It is becoming ever more commonplace to hear or read observations about a general unease, malaise, or despair which seems to be drifting around like an aimless yet cunning fog permeating the West. At once frenetic and lethargic, the patient insistence of this feeling leaves no doubt that it is a chemical weapon of mass destruction deployed by principalities and powers ever-so-worldly and yet not of this world. A couple recent events reminded me of two reasons I suspect this feeling is becoming so prevalent: an unnatural relationship to violence and death and the special kind of exhaustion that comes from maintaining a continuously defensive position.
The first event was a false report of an active shooter at the Catholic University of America. An individual called 911 and claimed to have seen this shooter on campus, unleashing a simultaneous deluge of text, phone, and email alerts to “SHELTER IN PLACE,” with the dreaded “THIS IS NOT A DRILL” warning appended. After about 20 minutes there was an “ALL CLEAR” and details of the false alarm began to emerge. Naturally, the all clear was a moment of great relief and gratitude to God.
Nevertheless, the threat was all too plausible. In our paradoxical society, violence and death are hidden so effectively by a behemoth healthcare system, rapid crime scene response, and euphemistic language, yet also gratuitously present in news and entertainment. The result for many is that death is fictional for long stretches of time until it strikes swiftly and suddenly in the “real” world. Instead of being the natural way of all flesh, death becomes random and irrational, the ultimate, though taboo, proof that entropy is the final law of the universe. As for violence, as others have observed, the barbarians are no longer besieging the walls and waging open war, but are rather lurking behind screens until they are ready to release a burst of chaos to disrupt but never overthrow the tranquil order.
The other event was the release, recently brought to my attention, of newly censored editions of the works of the English humorist P.G. Wodehouse. Naturally, the censorship has sparked outrage amongst Wodehouse fans as well as those who are simply concerned about the censorship of literature in general. In all likelihood, the censorship only amounts to a few suppressed phrases and adjectives that are racially insensitive (if the publishers were really clever then perhaps they manufactured the firestorm in order to generate media attention and reactionary sales of the older uncensored edition … but enough of my pet conspiracy theory). Nevertheless, I could not suppress a wish that I had not read the news article or the outrage. For me, the world of Wodehouse has always been, to paraphrase Waugh, an Arcadia where man has never fallen; a world of perpetual morning. To have this world, this little refuge, dragged into the mudslinging arena of our current moment was like watching a venerable elder being mocked and abused.
The truth is, my reaction to the Wodehouse story was unnecessary; it was only a symptom of the exhausting posture of defense mentioned earlier. I own all the uncensored Wodehouse I will ever wish to read, and the decision of these distant publishers affects me not at all. No matter how much rage I muster, it will amount to nothing but unheeded bluster. Moreover, I am comforted by the thought that Wodehouse himself would have treated the situation with infinite lightness.
This is not to say that petty censorship should go uncriticized, but only a reminder that the defensive posture should be avoided whenever the issue is beyond one’s domain of influence. It has been noted by many who have gone to war that it is infinitely preferable to go on the attack. It has even been theorized that the experience of combat on the defensive results in much higher levels of post-traumatic stress. I suggest that one can adopt from this fact a higher level of detachment from the outrages and excesses of secular culture. Once it has been comprehended that one is in a warzone of sorts, one is less surprised by incoming enemy fire. As an experienced combat leader responded when informed that the enemy were shooting at him: “This is war son, that’s their prerogative.”
Both the artificial relation to violence and death and the exhaustion of the defensive posture are but two contributing causes amongst many that underlie the unease, malaise, and despair which we observe. Moreover, these causes are only secondary, and in turn are the result of causes on a spiritual order that I will not attempt to diagnose. In both cases, however, a recognition, or reminder, and a naming of the evil may sometimes provide a moment of peace. If our Arcadia is attacked, we must look beyond it, for even in Arcadia is death.
Awesome post! Definitely get that from fellow Catholics who seem constantly like they have to play defense, offering no real solutions and in the end only stressing themselves out