SACRAMENTAL LIVING | Economy
Consumerism & Modern Fast Food versus Fasting Food & Ancient Faith
Fasting is essential to training in Ancient Faith, the basis of sacramental living, in order to gain control over appetite which is aggravated by human passions. The need for control of appetite becomes obvious upon critical examination of the temptatious nature of consumerism and upon witnessing the destructive, unhealthy consequences that result from uncritical yielding to desires induced by modern culture.
Consumerism seeks to inflame human passion to the monetary benefit of its producers, and is epitomized in junk “fast food”. Conversely, fasting food consists of abstinence from meat, wine (“spirits”), dairy products, eggs, and cooking oil during designated times of the year in order to train spiritual athletes to resist attachment to such manipulative things of the world as consumerism produces. Through fasting, Ancient Faith instead strives for cleaving of the human soul to the Most Holy Trinity, the Real Source of all Life, full communion with which can preclude necessity for material things, as evidenced by hermits on the Holy Mountain, Athos, who live on spiritual “food” and little to no material sustenance.
Freudian psychology constitutes primary weaponry of consumerism and its war for power, influence and profit, as evident in Freud’s nephew Eddie Bernays, the first of the "publicist" revolutionaries, and “father” of spin or “public relations” (PR). It is Edward Louis Bernays and his heirs, the publicists and their stepbrothers, the ad men, who have greatly assisted in making revolution the hallmark of modern living and the modern age, through use of apotheosis of desire developed by Freud, where unfulfilled desire is deemed “repressed” and the cause of neuroses, while fulfillment of every desire is touted as fulfilling the “good life”. Bernays even admits that PR is actually propaganda, which should prompt as much criticism and equal revulsion to billboards and all forms of “commercial” display as is relegated to the banners, posters, military parades, and grandiose statues of despots; communist, fascist, Nazi or otherwise.
Upon close examination there seems to be remarkable resemblance between the “Father of Lies” and “father of spin”. The machine of consumerism relies on the demonic, unholy alliance of advertising, media, and entertainment to snare its prey in human desire. Whereas in the beginning of human existence, the Evil One, who is the Father of Lies and Hater of Mankind, masked itself in the form of a serpent, in modern times it is advertising, media, and entertainment which constitute the Trojan Horse used to convert citizens into consumer slaves by masking the sting of death with the appearance of “freedom” of choice (desire), all the while manipulating such “desire” to the publicists’ ends, material profit for their big business, corporatist clientele.
Enforcing consumerism for the unholy alliance is the unholy trinity of militarism, globalism, and multi-national corporatism, without which the unholy alliance would be much less powerful, and spread of the oligarchic, capitalistic empire of consumerism much more limited. To further that empire, consumerism ultimately declares war on the whole Cosmos, the spiritual–material interrelationship of everything –Divinity, humanity and all Creation– not just on “competition” within any one, given business sector. The greatest targets, and therefore victims of this war are children, because the strategy of consumerism is wise to the fact that if the young can be sold its bill of goods, they will be hooked (addicted) for life, for temporal life which also has dire potential eternal consequences.
Ancient Faith: Salt for Society
Ancient Faith reveals that the Christian understanding of “hell” is not a place but a state of being. Humans are understood to be “judged” at the end of time by being given the desire of their hearts in which their being is reflected. Those who desire union with Divinity (theosis, holiness) and rely upon Divine energies (grace) in striving toward attainment of Ancient Faith will have that desire realized, while those who do not desire such union, but instead separate themselves (“sin”), and desire the things of the world (materialism, mammon) above All, are destined to live eternally with a “worm” that never dies and a “fire” that cannot be quenched.
Since union with the UnCreated Divine is the underlying satisfaction of all human desire, that desire can never be quenched if perverted into desire for the created things of the world, be that “sex”, food, fame, fortune, power, prestige, etc. Therefore the “worm” of misplaced human desire will burn eternally in like manner that pain “burns” when inflicted by bite, sting, cut, fire, etc.
For Ancient Faith to actually be the salt that preserves human society, it must show forth itself in sacramental living, a radically different way of life than the “broad gate”, the “free” way of modern living. If it does not, then it has lost its “saltiness” and cannot effect any such preservation of civilized life.
Mark 9:42–50
And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ Everyone will be salted with fire [of God– Divine energies (grace)]. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness [theosis]: for they shall be filled.
Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure [desire] is, there is your heart [faith].
Junk Food for the Soul
Archbishop Lazar Puhalo
Junk food is by artificial means flavoured and coloured, exceedingly sweetened and to a great extent habit-forming [i.e. “addictive”]. It is harmful to the physical and mental health and the consumption of it counteracts or even puts the beneficial and healthy nutrition out of order. Recently it was shown in the movie “Super Size Me” ... that junk food even causes diabetes.
The television is an almost exact spiritual equivalent to junk food. Almost all the content of the programs is uneducated and not nutritious, the opposite to sound mental health, and is full of values that are in opposition to a sound and healthy community. The lifestyle and the ideal presented there is artificial, corrupted and unpleasant. Besides the television is highly habit-forming [i.e. “addictive”].
How to Discern the Signs of the Times
Metropolitan Joseph
Western society continues to become more reliant upon technology for daily life. The modern culture, in its addiction to false images and entertainment, has become "disengaged" from the original design for human life. As a result, our young person will become “less-connected” with other people and with their natural world. He is becoming, in the terminology of the Holy Fathers, increasingly “insensitive” to the beauties and truth of God's Creation.
Last Child in the Woods
Saving Our Children
from Nature Deficit Disorder
Richard Louv
Nature-Deficit Disorder
Bill Wiser
A growing body of research and plenty of anecdotal evidence have linked today’s childhood maladies of attention-deficit disorder (ADD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obesity, and depression to a societal alienation from the natural world.... Nature deficit disorder is pervasive and its effects can be seen throughout fast-paced, plugged-in, and wired western culture. The cure, while near at hand, requires a radical ("at the roots") change in the education of young children.
Adbusters
Journal of the Mental Environment
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We are a global network of culture jammers and creatives working to change the way information flows, the way corporations wield power, and the way meaning is produced in our society.
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Common Sense Media
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