Reviews

Article Review #2

End of Illusions

Luc Venet (Article) • Published: 2008

At the very outset of this breakup, Satprem, in the 1990s, responded to a letter from Luc with nothing but a prayer:

“Let this sad way of existence change. Lord, let us get out of this misfortune and human misery.”

There is, indeed, no meaningful way to respond to this article without descending into further misery and pettiness. A few reflections, therefore, are offered.

* * *

Satprem could be accused of many things. He could be called a rebel, a fanatic, a misanthrope, even a madman—but never a small man.

Good or bad- his stride was that of a giant and not a dwarf. 

Hence, the pettiness of the motives attributed to him reveals far more about the author than about Satprem.

* * *

“Those who lead the way turn their back on their followers. That is just what the followers deserve.” 

So wrote a twentieth-century revolutionary painter.

But art lovers are supposed to feel the thrill and grandeur of those who ventured ahead, or lament about the fate of the followers left behind?

* * *

Crusaders are united only in the service of a Cause. The moment a soldier forgets that those who march in the same legion owe one another nothing beyond the Victory of the Cause, disillusionment is never far away.

* * *

It is not through polemics or psychoanalysis that one can bring down a warrior who openly declares, "We are fighting against FALSE MATTER."

To answer such a challenge, one must either proclaim, "I am not false matter," or "I know a better, swifter, and more effective way to carry this Divine battle to victory."

That, however, is precisely what none of Satprem’s detractors has ever said. EVER. 

* * *

“Led astray are those who are not sincere enough to want ONE SINGLE THING: The New World.”- Satprem

We are repeatedly reminded in this article that those around Satprem often met tragic ends or took their own lives.

As though those who stayed far away from him were somehow living immortal lives in a paradise. 

In any case, any battlefield lies strewn with corpses. Is the Commander to be condemned for that, or the merciless conditions of war?

* * *

It is curious that, on the one hand, Satprem is accused of cultivating and thriving on a cult of personality, while on the other he is accused of driving people away from him.

Had Satprem fulfilled the author's expectations, he would have ceased to be a pathfinder and become an Integral Life Coach—carefully managing relationships, nurturing followers, and ensuring that everyone felt seen, heard, and validated.

* * *

That one could, at some moment in life, have felt the breath of the New World—and yet be interested in things other than THAT. 

That one could have conceived of a Life without Death, yet remain incapable of writing a single page without the ego—without MY opinions, MY disappointments, MY passions; me, me, and ever more of me.

That is the real End of Illusions.

Related books:

Lettres choisies de Satprem à Luc