A Bit of Clarity on my Faith
I have trouble finishing these entries sometimes, as many have fallen into being a permanent draft, never to be published. I'm not quite sure why at times, other than that my ideas during the writing process, and suddenly the present entry feels inadequate and insufficient. It's not that I'm indecisive, because I'm not, it's more that pinning down some of my beliefs is just not possible. My spirituality, like my mind, is fluid. Anything truly and fully static doesn't change, but like a river, the mind follows a relatively similar course on short intervals of time, and over long intervals, cuts blazing new paths that are completely different from before.
Do I even need to have a fixed set of beliefs? It makes it easier to explain things to people, but it also makes me feel confined. If I choose only one spot on the spiritual plane, don't I lose the ability to see the others? Occasionally, shouldn't I seek a new vantage point, and see other lands? Diversity is a concept that should be applied to all levels of our being, not just our social lives.
It's enough for me that much of what I feel on a day-to-day basis is born from and ultimately reminiscent of some sort of Christian code of ethics. I try to use a modified and more contextually applied version of the Golden Rule ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you") when approaching different situations. This is not conscious either (most of the time), but more of a subconscious rule applied to my thought processes.
It's also enough that I know that reality, in some form or another, is eternal. Whether that eternality be God, gods, or the omni-realized nature of reality, is ultimately not of supreme importance to me. The underlining concept is that reality is forever, and possessed of the ability for perceived change, allowing life to occur. Consciousness occurs in many forms, so whether there is a conscious face to reality (God) exists, or whether reality just exists in every infinite form possible (omni-realization), does not constitute a real concern for me most of the time. If this is a damning statement for me (one that relegates me to hell), that's fine. Any paradise that does not emphasize the beauty and wonders of the unlimited potential of our minds is not a blissful place for me.
Perhaps one motivator, one grand spiritual dream I have is of the potential of the human race. Being born from reality, I see no reason why people can't aspire to reach every dimension of reality. What I'm saying is that humanity should be able to move from its point of incipience (which is less a point and more a river of time during which the reflection of the face of humanity ultimately becomes visible) to its point of omni-realization, where some form of human consciousness realizes eternity and creates that final bridge from singular human existence to total human existence. Indeed, my grandest dream is to be a significant part of that process, even if significance is a concept lost with regards to omni-realization (there can be no significance when ALL things exist simultaneously and equally).
Some days I fear we won't reach that goal, and not because humanity is damned by some aspect of itself, but because like anything there always is that chance. Now, while in the grand scheme of eternity (where time is meaningless), humans always achieve that goal every second in some non-distant but timeless transcendent way, for our 'timeline,' our river of existence may not ultimately flow into that omni-realizable ocean. In the back of my mind, fears of infrastructure collapse, of horribly unlucky and species killing events, of human-caused events that damn us all play out in this horrible video of possibility. While I have that fear, I have the desire, the belief that we can move forward toward our grandest destiny.
What troubles me a lot these days is what my role in any of this can be and how I should achieve it. It's not necessarily enough to take a meta-perceptive role of my consciousness, where I view myself as a tool for use by myself (wherein I analyze myself as a variable within the equations of reality, and try to discern the answers). It boils down to much more mundane and present things than that. Should I shoot for teaching and see how big of a splash I could make there? Should I pursue business and try to accrue capital (both monetary and human), in the hopes that I have enough resources to see the right moment and seize it? Or should I do something completely random when it presents itself, and follow whatever course it takes me on?
I can't know that I'll have an important role in our species rise to metaphysical greatness. Spirituality is about growth, about the strive to perfection. And what I see as the hallmark of our species (relative to the environment that produced us) is the ability to seek growth in nonphysical ways, to aspire to goals that are intangible given our present senses and capacities. I can't know if we'll reach the vision I have in mind. I can't say that it has the most utilitarian value relative to the daily functions of our species, but it's not meant to. The goal I have in mind would represent a chain of events, of evolutions, of paradigm shifts in humanity. It's only at the end, when one looks at the river of humanity, that its omni-realized face will become visible. And while I can't know if this will happen, I have faith that it will.
Do I even need to have a fixed set of beliefs? It makes it easier to explain things to people, but it also makes me feel confined. If I choose only one spot on the spiritual plane, don't I lose the ability to see the others? Occasionally, shouldn't I seek a new vantage point, and see other lands? Diversity is a concept that should be applied to all levels of our being, not just our social lives.
It's enough for me that much of what I feel on a day-to-day basis is born from and ultimately reminiscent of some sort of Christian code of ethics. I try to use a modified and more contextually applied version of the Golden Rule ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you") when approaching different situations. This is not conscious either (most of the time), but more of a subconscious rule applied to my thought processes.
It's also enough that I know that reality, in some form or another, is eternal. Whether that eternality be God, gods, or the omni-realized nature of reality, is ultimately not of supreme importance to me. The underlining concept is that reality is forever, and possessed of the ability for perceived change, allowing life to occur. Consciousness occurs in many forms, so whether there is a conscious face to reality (God) exists, or whether reality just exists in every infinite form possible (omni-realization), does not constitute a real concern for me most of the time. If this is a damning statement for me (one that relegates me to hell), that's fine. Any paradise that does not emphasize the beauty and wonders of the unlimited potential of our minds is not a blissful place for me.
Perhaps one motivator, one grand spiritual dream I have is of the potential of the human race. Being born from reality, I see no reason why people can't aspire to reach every dimension of reality. What I'm saying is that humanity should be able to move from its point of incipience (which is less a point and more a river of time during which the reflection of the face of humanity ultimately becomes visible) to its point of omni-realization, where some form of human consciousness realizes eternity and creates that final bridge from singular human existence to total human existence. Indeed, my grandest dream is to be a significant part of that process, even if significance is a concept lost with regards to omni-realization (there can be no significance when ALL things exist simultaneously and equally).
Some days I fear we won't reach that goal, and not because humanity is damned by some aspect of itself, but because like anything there always is that chance. Now, while in the grand scheme of eternity (where time is meaningless), humans always achieve that goal every second in some non-distant but timeless transcendent way, for our 'timeline,' our river of existence may not ultimately flow into that omni-realizable ocean. In the back of my mind, fears of infrastructure collapse, of horribly unlucky and species killing events, of human-caused events that damn us all play out in this horrible video of possibility. While I have that fear, I have the desire, the belief that we can move forward toward our grandest destiny.
What troubles me a lot these days is what my role in any of this can be and how I should achieve it. It's not necessarily enough to take a meta-perceptive role of my consciousness, where I view myself as a tool for use by myself (wherein I analyze myself as a variable within the equations of reality, and try to discern the answers). It boils down to much more mundane and present things than that. Should I shoot for teaching and see how big of a splash I could make there? Should I pursue business and try to accrue capital (both monetary and human), in the hopes that I have enough resources to see the right moment and seize it? Or should I do something completely random when it presents itself, and follow whatever course it takes me on?
I can't know that I'll have an important role in our species rise to metaphysical greatness. Spirituality is about growth, about the strive to perfection. And what I see as the hallmark of our species (relative to the environment that produced us) is the ability to seek growth in nonphysical ways, to aspire to goals that are intangible given our present senses and capacities. I can't know if we'll reach the vision I have in mind. I can't say that it has the most utilitarian value relative to the daily functions of our species, but it's not meant to. The goal I have in mind would represent a chain of events, of evolutions, of paradigm shifts in humanity. It's only at the end, when one looks at the river of humanity, that its omni-realized face will become visible. And while I can't know if this will happen, I have faith that it will.
posted by Andrew McKenna at 6:19 PM
1 Comments:
You are a very deep thinker; it's important though to contemplate our existance. Why are we here? What is after this? Will there be an after? What am I to do while here? Is there a set path I must take, or many? If there is any after life what effect will our choices here have on us in the life to come? I believe we will continue and that time will mean nothing to us. I could not help you on deciding what to do as far as a career. Sometimes it's harder when you think too much about it. At least it is for me. I'm a Libra. I don't know where astrology fits into Christianity...there's a new topic.
I think we should seek out truth, and as for truth: what is true to some is not to others, so therefore is it true? I wonder if it really matters. Live your life well and treat everyone with as much kindness as you can manage. It's a good way for anyone to go through life, no matter what they might believe.
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