Читать книгу The World. Myths of the Divine, Realities, and Awareness. Freedom. Love. Life - - Страница 4

Your experience

Have you ever heard that:

– You did something wrong?

– Your idea is no good at all?

– Your thoughts and desires are worth nothing?

– No one wants you?

In family, at school, at university, at work?

From your colleagues, partners, friends, relatives?

We all enjoy making evaluations and labeling things and people «good» and «bad». As if there were two colors only: black and white. As if there were only extremities, a dichotomy or a duality, and we had to choose only one thing.

If not, you may consider yourself lucky. Though there is a great chance that you simply forgot it, like we tend to forget any other unpleasant experience. It happens like this. Sometimes we can forget having been treated ill because we don’t want to do anything about it. Sometimes we can forget having treated other people ill because we don’t want to accept our nature.

About the myth

While reading this book, some people may say that it should be banned since it is insulting to the feelings of religious believers. But it is not. It is insulting only to the feelings of those who exploit faith for their own benefit. But in this case, such people should consider whether they have anything that can be insulted. Or, perhaps, they have something that is insulting?

Faith and religious ideas (just like some political trends) are strikingly beautiful by nature. They are about something important, something valuable. They are about love and hope. About peace throughout the world. I’m not being sarcastic. They were meant to unite and consolidate different people. To lay the creative foundation for developing societies and even states if there is any point in them as we see them now. They were meant to teach people to resolve their differences peacefully, in accordance and acceptance of each other, with respect, dignity, and loftiness. They were meant to teach people to see value in their lives and treat them with due care. To help them understand their passions and attachments and not become their obedient servant. To help them see their ignorance and replace it with enlightenment. Almost all religions were meant to create something that could keep humanity from relentless intraspecific and all other kinds of aggression. Something that could provide a basis for rectitude, moral pillars. Unfortunately, instead of providing a path, religions often turned into servants (or even obedient slaves) of human passions and the very same ignorance.

Just think of how many people have died in wars – big and small – and what for? If only we could steer their creative potential on a peaceful track instead of destruction, what would our world look like?! Humans have spent so many millennia fighting for all kinds of resources (gold, oil, land, money, power, etc.) in one guise or another, doing it under the shadow of faith or political ideas… They missed the most important thing! The very things (or rather, the very creatures) they sacrificed are indeed the most valuable resource and the most essential idea. Human beings! The power of their souls and thoughts! Their creative and artistic potential! That is the resource of the greatest worth! We still don’t understand the true value of it!! It’s no accident that in some religions, the pinnacle of divine creation is man. Nothing was created after man.

But let us get back to the topic. An idea and a way of its implementation are two quite different things. You may have a beautiful idea but it will be implemented poorly. And vice versa, you may have a poor idea but some people can turn it into a wonder! Of course, the best scenario is when we have both a wonderful idea and a decent way of its implementation. The worst-case scenario means that both an idea and a way of its implementation are horrible. I am not urging you to go and destroy religions and systems, let alone their historic and cultural heritage. By no means. It would contradict what I am trying to communicate. I encourage you to reflect while you follow a religious or ideological path on whether your way of implementing an idea is a relevant one.

If there is an invitation to love thy neighbor, perhaps, we shouldn’t in blind hate destroy everything that moves and all dissenters?

If there is the commandment «thou shalt not steal», perhaps, we should obey it regardless of our own and other people’s religious and political beliefs, national and cultural identity?

If there is a call to convert others to your own faith, perhaps, it pays to do it by way of a decent example, rather than by the sword and violence? Perhaps, it pays to accept refusals or different choices, expressing respect and understanding and keeping in mind the diversity of paths and the greatness of the one who created them all?

If there is a call for spirituality, perhaps, you shouldn’t commit soulless acts? Can we call the lack of care towards your relatives, parents, children, and loved ones spiritual? Can we call poverty and hunger when there is always an opportunity to work for your own good and for the good of your family spiritual? Can a man who deprived his wife and children of his care and support and feeds on them or his parents be notable for his spirituality? Can a woman who hates her children or relatives and treats other people ill be notable of her spirituality? Can the lack of action supporting words of friendship be spiritual?

If there is a call for peace, should there be a war, even a proxy one?

If there is a call for a constructive dialogue, should there be a manipulation?

Put to a test everyone who urges you to do something in the name of faith or ideas. Is the means of implementation relevant? Or «the end justifies the means»? If the former is true, debate the matter in your mind once again. If the latter is true, run, run for your life! When the cream of a nation is sent to its doom, run away! When books are burnt (and not only due to some dissenting views), run away! When violence towards those who somehow differ is justified, run away! When dissenters, their friends and relatives are declared public enemies, run away! Crawl away! For any idea and any faith is not worth the life of even one human being, let alone hundreds, thousands, or millions of them! Why? Read the myths further to find out!

Though it is true not only on the scale of nations, countries, monarchs, and rulers. The same can be applied to any ordinary person. Do the idea and the means of its implementation concur or run contrary to each other? If they don’t concur, does the one who conceived and/or articulated the idea realize that their means of implementation is entirely about something else?

Tips

– Ponder over everything that has been created by human beings over the course of the last five thousand years. And everything that has been created over the last one hundred years. How many creations in various fields! How many discoveries, achievements, accomplishments that changed our life. Can oil, land, gold, and other resources match them? Can these resources match the creative potential of man? Of course, they are important. Sometimes they act as components. But still!! What are these resources without the power of human thought? Just think of it and comprehend the true power of human potential! Could oil and gas pull themselves and produce useful goods on their own basis without human thought? Could gold become wonderful jewelry or a convenient means of payment without human mastery? Is the land worth something at all without the human skill of farming?

– Think of who created powerful and legendary companies and states? Is it oil, land, or gold? Nope. It’s people. Some certain, living people. If we are capable of such enormous transformations, will we be able to deal with the challenges of modern times? Oh yeah! So what is the main resource? What and who should we invest in? What resource should we protect and treasure? At least in the form of a resource… At least we can see human beings and their potentials like this. If they are not of value…

– What potential do you personally have? How and in what forms is it manifested? How and in what forms can you manifest it?

– What potential do your friends, relatives, colleagues, employees, bosses, and acquaintances have? How and in what forms is it manifested? How and in what forms can they manifest it? Unlock it and use it?

– Test whether the idea and the means of its implementation concur before blindly following it.

Key points

While reading this book, some people may say that it should be banned since it is insulting to the feelings of religious believers. It is not. It is insulting only to the feelings of those who exploit faith for their own benefit.

Almost all religions were meant to create something that could keep humanity from relentless intraspecific and all other kinds of aggression.

Unfortunately, instead of providing a path, religions often turned into servants (or even obedient slaves) of human passions.

It’s no accident that in some religions, the pinnacle of divine creation is man. Nothing was created after man.

You may have a beautiful idea but it will be implemented poorly.

I encourage you to reflect while you follow a religious or ideological path on whether your way of implementing an idea is a relevant one.

An idea and a way of its implementation are two quite different things. You may have a beautiful idea but it will be implemented poorly. And vice versa, you may have a poor idea but some people can turn it into a wonder! Of course, the best scenario is when we have both a wonderful idea and a decent way of its implementation.

For any idea and any faith is not worth the life of even one human being, let alone hundreds, thousands, or millions of them!

The myth in a nutshell

A lot of religions and ideas are good. But it is also important to check whether the means of their implementation is good too.