The Inner Ring, C.S. Lewis.

The Inner Ring is an essay by the great CS Lewis. It addresses the idea a Human pursuit for inclusive meetings. The race to be included, known and recognised. Better yet, to be Heard, Seen and Cared about all at the time. It is a goal, in the modern English to be in the "In Crowd", the "Cool Kids" or worse even "The Group!". Lewis calls "The Inner Ring" by other names also, like, "We" and "Sensible People". But what are these? Simple. They are close collections of people who band together in search for uniformity and certainty. Certainty of course here means a confirmation that you, as you, or me are relevant and worth our atoms of existence.

CS Lewis writes, "Some people are obviously in and some are obviously out, but there are always several on the borderline." I want to discuss the emotions and views of those on the border and those on the 'outside'. Also why we do it? What it also can become.

To be on the outside, Lewis says "From outside, if you have dispaired of getting into it, you call it “That gang” or “they” or “So-and-so and his set” or “The Caucus” or “The Inner Ring.” Yet even though this might be the case, we all most indeed want to be inside the Inner Ring. I must say that the Inner Ring from my perspective is a collection of people, not an individual. We want to be in the crown and avoid the single group like a Malaria Invested Tribe.

We spend lifetimes trying to enter the Inner Ring. But why? I think as Lewis does, so that we can be free! Free from Fear, rejection and purposelessness. Groups provide this. Especially groups that are set apart and different. The crave for us to be Unique is satisfied here. But Lewis and myself would argue that the loss of originality and identity can be the side effect of Inner Ring Membership.

I like Lewis do not hold to the idea that the Inner Ring is evil, sometimes they are needed for accountability and secrecy. But in their use for Identity and self worth, I would argue on this matter, they are Evil.

Searching to be in an Inner Ring for purpose is evil. In our search for the Inner Ring Membership Lewis says we "may already be compromised. I must not assume that you have ever first neglected, and finally shaken off, friends whom you really loved and who might have lasted you a lifetime, in order to court the friendship of those who appeared to you more important, more esoteric." So in this vain search we lose the gift of single intimate friendships. The single person can be more interesting than a Nation of people! So why do we not see this. Simple. The Inner Ring is by natural consequence, bigger, therefore more noticeable, resulting in an ego.

Therefore we must avoid the Inner Ring at all costs if they are to destruction of the unknown and less interesting members of the room. Lewis says "And if in your spare time you consort simply with the people you like, you will again find that you have come unawares to a real inside: that you are indeed snug and safe at the centre of something which, seen from without, would look exactly like an Inner Ring"

So in conclusion since the Inner Ring is not meant to be a place of Identity or security, only God can do this. The Inner Ring will fail and we blindly will look for another, unless we belong to the Only good Inner Ring, that is the Church. So I end with a warning from Lewis. "The old ring will now be only the drab background for your endeavor to enter the new one."

Let us not be blind in searching to enter a Inner Ring for meaning. Let us seek the single and individual to know then the World will be one Inner Ring, good and perfect.

To read the full article "http://www.lewissociety.org/innerring.php