Pico’s levels of human existence

Pico’s reminds the human land scope to center all attention on human capacity and human capacity. In his oration he says that a man should emulate the dignity and glory of the angels by exercising philosophy. He says that if a man cultivates what is rational he will reveal himself a heavenly being. He spoke of ways in which man exists. The three sacred mysteries, seraphim, cherubim and thrones occupy the first places and therefore we should emulate their dignity and glory. If we lead the kind of life they lead, then we shall attain their same estate. The seraphim burn with the fire of charity, cherubim flashes forth the splendor of intelligence and thrones stand firm with the firmness of justice.

We should be purged from our minds and decide to be transformed to a people that pursue peace amongst us. Man is more fortunate in that he is able to interpret nature. In him in the ability to become a plant if vegetative, if sensual he becomes brutish and if rationale he becomes heavenly, if intellectual, he becomes an angel and the son of god. It is not the freedom from a body that makes as an angel but having spiritual intelligence.

In our culture one may focus on persons such as the catholic fathers who have devoted themselves to serve humanity and thus can be ranked as angels, in the levels of seraphim. In my consideration I do take the pope of the Catholic Church as one of the highest men regarded to doing deeds and living the kind of life of the seraphim. He is a man that does not consider himself worth a name. The pope burns with charity, and the consuming fire has transformed him into the flaming likeness of the seraphim. The germs of charity bestowed upon the pope have been cultivated, has grown into maturity and has borne fruits of love. The pope has demonstrated to be the free and proud shaper of his own being and has fashioned himself in the shape he has preferred and exercised his power to evade from being brutish and has risen again to the superior orders whose life is divine.

The example demonstrated of the pope is that we can choose the path we will follow. We may choose to venture into conflict amongst us or choose peace and become agents of transformation in our society. God left the power of choice to the human beings and we have the capacity to reach the level of an angel if we so decide.