Care

Probably a little known fact is that Alex Jones, yes that Alex Jones, cut his teeth in ‘Journalism’ infiltrating the secret society of Bohemian Grove. This society hosted some the country’s most powerful people and I suppose counted them as members. As with most of the societies of the rich and famous it is steeped in mystery, suspicion, and conspiracy. I won’t address that as I am sure there is plenty of material out there.

One of the major rituals that was enacted at Bohemian Grove was the ‘Cremation of Care’, first in 1878. It is a play (or drunken revelry) that symbolizes the movement from paganism and bloody druidic sacrifice to Christianity.

More on Bohemian Grove later. I came to think about care in the context of a few encounters. In an earlier piece (Who owns the West?) I quoted from William Kittredge… (emphasis mine)

Westerners should revere hay-camp cooks, and school teachers and florists and buckaroos and barbers and haberdashers. They did endless work, they took care, they were the people who invented civilization; theirs was a tradition of civility.

I think his use of the word care in this context was very deliberate and it stuck with me. More recently I have been observing the activities of the current American administration and have been appalled by the cruelty and lack of care. In fact, one principle of modern conservatism is to make changes slowly with care.

Suddenly the word care was on my mind and I was reminded of the Bohemian Grove mentioned above. I started to investigate…

While there don’t seem to be any direct interpretations of the meaning of Cremation of Care offered by members of Bohemian Grove there was some protest about the idea of the destructive ‘cremation of care’. One protest was called the ‘Resurrection of Care’. I suppose this was a reaction to the idea one would not wish for the destruction of caring for things or people. Indeed when I first heard of this ritual these were my thoughts as well. What a weird idea, to destroy care.

There are of course two definitions of care. One is to care for or look after someone or something. The other is embodied in the idea ‘burdened by your cares’. The latter seems a more likely target for cremation. It is what most partying is about after all. Just not so formal.

Though we may not think much about it we use the word care a lot. We are careful or careless, devil-may-care, take care, I don’t care for you (dislike), care and feeding, child care, care package, care worker, and more recently the self-indulgent self-care.

In Latin care is cura. The poet Virgil referenced this second idea of care as ‘vengeful cares’ (ultrices Curae) placing them at the entrance of the underworld.

Seneca however saw care as a positive force to lift man up to the level of the Gods. "the good is perfected by care (cura)".

A little known second century roman myth called Care gives a sweet rendition of the origins of man and this positive meaning of care. (From History of Care)

As Care (Cura) was crossing a river, she thoughtfully picked up some mud and began to fashion a human being. While she was pondering what she had done, Jupiter came along. (Jupiter was the founder of Olympian society, a society of the major gods and goddesses who inhabited Mount Olympus after most of the gods had already appeared.) Care asked him to give the spirit of life to the human being, and Jupiter readily granted this. Care wanted to name the human after herself, but Jupiter insisted that his name should be given to the human instead. While Care and Jupiter were arguing, Terra arose and said that the human being should be named after her, since she had given her own body. (Terra, or Earth, the original life force of the earth, guided Jupiter's rise to power.) Finally, all three disputants accepted Saturn as judge. (Known for his devotion to fairness and equality, Saturn was the son of Terra and the father of Jupiter.) Saturn decided that Jupiter, who gave spirit to the human, would take back its soul after death; and since Terra had offered her body to the human, she should receive it back after death. But, said Saturn, "Since Care first fashioned the human being, let her have and hold it as long as it lives." Finally, Jupiter said, "Let it be called homo (Latin for human being), since it seems to be made from humus (Latin for earth)"

(see Grant, 1960; Shklar, 1972).¹

The stoic view espoused by Seneca and this myth gives this uplifting meaning that holds that care is central to being human. I find it curious that stoics often admired by modern leaders who would have defined care in such a way that the cremation of care would be construed as negative.

Never-the-less the concept of care advanced to the caring of souls where soul could be a spiritual or the weaving of spiritual and bodily life. Thus it could be caring for the spiritual or mental health or the whole of mind and body and spirit.

Socrates emphasizes care of the spirit throughout the dialogue of Phaedo, asserting that true care involves prioritizing the cultivation of wisdom, virtue, and the health of the soul over the transient concerns of the body or material possessions. These ideas influenced Christian theology. Though I am left wondering if this Socratic view of care is in conflict with the message of care from Jesus. The Socratic more inwardly focussed care of ones mind, spirit and body. The gospels more often dealing with the care of others. (I am not a Christian so I will leave this theological debate to others.)

Fast-forward to Goethe who took the myth told above which his friend Johann Herder had made into a poem, (Translation from the German reprinted below.) and wrote it into his story Faust.

Poem Child of Care by Johann Herder translated from German by Julia Goddard

In Faust, the main character Faust makes a bargain with Mephistopheles (Satan) feeling that his vast knowledge has brought him neither happiness nor fulfillment, Faust turns to magic in a desperate quest for meaning.

In the final act Faust, now an old man, he envisions a utopian project: reclaiming land from the sea to create a paradise for future generations. This vision represents his striving for a higher purpose and the betterment of humanity. However, his ambition leads to moral compromises, including the displacement and death of an elderly couple, Philemon and Baucis, whose deaths weigh heavily on his conscience.

Enter the character Sorge which is translated as ‘Care’. Sorge represents the burdens, anxieties, and existential concerns that weigh on human life. Sorge complains Faust has never known her. Sorge blinds Faust, symbolizing how Faust had ignored care —both literally and metaphorically. This caused Faust to turn from the idea of the burden of care to the uplifting vision of positive care. Thus his ambition and indulgence that led to the displacement and death of Philemon and Baucis was transformed to a care of people. He was thus redeemed by Care.

I knew relatively little about the story of Faust, having never read any version of it but found this connection with care fascinating. It leads on to some political insights for me.

The observation that led me down this path of inquiry in the beginning. We live in an extraordinary time when our leaders are elevating cruelty to a kind of virtue. There are a litany of such acts in the last two months that I will not try and enumerate. While these acts are happening many are filmed as if they are some sadistic porn. They are cheered by many of our fellow citizens. All while wealthy men toy with removing benefits from the elderly and vulnerable while accusing them without evidence of being frauds.

We could call this careless if it were not intentional. However we must assume they could care less. They do not care. And like it or not we are in their care.

They dismantle parts of the government but they do not do so with care. They do not act like they are even burdened by cares. They are not acting responsibly.

We can see their actions played out in Faust. They have made a bargain for power. They wish to remake the world in the way they imagine it should be. A harsh utopia, uncompromising, with bitter consequences. Without joy but perfected by a kind of adolescent worship of the individual they received from Ayn Rand. Meanwhile as they fashion their utopia the old couple Philemon and Baucis burn in their cottage to make way for the new order.

Meanwhile we wait for the slow wheels of justice and constitution to grind out a satisfactory response. For now we must believe the myth of Faust was a correct reflection of human nature and that enough become blinded by Care to regain a sense of compassion and of course care.

Sources:

History of Care Warren T. Reich

1. GRANT, Mary A., trans. and ed. 1960. The Myths of Hyginus. Lawrence: University of Kansas.

HYGINUS. 1976. [1535]. Fabularum Liber. New York: Garland.