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Don’t be a Secular Monk
The greatest treason is to do something for the wrong reason
First Things published an essay back in 2020 that really grabbed my attention: Secular Monks.
I thought it was going to talk about men who dream of living like monks. I fall squarely in that camp. Though I don’t honestly think I missed an eremitic calling and cherish my children (with grandchildren now arriving), there is always a strong pull to wall myself off from the world . . . a pull that was fed by COVID lockdowns and strengthened by my disgust at COVID panic.
But no, that’s not what the article is about. It’s about those highly-driven self-absorbed CEOs and shakers who go to great lengths to conquer the secular world . . . lengths that would humble a monk.
A few excerpts:
“Why does Jack Dorsey engage in spiritual exercises? To gain superhuman powers? To end suffering? To attain enlightenment? To humble his undeserving heart? No, he does it in order to maintain “clarity” and “focus” and to boost “mental confidence.”
“Dorsey is a secular abbot for secular monks. He embodies the ascetic self-control of the Calvinist, the aspiration for indomitable human agency, and the secular orientation to the practical conduct of everyday life. He puts all three in the service of…
