The Flood, Part Three

Completed Unclean Thawts (At least for now)

So, I outlined the universal apriori basis of "The Flood" in part one, here:
https://fearfiles.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-flood-part-one.html

Then, last night, I explained it's implications within society and politics here:
https://fearfiles.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-flood-part-2.html

So there's your context, which is important in predicating what I think is the most important aspect of this archetype.  Tonight, I'd like to try and articulate the implications of preparing for "The Flood" in the life of the individual.

I think the Bible does an effective job of describing a proper way to perceive the relationship between the individual and reality.  It does this through a narrative that tells the story of how man evolved the instinct to sacrifice.  As I mentioned last night, these points are echoed in fables and parables that have been handed down from the recesses of time.  They are ancient in origin.  Mankind became aware of the difference between him and God: limitation.  The implication of this difference is suffering.  To be mortal is to suffer.  There are two natural reactions to this: 1) Become bitter at the nature of reality, believe in nothing, and slowly detract from the fund of potential energy around you by maintaining a severe affect; 2) Deal with reality on its own terms.  Enjoy what you can, while you can.  Find a purpose that is rewarding and believe that the purpose that you serve in enduring the pain justifies the struggle.  Understand that this sacrifice, this denial of gratification in the short term, will serve that purpose in the long term.  This idea of "sacrifice" is what is portrayed by Abel, and Abraham, and Noah.  It's reflected in the ant, the tortoise, and the frog.  We see the story everywhere we look.  In "Neo" from the Matrix, in "Cool Hand Luke, in "Obi Wan".  It is a recognition that the unfairness of the reality that we experience can only be mitigated by our effort in accepting the burden of responsibility for our fellow man, for the people that we love.

It is the recognition that The Flood is imminent, and that each of us has a duty to build a vessel within us that is capable of withstanding the worst abuse that can be dispensed by nature and by the malevolence of mankind.  None of us have a "right" to that vessel, precisely because nobody on Earth has the duty to build it for you.  It takes work.  It requires that we deny ourselves gratification so that fewer will suffer in the end.  It's an ominous responsibility that lies before every human being.

So, how do we get there?

If we accept what I just described with regards to the nature of the reality that we find ourselves in, I believe that we have a duty to tell the truth to ourselves, and to be aware of how malevolent each of us is capable of being.  When mankind first came to understand his own pain, it was a small intuitive leap to understand how to inflict pain on others.  This is another unfortunate implication of mortality, and that understanding is critical for each individual to gain an intimate familiarity with.  The alternative is a lie: "I could never do THAT."  "People are genuinely pure, it's the world that corrupts them."

In the biblical narrative, a good example of this is outlined when Christ was tempted by Satan in the desert.  He was shown, it is described, the successful ends of his efforts.  It was all within his grasp.  All he needed to do was to bow and accept the pure malevolence of reality.  He turned his back on that, understanding it at its core, and chose to go forward as he had: suffer betrayal by his friends, banishment by his church, and be tortured to death by his government so that it would be possible for God to look upon mankind favorably so long as they acted in a similar fashion.

Go back and read that again.  This is what preparation of the individual for the imminent Flood entails.

"But it's just a story, right?  That shadow, that temptation to submit to the cruelty of the world, it's just a parable.  Those implications don't apply to me.  I'm just a fat old white dude in the Mojave Desert." 

Such are the lies that we tell ourselves, seeking a justification for not taking up the burden that is rightly ours.  The denial of that burden leaves us vulnerable to the inevitable Flood.  Lies are just our futile attempts to bend reality to our advantage.  It doesn't work that way.  The Flood is coming.  It will expose your lies and leave you without shelter, emotionally unfit to continue.

I was talking to a dude the other day, a good man who is under criticism from his professional community because they refuse to accept his explanations for why they can't do something that they want to do.  I told him, "Tell them the truth unapologetically. The truth doesn't warp your reality, it warps the reality of those who are full of shit because they lie to themselves."  I had inadvertently walked into something that applies across the human experience and is one of the reasons why I've taken up the pen this weekend.

Accept as much responsibility as you can manage with dignity.  Challenge yourself at every opportunity.  Become familiar with your malevolent nature and hold that nature at bay, while also recognizing that malevolent potential in others.  Tell the truth to yourself and those with whom you interact. Do this every day.  Remain cognizant of this as you do all the little things.

The Flood is on the way.  People will be counting on you.  Be worthy of their faith in you, and be worthy of your faith in yourself.

Shalom, my friends.
Unclean