One of the foundational principles of traditional thinking is the hierarchy of the spirit. Human generative evolution usually involved an ascending movement of the individual (or national) consciousness towards uniting the will and spirit with the highest manifestation of transcendent Natural Law, Universal Order, or Dharma. Achieving the highest version of self. The “proper” path to reach there is very much dependent on the individual temperament and personality.
Regardless of path or culture, a single principle message emerges as constant in almost all cultures of the past. Those impulses which drag the consciousness downwards away from enlightened transcendence, towards base materialism, or even worse, deeper into hatred, hedonism, or sense pleasure addiction, represented the literal definition of “degenerate” spiritual devolution. These impulses are literally the primary symptoms of the Kali Yuga, as described in Hinduism. The Kali Yuga corresponds with the Greek poet Hesiod's "Age of Iron", wherein
"Humans live an existence of toil and misery. Children dishonor their parents, brother fights with brother and the social contract between guest and host (xenia) is forgotten. During this age, might makes right, and bad men use lies to be thought good. At the height of this age, humans no longer feel shame or indignation at wrongdoing..."
Disregarding our noble spiritual birthright in favour of petty materialism is a recipe for personal or societal collapse. Divisive political squabbles and fixation on ethnicity (as opposed to true personal self refinement), are also symptoms of the degenerate materialist fixation describes as being prevalent in the Kali Yuga.
Point your heart, mind, and passions towards transcendent Natural Law, and know that destiny will naturally fall into place.
