The Divinity of Seriousness

Smile and laughter are sacred. Not only their appearance are beautiful but also their underlying structure is heavenly. How joyful it is to smile at the beauty of nature and its perfection. It is perfect indeed, for there is no alternative to such splendid beauty. It is rather ill-mannered to fill the lungs with the cool air of spring’s breeze and not smile. How can one inhale the air and not the joy along with it! The joy of life! Is there anything more precious than the breath of life? It is easy to forget the breaths, though it is a mission of a sacred life to be grateful for the blessing of the breaths. Thus, one must breathe deeply, and smile truthfully for the perfect gift of being.

It is also easy to lose the meaning of the joyful expressions of laughter and smile. Though they are more than facial expressions; they are manifestations of heavens. Certainly, they could be manifestations of hell for the damned.

Appreciation should be represented with a genuine smile. Also, one could of course smile in a state of suffering as a form of appreciation, for there is no reason not to be thankful for suffering. Only a fool curses all heavens and earth for misfortunes; without suffering, one cannot develop into a transcendent being.

Smile is useful when life is not progressing according to desires. It is important for the smile to be followed with a deep breath. The inhalation is seldom remembered that it really is the foundation of the gift of life. The exhalation is the beginning of a new life. One must live fully, and be reborn again, so when time ends, gods would celebrate one’s infinite life that is structured within the finite time. Every breath is therefore a priceless gift from gods. However, misfortunes could change the reality of the gift for he who cannot accept the godly gift. Sadly, it is not easy to smile in agony from the depth of hell, although a simple smile could grow a flower in the fire of hell.

Deceitful can be smiles in the same way words can be. One might smile at all times without having a good reason for doing so. Or for reasons that are not well-understood, such as covering one’s true face. One might be ashamed of the true face one possesses. Thus, a smile could help the ashamed become invisible, and so the embarrassment could become relatively bearable. He who hides behind a smile can never taste the honey-like sweetness of a true smile. Breaths, smiles, and laughter, they all lose their meaning. Or rather, he who is deceitful about them never learns their true nature or meaning.

Happiness, however, should be stolen from little moments of joy. However, one might delude oneself into happiness by exercising falsehood in the facial expressions. Why would one exercise such state of deceit? Could it be a means of attempting to escape from that which one is terrified? And could that be, of which one is terrified, the true nature of oneself?

In many cases, not accepting one’s own vulnerabilities could be the root cause of a nervous laughter or a silly smile, assuming that such reactions are meant to be protective against possible threats. One is then trapped into the dangerous habit of defence, and therefore feel threatened at a deeper level at all times. What does he do in solitude, he who is trapped? Probably weep, for there is no peril in him being alone with his vulnerabilities; he knows perfectly well that he can scarcely be of any danger to himself except by his folly. He then weeps, for his foolishness, for his weakness, for his dishonesty with himself and others. When he finds himself in the presence of other people, a new false smile appears on his face. A smile that cries for help. How is such a cry perceived? “He is indeed a nice man. Always smiling,” one might think, for one’s sight is narrowed to the surface, and the surface should be seen by those who are not invited to see otherwise.

Exercising such false smiles could delude one into meaninglessness even if one is fortunate with meaning. One could then become the slave of one’s own misery, for falsehood turns all good into misery. There is no escape in truth, so one must exercise it as much as possible. How much exactly? As much as one’s endurance permits. It should be moderate, so tremendous terror will not take one’s breaths, although the terror of truth is soothing to the soul as though it is one form of breath for the soul. Although that might only be true if one is capable of perceiving the truth.

All individuals have a godly seriousness within them that could be rooted in aggression. Assuming that every living thing is capable aggression for survival, one can state that the seriousness is a means of uniting with the aggression. Nevertheless, it is possible that he is afraid, he who has no capacity for aggression, and so no union with it. He who always smiles naïvely at everyone and everything, for he might be intimidated at all times. Therefore, he is but a slave of that which forces him to hold the false smile, and of that which gives him the liberty to weep in solitude or at night.

He must become aggressive in order to break the chains of slavery – the chains with which he himself locked him. Though he must be careful not to allow aggression lock him in a new pair of chains. Thus, he should manifest the aggression in certain ways that are best isolated and cause no unnecessary harm. He must realise he can be dangerous – so dangerous that he shall beg himself for mercy. He should roar. He must roar on top of a mountain – so loud that his veins would appear intimidating to the eagles of the mountain. Nonetheless, when the time comes for aggression, he must be able to smile, for he should be aware of the hell he is capable of making. So, that will be no ordinary smile, nor will it be deceitful. His eyes will not conceal the nature with which he has united. His gleaming eyes will show the nature of his smile. Subsequently, he should be able to regard himself as serious.

Most men find joy in hunting solely for exercising their nature. That sort of aggression that appears to be the essence of seriousness. Otherwise, how can one regard oneself as serious if one views oneself as a prey instead of a predator – instead of a maker of mayhem; bringer of hell? He who does not have the slightest capacity for monstrous actions is but a victim – especially, of his own weakness. How can such an individual be respected? Respect forms between two individuals for various reasons such as thinking highly of each other, but above all, no true respect can be gained or given if there is no intimidation of any sort. One respects only he who is serious in manners which one wishes not to upset. Respect is a result of developed seriousness in an individual’s character. Fool of the king might be respected by others for bringing laughter to the palace, but he is rarely considered serious. For that reason, he might not be deeply respected in a way that can intimidate others, for his character is normally viewed as a mere joker. Jokes are good if they are not the primary mode, for life is no joke. Sarcasm also has a relatively similar nature, in that if it is the primary mode of an individual, then it would not be easy to account such an individual serious.

Does he lack a notion of earnestness in the character he who takes the non-triviality nature of every matter as an opportunity to cast sarcasm? Maybe he does. Or on another end of the spectrum, he might be vain, and therefore everything but himself would appear as a matter of a joke to him. So, on one end there is absolute weakness, and on the other end there are narcissistic manners. What good could lie in the gap of the two extremes? One might think the necessary balance – having the right amount of force in action. Then one shall ask, what force should it be, and what amount is the right amount?

It should be force of good. Though it might need to perform destruction on the path to the good, such as destruction of the ego, for the ego may be impeding with one’s godly strength. The structure of good is fascinating in that in order to move towards it, one should be capable of destruction, and maybe exercise it even: the thing that could be regarded as the opposite side of the good. Or it is conceivably another form of good, for example, destruction of evil to give way to the good. So in a sense, it could be seen as incorporation of evil forces towards the good. How can such evil forces act for the good if they are originated from evil? Maybe they cannot act in that way. Perhaps something beyond them arranges them in the perfect harmony. Aye! The highest good demands the perfect harmony in the union of good and evil within the individual in which lack thereof could manifest itself as a form of an absurd, vulgar smile.

One should, so to speak, dance moderately with the evil forces in order to keep them flowing. Great caution is necessary, for they could misbehave and offer temptations. They shall not be ill-treated, otherwise they will burst. They shall not be denied, nor shall they be allowed in all circumstances.

It is a good exercise to look in the mirror sometimes, and try to communicate with the forces – to see the unmasked: that which hides behind one’s mask. The opportunity of seeing that is given to he who is truthful with regards to the nature of his soul. He will see that, if he is courageous. Although he will lose all fears, he will be terrified of that. He who is blessed will then bow. Carefully, without malevolence, he shall unite with what he sees.

Horror fills the seer. That could be the reason for the bow; as a means of respect – respecting the destroyer. The astonishing moment of splitting could be near as one looks deeper in the mirror. The rare moment is as though the two natures of him are reflected in the mirror: he who bows, and the creature that watches the bower crossed-arms. Alas, it is invisible to the sight of he who is not willing to be less foolish, for the fool only believes what appears in sight. For that reason, one must sacrifice the eyes in order to be able to see beyond the surface of reality.

Should one, as the seer, be ashamed of the creature? It depends on its nature. Is it evil? Has it done evil? Can it be disciplined to be decent? What does the seer feel with respect to having grown such a parasite? Is it a sensation of disgust? Or is it a sensation of terror accompanied by desires of using it righteously? Normally, one might be ashamed of it at first sight. Could it be the case only for he whose mode of being is not influenced with malevolence? Probably yes. So, let us see the matter from the perspective of such an individual. He should proceed by looking at the shame objectively. Of what is he ashamed exactly? Is it the thing he was fortunate to see, or the fact that he was capable of growing such a thing under his flesh? He, and probably others as well, might have always viewed him as a kind individual – as a good individual. Discomfort will be his best companion, for his views of himself shifts once he acquires a notion of the parasite. He would probably have one foot in heavens by sacrificing not seeing the true ugly face of his nature, and yet he might be unaware of the significance of the truth he has discovered: the truth that he is no different than the devil.

Next step towards the gates of heavens could be to admit that it is useless to be at war with gods regardless of how significant one’s demonic potential could be. The seer is foolish nevertheless. Of course it is for the reason that he encountered that for the first time. So, he might begin an examination by provoking that to see how it responds to external stimuli. Indeed, one should not dare to stimulate that, for its responses could be demonic. Once its responses are tasted, one likelihood event is to begin becoming fond of them, and on the contrary it is also possible to be afraid which in a sense appears as a fear towards the self, for one would realise the seer and that are two, perhaps diverse, creatures trapped into a body. One might then think of the body, or even the self, as a mere host for strange creatures invisible to the fool’s eyes.

It is quite self-evident that the above-mentioned creatures should be treated cautiously. That is one of the things one learns immediately once the great discovery of them is made. They have demands, desires, and impulses. The host shall negotiate solid moral terms with them, otherwise slavery of the host is inevitable.

This all could be a means of integration with the Jungian Shadow, and so the creatures could be multiple Shadows of the individual. However, the above-mentioned proposition is with regards to acting harmoniously with the creatures that are more real than the self; they could even be more real than one’s perception of reality, or maybe even more real than being. One might ask, what does that have to do with seriousness? Addressing the question shall be followed with a question: why should one ever be respected as a host by the strange creatures within oneself? So, it is a good exercise to be in harmony in different dimensions. It is a necessity to have the creatures’ respect towards oneself – to have them as one’s own allies rather than foes. They should not fight against the host. Therefore, one first needs to show them teeth to earn their respect. That initiates a proper relationship with godly powers.

Assuming one has all the necessary equipments, so to speak, to be in harmony with truth, how can one’s seriousness towards a matter be determined? What does rank one’s state of seriousness? Actions should be taken into consideration for determining one’s state of seriousness. But how should deceitful actions be addressed? Action across time is the only determination of one’s honesty. Thus, one’s actions across time indicate one’s seriousness towards a matter. One’s best attempt shall be to prove one’s state of honesty to the universe – to the highest value for which one desires deep solemnity. For example, if one truly desires to be healthy, one should then dedicate a portion of life to exercise. Dedication is a form of seriousness towards a matter. In the above-mentioned example, lack of dedication could suggest that one is merely possessed by an ideal rather than a plan – for being possessed by a plan demands hard consistent work with too little, or even without, interruptions.

A conclusion can then be made that seriousness towards a matter is acquired with a deep desire towards the matter in a way that one would be willing to sacrifice the sight of all else. That is no different than an obsession of a sort that possesses the soul.

On the contrary, absence of seriousness could indicate dishonesty in speech and thought as the first levels of dishonesty. As we investigated, action across time indicates truthfulness. Picturing a deep desire, and not pursuing it with the whole body and the soul is an indication of deficiency in seriousness concerning the desire. That means one might have wishes for a matter, though one’s weakness does not allow execution of a set of plans towards those wishes. So, those wishes are but fancies. In that case, mental fantasies are not equipped with truth in that they are not pursued with devotion. Therefore, seriousness is the final element of truthfulness. If thought, speech, and action across time are in harmony with one another, it is proper to assume that one’s action across time is derived from one’s mode of seriousness. Little to no change in one’s mode of seriousness towards a matter could indicate one’s truthfulness towards the matter. Of course one might make mistakes, and one would need to make a decision that could break the consistent chain of actions. Regardless of that, consistency is an element of seriousness. One must come to a firm decision through difficult negotiations with the universe and the creatures in order to stay on the consistent path of seriousness towards a matter for which one is not reluctant to make brutal sacrifices.

What sacrifices shall he make, he who desires but godly seriousness? Maybe the greatest of all would be to sacrifice oneself. Odin hanging himself on the tree of life could be a lesson for he who wishes to make sacrifices. One must learn, from such great a story, to sacrifice life. How beautiful that sacrifice is: detachment from the earth, and hanging in the air on the tree of life; detachment from all for life. One must learn seriousness from Odin.

Aggression is an element of seriousness. Executing a plan may require making difficult decisions that are in conflict with one’s desires. Though he who is serious with respect to his plan makes haste to offer sacrifices to the gods. That aggression is a godly power that one needs to embrace in order to be respected by oneself and the gods. He who shows no respect to himself can seldom have seriousness towards anything.

Seriousness in another sense is the realisation that everything is of great importance. Nothing exists in the world with a trivial nature. Once the realisation is accomplished, one can learn to regard everything as serious. Consequently, life becomes more difficult if everything would provoke anxiety in oneself towards the importance of every action in that every action is also non-trivial. If one sacrifices the eyes in order to see what lies beneath the surface, then one will see clearly that how actions one considered as trivial had shaped one’s state of reality. Thus, one is blessed to learn that no action is trivial, for anything that changes the state of the universe has an impact on one’s state of reality. It is also important to note that everything changes the state of the universe, including taking no action.

One should learn the aggression of seriousness from the blood-lust of a deadly warrior. The warrior encounters no obstacles but milestones. Each milestone on his path is a matter of accomplishment. At each stage excitement races in his heart for conquering his final destination. The warrior fears not. He has faith in his purpose. He seldom doubts. Once the warrior conquers his aim, he can perish. That is the life of a warrior. His son is given the next mission. He has to follow his father’s pathway. He has to keep the warrior spirit alive for eternity. Without the warrior spirit, all will rot, man will be mortal.

There is no obstacle for the warrior. His virtue is to progress with as little force as necessary. He shall save the spirit until the final destination: death. He might reflect greed. Greed towards conquering. His only mission is to conquer; greed in his aim has no place in his spirit, for his spirit is ignorant of everything except the journey. His spirit is the food and water he needs. It is his only friend. Except his spirit, the warrior carries an instrument of death forged with the heat of his aggression.

The warrior’s soul and flesh are devoted to the mission. He has nothing to lose but the mission, and for the mission he longs to sacrifice all. He is fearless, heartless, sightless. He sees but the journey’s end. His forces are united. They can defeat God if necessary. He is devoted to one purpose – the truest purpose. Anything that comes to his way soon ceases to exist.

He will live for eternity in the kingdom of God if he finds the truth in the end. All will hail with awe, for he has been the demon of the earth and the angel of the heavens. He is the saviour of God.

One must learn the manners of seriousness from the great warrior, although the warrior accepts no apprentice, for he loathes the gentle.