Embrace romantic idealism!
The struggle for the soul is real. Caught between the animal instincts of biologism and the elevated world of romanticism, a crucial choice awaits. What will you choose?
I know that romanticism is shunned, mocked and ridiculed. One cannot expect otherwise from the times we live in: "Hard is it on earth, with mighty whoredom". True are the words of the Edda. The vulgar and the faithless have become the norm. People degrade themselves into beasts and surrender to the idea that "we are just animals". But this is really just an excuse to reject idealism and ignore self-control. Something that was once considered a virtue.
You are not an island
But you can't just turn your back on romanticism without consequences. Romanticism separates us from the animals. It is about seeking the sweet, emotional, mysterious and ambiguous in life. To see the magic. It can deepen our lives and give meaning to our world beyond biological urges, spinal cord reflexes and crass materialism. It can make us rise above ourselves. Unfortunately, it is too difficult for most people to even dare to try. The lure of the broad, flat and easy path is too strong.
Instead, romanticism is mocked and ridiculed. Not only as it touches eros, but also agape, filia and storge. In this age, individualism and materialism have sunk their claws so deeply into the human soul that the starting point for self-improvement is a biologism that reduces human beings to animals with the self at the center. Instead, the idealist argues that your success and happiness depend on yourself and others. The human factor is crucial. You are not an island.
Gorillas in the forest
And while the modern world castrates men, men are told to reason as if they were gorillas in the forest instead of human beings capable of a deep and multifaceted spiritual life. Many of the self-proclaimed alpha males laugh at romance and see it as weak. A terrible mistake. Manliness is alive in the greatest romantics; the settlers of the West whose thought life gave substance to country music with its sincerity, or the troubadours of Languadoc who were also feared knights - I could go on with names like Horst Wessel and Corneliu Codreanu; Bob Mathews and David Lane, romantics and warriors and philosophers. Men who had the ability to accept the laws of nature but also to lift their souls on the wings of deep romantic thought.
These are two powerful forces fighting for human souls today. I draw the line at idealism and romanticism. And I do so by refusing the vulgar, the nasty and the faithless. I do it by demanding principle and unflinching loyalty to duty. I do it also by believing and hoping that there is a soul. And yes, I believe in invisible bonds between people; I believe there is someone for everyone and I am convinced that we all have a soul mate out there.
No rewards of romanticism
I am far from convinced that this will make life easier or the mind brighter. On the contrary, those who recognize romanticism as a guiding light in this world will face grief and betrayal on every level. Let it be so. For those who do their duty and stand by their principles, peace of mind will come because they are doing what is meant to be done. This, too, is a fundamental romantic belief.
I recognize that there is an enormous uncertainty in the romantic quest and therefore a longing for the predictable. But in a spiritual battle where the inner man plays a major role, nothing can be predictable.
How wish to be a rune stone in a meadow Where our tale is carved forever. Or perhaps a lyre adorned with a single string In whose only song I have your heart.
It is a desire for predictability - a desire for things to be different, simpler and more stable. A wish that is expressed but that one knows will never be fulfilled. In that recognition there is also power to be found.
Double-Edged Sword
Because the idealist romantic is emotionally exposed. We trust people's words, believe in their promises and are serious when we whisper confidentially or make our own promises. It makes us easy victims.
But we are what we are and passion always drives us forward. One get wiser with age, but never wise enough. But it's worth it. Doing the right thing, feeling the deep satisfaction that comes with it, outweighs everything else. We need this idealism and more romantics. Then we can do the impossible.
You are also invited to join the romantic and idealistic army. There is room at my side. Join the revolt against the modern world by upholding the romantic ideals of the past. It is a mighty band of poets, warriors, statesmen and masters who have cleared the way for us. God or mammon; idealism or materialism. The choice is simple. / 14