All the world is an incomplete canvas. We all contribute, in large or small ways, to this work by how we are as collective humanity.
This canvas can never be completed because humanity, the only contributor to this work, continually evolves. It is a continuing work-in- progress. If this canvas ever gets completed the world as we know it will cease to exist because by then it is "finished."
Somewhere in the infinite universe, some other beings may see what we are working on. They may give us credit for our great accomplishments. But, they will certainly condemn us for the ongoing stupidity that we perpetrate on mother earth's once pristine backyard.
And, they will surely laugh at the shit that we throw at each other everyday as we work on the canvas. One can only imagine the filth that we smear the canvas with even as we work!
By our mindless acts of destruction upon mother earth's resources and the evil that we cause each other we are creating an ugly canvas. Surely, it is not the masterpiece that the Giver wanted us to come up with.
We can not fully appreciate the panorama because we are all part of it; we are in it. Like the fish not being able to see the water it is swimming in.
But, if by some stroke of wonderful fortune you get a furlough from your never ending "work" and take a step back to look at it, what will you see? Now, that you are focused on your own "contribution" - do you like what you see? What have you contributed?
Every human act is reflected on this canvas; big or small; good or evil; constructive or destructive; monumental or mundane; truly great or ho-hum. Everything is etched on it.
It is somehow frightening to think that as we project our thoughts into our actions we are creating a world almost unconsciously. And, it may not even be the world we really want to live in; the world we truly want to have.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Religion: The Instinctive Urge To Be One With God
Man has always had the urge to seek something higher than himself. Something superior to which he can submit, and which he can accept without hurting his ego. Early man considered the natural phenomena around him - the wind, the sun, the stars, even the moon as things which are more than what he was because he had no control over them. What he cannot control, therefore, must be more powerful than he was.
He learned that his own existence depended largely on things that are more powerful than the others - like the sun and the wind. Instinctively, he knew that without the wind and by extension the breeze that cools his lungs when he breathed he would die. He knew that without the sun, the plants from which he drew sustenance would die. He knew too, that the creatures with flesh like himself would die without the sun since most of them feed on the plants. Then he realized, that he too would die since what nourished him would all be gone without the sun.
Without science, he still could not understand how nature worked. He noticed that the wind blew in four directions, and sometimes it got very angry. Thus, he recognized the nuances of the four winds. The strength of the angry wind. The gentleness of the breeze. Then, he recognized the behavior of the sun. He disliked the heat of summer and the cold of winter. And, he appreciated the mildness of spring, the coolness of fall.
The knowledge that his entire existence depended on the forces over which he had no control, engendered in him a mixture of respect, admiration, and fear. Yet, beside himself, he felt a deep sense of gratitude. The overriding emotion above all was awe. All these powers around him gave him life. But, they also could take it away.
This awakened in man the need to create a balance between the forces that could kill him, and those that could sustain him. If he could, somehow, repay those forces for their kindness or at least acknowledge their power, perhaps he could keep the balance in his favor.
In primitive ways man then began to devise methods of reaching out to the powerful forces. He began to speak out to the Powers directly. Then, he offered gifts. He offered sacrifices. The dearer the offering, the more appeasing, and pleasing to the Powers. Early prayers were incantations invoking the Powers' kindness, and exultations of their might and glory. They were also supplications to the Powers to accept the humble offerings and make them worthy.
Offerings, and prayers had always been directed upwards, simply because early man noticed that the powerful forces came from above. The sun shone down from above. The stars were up there. The powerful winds seemed to come down from up there. Man's primitive logic told him the Power must be up there.
Thus, when he recited his prayers and incantations he directed them upwards. He burned his offerings so that the smoke would rise upwards. And since, the offerings had been made worthy by his prayers, the smoke would be pleasing to the Power up there.
Religion was born of nature, because man by nature had always sought a union with the Power that had control over his life and death. First, he respected this power. He admired it. Then, as he experienced more of this power, he began to fear it. Then, he was awed by it. Gradually, he began to revere it.
Survival was the key. Early man wanted to live. He desired to survive in the harsh conditions of early earth. Since, he has no control over the power that impacted his existence, he found it necessary to "befriend" it. It was not even religion, in the sophisticated sense that we understand it now. It was simply a relationship. It was like man saying:
"Power from above, be kind to me. I'm a mere mortal, powerless, and fragile. Please, restrain the forces that destroy, and shower me with the forces that give life. I am at your mercy. I recognize your might, and I am forever subject to it. Please, accept my offering, and in your kindness deemed it to be worthy."
And, then man hoped. He hoped that his offerings, and prayers would be pleasing enough to merit the Powers' kindness. He could do nothing else. That's how he began to have faith in the Power that he considered his friend. Faith that the Power would accept him in kindred spirit and shower him with the natural forces that he prayed for.
Early man experienced the multiple powers of nature. This inspired him to worship many Gods. Later, the Romans and the Greeks exemplified this. But, the idea of a one omnipotent God began with Yahweh, God of Abraham.
Present religion(s), adopted monotheism from the Bible. But, the roots began with early man. The basics are still the same. You still pray to an Almighty Power God, for mercy and for graces. And, by your acts you hoped to merit God's continuing kindness.
What then, is religion? It is a union between you and the God you believe in. God is the power that has control over your life. And, you are the supplicant who, by your pleasing acts, either through prayer or good works, hopes to merit his grace and kindness to make your life the way you want it to be - meaningful, happy, fruitful, safe. To many, religion is a way of life. After all, is not being happy, and having a meaningful life what you aspire for? If you can find it in religion why not?
Spirituality should not be confused with religion. Spirituality is a popular term used by organized religions. It is simply how you, the supplicant, gives substance and meaning to your relationship with God. Many people have the idea that through prayer they can achieve full spirituality. Fine. I will not argue with that.
However, you should look back to the example of early man to appreciate the act of "giving back what you get." Primitive as he was, early man was on the right track when he thought of making offerings to the Power. Remember, spirituality is giving substance to your relationship with God. So, as the modern man, how do you give substance to your relationship with your God? In other words, aside from praying, worship and going to Sunday service, how do you give back? More precisely what can you give back?
You don't need to stretch your imagination so thin to recognize ways of giving back. Start with your neighborhood. Your environment. The air you breath. Have you had your car tuned up recently?
So, what is faith? Faith is an emotional force that sustains your spirituality. It is believing in the God you do not see. That he is there for you. That he is true. It is also hoping that as you give back and pray you also receive. It is hoping that what you are before your God is worthy enough to merit his recognition.
In the final analysis, religion, spirituality, and faith could not be found in books that you read. You find them in yourself. They constitute how you make of the life that you have. What you are is what the Power gave you. What you make of yourself is what you can give back to him.
He learned that his own existence depended largely on things that are more powerful than the others - like the sun and the wind. Instinctively, he knew that without the wind and by extension the breeze that cools his lungs when he breathed he would die. He knew that without the sun, the plants from which he drew sustenance would die. He knew too, that the creatures with flesh like himself would die without the sun since most of them feed on the plants. Then he realized, that he too would die since what nourished him would all be gone without the sun.
Without science, he still could not understand how nature worked. He noticed that the wind blew in four directions, and sometimes it got very angry. Thus, he recognized the nuances of the four winds. The strength of the angry wind. The gentleness of the breeze. Then, he recognized the behavior of the sun. He disliked the heat of summer and the cold of winter. And, he appreciated the mildness of spring, the coolness of fall.
The knowledge that his entire existence depended on the forces over which he had no control, engendered in him a mixture of respect, admiration, and fear. Yet, beside himself, he felt a deep sense of gratitude. The overriding emotion above all was awe. All these powers around him gave him life. But, they also could take it away.
This awakened in man the need to create a balance between the forces that could kill him, and those that could sustain him. If he could, somehow, repay those forces for their kindness or at least acknowledge their power, perhaps he could keep the balance in his favor.
In primitive ways man then began to devise methods of reaching out to the powerful forces. He began to speak out to the Powers directly. Then, he offered gifts. He offered sacrifices. The dearer the offering, the more appeasing, and pleasing to the Powers. Early prayers were incantations invoking the Powers' kindness, and exultations of their might and glory. They were also supplications to the Powers to accept the humble offerings and make them worthy.
Offerings, and prayers had always been directed upwards, simply because early man noticed that the powerful forces came from above. The sun shone down from above. The stars were up there. The powerful winds seemed to come down from up there. Man's primitive logic told him the Power must be up there.
Thus, when he recited his prayers and incantations he directed them upwards. He burned his offerings so that the smoke would rise upwards. And since, the offerings had been made worthy by his prayers, the smoke would be pleasing to the Power up there.
Religion was born of nature, because man by nature had always sought a union with the Power that had control over his life and death. First, he respected this power. He admired it. Then, as he experienced more of this power, he began to fear it. Then, he was awed by it. Gradually, he began to revere it.
Survival was the key. Early man wanted to live. He desired to survive in the harsh conditions of early earth. Since, he has no control over the power that impacted his existence, he found it necessary to "befriend" it. It was not even religion, in the sophisticated sense that we understand it now. It was simply a relationship. It was like man saying:
"Power from above, be kind to me. I'm a mere mortal, powerless, and fragile. Please, restrain the forces that destroy, and shower me with the forces that give life. I am at your mercy. I recognize your might, and I am forever subject to it. Please, accept my offering, and in your kindness deemed it to be worthy."
And, then man hoped. He hoped that his offerings, and prayers would be pleasing enough to merit the Powers' kindness. He could do nothing else. That's how he began to have faith in the Power that he considered his friend. Faith that the Power would accept him in kindred spirit and shower him with the natural forces that he prayed for.
Early man experienced the multiple powers of nature. This inspired him to worship many Gods. Later, the Romans and the Greeks exemplified this. But, the idea of a one omnipotent God began with Yahweh, God of Abraham.
Present religion(s), adopted monotheism from the Bible. But, the roots began with early man. The basics are still the same. You still pray to an Almighty Power God, for mercy and for graces. And, by your acts you hoped to merit God's continuing kindness.
What then, is religion? It is a union between you and the God you believe in. God is the power that has control over your life. And, you are the supplicant who, by your pleasing acts, either through prayer or good works, hopes to merit his grace and kindness to make your life the way you want it to be - meaningful, happy, fruitful, safe. To many, religion is a way of life. After all, is not being happy, and having a meaningful life what you aspire for? If you can find it in religion why not?
Spirituality should not be confused with religion. Spirituality is a popular term used by organized religions. It is simply how you, the supplicant, gives substance and meaning to your relationship with God. Many people have the idea that through prayer they can achieve full spirituality. Fine. I will not argue with that.
However, you should look back to the example of early man to appreciate the act of "giving back what you get." Primitive as he was, early man was on the right track when he thought of making offerings to the Power. Remember, spirituality is giving substance to your relationship with God. So, as the modern man, how do you give substance to your relationship with your God? In other words, aside from praying, worship and going to Sunday service, how do you give back? More precisely what can you give back?
You don't need to stretch your imagination so thin to recognize ways of giving back. Start with your neighborhood. Your environment. The air you breath. Have you had your car tuned up recently?
So, what is faith? Faith is an emotional force that sustains your spirituality. It is believing in the God you do not see. That he is there for you. That he is true. It is also hoping that as you give back and pray you also receive. It is hoping that what you are before your God is worthy enough to merit his recognition.
In the final analysis, religion, spirituality, and faith could not be found in books that you read. You find them in yourself. They constitute how you make of the life that you have. What you are is what the Power gave you. What you make of yourself is what you can give back to him.
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