Blog Marcos L. Mucheroni Filosofia, Noosfera e cibercultura

We wrote in last week’s post, we are the “multiplication of loaves”, which undoubtedly has the aspect of sharing, but that the supernatural aspect was forgotten by many, reducing something “ineffable” to a situation of solidarity, and this is what we are developing around lack of spirituality, and or de-spiritualized ascesis, the term is from Peter Sloterdijk, of course.

Sloterdijk’s definition is clear: “As an exercise I define any operation that preserves or improves the actor’s qualification to perform the same operation next time, whether it is declared as an exercise or not” (Sloterdijk, 2009, p. 14), and if applies our interpretation because he speaks and personal trainers, but they can also be eloquent preachers, media philosophers or any other type that does “exercises” to motivate and pull people out of sameness, but it’s only momentary.

He announces in his book an anthropotechnic turn, and what we are here is to demonstrate an ontoanthropotechnic clearing, that is, that it is not incompatible with the ontology of Being, here in the sense of asceticism and spirituality, it is explained here by a passage biblical

Let’s go back to biblical hermeneutics, after the biblical one that is in the synoptic gospels (Mt 14:13-21, Mk 6:31-44, Lk 9:10-17 and John 6:5-15), Jesus wants to get away from the crowd because they wanted to make him a human “king” (it’s in the passages), the crowd comes back and goes after him, and the Master inquires (John, 26-27):

“Verily, verily, I say to you: you are looking for me not because you saw signs, but because you ate bread and were satisfied. Strive not for the food that is lost, but for the food that lasts until eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For this is who the Father marked with his seal”.

There is no condemnation because they wanted to eat, but Jesus asks for an “ascesis”, an effort for food that is not lost, and this is “who the Father marked the seal”, ascesis finds spirituality, it demands more food: “the bread of heaven,” that which nourishes the soul.

If only a human and earthly interpretation was possible in the passage of the multiplication of the loaves, now the pedagogy of Jesus performs the necessary hermeneutics to understand it.

SLOTERDIJK, Peter. (2009) Du musst Dein Leben ändern. Über Antropotechnik Frankfurt, Suhrkamp.

There is no deep spirituality without an ascesis and true spiritual elevation takes time and training, the Buddhist master Dalai Lama stated: “Developing strength, courage and inner peace takes time. Don’t expect quick and immediate results under the pretext that you’ve decided to change. Every action you take allows that decision to become effective within your heart.”

It is therefore necessary to develop a virtuous circle where some sacrifices and abstinence are necessary, it does not mean abandoning material issues, but the balanced and conscious use of what is being desired, whether it is a simple inner peace or a high degree of religiosity, the detachment of affections must be done in steps and with balance.

Communication with the transcendent Being is also a good relationship with human beings who go through our lives, from the most complicated to the most generous, all are our neighbors.

Meditation, physical and mental balance, harmony of the environment in which we live, can and should be simple, sensible and daily communication of what we want to donate as our thinking, the study and research of great masters of thought and spirituality and finally what is the highest desire of a spirituality: the ascesis to the divine, the supernatural and the Whole.

Ascesis is a path like this, not without falls and never without difficulties, if it is without difficulties, the great spiritual masters teach, perhaps it is not a true ascesis (Picture of Rembrandt´s Frame).

Finally, there can be ascesis without spirituality, they can improve health, enrich and beautify the environment around us, but they do not really mean an elevation of the soul.

Praying, meditating and dialoguing with everyone and everything around us, it is not crazy to dialog with nature, with animals and with the universe, everything is divine creation and everything “speaks” of the divine.