In life, there are always two factors which we must consider. These are the internal and the external factors. Internal or the inner factors are the things which are “inside” the person or “contained-in-the-self” while the external or the outer factors are those that are “outside” the person and are seen and visible to others. Internal and external are opposite but they are related to each other. What is in the internal would affect the external and what is in the external would affect the internal. That is why there are psychologists that would focus on what is happening on the conscious and unconscious of the person which is internal while some psychologists like behaviorists would focus more on conditioning which is coming from the external.
One of the critiques of Nietzsche to religion is that, her (religion) over stress to the externals and rituals. In every religion, rituals and praying in front of many people cannot be avoided. It is one form of showing one’s faith to God. We can pray personally but there are prayers and liturgical activities that we do in public and together with the community. For example: attending the holy mass, joining the processions, praying the rosary with the community and other devotions. Nietzsche would criticize religion because of these. Maybe for him, externals such as religious practices and rituals are showing off (pasikat, pakita-kita). One’s action cannot measure one’s faith. What is important for him is what it is inside of us when we pray. Are we praying whole-heartedly or not? In my encounters with a lot people, most of them would say that we should focus on the internals rather the externals. They would always emphasize the internals because it is really coming from the self. It is the revelation coming from the inside motivated by the will. For example, we can pray mentally without even kneeling or reading guides for prayer. It is good to pray when we go deep to our very self. We can pray anywhere without even attending the mass. We can pray by lying in our bed. What is important in prayer is not the position we are using or the prayer we are reading rather, we should pray coming from our whole heart, mind and soul (internals). Maybe these are the grounds of Nietzsche why he criticized religion due to the over-stress on externals and rituals.
Internals are important for us but let us not forget what the externals can give us. Externals are coming from the outside going to the inside (example: seminary schedule for the new seminarians), or the result of what is in the inside (example: felt inspired and composed poems). It affects the internal and it is also the result of the internal. What is in the external would affect the internal. One of the best examples is the seminary schedule and lifestyle. Before I entered the seminary, I am used to have a free schedule all throughout the day after our class. There are times that I study on night and there are times I watch TV and sleep. I am used to have a non-structured schedule. When I entered the seminary, schedule is fixed. Wake up and going to mass before having breakfast is something new to me. Even going to confession twice a month and a fix study period is really alien to me. I struggled in waking up in the morning and go to shower as fast as I can which I never did in my elementary years (except the Aguinaldo Mass when I was in Grade 6). New seminarians had a hard time in adjusting to the schedule and lifestyle. Now that I am almost seven years in the seminary, all is automatic (body clock, way of living). I am used to this kind of lifestyle and schedule. My body would rise 5:20 or 5:30 in the morning and I go to sleep at 11:00 p.m. I go to mass everyday even at our parish not striving not to go back to sleep or sleep in the mass. With these, the force came from the external (conditioning- gradual training process from the external) going to the internal. Once one is used to it, it will be automatic and will come from the internal. Maybe, the reason why religion focuses on the externals and rituals is that, it will train the internal to the kind of system that is something alien to him/her, and once the internal is used to it, it will come automatically from the internal. For example, when I was in elementary, I was not used with structured study period. When I entered in the seminary, it is structured and fixed. Out of no choice, it became part of my way of living here in the seminary. Now, it’s normal and ordinary.
I don’t really favor with who is best between the internal and external. I just explained why religion would focus on the externals and rituals. It is because external has the capacity to make something alien for us as natural and common through the process of conditioning (in religion: such as rosary, going to mass, etc.). Let us always remember that internals and externals are both important for us. They both affect each other (from the internal to the external to the internal or, from the external to the internal to the external). They both affect us. No one is greater than the other. All that is sure between the two is, “it is where all in us is coming from.”
One of the critiques of Nietzsche to religion is that, her (religion) over stress to the externals and rituals. In every religion, rituals and praying in front of many people cannot be avoided. It is one form of showing one’s faith to God. We can pray personally but there are prayers and liturgical activities that we do in public and together with the community. For example: attending the holy mass, joining the processions, praying the rosary with the community and other devotions. Nietzsche would criticize religion because of these. Maybe for him, externals such as religious practices and rituals are showing off (pasikat, pakita-kita). One’s action cannot measure one’s faith. What is important for him is what it is inside of us when we pray. Are we praying whole-heartedly or not? In my encounters with a lot people, most of them would say that we should focus on the internals rather the externals. They would always emphasize the internals because it is really coming from the self. It is the revelation coming from the inside motivated by the will. For example, we can pray mentally without even kneeling or reading guides for prayer. It is good to pray when we go deep to our very self. We can pray anywhere without even attending the mass. We can pray by lying in our bed. What is important in prayer is not the position we are using or the prayer we are reading rather, we should pray coming from our whole heart, mind and soul (internals). Maybe these are the grounds of Nietzsche why he criticized religion due to the over-stress on externals and rituals.
Internals are important for us but let us not forget what the externals can give us. Externals are coming from the outside going to the inside (example: seminary schedule for the new seminarians), or the result of what is in the inside (example: felt inspired and composed poems). It affects the internal and it is also the result of the internal. What is in the external would affect the internal. One of the best examples is the seminary schedule and lifestyle. Before I entered the seminary, I am used to have a free schedule all throughout the day after our class. There are times that I study on night and there are times I watch TV and sleep. I am used to have a non-structured schedule. When I entered the seminary, schedule is fixed. Wake up and going to mass before having breakfast is something new to me. Even going to confession twice a month and a fix study period is really alien to me. I struggled in waking up in the morning and go to shower as fast as I can which I never did in my elementary years (except the Aguinaldo Mass when I was in Grade 6). New seminarians had a hard time in adjusting to the schedule and lifestyle. Now that I am almost seven years in the seminary, all is automatic (body clock, way of living). I am used to this kind of lifestyle and schedule. My body would rise 5:20 or 5:30 in the morning and I go to sleep at 11:00 p.m. I go to mass everyday even at our parish not striving not to go back to sleep or sleep in the mass. With these, the force came from the external (conditioning- gradual training process from the external) going to the internal. Once one is used to it, it will be automatic and will come from the internal. Maybe, the reason why religion focuses on the externals and rituals is that, it will train the internal to the kind of system that is something alien to him/her, and once the internal is used to it, it will come automatically from the internal. For example, when I was in elementary, I was not used with structured study period. When I entered in the seminary, it is structured and fixed. Out of no choice, it became part of my way of living here in the seminary. Now, it’s normal and ordinary.
I don’t really favor with who is best between the internal and external. I just explained why religion would focus on the externals and rituals. It is because external has the capacity to make something alien for us as natural and common through the process of conditioning (in religion: such as rosary, going to mass, etc.). Let us always remember that internals and externals are both important for us. They both affect each other (from the internal to the external to the internal or, from the external to the internal to the external). They both affect us. No one is greater than the other. All that is sure between the two is, “it is where all in us is coming from.”
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