AS YOU SEE THE DAY DRAWING NEAR
Not too long ago, a psychologist from Chicago introduced the
behavioral concept of “learned helplessness.” He observed that dogs, when given
some stimulus that was impossible to reach, would simply stop striving after
some time. They just stop reaching out for it, even if the target has been
placed within reach. Dogs — and humans, too — when frustrated too often, and
for far too long, reach the point of learned helplessness.
Learned helplessness,
notwithstanding its presumed novelty, is really not new in the history of
spirituality. It is related to a mild form of despair, a loss of verve and
vigor, called acedia, also known to many spiritual writers as the “noontime
devil,” or the point in which one simply throws in the towel and capitulates to
the demands of the situation and the times. When one feels jaded or waxes
cynical, one simply stops going against the grain and goes with the flow. One
becomes part of mainstream culture. One effectively becomes co-opted by what
Filipinos call “kalakaran” — a term popularized by Jun Lozada of NBN-ZTE
notoriety.
This is why we need to keep
ourselves attuned and alert to the signs of the times. We need to be always on
the way to an enlightened awareness that goes beyond merely knowing on the
surface, but knowing truly and deeply. For such deep awareness to happen, we
need to help ourselves. We need periodic reminders. We need to be immersed in the
reality that simply escapes normal awareness, for our normal source of
knowledge is conceptual, not experiential. Love, or any of the virtues for that
matter, when known only conceptually, finds it difficult to become operational.
The letter-writer to the
Hebrews refers to this experiential knowledge that leads to the operational
level when he writes: “We must consider how to rouse one another to love and
good works. We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of
some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day
drawing near.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB
REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Have you ever reached the point of learned
helplessness in your life? What made you get out of it?
You are my hope, O God. Let me hold on to You in moments of
despair and helplessness.
No comments:
Post a Comment