During his six and a half years in Dachau, Father Lenz learned that those who clung to God had the greatest inner strength. No one could have survived until the American liberation without the support of the praying congregation Catholic priests established in the Barracks of Dachau. Divine Providence had turned Dachau into the greatest purification of priests in the history of the Church. Altogether 2,600 members of the clergy from 136 dioceses and 22 nations would come together in Dachau. It was the greatest and at the same time the strictest monastery in the world, and a stunning image of the universal church. The light of faith which emanated from the chapel God established in Dachau allowed that camp’s inmates to untangle the unbearable contradictions they had to endure. Suffering illuminated by the light of faith led those inmates closer to God, no matter how difficult they appeared, to God who alone lives in unextinguishable light.
Godlessness was the fundamental problem at Dachau, where “the selfishness of the godless found orgiastic release.” Once they put on the SS uniform, the criminals who ran Dachau could act out their sadistic fantasies with impunity. Lenz finds this unsurprising:
“because in a world without God only the criminal is right. And he gains power to the extent that he bends the world to his personal advantage. The concentration camp is paradise for people like this because it allows them to act out their sadistic fantasies. If he doesn’t act out, the godless man becomes a living contradiction. But because God does exist, he uses the will of the godless to bring about the fulfillment of his plan.”
Confronting Ultimate Reality is something many of us have to do sooner or later, voluntarily or involuntarily. Combat Veterans, First-Responders, Abuse Survivors, Substance-Addict Survivors have all done it. The surprising part is, the secondary trauma of realizing how ‘normal people’ don’t have a sense about what you’ve gone through, is typically much worse than the original.
Most people can’t possibly understand the profound ways in which these experiences impact every moment of the survivors waking life (not to mention their dreams and nightmares). Despite the best efforts and intentions of those around them, they feel like aliens in their communities, strangers in a familiar land. They go through the motions of “ordinary” life but do so with a marked sense of unreality.
It is these feelings that often make combat veterans (especially those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), ex-POWs and probably survivors of other forms of severe trauma feel experientially detached and removed from everyone and everything around them. These powerful feelings of experiential isolation pose the greatest obstacle to their ability to psychologically reintegrate back into society and to resume their personal lives.
Often it can feel even more difficult if it magnifies or exposes weaknesses in your marriage or relationships. This can mean that the person you are closest to, doesn’t know the personal, intimate details of your life.
Some of the best advice out there:
Give yourself permission to feel the way you feel, even if it’s uncomfortable. Go easy on yourself and give readjustment time to unfold.
Talking about your feelings can be an important part of the readjustment process.
Limit your use of alcohol. Drinking too much can confuse your thinking, cloud judgment, and exacerbate mental health disorders.
Most importantly, know when to seek help.
Coming back from a combat deployment is like returning to the three-dimensional world after experiencing a fourth dimension. It’s hard to sort out who is really crazy—you, or the rest of the world. The rest of the world can’t comprehend the concept of a fourth dimension; they can’t relate to it, and may not even be interested. Service members and veterans often feel they’re wasting their time dealing with people who can’t relate to their perspective, and many actually feel more at home in the war zone. One infantry soldier, several months after returning from Iraq, said: “Through Postwar ‘Transition—Readjustment’ all the hell and anguish I’ve experienced fighting a war, I’d still rather be fighting at war than wake up everyday to the bullshit I have to deal with and overcome here at home in what I call my job and life.”
We have collectively been traumatized together, over the past five years. One thing that we all have in common, has been the barrage of gas-lighting we have endured. Corona was essentially a Military-Grade Psy-Op unleashed intensively on civilian populations, during peace-time. None of us saw it coming and we have all dealt with it differently.
The concept of anomie, in sociology, can be defined as a state of normlessness, disorder, or confusion in a society when the standard norms and values are weak or unclear. This lack of social or ethical standards can lead to disconnection, deviance, and social instability among individuals.
We need to re-bond and reconnect, re-establish healthy routines and lifestyles. We need to connect with family & friends, and practice our daily gratitude for what we have survived together.
Logos is Rising and ultimate reality is getting more and more prevalent. The veils are lifting and it’s intense. Getting comfortable with talking it through, talking through our experience and insights, our concerns and way forward, is the best mode for navigating through this period.
No dressed rehearsal,
This is our life.
The Tragically Hip
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