S.K. Shore
we might not have even known that the exalted orchestra had already entered the concert hall, one whose never-ending stage is the evolution of our world
Immanuel Kant once claimed that we can become aware of the tremendous influence of the Enlightenment era upon our collective world-view by considering the fact, that today, if you walk in on someone who is kneeling on the ground in prayer, they will most probably experience an immediate sense of… embarrassment.
clearly, we have experienced quite the spiritual upheaval.
today’s young people have seen the contradictions inherent in old-time’s religion’s attempts at monopolizing the Infinite. Within this generation is an intuition that Spirit couldn’t be satisfied- to the point where absolute salvation would be offered- to those who simply pledge allegiance to the one and only particular gospel which has insider tips and exclusive interviews with God himself.
in fact, they already start bristling when they read the ‘himself’ part.
today’s young people have seen the wonders of science pick apart the pre-rational philosophies of fundamentalists and their bibles. Few feel comfortable about picking up the pieces.
whether we read his work or not, Nietzsche’s revolution has affected us all. It has stripped us of spirituality founded on unsupported dogma and unchallenged superstition.
today’s young people have consistently found that old time religion- no matter how innovative - is not innovative enough. Sugar coated dogma- no matter how sweetly prepared- is no longer sweet enough. For today’s generation X’s and Y’s, spiritually infused close-mindedness just can’t seem to get spiritual enough. Even for today’s fresh-faced American teens, religious leaders’ earnestly stretching ancient ethnocentric rigidities to the farthest-reaching inclusive extremes that their gospels will possibly allow- never seem to be inclusive enough.
and the astounding discoveries in quantifiable surfaces and material phenomena revealed by the scientific revolution have also failed to so deeply astound. The reality map devoted entirely to the wonders of matter, doesn’t seem wonderful enough to matter all that much. A discipline whose interpretation of existence fails to consider and usually even acknowledge the unquantifiable phenomena such as love, soul and human destiny has failed to interpret the most foundational material- whether or not this material is made up of atoms- that makes up our human experience.
And thus, one of the most pressing issues affecting the Western world is the lack of accessible, practical, discernible and modern-- spirituality. While there are exceptions, it could be argued that two of our most prominent spiritual options are either a rigid, often pre-rational, ultra-Orthodox worldview that presents us with the most literal translations of anthropomorphic imagery and a rather cold and calculated interpretation of our obligatory spiritual response, or… something that is far more warm and open hearted-- yet similarly pre-rational, similarly at conflict with the scientific accounting of our world and even less conducive to a productive and practical modern life. And so, with these being the most popular spiritual offerings of the day, materialism can seem like the only possible worldview for the intellectually honest modern person. Presented with either ‘the fury’ or ‘the fluff’, many modern people have opted for--’the form’. Countless young people have been so embarrassed by Nietzsche’s critique of religious dogma, and Marx’s chiding of religion as being little more than an opium substitute, that the only place we are willing to trust….is the place that we can measure. And if these finite measurements come at the expense of the Infinite Transcendent—we’ll take the ruler. Not the Ruler.
And thus if revolution is a two part process of raze then rebuild, scientific rationalism has performed effectively in its accomplishing the initial step of deconstruction. Yet it has failed dramatically in filling the void that it created. And in that- our modern world has thrown out the ‘transcendent baby with the mythic bathwater’1.
If spirituality was monopolized by the religious establishment, the fall of this establishment implies the loss of the transcendent. Science has flattened our experiential landscape to a point, which denies all depth and all height. Having the bubble of religious orthodoxy burst has left us in wandering around an empty and shallow world, which is occupied by, solely by exterior phenomena and statistically significant factual evidence.
Put in mathematical terms that the scientific establishment would admire:
Organized religion (incl. pre-rational mythic belief and genuine transcendent wisdom/culture)
+
An attack of rationalism and scientific deconstruction
= Flatland (No mythic belief but also no genuine transcendent wisdom/culture)
yet despite having evolved beyond the blind acceptance of ethnocentrically-based religious doctrine and being extremely reluctant of seeking out spiritual direction from traditional religious authorities, today’s young people are no less in search of the transcendent than any generation which has come before them. The clamoring for spiritual inspiration emerges from a drive not unique to a specific age or context. The hunger for meaning is a human need and not a culturally specific impulse.
As human beings, young people exhibit these same age-old reach toward the transcendent that previous civilizations have intuited, the same age-old demands for a unifying community of like-minded spiritual congregations as have those in previous generations, and young people commit to the same age- old search for capable models of spiritual expressions and suitable structures of unifying rituals. In fact, young people differ in their search for these age-old human needs only in their very-justified insistence that their discoveries arise in appropriately updated versions
that which sufficed for many seekers just some fifty years ago will not satisfy the current demand for spiritual leadership. Our world is calling for a more mature understanding- and experience- of the soul and its language of expression. And as we have seen, if we fail to rise to the challenge, today’s young people have demonstrated that they’d prefer to sit dejectedly in the only philosophical venture that will allow them some semblance of intellectual honesty and ironically- spiritual authenticity- that being a post-modern stew cooked up with the achingly empty and painfully bland ingredients of nihilist forecasts and atheistic worldviews.
The rationalism and scientific inquiry that have pointed out the pre-rational limitations in spirituality’s previous incarnation known as religious orthodoxy, has succeeding in preparing the ground for a more mature and more developed transpersonal culture, a spirituality which is no longer pre-rational mythology but rather post-rational – including the gifts of the rational mind but also capable of going beyond its scope, a religious experience which is no longer high on dogma and low on direct experience but rather one that refuses unsupported claims and demands direct experience.
Thus within this generation is an subtle intuition that the transcendent both exists and is involved whether or not their experience is supported by the flatland offered by scientific rationalism and whether or not they are willing to explore this transcendent realm within the confines of organized religion or the pre-rational offerings that continue to dominate much- though not all- of the New Age movement.
it is after realizing that the offerings of yester-year are no longer entirely sufficient for the evolving needs of contemporary society, that one must a reaffirm a critical guiding imperative for this journey towards an evolving understanding of spirituality and religion.
the exuberance of revolutionary house cleaning cannot commit the pointless error of discarding and dishonoring the very stepping-stones that allowed us to reach this juncture. We all need to recognize that the view from our contemporary vista is only possible because we are essentially midgets on the shoulder of a giant – namely the giant of all those who came before us.
‘old-time religion’ is most certainly infused with some of the most awesome sparks of holiness and value that humanity has experienced. While it has come time to discard that which no longer allows us to evolve and advance as our highest selves, we would be foolish to discard the transcendent baby with its mythic bathwater. (note- Wilber)
it would be a tragic mistake to interpret the young generation’s discontent with the discography of the past as a reason to throw away anything but the newest releases. We are simply in quest of a mix-and-match initiative, one which would leave us with the ‘greatest hits’ album that we most certainly need
the authorities of our famed wisdom traditions and even rigid orthodox ritual structures all contain a wealth of insight and guidance that are tremendously relevant and important for today’s young generation. We must understand that there is a third option, one beyond a simplistic all...or nothing approach that, respectively, have been offered by much of organized religion and scientific rationalism. Acknowledging the inherent value of these eras and their contributions, we would do well to become filters- rather than either sponges or sieves.
once we understand the limitations of the past, we can work to discard these outdated areas but not without delineating that which is still important, helpful and deeply necessary in our mission to continuously improve our world, its culture and its consciousness.
our slogan is not ‘transcend and disassociate.’ Such a road is paved with a resentment that blocks the Divinity, which it claims to lead to. We must transcend and include. We will take the best of the past and maturely let go of the rest. Such an approach reflects the understanding that no generation is ultimately privileged and that Spirit is not found in one particular destination.
furthermore, while this state of discontent might initially seem acutely disappointing, our current situation is actually rather hopeful. Quite simply, the dissatisfied groans of today’s spiritually challenged young generation must be understood as the poignant birth pangs of a contemporary spiritual renaissance.
as a wider overview of our current state clearly reveals, these struggles are in no way signs of a regressive descent but actually the dawn of a new consciousness. They represent the next step in our journey towards a very real and very pressing evolution, an evolution towards something that could be only described as the development of global unity.
global community was previously the subject of sarcastic wisecracking from realistic individuals who saw such a term as being plagued by magic/mythic child-like fantasies-- fantasies that failed to include the important contributions of rationality and modernity.
and yet today there is no tele-communications company who hasn’t invoked these utopist words in their long-term business plan. Today, when a young person in Montana can instantly contact with a friend in Taiwan, ‘WWW’ might be described as an abbreviation for electronically sourced world wide wonder.
while we might previously have been challenged to uncover messianic tendencies in the Japanese stock market, our talk of the emerging global economy is the catch phrase of new-paradigm business for the 21st century.
a political assembly based in New York city might not have succeeded in definitively leading the march towards geo-political idealism but, even the 5-syllable ring of ‘United Nations’ sounds like a Biblical idiom which might have been sourced in a verse describing a gentle lion who shares his bushel of grass with an associated flock of lambs.
we are the first to begin a century where many have not only heard the prophetic call for a world without borders and ethnic delineations, but who have actually seen such a place. With the phenomenon of space-age photography, we now stare into physical images that capture our planet as it is seen from the celestial heights- one without any unyielding territorial divisions.
and while our world continues to be overwhelmed with its accustomed share of challenges, tragedies and misfortunes, we are hearing more and more compassionate voices passionately concerned with the victims of these tragedies and committed to alleviating those suffering from misfortune- even those who might reside continents away. The immensity of social activism emerging from this global empathy is unprecedented in our world’s history.
and while there are still many examples of the fragmentation existing in our planet’s functioning, today more than ever before, we are growing in our awareness of an unambiguous injustice inherent in this fragmentation. More than ever before, we are conscious of an often-stifled intuition that our world is in fact intended to disclose its underlying unity.
with this in mind, the dissatisfaction of today’s young generation with a great deal of things religious and spiritual should be understood as a sign of hope. Our refusal to accept mediocre conceptions of religious communities and our reluctance to settle for ordinary models of spiritual expression are essential preludes to the discovering of a more advanced consciousness that our world is yearning to manifest .Put simply, a rejection of the good must precede an insisting upon the great.
the scientific revolution’s ability to reveal the limitations of a pre-rational–anthropomorphic-theology, which has beleaguered significant portions- though certainly not all- of traditional religious philosophy, is required if we are to take a step towards the exciting pending stage of the post-rational.
our frustration with those who were wary to challenge ancient religious dogma actually clears away a space for a far more mature spirituality, namely one that is founded on direct experience. The growing disgust experienced by young people upon their confronting rigid ethnocentric and religious hierarchies which have created astoundingly outdated fences so as to separate themselves from the global community is a healthy rejection of that which much of humanity is excited and prepared to transcend.
the recent notes in the universe’s symphony have not resembled the harmonious plucking of utopian-welcoming harps that the prophets might have anticipated as befitting the move towards global unity. But Spirit moves in mysterious ways, so mysterious that if we haven’t been paying attention, we might overlook the sounds of the welcome song, which has constantly been played- recently by the passionate sounds of rusted ethnocentric chains being dismantled and discarded.
we need not fear this youthful frustration and indignation. All revolutions must first break the bonds that created the previous status quo. But this breaking down alone is not sufficient. All revolutions must also insist on a transition to an indispensable succeeding stage.
after breaking apart the structures that could no longer contain the contemporary stage of our development, there begins a period of building new institutions, new philosophies and new practices that are capable of manifesting the now-more advanced stage of human consciousness.
one always hopes that the transition from the razing stage one to the revising and rebuilding stage two doesn’t take too long. If it does, the participating revolutionary 'razers' and bond-breakers can be temporarily left rather empty and confused, wondering if something- even a frustrating, immature, ethnocentric something- was actually better than … nothing.
for those who can’t seem to wait- or ideally create- the second stage in the two-stage process of revolution, there always exists the opportunity to abandon the front lines and surrender to the comforts and boredom of familiar sights and stages. Homeostasis might not sound very thrilling but everyone occasionally appreciates the opportunity to rest, even if that means: regress.
and both pre-rational religious fundamentalists and many New Age crusaders have been more than willing to rush into the battalions of once excited but now disenchanted young fiery upstarts. In fact, their evangelical success is often clearly related to their abilities in recruiting those who are confused enough to consider a trial period of renouncing either, in the case of fundamentalism, their spiritual independence or in the case of large portions of the New Age movement, their reasoning capabilities and their rational inquiry.
of course, those who settle for such repressive tribal membership can no longer sincerely claim intellectual ignorance in an attempt to pull their modern minds and hearts under the bubble of unexamined ancestral convictions. But even then- if the pain of lacking any spiritual structure and even vague understanding of the cosmos is so great, then quite a few are more than willing to abandon the search for authenticity and replace it with the comforting doctrines of unexamined religious ‘certainties’.
a void awaits those who have insisted on something greater. For those who have held out for a spirituality which can be realistically welcomed by their post-modern minds AND their world-centered motivations AND their inspired world-embracing spirits... there just haven’t been many options.
Those who are committed to finding new spiritual leadership who are capable of inspiring young people need to be aware of just who young people are listening to.
Thousands of years ago, the lines were around the block to hear Moses sharing the Word at the base of the Sinai. Jeremiah packed the auditoriums and Samuel addressed standing-room only crowds.
Jesus couldn’t seem to escape his fans no matter what he wore. Buddha headed out on an unplanned solo saunter through India but before he had a chance for more than a water break, he seemed to have attracted a pack of eager spiritual seekers hanging on his every word and following his every footstep.
We used to have prophets who looked like…well - prophets. Walking sticks, white beards, loincloths. We used to have gurus who spoke like… gurus- proliferating cryptic verses like there was no tomorrow (and if you believed some of their repent-or-doomsdays predictions- there wasn’t!) and not going more than a paragraph without quoting something that would look good inscribed on an ancient temple wall.
Even a few hundred years ago, the nuns, monks, priests, rabbis and shamans of the day had the young people’s respect, admiration and quite often- reverence. A millennia ago, you knew just who worked for God and just who worked for the Devil- simply by looking at what they were wearing and what they were doing on an early Sunday morning.
God had a scepter, mystics looked mysterious and the meaning of life could be grasped simply by stretching your arm towards the book lying on the kerosene-lit desk next to your Victorian bed.
But when science began its slow assault on contradictory dogma- and at least a few of the attackers were given the chance to die natural deaths rather than a hasty roasting at the heretical stake- suddenly spirituality- expelled from the hospitable confines of organized religion- was out in the cold, looking for a new home.
And over the last long while, there haven’t been many hospitable enough to oblige.
Most of the scientists who caught a glimpse of the mystical in their pursuit of truth were so worried to tell their spouses about just what awesome sight they saw that day in their laboratories that they preferred to walk a straight line of socially acceptable claims even if they knew them to be contradictions. Their experiments and conclusions might have been pointing towards transcendence but, having seen the deceit of the religious structures that used to have a monopoly on such concepts, they elected to walk the awe-stifling statistic-supported path even when they knew just how partial that was.
But who today isn’t still interested in the questions like- what happened here; who started this; why am I here and how am I existing at this very moment?
Nihilism might be terribly fashionable but it will never wear comfortably.
Young people have not stopped asking. In fact, having had Nietzsche and his scientific team strip the immature limitations super-imposed upon Infinite Reality, today’s youth is astoundingly ready for an awe that is so incredibly real, so phenomenally all-encompassing and so outrageously unifying that their spiritual hunger is all the more compelling.
It’s 4AM. And there’s over 300 young people- all who are privileged with warm comfortable homes- now sleeping outside, huddled together, waiting for their chance to claim a pass which will admit them into a room in which they can hear a person not that different than them in age but who possesses the ability to inspire a crowd to unimaginable heights simply upon approaching the preacher’s podium.
So they wait for 7 hours until the admissions angels known, as Ticketmaster will offer them opportunity to listen in to the New Revelation at the New Mount Sinai, which looks very much like Madison Square Gardens.
It’s a 7 hour wait till the heavenly gate opens and the entry passes into the center of the oracle known as a Pearl Jam concert are finally given out.
More than 20,000 get in.
But they’re still waiting in a line, which will have them get a ticket, which will give them the chance to get within 50 feet of hearing the guys who’s every melodic word they can already recite by heart before they even enter the building.
And it’s happening in two months time.
But they’re so excited that they forget that its only 40 degrees and that they could just as well be at home in their warm and comfortable beds.
Because, since their bed is no longer Victorian and no longer positioned to the immediate left of a kerosene lamp placed carefully on a desk which also holds a book that sufficiently describes to them the meaning of life, then their warm and comfortable bed is no longer than enticing.
And a sidewalk mattress and a lack of central heating is a small price to pay for a piece of cardboard that is their pass into that book of mystery and transcendent inspiration.
Even if that revelation is only scheduled for 2 months time.
If we are looking to see whom young people are putting their faith in, who they’re dreaming of imitating and most importantly- who they’re looking to for awe-inspiring wisdom on what this world is all about- then look no further than the fans elbowing their way into Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
And yes- obviously this adoration is often terribly misplaced and undeserved. The number of musicians who one would consider as even somewhat prepared for the role of ‘spiritual guide’ is minimal in comparison to the number of stars whom young people are approaching for such leadership.
But if our question is not just ‘who are the prophets’ but… who are being offered such an influence, who is looked to for such leadership, who’s message is being interpreted, analyzed and deciphered for even the fringes of prophetic insight and wisdom- then the answers is astonishingly clear.
The lines are around the block not to get into Church but to get into standing room only seats at the Pepsi Center. Today’s gospel’s aren’t written on scrolls but are scrawled onto lyric sheets. The verses recited like hindu mantras aren’t sutras or pasukkim but pop choruses and rock refrains. And we aren’t searching for the deepest answers in the chapters of the Koran or the Upanishads but rather the liner notes to today’s latest MTV darlings.
In a generation whose spiritual sensibilities could be best described as disenchanted and disappointed, we would do well to ask not just who possesses the words of wisdom to fill this void, but who is actually capable of finding an audience with whom to share these words with!
Quite simply, we need a rock band.
And we need a rock band who understands that no matter how much they feel reluctant to fill such enormous shoes as have been left by the spiritual leadership of the past, they really have no choice which size they get. It’s the audience that determines the fitting and no one else. One doesn’t choose to become a role model. One only chooses how to respond to such a role.
Ignoring it will not make it go away. Being undeserving won’t help you either.
Just ask your nearest bubblegum pop star. They can run and they can hide. But their fans will run after them.
We can either acknowledge that our cultural reality has changed and with it so must our models of spiritual leadership. Or we can attempt to remain unaware that our silence is acquiescence in maintaining a world where 17-year-old girls are delving deeply into the lyrical profundities of Lil Kim for career choices, Britney Spears’ encores for transcendent experience and The Who’s stage demeanors for tips on anger management.
And none of these individuals have done anything other than be themselves. It’s the audience whose spiritual desperation has led them to go looking for guidance and wisdom in places that are better suited for satisfying lower charkas and baser motivations.
Whether we like it or not, Samuel’s ancient staff is now Eddie’s cordless microphone. Whether we accept it or not, temple services no longer end at sunrise but rather begin at 8PM… unless there’s an opening band. We don’t wash our hands before we pray; we await the miracle of a second encore. And we don’t open our minds to the thoughts of mystical sages; we are captivated by the heartrending solos of lead guitars. We might just start taking our shoes off before joining the mosh pit…that’s holy ground.
there’s a new song playing, and unless someone fitting applies for the position, there’s a long list of confused boy bands waiting to give it a go.
Recognizing the tremendous influence of rock and pop music within youth culture, we need a music’s group with individuals who might be somewhat terrified of the responsibilities inherent to such tremendous influence- but who will do their very best to rise to the challenge nonetheless, who if they should be given the chance to change to encourage greater levels of transpersonal compassion and inter-personal concern would utterly reject any leadership model which even approach creating a spiritual dependence , one that failed to empower their audiences with the conviction that one must discover one’s own unique spiritual language and mission.
We’re not sure who the next prophets will be but if you want to see them- first make sure to tune into mtv, read rolling stone and keep checking your local concert listings.
The job description isn’t all that complicated. Just three things:
…who music would spark an interest, investigation and exchange amongst young people for progressive familiarity and exploration of spiritually-associated subjects that would include:
a youthful exploration of the potentially relevant insights as well as the possibly out-dated limitations of the world’s wisdom traditions
the values of local and accessible social action. Furthering a culture where you can say ‘I want to change the world’ and not be laughed at or dismissed as an idealist (just how did ‘idealist’ become an insult!)
the possibility of a transpersonal identity (i.e. beyond ego-motivation, seeing one’s life as inherently connected with others) and the way that a life including compassionate concern for others, particularly those within their immediate peer groups might manifest in their own lives. Show us the solidarity. Show us a family beyond blood.
the conscious development of a modern trans-religious integral culture which would involve young people recognize the existence of not only mind and body but also soul and spirit, in their contemporary lives
a consideration and authentic exploration of the possibility that there exists a non-dual Force actively engaged in and through our lives. Allowing for talk of God- still a greater taboo amongst young people than almost any other subject- without dogma and without coercion and rather with humility, sincerity and the rejection of guru-worship which sees young people receiving their spirituality from authority figures rather than, as this group insists upon encouraging, - actively participating, introspecting and communally investigating one of the most fundamental questions of our existence.
-considering the possibility of transcendent purpose capable of being discerned and supported through an engaged spirituality that makes use of contemplative practices in one’s own everyday life
Unabashedly encouraging young people to question both the effects and truth-value of our rampant nihilism- an attitude – or lack of one- that has gone completely unchallenged in much of our slacker-worshipping youth culture. Considering one’s own responsibility in the advancement of our current global situation.
…whose performance creates an expression of interconnectedness in a setting accessible to young people.
The pop and rock music genres represent the most popular and accessible communal artistic medium, which young people esteem, appreciate and enjoy. Recognizing this status, the music group’s live performance would act as an end in itself through its inherent disclosure of numinous-sourced artistic creativity and the inherent value of communal celebration as expressed through music and dance.
Having been shut out and having shut out many of organized religion’s traditional communal institutions, young people have yet to find a spiritual alternative for Sunday services, temple gatherings and Sabbaths at the synagogue. Concerts which offered inspiring, authentic and astounding inspiration would offer young people a direct experience of spiritual assembly that is trans-religious, cross-cultural, gender-neutral yet age-specific.
Whose commitment to post-concert social action in non-performance related interviews, workshops, and even academic settings is understood as being as important as their musical responsibilities. Engaging their unique recognition and status as artists esteemed by young people, band members who include some highly capable spokesmen, facilitators and activist organizers who would share their interests in social action as well as spiritual matters with their audiences in areas beyond the concert venue. Through participatory social projects and spiritually motivated gatherings, the musicians would be in an excellent position to further encourage a youth culture which is interested and excited about exploring transpersonal issues. They would be ideal candidates for advancing a youth-based interest in how a commitment to the betterment of their immediate surrounding as well as a conscious commitment to exploring their own personal spiritual journey.
Prominent band members who take these subjects to be an integral part of their contemporary life are some of the only capable role models left for young people who have grown increasingly disenchanted with the traditional religious establishment. Those who are capable of articulating these concepts would be in an excellent position to share their relationship to spiritual living. A band committed to authentically non-coercive models, which are aimed at developing spiritual self-sufficiency rather than congregational dependence would be highly attractive resources to young people who already admire the music group’s creative art and who are aware of the group’s popular appeal amongst their own age group.
When you find these guys, please feel free to support them on their journey to the crowds amassing at the foot of the mountain which has moved from a holy Middle Eastern desert to Hollywood, from the coronation of caliphs to the acceptance speeches at the Grammy awards and from the greatest story on Earth to its greatest… three and a half minute pop sound.
The song of revelation never ended.
But we might not have known that the exalted orchestra had already entered the concert hall, one whose never-ending stage is the evolution of our world
new song.
1 Ken Wilber