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Meditations with Matthew Fox
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Mid-Term Elections: Hannah Arendt on Lies and Politics |
It has been said that the head of the church of Donald J. Trump deserves the title of “Liar in chief” because journalists have counted over 36,000 lies he told as president. And a few more lies have followed since he was deposed and
voted out of office. |
This includes a new term that has entered our country’s vocabulary– the “Big Lie,” which refers to a very foundational falsehood, namely that President Biden did not win the presidential
election of 2020. | A step-by-step guide to debunking the “Big Lie.” CNN on YouTube. |
President Biden is not the president. The head of the church of Donald J. Trump (CODT) is. |
But this has been disproven by countless judges (including a number appointed by Mr. Trump); and the congressional committee examining the January 6 insurrection; and secretaries of state who count votes, and even Trump’s former attorney general. AND it has been debunked by many witnesses in the White House
who have testified under oath that they heard Trump admit he lost the election. Yet he persists in lying about it to the public. What are the consequences of big lies like that? |
Hannah Arendt–political philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor, 1933. Photographer unknown. Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.
| Hannah Arendt is held in high esteem for her studies on fascism including The Human Condition, The Origins of Totalitarianism, Eichmann in Jerusalem, and On Revolution. In a recent book containing two of her essays called "On Lying and Politics," she alerts us to how there is an “ever-present threat to democracy posed by lying.” Democracy depends on some commonly held beliefs and truths. One might be that “all men and women are created equal.” |
In her essay
on “Truth and Politics,” Arendt observes that the survival of factual truth depends on the testimony of credible witnesses and on an informed citizenry. When facts are degraded into opinions, liars may even come to believe their own fabrications. |
But something even deeper is involved when political leaders lie. Arendt tells us that cynicism is born of lies. The surest long-term result of brainwashing is a peculiar kind of cynicism— an absolute refusal to believe in the truth of anything, no matter | Trailer of documentary “The Spirit of Hannah Arendt.” Final line? “She has become like a prophet out of the Hebrew Bible.” YouTube. |
how well this truth may
be established. |
Apparently “alternative facts” carry a price with them.
In addition, Arendt warns us that the result of a consistent and total substitution of lies for factual truth is not that the lies will now be accepted as truth, and the truth be defamed as lies, but that the sense by which we take our bearings in the real world —and the category of truth vs. falsehood is among the mental means to this end—is being destroyed.
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This is what the mid-term election is about. |
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If you can't reach Matthew's video on the website, try his Vimeo channel HERE. |
See Hannah Arendt, On Lying and Politics with an Introduction by David Bromwich (NY: A Library of America,, 2022), p. 47. See Matthew Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times, pp. 101-108. Banner image: Tattered flag. Image by Tammie from Pixabay. |
Queries for Contemplation What does it mean to you to learn that lying is not just an offense against the truth, but also destroys “the sense by which we take our bearings in the world?” How does that apply to our post-truth politics and the media that supports it? And to the current election? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times A stunning spiritual handbook drawn from the substantive teachings of Aquinas' mystical/prophetic genius, offering a sublime roadmap for
spirituality and action.
Foreword by Ilia Delio.
"What a wonderful book! Only Matt Fox could bring to life the wisdom and brilliance of Aquinas with so much creativity. The Tao of Thomas Aquinas is a masterpiece."
--Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit | |
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil
that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth
of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics | |
See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
| Join Matthew Fox and other prominent leaders in The Grieving, Healing & Hope Retreat Project, Fall 2022, seeking to shift from the hurt and anger making us more susceptible to violence and trauma, to comfort, connection and healing. Tuesdays Oct 25 - Nov 15, 2022. Register HERE Note: This is a FREE
event! |
Join Matthew Fox at the Louisville Festival of Faiths for an online/onsite workshop on “Significant Stories for Our Times: A Workshop with Matthew Fox: Earth Survival
from Thomas Merton, Science, Creation Spirituality Mystics and Ourselves” November 9-12, 2022 (Wed-Sat) Louisville, KY: Onsite and Virtual - Friday Workshop – 4:00pm-5:15pm ET on-site (1:00pm-2:15pm PT virtual)
- Saturday Spiritual Practice – 8:30am-9:15am ET on-site (5:30am-6:15am PT virtual)
https://festivaloffaiths.org/ Purchase a Friday ticket HERE Join Matthew Fox for the monthly Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, discussing Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality. Thursday, November 17,
4:00pm-6:00pm PT. Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox for the monthly Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, discussing Christian Mystics: 365 Readings and Meditations. Thursday, December 15,
4:00pm-6:00pm PT Register HERE. |
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