How do we walk the way of the cross in a world seeking happiness?
by Savvas Costi, Psephizo:
We’re drowning in our own personas. Our cultural mood is one where the self has thrown off all constraints in the pursuit of self-discovery, where all absolutes have been dissolved and meta-narratives deconstructed; we followed Nietzsche’s lead in thinking we could philosophise with a hammer and deconstruct the house we were living in. Now, like a cartoon character suspended in mid-air after running off a cliff edge, we’re on borrowed time before we fall and realise the full extent of our having dismantled the Christian foundations which led us here.
Many thought we were stepping into a new era to better ourselves, to carve out our own meaning and space in the world, but the reality is that for many Westerners, we’ve been jolted into realising that our expressive individualism has grossly underdelivered on what was promised. The quest for happiness remains elusive, and the conveyor belt of unlimited choice comes with a dizzying effect that feeds our anxiety. Many are now content to live in the shallows and turn to hyperactivity, digital distraction, anti-depressants, or therapy for solace. Narcissus is now so captivated by his own reflection in the water that he has fallen into the image and is drowning. This is the spirit of the age for many who inhabit the house of post-modernism which, dare I say it, has also infiltrated its way into sections of the Western Church.
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