To Fulfill Our Potential

Last updated on: September 21, 2020 at 3:08 am by Henry Karlson

To Fulfill Our Potential 2020-09-21T03:08:44-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Geralt: anatomy human awareness transparency knowledge / pixabay

Marsilio Ficino, with his typical wisdom, explained why many people do not believe in God. He said that they do not sense or experience the divine realm because they have become too attached to material creation:

I need not say how people suffering from a bloody inflammation of the eye see everything as red, and those with a bitter taste on the tongue taste everything as bitter. In the same way the mind, which from a long-standing desire and indulgence in physical things has become physical, so to speak, will believe the divine to be completely non-existent, or will regard it as physical. [1]

Care must be had when reading this sentiment, care which Ficino does not always exercise in his writings. While we must make sure we are not unduly attached to material being, because that would indeed lead us to becoming blind to the spiritual realm, we must not reject material being and its goodness, because of if we did so, we would undermine God’s creation.

We are both material and spiritual. We must engage both aspects of our being. We must do so with a balanced approach, if we are to properly live out our lives. We must not ignore what happens in material being. We must not ignore physical suffering.

We must not think the material world and what happens in it is nothing. It was created by God, it is sustained by God, it is valued by God, and so it should be valued by us. The so-called Gnostics were in error when they tried to separate themselves from the world because of the evils they sensed existing in the world. The incarnation shows us that God values material creation just as much as he does spiritual being, and so we must continue to promote the good of material creation and do what we can to help those in material need. We must not abandon the world, because if we did so, we would turn away from our moral responsibilities. We must not imitate the fallen spirits who took pride in themselves instead of looking after and helping the rest of creation. We, such spiritual beings, have been established in the world to help guide it and protect all that is within it.

Once we realize that we must not abandon the material aspect of our being, that we must recognize and respect it, the danger Ficino mentions is real. If we abandon our spiritual qualities, if we focus exclusively on the material world, especially if our focus is on material gain, making some material good our highest good, we lose sight of the Good itself (which transcends but includes the material good). We will have limited our field of vision, and doing so, it should not surprise us that we will not perceive that which we no longer try to perceive. This is especially the problem we find if we try to establish some sort of economic materialism as the primary means by which we understand and view the world.

Capitalism is dangerous and leads us astray because it is dominated by the spirit of economic materialism. It offers the goods of the earth for sale, and suggests only that which is for sale has value. Since the absolute Good is not for sale, its value is denied. Is it no wonder that capitalism, when it denies the absolute Good, turns into a deadly consumerism? It embraces a nihilistic ethic, one which ultimately undermines and destroys even the various material goods it offers once they have been bought and sold. This is because when they are no longer for sale, they become worthless, and are put into the ever-growing trash dump polluting the world.

Is there any surprise that religion often appears to be in decline in societies which embrace some form of economic materialism as its greatest good? Some could argue, however, that this is because economic materialism is its own religion. It has established its notion of the greatest good (even if it runs contrary to the Good), money, and has people bowing down and worshiping it. Indeed, it requires many sacrifices in order to sustain its power over the people. Capitalism destroys the poor for the sake of the rich, and then tells people that this is necessary in order to preserve the system which brings about what it claims is the greatest good. And because of its religious nature, its adherents can be seen as if they are fighting against rival theologies, rival religious systems. Thus, while various religious traditions seem to be in decline, religion itself is not. People will find something to hold onto and follow with religious devotion, and this is exactly what we see coming from supporters of capitalism.

The nihilistic aspect of economical materialism means economic materialism will never satisfy. This is why, once its lies have been uncovered, people look for new religious faiths, new religious traditions: the spirit will always cry out for more, and so religion is not going to die out, though it might change its form, as it has throughout the centuries. It also encourages people to reexamine and reconsider those forms of religious faith which they have ignored or rejected. This is why many religions, when they seem to be dying out, suddenly reemerge in the world scene, and why many, who have thought that religion (or at least old, traditional religions) are dying out are proven wrong generation after generation. For people need what religion has to offer, and those religions which have been proven to last over long periods of time have much to offer, while new faiths, especially those which come out of some nihilistic rejection of the old, do not possess that vital quality that sustains them for long periods of time and are the ones which end up perishing.

We are embodied. We are spiritual. We need to realize the good in both is best sustained when the two come together as one. We must use both aspects of our being and bring them together as one under the Good from which they come. Then we will participate in the one eternal Good which alone can completely satisfy us. By learning how to unite two as one in ourselves, we begin to learn how to unite all that is in the world together and make them one. In that oneness, we will not only find the fullness of being, the fullness of truth, the fullness of the Good, we will also know how to act appropriately, to integrate the fullness of all things in ourselves, so that we become, not just idle spiritualists, but humans fulfilling our true potential.

[1] Marsilio Ficino, The Letters of Marsilio Ficino. Volume 4 (Liber I). trans. by members of the Language Department of the School of Economic Science, London (London: Shepheard-Walwyn, 1988), 11 [Letter 7: To Philosophers and Teachers of Sophistry].

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

Previous Post

September 20, 2020

The Legend of St. Eustathius

Next Post

September 23, 2020 Vainglory Versus True Glory

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Halloween Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Vainglory Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz