Kent's Thoughts

Kent Kachigian

Mr. Pendergast

Vocation and Mission

3-26-20

Rain and the Rhinoceros:

There is no shame in removing yourself from reality. That is what I got from reading Rain and the Rhinoceros. Throughout the essay, Merton speaks of the fact that, as humans, we tend to set our minds to achieve material wealth and try to fit in with the status quo. However, Merton points out that the search for acceptance and wealth often leads to the emptiness in despair. Thomas Merton probably wants us to find inner wealth and inner acceptance rather than search for it in society. Merton says that as a result of searching for approval, we put masks over our true selves, and as life goes on, we try our hardest to keep the mask on. In its greatness, Merton’s essay exposes the lies that we all absorb as we walk through life.

Initially, Merton begins the essay with his love for nature. Sitting in a log cabin, Merton writes, “The rain I am in is not like the rain of cities. It fills the woods with an immense and confused sound. It covers the flat roof of the cabin and its porch with inconsistent and controlled rhythms.”, (Merton), which expresses his negative thoughts about the status quo. When Merton says that the rain is different from the rain of the city, he is saying that nature is pure and authentic rather than the city, which is not absolute and unoriginal. I also believe that the rain in the forest is a metaphor for people who create wealth within themselves and not externally.

Merton also uses the woods as a great metaphor. Thomas Merton believes that the woods can be a useful place to access your inner energy and eventually meet the end goal of finding yourself. Merton writes, Can't I just be in the woods without any special reason? Just being in the woods, at night, in the cabin, is something too excellent to be justified or explained!”, (Merton), meaning that the power of the woods is too powerful to explain. Just like being in the woods by yourself, finding your inner wealth is an experience that is special to you and cannot be explained to anyone but yourself. Merton then goes on to explain that being within the woods is not fun or eventful saying, “We are not having fun, we are not "having" anything, we are not "stretching our days," and if we had fun it would not be measured by hours,”,(Merton), . I think that what Merton is trying to say here is that being by yourself in the woods is very meditative, and you should perceive nothing but your thoughts.

Meron then introduces a Syrian hermit from the 6th century by the name of Philoxenos. Philoxenos is interesting because he seems to be an early advocate for the search of your inner-self. Philoxenos believes that this search is necessary stating, “One who is not "alone," says Philoxenos, has not discovered his identity. He seems to be alone, perhaps, for he experiences himself as "individual." But because he is willingly enclosed and limited by the laws and illusions of collective existence, he has no more identity than an unborn child in the womb. He is not yet conscious. He is alien to his own truth.”(Merton/Philoxenos), which means that many people never have or will never find their true selves. Philoxenos believes that we immediately throw ourselves into a “collective existence” and therefore, most of us don't know ourselves greater than we knew ourselves as a baby. Philoxenos believes that we need to embrace solidarity to find our identity.

Later in the essay, Merton discusses the idea of people putting masks on themselves. The idea behind the mask is that people tend to create a false identity and therefore are not their true selves when they walk in society. Merton states, “Now if we take our vulnerable shell to be our true identity if we think our mask is our real face, we will protect it with fabrications even at the cost of violating our truth. This seems to be the collective endeavor of society: the more busily men dedicate themselves to it, the more positively it becomes a collective illusion until in the end, we have the enormous, obsessive, uncontrollable dynamic of fabrications designed to protect mere fictitious identities-- "selves," that is to say, regarded as objects.”, (Merton), meaning that people tend to make themselves worse as they live life. I think that Merton is saying that we create a false identity for yourself, and then we attempt to protect that identity at any cost. Here, Merton is commenting on materialism and consumerism. People will buy what is accessible so that they can keep up with a trend, or they may buy expensive things so that they fit into society.

Merton then states that one can release themselves from the grips of society. One of the methods that Merton mentions involves almsgiving. Merton says, “first that of the active life, which liberates itself from enslavement to necessity by considering and serving the needs of others, without thought of personal interest or return.”, (Merton), meaning that we liberate ourselves by helping others. I believe that almsgiving people find their true selves because they start to consider other people’s needs instead of just worrying about their own.

Thomas Merton is entirely right. Too many times in society, people try to create a false identity for themselves, which often causes loneliness and despair. I think that people should take more opportunities to be by themselves in nature because, like Merton, I find peace in nature. However, to achieve the goal of inner happiness, one must be in harmony with themselves. In addition, people should also look out for each other and assist those in need because we must put ourselves aside because if we don't, we run the risk of never being free from our false identities.