I had a lightbulb moment recently where I thought:
The fact that God isn’t a visible thing in the world is very good when God stands as the Big Other. You won’t go outside and see God, and mistake him for the Big Other in your head.
This is not true when the Big Other is Other People. It is much easier to think that the Other People in your head are the ones looking numb in the shops. It’s even easier when other people online are in constant dialogue with their Other instead of each other, usually by shouting a lot.
So maybe there’s something to be said for having a Big Other who is not a physical part of the real world. The danger isn’t that God doesn’t exist, but that other people do. Because we do, it’s much easier to make this category error, which seems to end in violence and misery
Brilliant essay, enjoyed reading this. You’ve gotten at something that’s been on my mind a lot lately with regard to preoccupation with an ideal/aesthetic without the actual action/hard work behind achieving it, and the double bind that’s created when I try to speak about this or self-justify this psychologically/philosophically.
You’d like Todd McGowan’s latest book ‘Embracing Alienation’.
I had a lightbulb moment recently where I thought:
The fact that God isn’t a visible thing in the world is very good when God stands as the Big Other. You won’t go outside and see God, and mistake him for the Big Other in your head.
This is not true when the Big Other is Other People. It is much easier to think that the Other People in your head are the ones looking numb in the shops. It’s even easier when other people online are in constant dialogue with their Other instead of each other, usually by shouting a lot.
So maybe there’s something to be said for having a Big Other who is not a physical part of the real world. The danger isn’t that God doesn’t exist, but that other people do. Because we do, it’s much easier to make this category error, which seems to end in violence and misery
"As the plow follows words, so God rewards prayers" Blake
The cosmic credit personal God is real and kindest with your active participation.
The image with the woman from the side and the spooky face looks cropped - what's the original?
Thank you.
Brilliant
It's hard to swallow that most people are the “I love how into this you are” types.
This deserves one million 'hearts' - or said another way, two million eyeballs. A really, brilliant essay that I'm going to chew over all day!
Brilliant essay, enjoyed reading this. You’ve gotten at something that’s been on my mind a lot lately with regard to preoccupation with an ideal/aesthetic without the actual action/hard work behind achieving it, and the double bind that’s created when I try to speak about this or self-justify this psychologically/philosophically.
You’d like Todd McGowan’s latest book ‘Embracing Alienation’.