Challenges of the Soul
June 14, 2023
"These are the times that try men's souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country, but he that stands now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." (Thomas Paine)
In his writings, Thomas Paine (1737-1809), like most people including Thomas Jefferson, used the word "man" instead of "human." The culture was caught in patriarchy, and that state of consciousness would not be chipped away until the women's suffrage movement and the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. But this Reflection focuses on Thomas Paine's reference to tried (challenged) souls. The quotation would now likely read, “These are the times that try human souls.”
Thomas Paine's famous quote speaks to the severe challenges to the souls of Americans oppressed by British rule. Paine could have written, "These are the times that try men's hearts", "men's stamina" or "men's courage." But he chose the word "souls." Of course, Paine is not alive now to explain his word choice, but all his writings were about the struggle for life, freedom and happiness under tyranny. Yes, the "parent" country of Great Britain imposed a tax system that financially drained every family. And when a soul cannot move in the world with freedom and all the resources required to enjoy that freedom, it is severely challenged.
Our souls are challenged not only by our relationships, careers and circumstances but by our culture. The collective's values impose restrictions on our freedom and happiness. We may put our heads in the sand and say, "I do not follow the news or current global issues because they upset me." Yes, the news is unpleasant and even painful. Yet knowing the truth of our culture and its happenings is vital to our souls' welfare.
Thomas Jefferson wrote, "Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their government. Knowledge enables self-determination. It's one of my most fundamental beliefs: A properly functioning democracy depends on a well-informed electorate." There is a direct link between our souls and the culture, government and social climate in which our souls struggle or thrive.
Our souls grow in struggles. I do not think the soul is to exist in a la la land of ethereal bliss. Yet when even a segment of our society is oppressed, their souls are tried and we all suffer needlessly because of our connections. The same is valid on the global level. When people are ignored and die of genocide, famine or systematic ethnic cleansing, the entire world feels the ripple effect. When a country is taken apart for its invader's economic and territorial gain, and the world stands by and watches, tyranny is passively sanctioned. But the trickle-down effects are tremendous for each individual in the global family.
If the American colonists, male and female, did not recognize that their very souls were being tried, they would have relinquished their hopes and dreams to a country that would have fed on them as a parasite. Therefore, to be sensitive to our soul’s messages and to where “we live and move and have our being" means greater consciousness and spiritual freedom.
Inquiry: Are you spiritually free?
Dear God,
Grant that I will be aware of the realities that affect me and everyone. And give me the courage to make stands, even if they are risky. Amen.
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