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Idealism Subverted

The mission of idealism, to rise above the system of nature and create a world more to the taste of a self-conscious creature, has largely been diverted to personal material gain. Moreover, idealism has been appropriated and defined by males to express their purposes—through technology, empire, and religion. Ironically, in many cultures the spiritual impulse has been deflected from its true goal of tempering the excesses of the masculine with the influence of the feminine. Two competing and contradictory intentions seem to inform the human heart: surrender and control. Accordingly, religion has two aspects; one opens receptively, while the other asserts dogmatically.

RELATED TAGS: [surrender (and control), dominating masculine, masculine domination, spirituality without religion, religion without dogma, woman as chattel/icon, masculine excess]