#hermiticism

The monastic life first emerged as a definite institution in Egypt at the start of the fourth century, and from there it rapidly spread across Christendom. It is no coincidence that monasticism should have developed immediately after Constantine's conversion, at the very time when the persecutions ceased and Christianity became fashionable. The monks with their austerities were martyrs in an age when martyrdom of blood no longer existed; they formed the counterbalance to an established Christendom. Men in Byzantine society were in danger of forgetting that Byzantium was an icon and symbol, not the reality; they ran the risk of identifying the kingdom of God with an earthly kingdom. The monks by their withdrawal from society into the desert fulfilled a prophetic and eschatological ministry in the life of the Church. They reminded Christians that the kingdom of God is not of this world.

Monasticism has taken three chief forms, all of which had appeared in Egypt by the year 350, and all of which are still to be found in the Orthodox Church today. There are first the hermits, men leading the solitary life in huts or caves, and even in tombs, among the branches of trees, or on the tops of pillars. The great model of the eremitic life is the father of monasticism himself, Saint Antony of Egypt (251-356). Secondly there is the community life, where monks dwell together under a common rule and in a regularly constituted monastery. Here the great pioneer was Saint Pachomius of Egypt (286-346), author of a rule later used by Saint Benedict in the west. Basil the Great, whose ascetic writings have exercised a formative influence on eastern monasticism, was a strong advocate of the community life. Giving a social emphasis to monasticism, he urged that religious houses should care for the sick and poor, maintaining hospitals and orphanages, and working directly for the benefit of society at large. But in general eastern monasticism has been far less concerned than western with active work; in Orthodoxy a monk's primary task is the life of prayer, and it is through this that he serves others. It is not so much what a monk does that matters, as what he is. Finally there is a form of the monastic life intermediate between the first two, the semi-eremitic life, a 'middle way' where instead of a single highly organized community there is a loosely knit group of small settlements, each settlement containing perhaps between two and six brethren living together under the guidance of an elder. The great centres of the semi-eremitic life in Egypt were Nitria and Scetis, which by the end of the fourth century had produced many outstanding monks - Ammon the founder of Nitria, Macarius of Egypt and Macarius of Alexandria, Evagrius of Pontus, and Arsenius the Great.

I guess I've been trying too hard (trying) to be friends with all the wrong people. I mean, how dare I try to help everyone? I'm too ugly or that! People will listen to the stupidest things from a pretty face and call it gold, but when someone looking like me says it they brush it aside, deny it, or downplay the statement.

"Psh, Uggo, I already knew that capitalism exists because there is a lower class that is perpetually Beezy-Slapped by the upper class in order to consolidate their power."

"OMG, Tan-Skin, you're so right! Beauty is only skin deep! Except for you, because your spilled-coffee-on-the-table level of intellect means you have such a vibrant, living soul and I just want to-"

You get the idea. I really hate my existence and the fact that I feel that my only reason being here is to help people and people don't want my help. If God had a sense of humour here, the punchline would be me throwing myself and a toaster in a bathtub, ending it all, because that's the only point of my life, right God? :D

All jokes aside, I'm tired of it. Sure, I need to lose weight to max my PT score, but I'm sure as f*** going to stiff arm all the people who comment on my weight loss and "suddenly want to hang out".

"Trick you wasn't wit me sweatin' in da gym"

But I'm off that Drake though, I need to replace him with some Young the Giant.