Disillusionment
“Wisdom
comes by disillusionment.”
George
Santayana
We
all love our illusions; they keep us feeling safe. Here are a few
listed by Parker Palmer in his book, The Active Life: “...that
violence solves problems, that both the rich and the poor deserve
their fate, that young people sent to die in wars fought to defend
the rich are heroes rather than victims, that murderous drugs are the
way beyond despair...” Here is another one that we are particularly
fond of in the United States: We are the good guys who wear the white
hats. Illusions such as these serve the societal function of keeping
us in place.
Confronting
the truth that we are neither all powerful, nor always right is
disheartening. We experience this on a micro level, when we fail at
something, when a friend or family member betrays us, when we do
something we regret. We feel it when we work and work, and see
nothing change as a result. We sink into it when the one we love
turns out to be just as flawed as anyone else. And at the macro
level, we endure it when our leaders act like school yard bullies,
and fight among themselves while the world burns. We feel
disillusioned—which means that we lose our illusions—and begin to
see reality.
Disillusionment
is a form of contemplation. As uncomfortable as it is, it can lead to
enlightenment. It causes us to adjust our focus. The very pain of it
grabs our attention and shakes us like a rag doll until we wake up
and see things as they are. Until then, we are Alice down the rabbit
hole. Disillusionment means taking off the blinders that shelter us
from the truth. It is the beginning of wisdom.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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