A Contemplative’s Critique—Part 1

Thomas Merton has long been an inspiration for me. He was a Trappist monk who resided at Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky in the 1940s-60s. He was a prolific writer and a prophetic voice. One of the many areas in which Merton had a major influence on me was his critiques of American society.

Some people may find it strange that a cloistered monk could offer a knowledgeable appraisal of secular life. Isn't a monk one who is supposed to lead a reclusive life—insulated from the mainstream human world? Shouldn't a contemplative focus on the religious life, rather than mundane existence? And how could someone so removed from society have anything more to offer than activists out there in the world—who were experiencing the quotidian events directly?

Over two decades ago I sojourned for a month—living as a monk—in a Trappist monastery, where I spent many hours exploring Merton's world and writings. My guide monk had in fact been Merton's personal assistant, some 30 years before—so he also became a valuable resource during my studies. I came to understand that Merton had once been a layman who was deeply engaged in society, for several years before he entered the monastery. In fact, a large part of his motivation for becoming a monk was his distress over the direction that humanity was headed in the 1930s.

Upon entering the monastic life, Merton spent many years as a mendicant devoted solely to developing his spiritual being. Well into this quest he had a life-altering revelation one day that made him realize that he was not at all disconnected from humanity, but felt a profound bond with all people and all of Nature. He discovered a deep compassion for the human condition that eliminated any illusion of separation he previously had.

His attention increasingly turned toward society and away from his previous theological writings. Despite being a member of an austere, cloistered, and silent community, he became intensely interested in world affairs. His previous writings had put him in correspondence with several acute observers of civilization around the world, and together they explored social issues. He was an avid reader and soaked up an abundance of information.

I believe that a key factor that helped Merton critique society with deep insight was the very fact that he could maintain objectivity and not get emotionally swept up in worldly events. This was the middle 1960s—an extremely turbulent time in the US, when emotions flared. Many of those actively engaged in the turmoil at the time had difficulty maintaining an equilibrium, as they became deeply involved in the happenings. Some of them spontaneously reacted with passionate intensity. In contrast, Merton was deeply grounded in his faith and could serenely put his finger on the reality of social troubles. He wrote with clarity and insight, as he appraised and critiqued society's behaviors from his emotional distance.

In the next four posts I will describe a few of Merton's comments on US society—the ones that most impacted me. He was blunt and even scathing in some of his descriptions. He saw many problematic and even menacing aspects of human behavior; that we were headed in a dangerous direction which called for a fundamental transformation of society. Unfortunately, his warnings were disregarded, causing our social conditions to degrade even more. I hope this will become evident, as I recount some of his 60-year-old but still relevant critiques.