Page 32 - NAMAH-Jul-2021

Perspective

Truth and entertainment during these Covid times

Dan (Denis) Capdeville

Abstract
Although Truth and entertainment might, at first sight, appear irreconcilable opponents,
in their purpose as well as in their practice, they are in fact deeply interconnected.
Furthermore, they may be of great help and support to one another in fulfilling our
spiritual goal with meaning and happiness.

mine, I suddenly shouted out, “But, please,
understand! If I am not suffering, I don’t have
the feeling that I am progressing!” Expressing
spontaneously such an unconscious pattern
seemed appalling to us both. A very insightful
moment, indeed!

This pattern of ‘reward for hard work’, also
conveyed by our modern societies through
their workaholic attitudes and ego-cultures,
pushes everyone definitively against any
kind of casual entertainment. Life is not a
distraction, and even less a spiritual one.
Introduction Since entertainment and distraction are meant
to divert us from our goal in life, they have a
From a Western perspective, seeking Truth bad reputation and do not match our societal
and spirituality have always been associated requirements of seriousness and achievement
with suffering. Several sentences in the Bible in work, etc.
state that spiritual outcomes can only be
obtained by enduring pain. I recall very However, during these repetitive periods
clearly, thirty years ago, during a discussion of confinement and isolation, the loneliness
on spirituality with a very close friend of and inactivity we might feel can often bring

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