The Truth Of Man
" As a matter of fact, our society has not even begun to face its shadow or to develop those Christian virtues so badly needed in dealing with the powers of darkness" Carl Jung
What can be said of Man and its true nature? Throughout time and history, countless kingdoms have risen and fallen like how sand is moved and replaced by waves on the ocean shores. So many cultures trying to survive in a world that makes little to no sense to the human mind. Amidst the chaos of this dark world, people gathered around the fires of civilization, seeking answers to questions that have plagued humanity since the beginning of time. Questions like who we are, where we are, and why we are to name but a few that plague us like an ignorant cancer of the soul.
A common practice within these numerous cultures is to create stories and tales so that perhaps through them we may find the answers that we so Amidst seek. Within these stories, heroes and villains rise and fall throughout their many adventures and quests. Civilizations created within the realm of fantasy and fiction often struggle with the balance of chaos and order. War permeates throughout the countless tales of glory as well as tragedy. Attempts to understand love in all its wonder and mystery are consistently present within Man's epics and myths. Change and stability are continually questioned, with laws and truth always being hot topics of debate and controversy. Perhaps even more profound are the issues of Man's creator, the beginning and end of our world as we know it, and if we ever really understood this world in the first place within our limited capacities of reason and logic. I myself have always enjoyed the stories within my own culture, and have over the course of this short life sought other stories to experience from other parts of the world.
Another interesting aspect of stories is the ways in which humanity conveys them to one another, whether storytelling is told through sounds of music, images, pictures, or ceremonies, all convey hidden messages that reveal themselves to us at the right time. Written language and religion have their share when it comes to the conveying of stories and history. I could go on and on, attempting to list every adaptation to all the ways mankind has conveyed its stories, not forgetting the oldest of all which is the word of mouth that is whispered in the darkest night or shouted under the gleaming sun. If I did go on there wouldn't be enough paper or data memory to contain every way to which one may convey a story. So then let us leave behind such matters and instead venture down into the depths of man's nature. These depths of the soul will reveal a previously unknown world of lies and truth, of masks and faces. When you seek these darks places you will inevitably come across the many masks that Man will wear in the light. These masks, with all her grandeur and illusions of the ego, hide a darker truth, yes a truth that he will not dare admit to himself.
Oh, how we mindlessly go about our lives in this strange world, creating our own prescribed lines and purposes to hopelessly fail in the goal of achieving satisfaction. One would have to ask themselves how anyone could achieve anything without knowing themselves first? It is no surprise then that the works of man ultimately come to their ruin in the end. Old kingdoms rot and fall under the banners of deception and trickery. Wonders constructed to touch the high heavens crumble under their own weight, built on the fickle foundations of pride and ego. Peace is ever a distant fantasy that's always being strived for, yet never being reached. Mankind's history is constantly rising and falling into itself, always being caught in its own net of ignorance and folly. How interesting that mankind's reflection as a whole resembles my own. What a wretched man I am, and what a wretched thing humanity has become. Like a wounded animal caught in a trap writhing in its own wounds and filth, it howls into the twilight of eternity without even knowing why it was caught in the first place.
Though we may try to deceive ourselves and hide our failures as a people under the guises of flattery and muse, universal truth will shine forth into the world no matter how veiled and buried those truths may be. These countless stories, with all their settings and moral lessons together, share a morbid universal truth. The truth is that Mankind seeks his true face, however elusive that truth may seem. On the surface, stories may appear to have some grander lesson or hopeful meaning tucked within them. Even the darkest stories can have a hidden teaching within horror and madness. The unifying adhesive that brings all of them together shouts to the heavens, to the earth, and to our own hearts as one. Our stories are a cry for help, and oh how mankind griefs. We as a people are nothing but lost children, kicking and screaming within our hunger for truth in the filth of our mistakes as we try to rest from the burdens of life. I cry as Mankind cries, for I too share their burden. We are a cursed race, lost in the darkness of our own hearts. Such a profound yearning dwells within all of us as we cry and scream " HELP US, LOVE US, CARE FOR US"!
Though we scream we hear nothing but silence, for the pain has deafened our souls and hardened our hearts. Is it any wonder why we all distract ourselves with our pointless projects and meaningless pleasures? Such feeble desires dwell within our bosoms, never really amounting to anything but certain death. Yet despite this identity crisis, there is hope for us.
There is another story within and around us that shines through the black fog of humanity's ignorance. We may have fallen further than any creature in existence, but our creator God stands firm. Despite the bleak future, Man may think he has there is a light at the end of this long, dark cavern that surrounds us. That light is the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His story, his life, death, and resurrection is our story too. The Lord is our Author, creator, and the source for all the answers we seek. His law reveals the true horrors of our world, and of our own sinful hearts. Yet this mirror, though it reveals our failure and true selves cannot save us or give us peace. Fortunately, the law walks hand in hand with a companion that surpasses the accusations and demands of the first. Oh, sweet gospel, holy hope, and truth bless us and give us peace! Let your light comfort us during our dark journey through this oppressive life. Remind us that the world was very different before the fall of man, and will one day reflect that same glory and peace again in the not-so-distant future.
Though we blinded ourselves to your love, you oh God still loves us, and that love will never be taken away or forsaken. Like new wine we pour our stories into the world, but what comfort do our stories really give us? Let us instead not look to the new wine of Man, but rather by God's grace working within us turn our wanting gaze to the old wine of God. Our words will perish, spoil, and fade, but God's word will endure from everlasting to everlasting. His story is our story, his truth, our truth.
To conclude this reflection of ourselves I say this, throw away your masks faceless humanity, and do not attempt to craft a face for yourself. When you craft a face you forsake your true face, a face that resides in the craftsmanship of God. Our identity as a people has already been forged, rejoice brothers and sisters! The name of God is your name, and that name shall last for eternity and beyond. Such is the truth of Mankind's nature.
A wave of truth beckons beneath that which is now known,Carpus calls to you...
Purpose
To reveal the true face of Mankind in a world of deception and lies. Truth is hidden treasure searched for by many, yet ultimately the truth we seek is never found. To seek meaning, purpose, and reason is only a natural desire for the human heart to feel. We strive and search for fulfillment, only to be left empty again and again. The truth of yourself and our reality cannot be found by human hearts, but rather the truth must be given by another heart that seeks you out first. Rest your soul's weary men and women, for the one you seek, will find you, for he has always known our hearts.
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