Father John Misty is rebelling not against repression or

"Father John Misty is rebelling not against repression or foolishness but the ephemeral nature of mankind. He seeks permanence in a fleeting age, and he does not find it because the one place he could find an answer, he considers closed off: a locked door." These words by Ben Domenech capture the essence of a deep and enduring struggle that transcends the personal experience of the artist Father John Misty, and touches upon the universal human condition. Misty’s rebellion, as Domenech puts it, is not against the expected ills of society—those we traditionally rebel against, such as repression or ignorance—but against something much more profound: the ephemeral nature of mankind. In this fleeting age, where nothing is permanent, Misty seeks an answer, a truth, a form of permanence, but finds himself unable to access it, as it is behind a locked door—a barrier he cannot cross.

The ephemeral nature of mankind—the fact that everything we build, create, or cherish eventually fades—is a theme that has been explored by the greatest minds throughout history. The Greeks, who built their civilization on reason and progress, were keenly aware of the limitations of human achievement. The mighty city-states, their temples, and their philosophers—all were destined to fall or decay. Heraclitus, the ancient philosopher, famously said, "Everything flows", reminding us that change is the only constant in the world. We strive for permanence, but in the end, we must accept the impermanence of all things. Father John Misty, like the ancient thinkers before him, wrestles with this truth, seeking something eternal in a world that offers no such guarantees.

In Father John Misty’s rebellion, we see not just a critique of the fleeting nature of life, but a deeply emotional cry for something more lasting, something that transcends the transitory nature of human existence. It is the age-old quest for meaning, for purpose, for something to hold onto amidst the tides of time. King Solomon, in the ancient wisdom of Ecclesiastes, echoed similar frustrations, declaring that "all is vanity" and that everything under the sun is temporary, fading, and elusive. Yet, like Misty, Solomon searched not only for truth but for something that could stand firm against the tides of time. In the end, Solomon also found that the pursuit of wisdom and meaning was, in itself, a noble endeavor, despite the inevitable conclusion that nothing lasts forever.

Misty’s frustration at the locked door he encounters is a metaphor for the human limitation—a limitation not of our will or our desire, but of our capacity to access something beyond the impermanence of this world. The door represents a barrier, one that he cannot open, despite his desire to find something permanent—something to hold onto in a world that is always changing. Throughout history, religious figures and philosophers have faced similar struggles. Socrates, though a seeker of truth, often spoke of his own limitations in understanding the mysteries of the universe. He found answers not in certainty but in the acknowledgment of ignorance, which led to a deeper exploration of life. Father John Misty, like Socrates, is searching, but his locked door suggests that he feels the answers he seeks lie beyond his reach—an eternal truth or meaning that he cannot grasp.

This metaphor of the locked door also brings to mind the spiritual journey of many great figures, such as Saint Augustine. Augustine, in his early life, sought pleasure, wealth, and power, only to find them fleeting and unsatisfactory. His turning point came when he realized that the answers he sought lay not in the temporal world, but in a relationship with the divine. The door that was locked for him, the answer that seemed unreachable, became accessible only through faith and a deep, personal surrender. Similarly, Misty’s rebellion may point to a larger existential question: how do we find meaning in a world that offers only ephemeral answers?

The lesson we can take from this is profound. While we may not be able to prevent the passing of time or the impermanence of life, we can find meaning and purpose not in seeking to stop change, but in how we engage with it. The key to unlocking the door is not necessarily in the external world, but in how we approach the journey of life itself. Like Misty, we may wrestle with the fragility of human existence, but the answer may not lie in finding permanence outside ourselves. The locked door may represent our own inner quest for understanding, for purpose, and for acceptance of the truth that change is inevitable. Through this acceptance, we may find the very permanence we seek in the way we live our lives, the relationships we build, and the legacies we leave behind.

Thus, the practical actions we should take are clear. Embrace impermanence and transience as part of the human experience. Rather than seeking to hold on to fleeting moments or resist change, let us focus on how we can create meaning within the moment. We must recognize that the search for permanence in a fleeting world is not futile, but rather, it is the journey of the seeker that gives us our purpose. We should look within, examine our values, our purpose, and our actions, and find lasting fulfillment not in the world’s promises of permanence, but in the ways we choose to live with intention and authenticity.

In conclusion, Father John Misty’s rebellion, as described by Ben Domenech, is one that speaks to the heart of our shared human experience—the search for something more lasting in a world defined by change. While we may not have access to the ultimate truths behind the locked door, we must continue to search, to seek, and to find meaning in the impermanence of life. Embrace the journey, for it is in the seeking, not the finding, that we discover our true purpose. The key to the locked door may not be outside us, but within, found in the way we live and the truths we uncover as we move through the ever-changing tides of life.