an illusion called reality

I am sitting in a hotel room in Vienna. The writings on the wall say:

"Illusion is the first of all pleasures."

This really got me thinking. Is illusion really the first of all pleasures? How can something 'fake' be any pleasure at all?

One of my favourite lines ever written in a play comes from Tennessee Williams's "The Glass Menagerie", where the main character Tom says:

"I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion."

This has always been the way I have regarded theatre - and acting at large: as a means to lead someone towards the truth, in the disguise of illusion. Not the other way around.

Today, however, each individual is involved in a personal war. This is a battle he or she often fights alone, because our world has manufactured the perfect lie, which everyone can afford. It is sold at every corner and just adds to the inner turmoil and struggle to make sense of this world. This lie tells us: what ever makes you feel good, or gives you the highest amount of pleasure, is worth idolising and committing your life (and energy) to. Illusion is ignoring what is really going on and deluding oneself into thinking it is what everybody else does. Heads down, marching on!

Therefore, illusion wants us to think it is the first of all pleasures. In reality, illusion is the instrument of social and moral decay. We are given false promises that a customised world-view eventually leads to the truth and some sort of enlightenment. A pick and choose existence. (Not a Pikachu existence. Although life has become like choosing the right pokémon in order to 'win the game'.)

Some search their whole lives to simply figure out what this life is really about. Others prefer to just live in the moment and enjoy that attitude because they believe that's what it ultimately is about. CARPE DIEM - until they realise that seizing the day doesn't bring them closer to whatever truth they're looking for.

Yesterday, it was Guy Fawkes Day. The British commemorate this day with bonfires, a reminder that the King (James I) managed to escape the assassination. This was a plot by Catholics to reinstate a Catholic monarch. As if a Catholic king would have made a difference to the common man...

What does a man want? What does he desire? A few generations ago, people may have answered: work, a family, a home, daily bread and shelter from the cold. These are mostly tangible things. And we tend to place our hopes and dreams in material goods. That is why we call them 'goods'. They are not 'evils'. We believe certain things can truly make us happy.

But getting back to Guy Fawkes. Our greatest illusion today is that we are victims of an evil system ruling the world. It certainly affects many people to the point where paranoida and cynicism just drives them crazy. I had my fair share of that!

In our hearts, we are all Guy Fawkes. We plot to remove the things (or people) that cause injustice in our lives. We burn for the truth, so much so that we are willing to light the fire in our souls until it explodes and those around become collateral damage.

We are not called to accept the corruption, greed and utter imbalance of the scales of justice in the world. Far from it! We are expected to take a stand - in a non-extreme manner. Fighting fire with fire has been done throughout the centuries. As the man protesting on the street, we must come up with a better way to bring about change.

All our shouts, words, stone-throwing and graffitis make no difference in the eyes of powerful leaders. They are in high places that cannot be reached by the everyday person. And if there are people who want to take them on...their way to the top is so long and hard, that by the end, they are just as corrupt and greedy. As we move to the top, we lose a lot of the baggage that makes us who we are and change our clothing more than once.

We are disillusioned by the illusions placed in front of us on a daily basis. We lose touch to what actually matters. Building the world around us. If you cannot conquer the mountain, then take care of the surrounding valley. It is a valley full of shadows and needs our attention.

The revolution in the history of the world that made the most sense, was the one led by Jesus. He did not (directly) take on the powers of the day and attack the "government" for what it is not doing. He knew all along that governments come and go. But His kingdom was supposed to be completely different. It was going to be build by the common man and woman, those honest workers facing hardships 24/7/365.

Yes, we may have righteous anger towards those driving our earth to ruins. Nevertheless, anger can often distract us from what we should actually focus on: shatter the illusions set up around us. How can one live in comfort, while there are millions left hungry and without shelter at the end of a day? Jesus did not dwell in a palace. He was very pragmatic, going out and communicating with the people on the street. And provided that He was (*and is) who He claimed He was (*is), then we have all reason to believe that God himself will take care of the corrupt and greedy hearts of men. Especially those who rule over others.

I feel that is a comforting truth one can hold on to. You see, Jesus is for everybody. You don't have to do anything as a Christian except accepting the truth He offered (and thus would count as the one and only truth) and follow His ways of a revolution. Jesus gave us truth in the unpleasant and gruesome death at the cross. His resurrection was the logical (and surprising) conclusion to that truth.

This truth inspires all men and women who come to know it, to continue a revolution that is very human at its core. The war within us that I mentioned above can only be won when we share our burdens with others. When we wrestle with the truth together and encourage each other in the fight for justice and other honourable goals.

Instead of going out in the streets and wearing those masks used in the movie "V for Vendetta" - a story about revenge - we should be wearing masks of love, kindness and forgiveness towards those who are just as fallible as we are. THAT is the most difficult thing to do, because we desire revenge and think we ourselves are the best possible avengers.

The truth is right outside your doorstep, waiting to come in. It has tremendous power and will change you from the inside out, until you stop searching for the truth, but rather live it! The arrival at this truth, is the departure for a new life.  

a paradox called duplicity

I find it amazing how much cats can sleep. 

My cat gets up in the morning to have breakfast, walks around outside, comes back in…and sleeps. Until the afternoon. Then gets up, eats a snack, walks around…and sleeps. Meanders about before dinner…and then obviously the nocturnal instincts kick in. At least they should. But with domesticated cats, they’d rather stay warm and cosy inside. In summer they obviously go out more than winter. But we have taken what once was a ‘wild’ animal and provided it with a cushy home. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am a lover of pets…But it still seems slightly absurd. 

We have moved far away from the days when animals weren’t just our pets…but actually our co-workers. As a shepherd, having a dog would help. As a cow herder (“cowboy”), having a horse would help. As a farmer, having an ox would help.

First off, allow me to make it clear that I do not lament the times we are in now. These are simply a few observations.

Time, it is said, is money. Money, others claim, is power. Power, depending on who you ask, is success…and control. But after that entire process, nobody really controls time. Nobody has managed to age slower. Time has evaded our control since the beginning of…well…time. 

We use time as a device to punctuate our process on a daily basis. Take work, for example. 

The 40-hr working week has become the norm - at least in the Western world. Who came up with the idea to set in stone a fixed working time? 

We can look at history and agree that the Industrial Revolution at the beginning of the 19th century brought about major societal and economical changes. People who were fortunate enough to own land and factories, decided that they could, in fact, control the working hours of their workers. They could also determine the value of the time invested by these workers. While all this was happening, more and more ‘entitled’ people decided that they would have to own more…make more profit…have more control. Control land, control manufacturing, control products, control workers. 

As we look at the world today, we see little resistance towards the ways established by a few people all those decades ago. Resistance has always been crushed. Workers may strike, but the moment they receive a little attention and slightly more pay, they continue to obey. 

We keep our heads down, because we know that when we look up, we cannot shy away from the injustice done to others (including ourselves). Most of us don’t even know what we are actually working for. Comfort? Towards a concrete goal? An amazing fulfilling achievement? Or simply to just to pay the next bills? 

Christians are called to be a part of this world, but not in it. This is a big problem. It is a huge issue to face secular problems with an engine driven by a heavenly ('sacred')mindset. I firmly believe it is the greatest struggle for a Christian in the 21st century. 

Let us be honest, Christians often fail to distinguish between ‘earthly’ and ‘heavenly’. We join all secular activities and approach things we don’t approve of with a frown. To the outsider it may seem like we are all part of a clown show, and Christians are the serious clown unable to make the audience smile. 

What do we actually do about it? Many Christians live exactly like their not-yet Christian friends. The only difference is that they go to church on a Sunday. That’s it. 

Going to church does not make you a Christian. Following Christ does. 

Following Christ means not following anything else. 

Nonetheless, we have to admit that sometimes we are caught up in the hypocrisy of it all. One example came up the other day: 

On the one hand we feel moved to help all the refugees streaming into this country, but on the other hand we have forgotten about the people who are already in our country struggling, e.g. orphans, widows/widowers, prostitutes, mentally ill etc.  

We worry about an Islamic invasion…terrorist cells cropping up everywhere around us…and then we go do Yoga the next morning. Health is one of the many new idols and we are willing to compromise our spirituality for it. 

(For more two intriguing articles on Yoga and the clash with Christianity go here: 

“Christian or Yoga”, “A Hindu view on ‘Christian Yoga’ “.)

We worry about the loud salesman at the door, whilst we forget the thieves that silently wander the night.

In this kaleidoscope of emotions and attitudes, where all colours seem to merge, we have to discern what colour God wants us to use in our walk with Him. Any revolution begins with the motivation and attitude that precedes it. 

If we truly want Heaven to come down to Earth, we have to reproach our domesticated (and secular driven) ways. We were called to be “wild” Christians - carrying the indelible stamp of our Creator. In Christ, we are free. 

Who do we believe we are called to be, and how do we express it? 

How do we reject the ways of the world and simultaneously be a light unto others? 

Each individual must wrestle with these questions. 

Thank God that He is our shepherd, our cow herder, and our farmer. Thank the Holy Spirit that is the dog, the horse, and the ox. Thank Jesus that He is Lord of all. The inventor of time. The real hope and achievement in our lives. 

a prostitute called logic

today, the 21st March, marks Human Rights Day in South Africa. yesterday was the official beginning of Spring...and in Germany we were able to witness a partial solar eclipse.

what do all three of these events have in common? allow me to explain...

for some time now, I've wondered why the world does not follow the law of logic. this morning, i read an article in a German magazine dedicated to explaining how supermarkets employ tricks to fool the consumer. the majority of the population realises what the supermarkets do, but they still fall for the tricks. it makes no sense whatsoever. It's as if our mind has an internal battle and by the end, it just gives up.

let me give you an example: the article mentions how supermarkets make use of the '0,99 cent' rule. apparently, when people see an item for €2,99, their mind will round it down to €2 instead of the clearly obvious €3. What?!?!?

it follows that, according to this example, the majority of the educated society are useless and succumb to a ridiculous mind-game. what was the point of learning mathematics if this example applies to even just 5 out of 10 consumers?

i mention this, because recently i've re-considered the absurdity of world economics: 1 + 1 does not equal 2. if that were the case, all food would be distributed evenly and nobody would starve to death...there is more than enough to go around.

which brings me to the idea of a 'human rights day'. who decided what rights we have? i think the most important right humans have is not to be lied to on a daily basis. but this right is continuously violated. surely, our way of life, unbeknownst to us, is affected by these many lies. in regard to our consumer culture, do we really know the full truth?

Where does this product come from?...Was it really fair-trade?...Did somebody have to die so that I can eat this?...Is it really worth this much money?... etc.

only last night, a friend working in the coffee industry told me that Germany is one of the few countries with a coffee tax. per kg, you pay €2,19 coffee tax! ...oh, so now you might say: it's not a lie when you don't know about it! so it is my fault as an ignorant consumer, right?

the Truth is: we're happy to be lied to. those who really want to know the truth about, say, consumer products, will have to go to great lengths in order to find their answers. moral principles, unfortunately, have no place in a capitalist-driven system. therefore, we're all hypocrites. walking, eating, and defecating contradictions. we say or believe one thing, then go ahead and do the opposite.  most of this is completely unintentional! being a conscious consumer requires hard work. and due to  most us already doing hard work earning money, we're too lazy and tired to invest our energy in "doing the right thing".


with the beginning of spring, I personally feel hopeful that the next generation will question the way of the world. And counter-act the lies thrown at them by governments and corporate companies. They must come to see the truth behind who really runs the world - guard their souls from being prostituted and their hearts from being corrupted. More and more people no longer want to be blind and engage in the fight for true human rights.

another right we have is to preserve (and enjoy) the riches of this planet. since the industrial revolution, certain rights were taken from the general population. our right to own a piece of land, for instance. that is a luxury hardly anybody can afford. in addition, an elite is in charge of the (natural) resources of our planet. we make those people richer, because we are forced to buy certain materials. take petrol as an example. if you dig into this topic, you'd be overwhelmed with concern for our planet's state. there's over-fishing, over-forestation, over-consumption...it's like we're on a see-saw with that over-weight child. we just sit there and watch him enjoying the view from above. the one thing we can do is get off the see-saw and see him heavily plunge back down to earth.

this earth belongs to you and i. it was entrusted to us. we marvel at the greatness of the universe and watch the solar eclipse. we explore the vast space above our heads, without looking down towards the ground we tread on. the footsteps each one of us takes are more vital than counting the stars. we're privileged to roam this planet and shouldn't take it for granted. the enemy we face is the one who destroys morality - that hard drive we're all born with to distinguish between right and wrong.

on this first Spring Saturday, let's reflect on our human rights and remember the awesomeness of this world, despite its many flaws. we're in this together. we all watch the sun come up in the morning and go down at night. as long as that happens, we're all fighting on the same side.

i leave you with a beautiful quote by the founder of the Methodist church, John Wesley:

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”