Womb Dwellers

Peter Kreeft published his book “Making Choices: Finding Black and White in a World of Grays” in 1990 – thirty years ago.  What he wrote then is even more pertinent today.

In his chapter “Telling the Truth.”  He said, “Consciously or unconsciously, we must make a fundamental decision right at the beginning of every act of thinking: Are we believing in, hoping for, and loving truth, or not?  That decision is made not just by our intellect but by our free will.  The will commands the intellect.  The will decides which job to give to the intellect: either to court truth which dwells above the mind, or to serve feelings and sensations which dwell below the mind.  Modernity has substituted ideology for truth…” 

He highlighted that which occurred in 1990, and even more so today.   He said: “Watching TV and movies is replacing reading books in our lives, and as this happens, images replace words and passivity replaces active thinking.  When we read words, we have to actively create the images with our own imagination.  But when we watch a movie, we are more like a baby in a womb.  Life has become a spectator sport, a large TV screen. Life and TV have become inverted: instead of TV being on like, life is on TV.”

He spoke of these images having acquired power over our minds.  He believed we were regressing to the state of mythic, pre-rational thought.  Have we?

Many years ago there was a TV show called “Truth or Consequences.”   If only today there were consequences for not telling the truth – especially in politics and political campaigns.

We continue to live in a world of various shades of grey.  Our choices must be fashioned from our intellect – not our emotions.  If we don't, truth be told, we'll be womb-dwellers.

Deacon David Pierce