. The spirit is the fuel and energy that we find yet never knew we had. It is a sun, creating its own spiritual energy through fusion, burning bright and hot and giving energy to our whole being.

Spirit must lead while intellect must follow. Spirit without intellect may only be energy, while spirit with intellect gives the energy a mechanism to achieve and a form to fuel.

Yet we may ask ourselves, would we rather have raw energy? Or a lifeless machine?

The two together, with spirit leading and intellect following, will achieve greatness. The two together, with intellect leading, will create a world that grows and consumes and builds for the sake of growth, consumption, expansion.

Today, with intellect leading the spirit, we create a technological, material, mechanical world that grows for the sake of growth like cancer. Lifeless, purposeless, hollow, and cold.

Tomorrow, with spirit leading intellect, we first have purpose, nobility, superhuman, shining ideals to strive for with the help of the great and powerful intellect and all its unfathomable achievements.

Spirit with intellect. Beware a reversal.