In the third century, a young Egyptian named Anthony decided that what he wanted most in life was to be close to God. He gave all of his worldly possessions to the poor, traveled deep into the desert and there spent the rest of his life in penance and prayer.
At the dawn of the 20th century, another young man named Mahatma Gandhi decided that he, too, wanted to go deeper into the spiritual life. He decided to give up sexual intercourse ' even though he was already married.
In the 21st century, the young soul thirsting for spiritual enlightenment travels deep into the nearest mall and searches ceaselessly until she finds ... the perfect cutely-packaged bath-and-scented-candles set?
Not really. But archaeologists of the future could be forgiven for drawing that conclusion if, after the nuclear holocaust, the few surviving artifacts of our great American civilization include the bottles of the sundry body washes, bath oils and lotions currently hocked on the shelves of convenience stores and other establishments.
Indeed, what young woman hasn't received an insipid, quasi-spiritual bath-and -body gift set? Examination of the tag inevitably reveals that the manufacturers have expanded their business model and are now selling spirit-expanding magic potions. A home spa treatment that will nourish your soul
breathes the Bath and Body Works Web site about one of its bath salts. Seriously, what's wrong with this picture? No woman really believes that scented shampoo actually provides a boost up the ladder to Heaven. And that lavender scrub really works!
The significance of the slogan is that it speaks to a greater cultural change that has slowly been emerging in the new millennium. Following a period when it was all the cultural rage to question the existence of God, few people are willing to contemplate a world completely bereft of divinity. At the same time, humans are just as lazy as they ever have been. These two forces combine to create McSpirit, the cheap alternative to authentic spirituality.
To put it bluntly: Atheism is dead, but religion ain't quite well and healthy. Instead of seeing the spiritual life as something that challenges us and forces us to grow and change, spirituality is increasingly becoming an endless search for an emotional high, a quick and easy pick-me-up-when-I'm-feeling-down.
Men are as susceptible to this phenomenon as women, although they usually recoil in disgust from the Oprah-approved blend of affirmation and spa treatments. Instead they probably commence their Sunday services in front of the television, surrounded by their fellow worshipers, as they enjoy what they imagine to be their full, active and conscious participation in the liturgy of sports. Men rarely use such language to describe radical devotion to home-town teams ' notwithstanding any Steelers football is my religion! remarks. But that's essentially what fandom is: A shallow expression of the spiritual impulse in an age in which the cultivation of the soul is seen as a chick thing.
Thus we find that if the 20th century was the Century of Unbelief the 21st is the Century of Belief In What
We're Not Quite Sure
But Whatever It Is
It's Warm and Gooey and Is Okay With Everything I Do. What we might re-learn from St. Anthony of Egypt and company is that growing as a person isn't always the most pleasurable experience. Maybe a little more work and a little less rose petal bath oil is in order.
Not that it has to be painful, of course. Athens provides innumerable opportunities for spiritual growth. St. Paul's Church on College Street has Eucharistic Adoration each Saturday night from seven to ten. If you're Jewish, Hillel offers Shabbat Services every Friday evening at six. And United Campus Ministry has a weekly discussion series called Soup for the Soul every Thursday at one in the afternoon. You could spend some time in prayer today and commune with God. Or go out of your way to help a friend, and commune with your fellow man.
And if you're tired at the end of the day, go ahead and light a scented candle. You can't commune with it, but it does make the room smell pretty.
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Maggie Kostendt
