A World of Shadows

CS Lewis said our apparent reality was the Shadowlands. I respect him most for his ability to express what was on his mind, not so much for what was there. Yet, in this one thing we agree: This is a realm of shadows, not of substance.
Plato’s greatest error was insisting that outside the cave was still within this universe. Almost every true believer in political progressive causes is a Platonist, insisting the real problem is truculence. They don’t understand their greatest enemy is their own truculence in promoting their mythology. They honestly believe that the human mind is inherently capable, once properly cleansed by those with a better understanding.
And almost the entirety of Western Christianity believes it, too. Jesus bluntly said otherwise, but their minds are closed on the subject. For that reason, quoting His blunt denials of their lies serves no purpose. They simply read their mythology back into His words. I’ll give you hint: It has to do with pigs and pearls.
It is just theoretically possible people could achieve everything men dream they could and should. That is, not precisely in the way they dream it should be, but the fundamental result of human desire is always within reach. God provided it in so many different ways, but no one human or group of humans have the ability to keep their minds on track. They keep getting sidetracked by all sorts of other glimmering hopes of shortcuts and personal advantage. All those magic incantations are mere noise if they form the whole of your efforts. Everything here can never be more than symbol, a representation, a shadow of the something which blocks out the light of truth. That light invades this reality from another realm of existence.
I seek to grasp God’s Laws, but not so I can have any particular advantage in my human existence. That such advantages do accrue is not the point, but they are proof that the point lies beyond them. Yes, His Laws work to reap a harvest. That harvest is extravagant, not efficient. But once I have the harvest, it means nothing in itself. It’s just a thing to show you. Not so you’ll want some of your own. Yes, I know most of those who do actually see will suffer that want, not getting the point. I can’t help that.
Most of humanity are in no position to even hear the Laws of God. Among those who do, only a tiny minority realize the tangible results of the Laws are not the point. The power is not the point; the source is the point. Use up the stuff you get from the Laws, because so long as you cling to the Laws, more is coming. But don’t get hung up on it, because the receiving will not precisely match what you can understand of the Laws. There will always be the imprecision of the human mind impossibly incapable of truly grasping what’s behind the Laws.
The Laws aren’t the point, either. It’s the glorious revelation of something impossible to understand. When I show you the tangible results of the Laws, that’s just a shadow. If all you really want are the shadows, I can’t help you. Lots of people out there are selling better, more efficient methods of handling shadows. I’m not an expert in the shadows part of it all. My stuff is better than theirs, but I can’t prove it on their terms, so I don’t bother competing. Try Life Church, Joel Osteen, Rick Warren or your favorite local organized religion of whatever flavor. All of them are likely to have a more efficient guide than I can offer here.
They aren’t the competition for what I do. They are selling shadows and shadow technology. I’m offering a window onto another realm of existence, the Land of Light from which the shadows are cast. You can’t have much of that here, but if you commit yourself to being there, you won’t care for shadows nearly so much.
I’m pointing out the exit from the Shadows.