The only thing that matters is... me
Selfishness is nothing new. It’s just that now, it’s baked into our culture. And our technology. And our social structures.
My wife shared this song with me a while back, and not only do I love the musicality, but it’s also a brilliant portrayal of the modern secular malady where god is… the self.
The current imagination has been relegated to the immanent frame of materiality. It’s an existence flattened of the divine and transcendent. 1
We live in a cultural narrative that has us turned in on ourselves.
In Latin, the term is curvatus in se, the ancient term describing the condition of Sin. We are obsessed with self.
This is the cultural water we swim in now, and it often takes an artist like Ivory Layne to give us such a beautiful diagnosis. Do enjoy:)
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
I'm losing focus
I'm losing sleep
'Cause the only thing that matters is me
I'm feeling hopeless
And out of sync
'Cause the only thing that matters is me
[Chorus]
In my solar system I'm the sun
I don't see the need in anyone
I am my best friend
And enemy
'Cause the only thing that matters is me
[Verse 2]
I'm super selfish
I steal the scene
'Cause the only thing that matters is me
I bow and worship
I my thoughts and dreams
The only thing that matters is me
[Chorus]
In my solar system I'm the sun
I don't see the need in anyone
I am my best friend
And enemy
'Cause the only thing that matters is me
For waaaaay more on this, see the work of Charles Taylor (and, from a modern ministry perspective, the work of Dr. Andy Root)