Inoculation at any cost?
So how do we inoculate against the deep hunger of our souls?
Inoculation presupposes we have a disease we are trying to build an immunity towards.
Which begs the question…is soul hunger a disease?
When I think about physical hunger and the sensations it produces, I wish there was a permanent cure. I wish this because hunger has become to me a curse of sorts. The reason for this is my abuse of the mechanism by which my body is nourished. The physical symptoms of hunger include shakiness, dizziness, pain in the stomach, lethargy, and foggy brain. Physical hunger by itself is not a bad thing. Hunger is a road sign that tells us how to refuel. If hunger persists too long, however, it is fatal.
What are the symptoms of soul hunger? And is it as deadly?
Symptoms could include, dissatisfaction with one’s place in life, a longing to be someone else, stress, anxiety, a longing for something intangible, an “itch” one can’t scratch, or a longing for meaning and purpose. These symptoms manifest in myriads of dark ways: depression, suicide, addiction, envy, job hopping, theft, gambling, etc. While some of us resist the darker impulses and simmer quietly with unnamed dissatisfactions, the deeper problem—need I say disease—remains. We cry out for immunity with impunity. (or is that just me?)
What is the inoculation for the hungers of soul?
Mindfulness?
A friend stopped me in the cafeteria at work to tell me she was finding peace via mindfulness through meditation. She spends 10 minutes each morning quieting her mind and then repeating positive affirmations. This helps her to be more intentional every day. This idea of “mindfulness” is gaining traction in American culture but is not new. It stems from Buddhist teaching. Is Buddhism an effective form of inoculation?
Consumerism?
If my Facebook feed is any indication of the preoccupation of our culture with acquiring goods, the philosophy of consumerism is prospering. We want bigger and shinier stuff, more extravagant vacations, and to live in better zip codes. If we can’t afford these things, we get a credit card. If our credit cards get cancelled, we steal from our neighbor. And while most of us won’t admit we have a stealing problem, everybody has things stolen from them. That is why we lock the doors of our houses when we leave. Consumerism is based on the idea that the acquisition of things will make us happy. Is consumerism an effective inoculation?
Escapism?
Why bother about the disease when you can simply pretend it doesn’t exist? Movies and television provide the perfect means of distracting us from our sickness. But they aren’t the only modes of fantasy. There are more methods of escapism than I can list but here are a few: personal athleticism, sports, war reenactment, and fashion obsession. Basically, anything that distracts one from reality. Will escapism inoculate me?
Religion
Religion purports to give us a set of rules to keep that make us “good”. These rules include the “Golden Rule”, the ten commandments, or a creed or set of words to recite. I feel like I’m overgeneralizing here, but the main idea of this type of religion is that if one does good things as deemed by their sect of choice, they can earn their way into God’s favor and—by default—Heaven. This works-based philosophy encourages adherents to be as good as they possibly can be, so they tip the scales in their favor and make God or a set of gods happy. Is religion an effective inoculation?
Conclusion
All of these approaches to soul hunger are dependent on the self. The self looks within the self for hope. That doesn’t feel very safe to me. It doesn’t feel good because when I look inside myself, no matter how much I try to be good or try to clear my mind, I know I am still rotten and wretched at hungry at heart. I may pretend otherwise but I know the truth.
Obviously, I am not a philosopher. I am a mere layman who is trying to point out that soul hunger does indeed exist and cannot be fixed by looking inside me. I also believe this is a disease we are all trying to find strategies to deal with or overcome.
Truth
I would like to propose Truth as the inoculation we seek. Why is truth important? Because lies are abominable.
What person would marry someone knowing that person was lying about their intention to be a faithful spouse?
What bank would give us a loan if they knew we had no intention of paying it back?
What company would hire us to work for them if they knew we only intended to loaf around?
What contractor would we hire who has a history of defrauding his clients?
Truth matters.
And not just the truth we want to believe, but objective truth.
Because while truth is generally free, pursuing it comes with a cost. Opposition to truth abounds.
So the real question becomes, Am I willing to pursue inoculation at any cost?
Which inevitably leads me back to the beginning. How hungry is my soul?
I am very hungry. The fact is, I am starving to death.
Next time… The truth that sets me free from Soul Hunger
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