Ash Wednesday is full of joy...The source of all sorrow is the illusion that of ourselves we are anything but dust.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that recognizing our humble, transient nature can lead to joy, as it frees us from the illusion of self-importance.
Thomas Merton's quote reflects on the duality of human existence, emphasizing that while we often grapple with sorrow and the weight of our own significance, true joy emerges from the understanding that we are simply a part of the larger cycle of life. By acknowledging our mortal condition as mere dust, we can shift our perspective and find peace and happiness in our shared humanity rather than in illusory self-importance.
In practice
In a speech about acceptance and humility, one might reference Merton's idea to illustrate how understanding our place in the world can alleviate burdens.
The devil is no fool. He can get people feeling about heaven the way they ought to feel about hell. He can make them fear the means of grace the way they do not fear sin. And he does so, not by light but by obscurity, not by realities but by shadows; not by clarity and substance, but by dreams and the creatures of psychosis. And men are so poor in intellect that a few cold chills down their spine will be enough to keep them from ever finding out the truth about anything.
Our vocation is not simply to be, but to work together with God in the creation of our own life, our own identity, our own destiny....To work out our identity in God.
Conscience is the light by which we interpret the will of God in our own lives.
You are made in the image of what you desire.
But if you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am living for.
I have the immense joy of being man, a member of a race in which God Himself became incarnate. As if the sorrows and stupidities of the human condition could overwhelm me, now that I realize what we all are. And if only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.
The agnostic, the skeptic, is neurotic, but this does not imply a false philosophy; it implies the discovery of facts to which he does not know how to adapt himself. The intellectual who tries to escape from neurosis by escaping from the facts is merely acting on the principle that βwhere ignorance is bliss, βtis folly to be wise.
Well, the future for me is already a thing of the past.
Do we, holding that the gods exist, deceive ourselves with insubstantial dreams and lies, while random careless chance and change alone control the world?
The more I think about myself, the more I'm persuaded that, as a person, I really don't exist. That is one of the reasons why I can't believe in any orthodox religion: I cannot believe in my own soul. No, I am a chemical compound, conditioned by environment and education. My "character" is simply a repertoire of acquired tricks, my conversation a repertoire of adaptations and echoes, my "feelings" are dictated by purely physical, external stimuli.
Things may look different to you than they did before. I've had that experience myself. But don't let appearances fool you. There's only one reality.
Fallen man is free to choose what he desires, but because his desires are only wicked he lacks the moral ability to come to Christ. As long as he remains in the flesh, unregenerate, he will never choose Christ. He cannot choose Christ precisely because he cannot act against his own will. His fall is so great that only the effectual grace of God working in his heart can bring him to faith.
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