In the Beginning...
Man is, at least insomuch as has been proved thus far, the only creature capable of cognizant thought. With this self-aware capacity for reason came a myriad of ever-evolving and increasingly resourceful ideas, each serving as a building block upon which man‘s current state of civilization has been erected.
In addition to this ingenuity, mankind also seems to have been gifted with a certain degree of shortsightedness in that he often fails to recognize these amendments on his circumstances as mere fabrications of the mind, but rather seems to regard them as preexisting fundamentals of the universe. Yet, if we strip man of this artifice, break him down to his bare essentials, we are left with a rather simple creature, one driven by the most basic of urges. We find that man’s basic needs for survival are few: food, water, shelter from the elements, protection (usually from himself). Among the many products of the mind of man we can include: politics, religions, prejudices, money, and a myriad of other, less obvious contrivances. If any of these institutions are removed, reality will not be altered, only man’s perception of it will change. In other words, a sudden abolition of all the world’s religions would have no concrete affect on the world, and would serve only to liberate believers in those religions from a rather oppressive and ultimately ridiculous idea. However, the sudden elimination of the world’s oxygen supply would certainly have a very real, very noticeable affect on all of the creatures of the world, in that they would, in a rather short amount of time, cease to exist.
In this paring down of man to his purest, most genuine state, we could observe these synthetic inventions peel away in layers, and, in a perfect world, these artificial traits could be filtered, removing what is harmful and/or unnecessary (aggression, prejudice, nationalistic tendencies, the need for religion, greed, etc), and keeping that which is beneficial (compassion, empathy, open-mindedness, magnanimity, a secular system of self-improvement, unfettered scientific research. etc). In so doing, we find that much of man’s beliefs are based not on actuality, but rather on iconic cultural vestiges best abandoned to the past. Thus, when we have reduced man to his most primordial core, we might rebuild him using only those materials which are ultimately positive and benign. This could be considered a sundering, an apocalypse of sorts, whereby man emerges as the phoenix from the ashes, virginal and unfettered, all “sin“ (and likewise all resulting guilt) having been burnt away. And this process requires nothing more strenuous than a desire to change and a minimal effort directed to that end- there are no prayers, no meditation, no repentance, and no set methodology.
Within this site, I hope to expound upon the above mentioned ideas, and to describe why I feel that certain elements are advantageous and others detrimental. I realize that I have taken what may seem rather arbitrary liberties in separating certain ideas into positive and negative classifications (in particular regards to religion and secularism), and I intend to exert all possible effort toward rectifying this seeming cryptic affirmation. I have found religion (an idea, and a rather nebulous, highly improbable one) in particular to be a rather touchy subject, and often it is an even more intrinsic part of a person than his or her money (another, more tangible idea). It is almost invariably easier to separate a man for his wallet full of bits of paper than from his superstition. I hope to illustrate that man can indeed rid himself of this falsehood, as easily as he switches on a light switch, by a mere adjustment to his mode of thinking. Additionally, I hope to explore many other areas in relation to man, his use of symbols, and the fictitious world he has created for himself. I may also venture onto other subjects which I find intriguing, amusing, distasteful, or beautiful- possibly all four together.
I have another, more personal site which consists mostly of incoherent ramblings regarding various instances in my life.
In addition to this ingenuity, mankind also seems to have been gifted with a certain degree of shortsightedness in that he often fails to recognize these amendments on his circumstances as mere fabrications of the mind, but rather seems to regard them as preexisting fundamentals of the universe. Yet, if we strip man of this artifice, break him down to his bare essentials, we are left with a rather simple creature, one driven by the most basic of urges. We find that man’s basic needs for survival are few: food, water, shelter from the elements, protection (usually from himself). Among the many products of the mind of man we can include: politics, religions, prejudices, money, and a myriad of other, less obvious contrivances. If any of these institutions are removed, reality will not be altered, only man’s perception of it will change. In other words, a sudden abolition of all the world’s religions would have no concrete affect on the world, and would serve only to liberate believers in those religions from a rather oppressive and ultimately ridiculous idea. However, the sudden elimination of the world’s oxygen supply would certainly have a very real, very noticeable affect on all of the creatures of the world, in that they would, in a rather short amount of time, cease to exist.
In this paring down of man to his purest, most genuine state, we could observe these synthetic inventions peel away in layers, and, in a perfect world, these artificial traits could be filtered, removing what is harmful and/or unnecessary (aggression, prejudice, nationalistic tendencies, the need for religion, greed, etc), and keeping that which is beneficial (compassion, empathy, open-mindedness, magnanimity, a secular system of self-improvement, unfettered scientific research. etc). In so doing, we find that much of man’s beliefs are based not on actuality, but rather on iconic cultural vestiges best abandoned to the past. Thus, when we have reduced man to his most primordial core, we might rebuild him using only those materials which are ultimately positive and benign. This could be considered a sundering, an apocalypse of sorts, whereby man emerges as the phoenix from the ashes, virginal and unfettered, all “sin“ (and likewise all resulting guilt) having been burnt away. And this process requires nothing more strenuous than a desire to change and a minimal effort directed to that end- there are no prayers, no meditation, no repentance, and no set methodology.
Within this site, I hope to expound upon the above mentioned ideas, and to describe why I feel that certain elements are advantageous and others detrimental. I realize that I have taken what may seem rather arbitrary liberties in separating certain ideas into positive and negative classifications (in particular regards to religion and secularism), and I intend to exert all possible effort toward rectifying this seeming cryptic affirmation. I have found religion (an idea, and a rather nebulous, highly improbable one) in particular to be a rather touchy subject, and often it is an even more intrinsic part of a person than his or her money (another, more tangible idea). It is almost invariably easier to separate a man for his wallet full of bits of paper than from his superstition. I hope to illustrate that man can indeed rid himself of this falsehood, as easily as he switches on a light switch, by a mere adjustment to his mode of thinking. Additionally, I hope to explore many other areas in relation to man, his use of symbols, and the fictitious world he has created for himself. I may also venture onto other subjects which I find intriguing, amusing, distasteful, or beautiful- possibly all four together.
I have another, more personal site which consists mostly of incoherent ramblings regarding various instances in my life.
posted by Joel Hardin at 10:41 AM
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