Article: Creeping Nihilism and the Jihadi Heart
I listened to an interesting radio program this weekend on NPR, a production from WBUR called British Jihad, it explores the explosion of radical Islam's appeal in Britain's middle-class Middle and Near East immigrant populations. The report itself was well-produced and definitely worth the listen, but it is the subject-matter I find most compelling.
In short, many intelligent, well-educated and otherwise prosperous, second-generation British immigrants have found meaning in their lives in radical Islam. Rejecting the spiritual emptiness of their parent's lukewarm faith and with popular culture offering no compelling, positive alternatives these young men are filling the void with misguided notions of leading a global, militarized struggle to reclaim some over-romanticized notion of Islam's former glory and power.
It is this same "void", this lack of a spiritual legacy within ourselves that is at the root of most of our social ailments.
The post-modern, information-age has brought with it a more cosmopolitan, well-developed world view for the educated peoples of the developed world which has had the effect of eroding the religious belief systems observed for many generations. Once insular and self-contained, the communities of the world are now involved in an unprecedented cultural and informational exchange which has understandably challenged the most basic concepts of their religious philosophies. There are typically two reactions to this phenomenon: The liberalization and secularization of one's belief system or the fear-response radicalization towards a more fundamental "traditional religious values".
As a strong proponent of the former who tends to view organized religion as a stumbling block on the path towards a more peaceful, prosperous planet, I and those like myself embrace the idea of a more permissive spiritual environment. However, in the wane of a pervasive Judeo-Christian ethos, a creeping nihilism has established itself in Western culture. As much as it encourages me to see a trend toward setting aside the more counter-productive facets of organized religion, what is replacing it is perhaps just as alarming and destructive: Nothing.
Instead men and women of the West surround themselves with the comfortable distractions of twenty-four-hour entertainment. And when that (inevitably) fails to ease the gnawing hole in their heart, the pharmaceutical industry is there to (temporarily) spackle it over. While a few pioneers successfully reject the shallow offerings of consumer culture to actively seek out their spirituality through a highly-personal journey of education and self-discovery, many if not most remain solidly run aground in the shallow seas of modern materialism. Celebrity worship and the virtues of power and money are the tenants of the New Church of Everyone-for-Themselves. At a time when, more than ever, we should be striving to expand our sense of community to include all the families of the world, we are closing ourselves in our homes - becoming victims of an induced agoraphobia by an endless stream of (bad) news that (conveniently) keeps us inside watching more television (advertisements) and less and less time fostering our relationships with others.
Our society is at risk of sacrificing itself on the altar of this Cult of Individuality. If we are not successful in providing meaningful, positive and collective alternatives to both the extremes of religious fundamentalism (in all its forms) and the soulless, self-absorbed consumer culture, we may not necessarily be headed inextricably from total destruction, but we could very well be on our way to constructing a life for ourselves that isn't worth living.
I'll leave you with a quote from the great Walter Sobchak": "Nihilists! F*ck me. I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos!"
In short, many intelligent, well-educated and otherwise prosperous, second-generation British immigrants have found meaning in their lives in radical Islam. Rejecting the spiritual emptiness of their parent's lukewarm faith and with popular culture offering no compelling, positive alternatives these young men are filling the void with misguided notions of leading a global, militarized struggle to reclaim some over-romanticized notion of Islam's former glory and power.
It is this same "void", this lack of a spiritual legacy within ourselves that is at the root of most of our social ailments.
The post-modern, information-age has brought with it a more cosmopolitan, well-developed world view for the educated peoples of the developed world which has had the effect of eroding the religious belief systems observed for many generations. Once insular and self-contained, the communities of the world are now involved in an unprecedented cultural and informational exchange which has understandably challenged the most basic concepts of their religious philosophies. There are typically two reactions to this phenomenon: The liberalization and secularization of one's belief system or the fear-response radicalization towards a more fundamental "traditional religious values".
As a strong proponent of the former who tends to view organized religion as a stumbling block on the path towards a more peaceful, prosperous planet, I and those like myself embrace the idea of a more permissive spiritual environment. However, in the wane of a pervasive Judeo-Christian ethos, a creeping nihilism has established itself in Western culture. As much as it encourages me to see a trend toward setting aside the more counter-productive facets of organized religion, what is replacing it is perhaps just as alarming and destructive: Nothing.
Instead men and women of the West surround themselves with the comfortable distractions of twenty-four-hour entertainment. And when that (inevitably) fails to ease the gnawing hole in their heart, the pharmaceutical industry is there to (temporarily) spackle it over. While a few pioneers successfully reject the shallow offerings of consumer culture to actively seek out their spirituality through a highly-personal journey of education and self-discovery, many if not most remain solidly run aground in the shallow seas of modern materialism. Celebrity worship and the virtues of power and money are the tenants of the New Church of Everyone-for-Themselves. At a time when, more than ever, we should be striving to expand our sense of community to include all the families of the world, we are closing ourselves in our homes - becoming victims of an induced agoraphobia by an endless stream of (bad) news that (conveniently) keeps us inside watching more television (advertisements) and less and less time fostering our relationships with others.
Our society is at risk of sacrificing itself on the altar of this Cult of Individuality. If we are not successful in providing meaningful, positive and collective alternatives to both the extremes of religious fundamentalism (in all its forms) and the soulless, self-absorbed consumer culture, we may not necessarily be headed inextricably from total destruction, but we could very well be on our way to constructing a life for ourselves that isn't worth living.
I'll leave you with a quote from the great Walter Sobchak": "Nihilists! F*ck me. I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos!"
