ORLAPUBS P. R199: The sublime & the vulgar

THE SUBLIME (LOFTY) AND THE VULGAR
IN CULTURE AND IN THE EXPRESSION OF
ONE'S DEEPEST FEELINGS

Partially echoing Longinos but not choosing the same focus, one can say that there are to be considered the object or goal to be energized in one's behavior. The lofty or sublime (from a given person's point of view) is some sort of transcendence that either transports one towards a transcendent object of wonder beyond oneself or towards oneself; realizing it is done with an appropriate téchne or skill that energizes either the sublime object or personal enjoyment of one's life. For example, religious music can be either a gennaîon mélos, a high-minded or noble hymn, or something that stimulates and gratifies one's feelings to fall prostrate on the floor (not in a conscious attitude of worship but in the narcosis or emotional surge observed in televised broadcasts of some religious services in giant, pulpit-centered, so-called "worship centers"?

GOD	Object of inspiration and respect	positive feelings	awe, veneration
Achievements of Science		negative feelings	giving something up: sacrifice, discipline
Personal enjoyment, happiness	Object to be achieved	positive approach	self-aggrandisement
		negative approach	indulgence, narcotics

Which object is a phantasm, and which is real? Which is lofty or sublime? Which transcends human existence? Different people reach different conclusions, one way or another. To some, speaking of the sublime is gobbledygook. To others, it is the essence of parenting and educating. A culture can be oriented toward the sublime or toward self-gratification and indiscipline. It is pretty obvious which way Western culture is oriented. "The truth that works for my inner voice" is for many the end of the search for truth. Even among professional academics, sciolists, philistines, and diletantes abound.
When the Viking Waldemar (later St. Vladimir) sent his emissaries around to examine the various religions of the book, including Orthodox and Latin Christianity, they reported back (the report still exists in an ancient chronicle) of their visit to the Temple of Christ the holy Wisdom of God in Constantinople:

"We did not know whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth, there is no such splendor or such beauty, and we are at a loss as to how to describe it. We only know that GOD dwells there among humans, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations. For we cannot forget that beauty."

One can find a parallel sense in some artistic and literary accomplishments, in new insights into the truth of theology or science. Isn't it the job of education to convey this sublimity to students, just as it is the job of organized religion to display the sublimity of God as the center of their "worship services"? If so, it would be easy to rate the attainments of the classroom and the temple or "worship center."