Who pulls your strings?

“Know thyself”
Plato

A recent article in the Economist discusses the results of a study in Neuroeconomics, a field which focuses on humans biological motivations as opposed to the “pure” financial motivation defined by classical economics. In this study at least, money isn’t everything.

The study involved multiple games with 2 male players, wherein an amount of money was split by one player, which the other could accept or reject. If the 2nd player rejected the offer, neither got anything. According to classical economic thinking, the 2nd player should have taken the offer regardless of the split, because something is better than nothing, but that is not how it worked out. Even more interesting are the results when correlated with the player’s testosterone levels.

Turns out that players with the highest testosterone levels were the most likely to reject an inequitable split. Which, when viewed in biological terms, makes sense. Players with the highest testosterone, a hormone that is strongly correlated with social dominance, would rather accept nothing than see a rival get ahead.

What does this mean from the perspective of Modern Spiritualism? It means that as an individual you have many facets; intellectual, physical and emotional (and if you were religious, spiritual). Each one of these can pull your “pull your strings” in terms of affecting the decisions that you take.

While I do not believe that there are external supernatural forces guiding your life, I do believe that there are numerous internal natural forces. Until you are aware of these forces, you will not be fully in charge of your life and destiny but will continue to be a puppet on a string.

You can start to gain an awareness of these strings by practicing lifelong reading, learning and introspection. Realizing that the “you” in “you”, is not a single entity but rather a complex gestalt of experience, biology and intellect, will allow you to go from being the puppet, to the puppet master.

The Evolution of Religion

“The only thing constant in life is change”
François de la Rochefoucauld

Things change, life evolves and spirituality matures. In the beginnings of human existence there arose primitive spirituality – spirituality based on spirits. Without a way to explain the forces of nature which surrounded them, people created spirits as a way to classify, understand and hopefully mitigate the impacts of these forces on their lives.

As humanity and society evolved, primitive spirituality evolved into ancient spirituality, beliefs in gods or god, as the arbiters of men’s lives. This evolution occurred in parallel with the evolution of civilization and the need to organize and control the growing populations and evolving society. The leadership of these societies used religion both as a means to control population and reinforce their own power and privileges. Whether it was priests who supported the kings or vice versa, it was a mutually beneficial relationship – to those in the privileged classes at least.

It seems that we are now entering a third phase of spiritual evolution, which I call modern spirituality. Our understanding of nature and science have advanced far beyond (and in direct contradiction to) the primitive beliefs which underpin most religious teachings. Instead of spirits or gods, priests or kings, modern spirituality proposes that we are responsible for our lives and decisions. Where natural events occur, they have understandable explanations which do not depend on supernatural forces.

Religion vs. Modern Spiritualism

“Thou art God”
Robert Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land

Theistic religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) envision God as an anthropomorphic entity, distinct from humanity as well as from the universe which God created. Modern Spiritualism defines the entire universe as god. There is no separation between ourselves and the universe – we are all interconnected – it is only the limitations of our senses and consciousness which cause us to appear isolated.

It is my experience that people are happiest when they are working in alignment with awareness and acceptance of this integration (being in the flow or zone and working with and for the benefit of others). Likewise, those that seem the least happy are those who live under the illusion of isolation and self (me, me, me!).

There is no concept of worship, god or church in Modern Spiritualism. It is as crazy as talking about worshiping your foot or worshiping a rock as it is to worship god – they’re all one in the same. And, of course, without worship there is no need for the power structures associated with religions, which seek to channel the worship of their practitioners through their edifices (and their leader’s pockets).

Newspeak: Creation Science

Newspeak, a language “designed to diminish the range of thought,” from the novel 1984 by George Orwell.

The Creation Museum in Petersburg Kentucky opened today, May 28, 2007. Designed to show that the literal words of the bible are true and complete in every way, the museum has numerous exhibits highlighting the Garden of Eden (where humans and dinosaurs romped happily together 6,000 years ago) as well as other exhibits that demonstrate the Bible’s authority in geology, biology, anthropology, cosmology, and more! Visitors will discover how science actually confirms biblical history! While not yet announced, I’m sure an exhibit demonstrating the biblical truth that the earth is fixed, immovable and the center of the universe is soon to follow!

I actually had more to say on this subject but had to stop – the wisdom of Samuel Clemens regarding arguing with idiots came to mind. In the end, you can’t argue with an idiot, the best you can hope for is to provide opportunities for them to enlighten themselves. Like many human afflictions of will, before stupidity can be cured you must first realize you are afflicted. Once that realization comes, then if you have the will you can do something about it. However for most sufferers, the action taken when a ray of light breaks their shield of ignorance is usually to shut out the light or attempt to turn it off for everyone else.

What’s it all about?

“What’s it all about, Alfie?”
Burt Bacharach

Why are we here, why do we exist?

If life has any purpose, and if the history of the universe as we currently understand it has any lesson, it is that we are here to evolve and grow, both mentally and emotionally, and that our current existence is but one step on a infinite ladder. This evolution and growth can be blind or purposeful – Modern Spiritualism is a philosophy for living a purposeful life.

How can we fulfill our potential?

By having an open mind – by taking advantage of life’s endless opportunities to learn and understand the universe and our place in it. Resist ignorance and dogma – anyone who claims to have all the answers usually has none. The most certain are usually the most deluded.

By having compassion – by seeking to emphasize with others, and looking how you can best contribute to the world. Resist greed and anger – both are signs of an unhappy heart. It is better to die a happy man with a thousand friends than a lonely man with a thousand servants.

By having courage – always working to make a difference, in your life and others. Resist fear and sloth – it is better to try and fail than never try at all. More great deeds come from persistence than fortune – shape the reality you want through action.

Imagine…

Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

John Lennon, Imagine

I’m right, you’re wrong. I’m saved, you’re dammed. My holy book (take your pick), is the true, unblemished, word of G.O.D., your book is a pack of lies. What a mess – you could spend a lifetime trying to sort through all the conflicting messages.

Before you do though, have you ever stopped to consider that maybe they’re ALL wrong? That maybe there isn’t a big daddy in the sky who is going to make your pain go away, or for that matter a big baddy down below that you can blame for all of life’s misfortunes. That maybe shit happens, you’re responsible for your decisions and their consequences, and that the ultimate and only evil is that which resides in the ignorant minds of man?

Excuse me for insulting your cherished beliefs if you happen to be religious, but just how stupid are you? If your life is so hollow, so meaningless, so purposeless that you need the guidance of long dead preindustrial primitives to tell you how to run it, you’ve got bigger problems than whether you’ve made the “right” choice in finding god.

Wake up! Cast off the shackles of ignorance, blindness and faith and you’ll find that there is more than enough purpose in life to go around – and the best part is that you can create the life that is meaningful for you – not the narrow box that your religious beliefs (or leaders) would have you live in.