From solitude through surrender to compassion

The Desert Fathers and Mothers of the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. exited common Roman society to live in the Egyptian desert. According to Henri Nouwen,

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They escaped from the sinking ship [of Roman society] and swam for their lives. And the place of salvation is called desert, the place of solitude.

Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart, pg. 7

Nouwen’s premise is that, without transformation, Christians are conformed to the mores of their society like passengers sailing ignorantly aboard a sinking ship (metaphor from Merton). Only those who embrace solitude, which is The Furnace of Transformation, ever confront their societal compulsions and Sense of Nothingness and encounter Jesus.

Again from Nouwen, our sense of identity ought to be formed by Jesus but, without solitude, is actually formed by social compulsions. When our identity is enmeshed with the world system’s perception of good, then we are buffetted by social expectations into a grim conformity to its expectations. Our anger rises when the world deprives us of what it says is good, and greed surfaces when I cannot acquire the power and recognition that the world values. These emotions are signposts of the false self, because dependence on worldly perception produces anger and greed.

Identity Through Surrender

Although Merton, Nouwen and the Desert Fathers paint a bleak picture of society and the false self shaped by social compulsions, they don’t suggest that Christians confront their worldly dependence. To enter the desert isn’t a reverse war march against our own worldliness, it’s a retreat into the presence of Jesus, because only in the context of grace can we face our sin.

Compassion For Our Neighbor

Whereas the false self bears the fruit of anger and greed, solitude bears compassion. The fruit of compassion thus equips the person who has exited the world to be with the Father to return to the world with the power to live in freedom of its compulsions. And the one who lives in their true selves, not a slave to the world, has the power to change the world.

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They knew that they were helpless to do any good for others as long as they floundered about in the wreckage. But once they got a foothold on solid ground, things were different. Then they had not only the power but even the obligation to pull the whole world to safety after them.

Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart, pg. 12. Quoting Thomas Merton, Wisdom of the Desert, pg. 23

Elsewhere Nouwen confirms that confrontation with suffering does not lead to compassion. Therefore solitude, not exposure to suffering, is crucial to compassion.

Rebuttal

Social isolation is not the only way to meet Jesus in our nothingness. I have found that other practices, such as Immanuel Prayer, have facilitated equally profound encounters with Jesus.

Communal practices can be superior because, while a solitary journey is often fraught with “confusing ideas, disturbing images, wild fantasies, and weird associations” (Nouwen, pg. 8), many of these hindrances can be overcome with a little outside help.

Therefore, while solitude is a valuable spiritual practice that can bring us near to Jesus in surrender, expose our false selves, build compassion and equip us to live in the world free of its compulsions, it would be a mistake to rely solely upon this practice for formative work.