A personal scale for "be in the World but not of the World"

From the tree with knowledge of Good and Evil in the world?

The Jesuits (Society of Jesus) are closely associated with the aim to be "in the World, but not of the World." The idea is to do God's work in relationship with the high and the low of society but remain slightly at a distance in order to keep from being swept up or tripped up by the messiness and incompleteness found there: go into the trenches to wage battles with sin, but avoid being buried in the mud. Now instead of trying to grapple with the tension between mingling and holding one's distance, the scale of the tension can be shifted from the philosophical or the organizational to the boundaries of one's own body.

"Deny the flesh" is a phrase used to describe the discipline gained by being vigilant about one's motivations and the attractions to puffed up Ego, conspicuous consumption to wow others, and wasteful ways that contradict the Bible's instruction to be good stewards of the land, seas, and air. In a sense, this body-sized, corporeal medium is a place for striking a balance between "Delight in all of Creation" and "Deny the Flesh." This echoes the "be in the World" (garden of Earthly delight) tension with the "be not of the World" (deny the flesh). Maybe the ancient philosophers of Greek said the Golden Mean best, "in all things moderation."

By enjoying the pleasure, wonder, and rainbow of emotional responses to being a person in the world of nature and society and ideas, but at the same time seeking heavenly value and purposes, the result is a sort of "feet on the ground and head in the clouds." God is immanent in the people, places, and things of the World, but those tangible things are only place-holders or signposts that point to God's glory that runs through it all. The sated senses are only the surface of things; not a destination or stopping point. They are instead a gateway or entry to the fuller meaning of The World and of God's Ways.