What is the "Spirit of the Age?" [2025]

What is the “Spirit of the Age” in 2025?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot the last few days. I’m not sure I’m qualified enough to answer but I’ll try my best.

You see, I’m pondering this question because I’ve been reading Fr. Seraphim Rose’s Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age and he talks about it quite a bit. However, when he talks about it, or when he wrote about it, he did it in 1962. The book was published in 1994. And now, here I am, pondering the question, in 2025.

Disclaimer: I haven’t read the complete book yet. Maybe he will answer the question later.

What is the “Spirit of the Age” in 2025?

It feels like the answer is, it depends, which is precisely the same as it was when Fr. Rose wrote the book because without something concrete, like Absolute Truth, to back up a worldview, then the worldview will always be, it depends.

In 1962, Fr. Seraphim Rose mentioned Naziism and Bolshevism. We don’t have that anymore. At least not overtly. If you ask an average Joe about Marxism, they’ll have no idea what you are talking about. I’d even wager to say no one knows about Bolshevism but you can be damn sure they don’t want Naziism… what is the spirit of the age?

I don’t know. I really don’t know.

Is it this?

To the one who gropes in this darkness there is but one path, if he will not be healed of his blindness; and that is to seek some light amidst the darkness here below. Many run to the flickering candle of “common sense” and conventional life and accept - because one must get along somehow - the current opinions of the social and intellectual circles to which they belong. But many others, finding this light too dim, flock to the magic lanterns that project beguiling, multicolored views that are, if nothing else, distracting; they become devotees of this or the other political or religious or artistic current that the “spirit of the age” has thrown into fashion.

A couple of days ago two men famously committed suicide.

One was in New Orleans purporting to be a member of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). He drove a truck down Bourbon street before getting out an opening fire on people with an assault weapon. He killed 15 and injured 35 (as of now) before he was taken out. He was actually a US Army Veteran who went through multiple divorces.

The other man was a Green Beret who had a long storied career in the US Military. Rumors are that his child did not match his DNA and he may have had a psychotic break that drove him to despair.

Both men, without a doubt, had mental health issues. Instead of looking at the root of this mental health issue, the media, the NPCs, and the right curve alike looked only at the symptoms: ISIS, military, divorce, psyop, conspiracy, adultery, abuse, etc. etc. etc.

It’s been maybe two weeks since these men lost their lives and many others, too. I don’t see it in the news cycles much anymore. To me, other than the families who lost their loved ones, it seems as if the world has stopped caring.

Then again, the news cycle changed. Los Angeles has been burning for what feels like a week now. People are blaming federal and local government, arsonists, incompetence, DEI, women, military, conspiracy, etc.

Nobody knows the truth of what happened. And maybe we never will.