Apr 12 Sat
On the march to nowhere
The prodigal son, an exalted deluded man.
This deluded young man left home and walked seduced, fascinated by the kind of life that opened up to him, welcomed him with open arms, and produced exaltation in him.
But let us not confuse exaltation and enthusiasm.
- Enthusiasm - a feeling proper to the process of ecstasy - inflames us, but it does not drive us out of our boxes; on the contrary, it transforms our freedom to maneuver into ‘creative freedom’, that is, freedom to act with the initiative to do good.
- On the other hand, the exaltation proper to the process of vertigo does not perfect our freedom, because it dilutes it, as it congests us with an absorbing, seductive reality and does not allow us to look at it from a distance.
When we allow ourselves to be seduced by a fascinating reality that makes us lose our senses, as they say, we merge with it, we get lost into it. But, as there is no encounter, there is no personal life.
This young man, who walked, illusively, towards a horizon of filled happiness, was seduced, dazzled, but not in a good mood, as it usually happens when there is enthusiasm.
Hence, even though he believed he was about to plunge into a sea of happiness, he behaved cruelly. Thus, he seemed insensitive to the pain felt by his father -who in the parable of the prodigal son acts as both father and mother- when he heard him claim his share of the inheritance, breaking the family custom, and especially when he saw him go away very determinedly towards the distance, heading nowhere.
The fascinated young man acted only from himself and for himself, rejecting all company, isolated, without taking into account how much he would lose by breaking with the family.
He could have compared several ideas in his mind successively, then considered them all together, before deciding, a sort of virtuous circle. More or less like this:
- If I go away, I leave behind my home, a place of refuge and shelter from daily needs and eventualities, and all that my parents and siblings mean, a trusting environment conducive to supportive dialogue. Everything I have been since I was a child, and that has helped me to grow up remains behind.
- It is true that I enjoy little initiative, almost none. But, with age, I will be able from this springboard to establish an environment of creative relationships, such as marriage, and to have the joy that my community life will bring me.
- Ahead of me is pure adventure, the freedom to maneuver without limits, my ability to choose at every moment how to direct my life and seek happiness... but I also face emptiness if I fail to create a life full of meaning.
This virtuous circle, this web of thoughts charged with meaning and real emotional attachments, placed before his calm mind, could have been for him a source of light. But he did not consider making this simple reflection. Being seduced by the new, by the prospect of absolute freedom of maneuver, he saw only adventure, which he identified with running a risk. He did not take the time to choose before deciding.
This life without any plan, which may have led him to creativity, appeared to him as the height of happiness. He who follows the dictates of vertigo is a deluded person, not an enthusiast. But to him, it looked like an inexhaustible source of happiness at the beginning.
God's attitude is presented in the parable. The merciful Father who embraces the prodigal son is the definitive icon of God revealed by Christ. First and foremost He is Father. It is God the Father who extends his arms in blessing and forgiveness, always waiting, never forcing any of his children. His hands support, clasp, give strength and, at the same time, comfort, console and caress.
Excerpts from Alfonso López Quintás