Losing my Religion ...

Thing is ... I've believed my own BS for too long. In spiritual circles, the paradox of bringing down ego with ego is likened to removing a thorn with a thorn. This may be a nice convenient and plausible metaphor conceptually but isn't it just more BS? You know ... thorns ... they sprout and create more thorns. Of course the other approach is to appeal to grace. A gracious 'other' that lies beyond the narrow confines of ego which carries the intelligence of the universe in it's bosom.

I think these are just devices that help this persistent voice inside our heads quieten down, along with the many others. There is no one technique that is any better than the rest. I can now shift consciously into a space that witnesses the blah blah. The blah blah continues but there is a distance now. As long as you are identifying with the BS it isn't BS - it's your truth! You live it, you breath it ... you believe it.

So it's the voice inside your head but that is just the audible PR spokesperson you're hearing. Behind the facade lies a reservoir of sewage (memories, dreams, reflection, emotions, cultural conditioning, biological programming, beliefs and on and on and ...) It has history, it has pedigree and its vast and intricate. The wise of the East call it collectively Maya, Samskara, Skandhas and other exotic sanskrit names but why lean on these traditions? Donald Hoffman's mathematical simulations of the evolutionary forces that shape a species's perception of the world finds that fitness trumps truth every time. In other words we are evolved with one singular purpose - to live long enough to procreate NOT as truth seers. As Jeffrey Martin's research shows, modern humans are at the mercy of ancient biological programming that once upon a time did a great job keeping us safe from tigers and other immediate threats. Now these old circuits get in the way ... of truth, world peace and greater personal contentment.

If we take all this research to it's logical conclusion, we don't perceive the universe in its true form at all! We only prioritise aspects of our environment that are beneficial to our survival. Donald Hoffman's perceptual desktop - it's real in terms of it's utility but not in any ontological sense. That has profound implications! The forces of nature are arrayed against our discovery of truth. She's not interested in us gaining insight into Truth. The SEEING of this completely is like an atomic detonation in the mind - the meme that ends all memes.

Truth in some ways is like Moby Dick ... it's visceral, you have to head out into waters unknown to find it ...and when you do find it, don't expect a friendly reception. Your one evolutionary duty is to be a productive member of the species driven by self preservation, fear, greed and lust. There is enormous cultural pressure to conform. Don't believe the BS ... God is not on your side! Didn't He say go forth and multiply? Yup, He's into family values, tribal association, domination and social oppression. I'm with the atheists on this one ... it's time to dump ALL the religious baggage (East and West). Not only does it remove truth beyond ordinary reach, it also convinces us to be happy with this situation. It's insidious clap trap ... dump it!