This blog post requires a bit of orientation before reading. The seed of thought that it grew from was inadvertently planted within a blog post posted by a member of a website I frequent. Once the seed was planted, it found fertile ground within the right hemisphere of my brain upon which to nourish itself. Consequently, the thought, little by little, took a front row position in my aggregation of subjects to ponder. Here's the set-up to this blog post:
Following is an excerpt from the blogger's post and then an excerpt from my comment to his post:
The Blogger:
Yes, our fathers, grandfathers, grandmothers, etc. have been asleep for a long time. They trusted their representative to care for them while they were fighting wars and cold wars. Times have changed, take back control.
Me:
I agree, we do need to take back control. But take back control of what exactly? ... it appears that we humans have a propensity for repitition i.e., history continues to repeat itself. Empirical evidence strongly supports that humans, as a species, do not learn from their mistakes. Or, if we do learn, it's obvious that whatever lessons are learned do not endure.
We are remarkably adept at innovation. Just look at the incredible advancements in technology in only the last 100 years. However, even with these enormous advancements in technology, we have a world that is in a mess. We continue to display a sadistic brutality between ourselves that only sometimes appears less brutal because we have become more sophisticated in our methods of administering brutalites upon one other.
And where is religion in all of this passing of time? It's there. It's always there on the scene. But, how do we use religion? Obviously we don't use it to evolve the species into a higher more harmonious state of existence.
...................
Well, somehow or another, this blogger's statements pushed a previously dormant but problematic question to the surface within that mysterious space between my ears. A question that involved religion. And, in my personal experience, I have never seen religion, even being as necessary as it
obviously, or
seemingly, is, be anything but problematic. That's why such questions asked out loud are usually treated as being rhetorical. But, the blogger, I'll give him credit, did step up to the plate and present his answer to the question asked i.e.,
"And where is religion in all of this passing of time? ...how do we use religion?"
Note: the blogger's response, though, did not answer the question for me. However, in his taking the question as literal and putting forth an answer, I was moved to try my own hand at coming up with an answer that would, at least for the moment, provide me with a viable explanation. In any case, I've been mulling this question over since and I was recently able to finally attach some words to the thoughts I've been having.
By the way, here's a link to the blogger's original post:
http://www.thecitywire.com/?q=node/10348
................
ESSAY ON RELIGION'S IMPACT ON THE EVOLUTION OF HUMANITY
Imagine, if you will, two points that exist in the same space but are positioned opposite from one another. Assign one point the label, BELIEVE and the other the label of DISBELIEVE. Now, under the point labeled BELIEVE please assemble these words;
embraced, accepted, included, agreed with, known, rightness, security and complete certainty of or certainty about. Then under the point labeled DISBELIEVE please assemble these words;
rejected, excluded, disagreed with, shunned, known, rightness, security and complete certainty of or certainty about. Okay. Now, enclose each point and its grouping of related concepts within its own circle. Or, more appropriately, it's own "bubble."
By the way, the two bubbles apply to any entity whether singular or plural. In other words, to any individual or any group of any size. I have my own bubbles and every group or sub-group I belong to or am, in some way, connected to or not has their two bubbles of BELIEVE and DISBELIEVE that are unique to them. In other words, there are more bubbles in existence than we could ever even begin to imagine.
In the vacant space existing between the two bubbles, please insert these words;
uncertainty, wonder, curiosity, exploration, inspection, observation, discovery, change, experience, fear, confusion, puzzlement, bewilderment, unknown.
By now I'm sure you've noticed but I'll mention it anyway, both the bubble of BELIEVE and the bubble of DISBELIEVE, contain fixed conclusions/certainties/rightness while the space outside the bubbles contains anything but. Learning, expansion, evolution, do not occur within the bubbles. In order to learn, expand and evolve; an entity must be able to step outside their bubbles into the SPACE OUTSIDE. The content in either one or both of the bubbles will be continually revised and modified (fixed, unfixed and refixed) depending on what is experienced, discovered and learned while the entity is in the SPACE OUTSIDE. Thus, the entity and humanity overall evolves on an incremental basis.
There is an empirical cycle of life. It is a cycle plotting a sequential progression of motion. The phases, in sequence, of this cycle, are:
conception, birth, growth, attainment, conservation, decay and finally death.
When an entity becomes so ridgid in either their bubble of BELIEF or DISBELIEF, that they are no longer willing or able to even consider the SPACE OUTSIDE much less step out into it, the entity, at whatever position they are on the cycle, if not already in the decay phase, will instantly, regardless of age, shift into the decay phase and begin moving toward death.
I have made the observation that many, many individuals and groups have apparently become so fearful of the SPACE OUTSIDE that they have withdrawn deeply into their bubbles. And, in so doing, the SPACE OUTSIDE, if it has not become invisible to them, has probably, in one way or another, become a forbidden zone. Consequently, they are now exclusively certain and right about all that they know. Remember, both the BELIEVE bubble and the DISBELIEVE bubble contain complete certainty and rightness. No longer having access to the space outside, they assume a position wherein they know everything about everything. And, in any circumstance that presents itself, they seem to always "know best" as to how to deal with it. The contradiction, though, is that these individuals and/or groups that have gotten themselves into such a condition, are not evolving. Instead, they are fixed, rigid and cannot change their minds. And, since there is no such thing as level in this universe (there is only expansion or contraction), they, even though they may appear to be unchanging, are actually devolving.
It is interesting to note that in Fort Smith, AR., as well as any other city that I have ever lived in, as well as many places around the world, there is a plethora of churches extant. Certainly, there is more than enough religion available for everyone and then some. It is also interesting to note that each church (even different churches within the same religion) has its own set of bubbles peculiar to it. And these particular bubbles, it appears, have become or, perhaps were from their time of inception, extremely ridgid in their composition. Furthermore, as I observe the interaction between different religious groups as often represented by different church affiliations, I notice, as I look beneath the social veneer that makes all seem mild, pleasant and tolerable; a vigorous opposition and competition with one another. In other words, I see the certainty and rightness that belongs to different bubbles, existing in dissonance and conflict. And, it would seem, that this contention existing between religious bubbles is carried over into political bubbles, educational bubbles, family bubbles and so on.
You see, there can only be one "ONLY" and when you have a multitude of religious bubbles each claiming to be the "ONLY" and in a constant struggle with one another to be the "ONLY"...well, that condition just doesn't serve to advance the consciousness of humanity. Instead it serves to fragmentize and sequester humanity into a multitude of ridgid and conflicting, even warring, bubbles.
Whether or not it has been an intended plan to use religion to control the world population I cannot say, but intended or not, religion has no doubt been, and continues to be, a critical component in the containment of humanity overall in a left-brain consciousness and perpetual state of turmoil. Indeed, religion, on one hand, seems to purposefully suppress right-brain consciousness. While, on the other hand, it imposes no restriction on the prolification of those products brought into fruition by the left-brain consciousness. Products that are used by
different religions in order to advance the power and control of their "ONLY" over the "ONLY" asserted by any other.
I have listened to people from time to time speak of there, at some point in the future, being a "Heaven on Earth." Personally, I think if such a thing is even possible, a state of consciousness where the population of the planet were fully cognizant that there was "Heaven on Earth", could never come into existence as long as religion exists and operates as it has done so since life set up shop on this planet. Simply because religion, as it exists, would not permit it.
...............
Bubbles are useful. Indeed, perhaps they are even critical to one being able to survive in this universe. But a bubble, in order to be viable, must maintain a functioning balance with the SPACE OUTSIDE. As, the SPACE OUTSIDE must maintain a functioning balance with the bubbles. Neither the bubble or the SPACE OUTSIDE is a stand alone system and when either one attempts to individuate from the other and exist as a stand alone system, the balance is thrown off and the result is a world like the one we have had for millenia. A world of ongoing opposition, struggle, dissonance, chaos and conflict. A world of continuous warring bubbles.
