The True Life

You young people are immersed in the dual effects of the real abandonment of tradition and the imaginary dimension of the false contradiction. You are at the same time, I believe, on the brink of a new world, the world of egalitarian symbolization.

Simply put, it seems as though the most common feature of youth, at least in our world, the world known as the West, is that it is a freer youth.

But today there is something far more ominous, which is the fear of youth’s disorientation.

Does this mean that State initiation is over? They’re trying to make us believe that school has become the peaceful institution of public initiation.

Its imperative is “Live with this Idea and no other,” whereas the contemporary imperative, let me repeat, is: “Live without any Ideas.”

The son’s crucified body is the radical figure of the infinite God’s initiation into terrifying finitude.

At the other extreme, there is the sacrificed body. This is a body trying desperately to bring tradition back.

And so, if there is corruption of youth, it’s not for the sake of money, pleasure, or power but to show the young that there is something better than all those things: the true life.

the second inner threat for a young person is seemingly the opposite: the passion for success, the idea of becoming someone rich, powerful, and well established.