Towards the Spiritual Convergence of America and Russia: American Mind and Russian Soul, American Individuality and Russian Community, and the Potent Alchemy of National Characteristics

Thoughts

The Statue of Liberty’s Inner Light

How much of the problems of American society, culture and civilization are explicable because we, as a people, and as individuals, do not truly live by and work for our highest and greatest inner lives? How many are present because we, loosing an adequate recognition, reverence or worry of the “vertical”, desire mostly a “horizontal” life of earthly entertainments, physical pleasures, and sensual comforts? (As James Truslow Adams warned us: “We cannot become a great democracy by giving ourselves up as individuals to selfishness, physical comfort, and cheap amusements…” [230]) How spiritually lost is the mind, heart and soul of our cultural, educational and intellectual life, because our “heros”, “role models” and “famous personalities”, are more likely to be billionaire businessmen, rich and famous “movie stars”, rock musicians, physical athletes etc., rather than inwardly virtuous, self-educated and self-developed, noble Emersonian American Scholars; spiritually striving scientists; statesmen of the highest Platonic calling; sacrificial artists; et al?

Americans shall never live up to the greatest potential of Man in America, until such time as ennobled, sensitive, subtle, learned and compassionate individuals, are the vital exemplar around which we, as a society and as individuals, orient — with respect and reverence — the inner and outer lives of our selves, our culture and civilization. As we are now, we strive, predominately (often unconsciously), for some “horizontal” earthly success, rather than for an inner nobility, refinement and depth of soul; greater knowledge and understanding; or a true spiritual, “vertical” seeking, for a renewed relation of God and Man; etc.

Americans shall never fulfill their greatest potentials of the human being, until some sufficient number of men and women of Man, in America, realize, in themselves, that actual inner presence, represented by the radiant-crown of the Statue of Liberty! For it is only by striving, “as multitudinous individuals, [to] develop some greatness in our own individual souls,” that we shall be able to successfully achieve such inner radiance. As Emerson said it:

Such thoughts as these should move us all closer, towards a more sincere and serious attending of the spiritual call in the American Dream.

The Uspenski Sobor of Russian Soul

I only wish that I knew Russia, and Russian Soul, much more deeply, clearly and profoundly than I, at present, do. What I do know, for certain, is that it is, indeed, a unique presence — distinct and novel from the West I recall my third journey to Central Europe, many years ago. I was compelled to write to a close friend of mine in America, with some real disappointment: “I find no mystery here”. By which I meant to say that whatever “Old World” character, novelty, atmosphere, or mystery I had sought in Europe, I did not find it in the culture there. It was not only the very predictable Western character of the civilization and culture around me — including American pop music and slang; a result of World War II — which disillusioned me; it was the lack of some special, new presence which I sought, but came to recognize was hardly present. Such could not be said of Russia. For not only does the practical life present a greatly novel, unpredictable character to the Westerner; and not only is there truly a special soul and presence in well-meaning people there; but one can also sense an “atmosphere”, something a slight bit uncanny, not quite tangible. The more sensitive, perceptive and thoughtful of the Westerners, will have noticed something of these. It is a simple fact, however much it may be denied, that there is a special soul to the people of Russia — possibly one in which they are kindred to other peoples of Eastern Europe.

What I would say to Russia, and Russian souls — wherever they are — has already, in 1948, been so well stated by the exiled Russian philosopher Nicolas Berdyaev, that it seems best to let him speak:

Or, as I might succinctly summarize my view, Russia must strive from Russian soul, deliberately upwards towards a purity in its relation to the Spirit. To say it another way, it must — at least in the “deepest and truest” of Russia — eventually come to consciously realize the spiritual essence of the “Third Rome”, the Uspenski Sober: the Woman Clothed with the Sun.

One can only hope that Russia, and the European East — through their painful story in the 20th century — shall somehow successfully have come to such sensibility, as to better solve the problem of the relation of spirit and civilization, of individual freedom and social order, than we have done in the West.

Necessary Inner Wings

We have in this essay, glimpsed the spiritual challenges present, to both America and Russia; and we have considered the deep, historical, spiritual kinship of their highest conceptions of the origin, understanding and destination of Man. The American-Western emphasis on the Mind in the individual, is partially relieved by Emerson’s call towards the higher inner life. [233] The agony of 20th century collectivism is potentially redeemed by the Russians Kireyevsky’s and Khomyakov’s call for a wholeness of heart, mind and soul in Man, bound in a spiritual and worldly community. Yet, it seems that neither of these, alone, is quite complete or adequate. But, a mixture, an alchemical blending…

If an ennobled individual could, as it were, blend Emerson’s mind and Dostoyevsky’s heart [234]… If a spiritual community could unite the independence of American individuality, with a Russian “Sobornost” of heart and soul… the “horizontal” earthliness of America and the West, and the inner spiritual “vertical” of the Russian and European East… Such would seem to truly be, a potent spiritual alchemy!

If Man has, indeed, on the earth no home… If a “vertical” identity, is the deepest, truest and most lasting reality of Man… then a uniting, a mixture, a converging of the best spiritual, “national characteristics”, of America and Russia: Emersonian American Mind, Sophianic Russian Soul, Sovereign Individuality and a Sobornost Community, would seem useful, if not essential, for a spiritual spreading — in the individual, the community and Mankind — of necessary inner “wings to Heaven”.