Totally. Acaedia seems to be the inertness that keeps us in dejection, but different than what gets us into dejection, but there's a lot of overlap here.
Myles, I want you to know that as someone who has spent most of life struggling with depression and suicidality, this piece is genuinely helpful and encouraging to me. In the last year I've had two major depressive episodes, and the thing which has brought me out of them could be succinctly described as patience -- persevering through life, and not cutting myself off from all of the things and people around me who would do me good. It seems as if there is an unfortunate narrative in the world telling people that all they need is what is within themselves -- and yet the truth is that the very best of ourselves develops through our connection to the rest of humanity.
Excellent commentary, thank you. This article will be a great reference to illustrate dejection (sadness) as an incidental condition of life in a fallen world that is different from a spiritual warfare - sanctification related experience such as St John of Cross' Dark Night of the Soul.
I wonder if you could elaborate one sentence more on what you meant by this sentence:
"It makes sense of why excessive consumption of media is connected to general malaise and lack of healthy ambition, for if what we are connecting with external to us is passive, we becomes internally passive as well."
Sorry—this could have been more clear. If we rely on that which is outside us to turn us away from the dejection lying in wait, and what awaits outside is bad for us and encourages us to be passive, our inner life will reflect that passivity, that refusal to reach out.
Thanks Myles. Greatly appreciate this series. One Q: where does this leave us with respect to the validity of counselling/therapy? Specifically wrt this statement:” It makes sense of how, when we spend copious amounts of time diving inwards, we become not more inwardly well-rounded people, and also not necessarily self-absorbed people, but less satisfied people and more fragile emotionally.”I have found this often to be true with therapy-obsessed individuals but also recognise the value (for many) in the practice. Thanks
Yeah, I think there’s definitely forms of therapy that can be really instructive – I’m married to a counselor and so all of this gets complicated for me. I think, recognizing that our ones are not just forms of thought, but bodily practices as well is a good place to begin. I also think that forms of therapy, which encourage re-integration of persons with communities and family systems is incredibly true, as opposed to encouraging people to only individuate. Cassian is not opposed to some introspection, but very opposed to the notion, that if a person sinks down into themselves, they will find the thing that you’re looking for. For Cassian, the still small voice, we encounter may very well be a demon miss leading us! That which is most true about us is found, in reaching out to God, not from excavating what is within first.
now the Venn Diagram in my head includes Dejection / Acedia / Depression and things are getting complicated!
Totally. Acaedia seems to be the inertness that keeps us in dejection, but different than what gets us into dejection, but there's a lot of overlap here.
(I remember loving that essay on the solitude of the saints)
Myles, I want you to know that as someone who has spent most of life struggling with depression and suicidality, this piece is genuinely helpful and encouraging to me. In the last year I've had two major depressive episodes, and the thing which has brought me out of them could be succinctly described as patience -- persevering through life, and not cutting myself off from all of the things and people around me who would do me good. It seems as if there is an unfortunate narrative in the world telling people that all they need is what is within themselves -- and yet the truth is that the very best of ourselves develops through our connection to the rest of humanity.
Thank you for this piece.
That’s the best word I can hear, Joel—thanks for letting me know.
Excellent commentary, thank you. This article will be a great reference to illustrate dejection (sadness) as an incidental condition of life in a fallen world that is different from a spiritual warfare - sanctification related experience such as St John of Cross' Dark Night of the Soul.
I wonder if you could elaborate one sentence more on what you meant by this sentence:
"It makes sense of why excessive consumption of media is connected to general malaise and lack of healthy ambition, for if what we are connecting with external to us is passive, we becomes internally passive as well."
Sorry—this could have been more clear. If we rely on that which is outside us to turn us away from the dejection lying in wait, and what awaits outside is bad for us and encourages us to be passive, our inner life will reflect that passivity, that refusal to reach out.
Thanks Myles. Greatly appreciate this series. One Q: where does this leave us with respect to the validity of counselling/therapy? Specifically wrt this statement:” It makes sense of how, when we spend copious amounts of time diving inwards, we become not more inwardly well-rounded people, and also not necessarily self-absorbed people, but less satisfied people and more fragile emotionally.”I have found this often to be true with therapy-obsessed individuals but also recognise the value (for many) in the practice. Thanks
Yeah, I think there’s definitely forms of therapy that can be really instructive – I’m married to a counselor and so all of this gets complicated for me. I think, recognizing that our ones are not just forms of thought, but bodily practices as well is a good place to begin. I also think that forms of therapy, which encourage re-integration of persons with communities and family systems is incredibly true, as opposed to encouraging people to only individuate. Cassian is not opposed to some introspection, but very opposed to the notion, that if a person sinks down into themselves, they will find the thing that you’re looking for. For Cassian, the still small voice, we encounter may very well be a demon miss leading us! That which is most true about us is found, in reaching out to God, not from excavating what is within first.
Fantastic piece and fantastic timing.
I'm always a bit more brittle as semesters end.
I'm also more keenly aware, when so brittle, of just how poorly
this odd shape of me fits into my current times and spaces.
For this reason, I'm susceptible to dejection in early May
in ways that, during the remainder of the year,
with its kinder routines and fresh beginnings,
I am prone more to good old fashion grumpiness.
All this to say, cheers.
And Haley Baumeister's Venn Diagram is spot-on.
Thanks Myles. Appreciate the thoughtful response.