Last night I asked a lot of questions in this post, and I did not really provide any answers. It’s because I wasn’t there. And neither were you. But how can we use this uncertainty to live a better life? Is it possible to believe in anything when we simply do not know what the real truth is about our origins? Well, I would say yes, but only in a way that allows us to flourish as human beings, not one which provides true understanding. Sure, living a good life is fine and dandy, but what is the deeper meaning of it? Sure, you have rich experiences and have tons of joy in your life, but what does that all mean in the greater context of all that is? I guess it will be easier to live out your “sentence” on this planet and will make living that much more fun. And a life well-lived is something that can have a very deep meaning to you, to me. Even if it doesn’t answer all of those nagging questions.
People who live lives based in spirituality or other belief systems could have it all wrong. But many of them do not suffer for it. Especially if it is a consciously-chosen belief system, not a socially-conditioned one. A socially-conditioned belief system is nothing more than dumb luck, the family you were born into, the culture you live in indoctrinate that belief system into you. You mostly associate with those who believe the same as you and rarely ever go beyond the box of your little belief-created world. Many people never even change one belief about their spiritual practices in an entire lifetime. Even if they do have questions, social pressure holds them back from getting answers. They just go with the flow of their little world. Outsiders are different, so they are deemed dangerous, much like the condemning of the Muslim faith in American media. When’s the last time you saw a lead story about a peaceful Muslim movement?
Of course, those that choose their spiritual lives consciously have most likely tried at least a few belief systems and found one that worked best for them. There are even those who have multiple religions or perspectives when it comes to spirituality (see Steve Pavlina). These are conscious choices and are more certain beliefs in my book, because there was at least a period of spiritual exploration that took place. There were questions asked. Answers given. And there was growth beyond the socially-conditioned path of spirituality. It makes more sense to try out different beliefs about reality and see which resonate with you than to just pick one and stick with it, no matter how close-minded it may be. Even atheism doesn’t explicitly claim, “There is no God,” just that there is no proof of God. At least they are man enough to say, “I don’t know.” Or maybe I’m thinking of agnostic. Even Buddhism does not say whether or not there is a God and does not say what happens after death. Why? Because these people are not dead. At least they are not making false promises, or creating delusions that most people would regard as insanity from the outside looking in.
Experience is the only tool we have to create our belief systems. Everything else is what I would call “a leap of faith.” Unless we have directly experienced it, then we do not know whether or not it is true. For example, suppose you read in the paper that some building got bombed in another country, killing hundreds of people. Then the next day, an article comes out saying the first article was false, a mistake, a hoax even. But it was real yesterday, you say. But the only thing that was truly real to you about that whole experience is you reading the article claiming that a bomb went off, killing hundreds. You weren’t there to witness it or the after-effects. So you don’t know whether or not it is real. I’m sure it would be out of your way to go all the way over there and verify, but you don’t have to do that. Because it didn’t even happen, as you will soon find out. But how do you know the retraction is true?
This is why I find it hard to put my trust in ideas or philosophies I haven’t tried for myself and enjoyed the results. Sure, taking a leap of faith can help sometimes, like if it makes your life that much better, go ahead and do it. But I feel like taking too far a leap into the wrong faith can corrupt. The only thing you can ever be sure of is the present moment and what is around you. Everything else is a leap of faith. Your reality is what it is at every moment, and nothing else. That is the only thing you can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt. Your experiences are only real because you were there. Otherwise, they are pure fantasy. So wouldn’t a belief system focused on the present moment make a lot of sense? Or at least a belief system based on the culmination of all your present moments up today (i.e. your experiences)? To do anything more would be taking a bit of a risk, but you can always come back to first principle. You can keep an open mind about all belief systems, but know in your heart that all you know for certain is that you are here right now, existing, doing whatever it is you are doing. And it is then that you have no need for answers because all the answers you seek are right in front of you.
So, I am advocating a belief system based on experiences and the present moment. It is logical, but at the same time spiritual. You can have spiritual experiences and they are valid because you yourself experienced them. You can keep an open mind and experiment with any beliefs you want, but they are not your identity. You don’t need to rely on someone or something telling you how it is because you know how it is based on your experience. It does not claim there is a God, or that there is no God. It does not claim anything, other than what you actually, tangibly experience. It is certainly grounded in reality. It is certainly fool-proof. It cannot be wished away or simply changed. It is what it is and that is all. Simple, yet very profound. It needs no labels or converts. It simply just is, for now at least.
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