“The long, dull, monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather for the devil.”
Image credits：Aronsyne,”Lewis, age 48″,CC BY-SA 4.0,C.S.-Lewis – C. S. Lewis – Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963
- Born in Ireland
- Writer, scholar
- Had a major influence on fantasy literature and religious thought through his many works, including the Chronicles of Narnia series and The Poetics of Christianity
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Quote
“The long, dull, monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather for the devil.”
Explanation
In this quote, C. S. Lewis reflects on the spiritual challenges faced during middle age, particularly when life becomes routine and predictable, either through prosperity or adversity. Lewis suggests that these monotonous years, where comfort or hardship can become familiar and unremarkable, are particularly dangerous because they create an environment where spiritual complacency can take root. In these years, people are less likely to be actively seeking growth or change, and more likely to fall into a stagnant pattern of life. Whether through comfort or struggle, the lack of dramatic highs or lows makes it easier for people to become disconnected from their spiritual purpose. In this state, the devil can subtly work to draw individuals away from deeper faith and vital connection with God, using the ordinary, unnoticed moments of life to undermine their spiritual well-being.
Lewis’s perspective is informed by his understanding of spiritual warfare—the idea that the devil does not always attack through obvious, dramatic temptations, but often through more insidious means: boredom, complacency, and the gradual erosion of spiritual vitality. He believed that periods of prosperity or difficulty could make individuals less alert to the spiritual dangers around them, as the everyday struggles of middle age tend to focus one’s attention on the temporal world rather than on eternal truths. For Lewis, middle age was a time to guard against the gradual encroachment of apathy, where individuals may lose sight of their deeper spiritual goals and instead become absorbed in the comforts or burdens of daily life.
In the modern context, this quote speaks to the reality of middle-aged individuals who may experience a sense of routine and familiarity in their lives, where both the security of prosperity or the heaviness of adversity can create a spiritual rut. Whether in career, family life, or personal well-being, the passage of time can lead to spiritual stagnation if one is not actively engaged in personal growth and faith. Lewis’s warning invites us to reflect on how we can maintain spiritual vitality in the face of routine, actively pursuing purpose and connection with God even in the quieter, less dramatic seasons of life.
