What is it about human beings that incline them to believe in gods? From the time we are born to the time we leave our parents we are cared for, watched over, told what to do, where to go, what clothes to wear; and life is uncomplicated. Then comes a time when we rebel against our parents and seek a certain autonomy, but we are not truly grown, nor do we want to be alone in the world. Having come to realize our parents are not infallible, we deny them, but we still desire the security they provided, the comfort of their presence which told us we were not alone. This comes as a by-product of our long childhood, and so we seek our parents externally and thus turn to those who offer us gods, great mothers or great fathers who oversee us all. We seek to be something more than we are, to attain something greater than our self, and to have it handed to us through deity, or rote ritual, or through simple mindless exercises and practices that take little effort, intellect, or time. Like children we seek magic, not knowledge. We seek an easy way to adulthood; we hope for a mystical method of transcendence.
What glory in having lived if we live only at the whim and sufferance of some incredible being which we can never ourselves become? What joy in life if we can only look on in awe at something so large, so incredibly inconceivable that we can scarcely imagine it, let alone evolve to stand shoulder to shoulder, as equals? Far more satisfying to let the things of our childhood pass away and, standing naked before the universe, proclaim the meaning of our life is ours to control, ours to choose. We are the makers and shapers of our individual destinies, not chance and certainly not gods.
There is another path, a direction which promises nothing but will deliver truth, knowledge, and awareness in equal measure to the effort put forth. It is a path which by its nature demands you put away childish things, renouncing worship, if not deity, and forswearing religious leaders and gurus who would think for you. There is a world of reasoning people which surrounds us. Countless people who have lived and died, sought out knowledge, unearthed truth, and provided evidence to support what they have left behind; scientists, philosophers, and researchers in many different fields of study. These people are not mentors, gurus, or pundits. They are adults and are not waiting for other people to mature and join them, but they are ready and willing to embrace those who pass through the morass of nescience. Their information and knowledge was wrested from the darkness of abysmal ignorance by great effort, persistence and dedication. What they offer is scientific accuracy based upon present knowledge and what they ask in return is for colleagues to join them as compeers to deepen their discoveries, to take their expertise from where they left off and extend and deepen that knowledge. When one passes into adulthood pseudo-science, religion, superstition, and myth must be left behind, as all childhood fantasies must be left behind. Maturation offers no short-cuts, no easy ways, no false promises, and instead challenges you to put forth your best effort, sweating blood at times to hold to the stringent dictates of reality. Your only reward the knowledge that you are a mature adult in a world where adulthood is rare.
Not everyone can be a scientist, but science and scientific methodology is available for anyone who appreciates truth more than fantasy, for anyone with the personal integrity to stand on their own two feet. Religions make promises and offer the world if you but follow them. People tend to turn to rationality and expect similar offers and promises. "What can you do for me?" cry the mindless multitude seeking for a quick fix. For the weak, the cowardly, the laggard this path is forever denied ... what anyone gains from traveling in this direction is directly proportional to the effort, talent, and honesty they bring with them. No one is standing at your door seeking adulation as the representatives of god, nor will you be threatened with hellfire and eternal damnation for not contributing your last hard earned dime. What is different about this path, is that you choose every step you take, you choose where you walk, where you intend to arrive, and how much effort you want to devote to it, or how little.
On this path you will recognize other people on their paths; some acting like children seeking a parent to prepare the way for them and some willing to pay for "nannies"who will play the parental role. On religious paths you will encounter those who call themselves transcendent and claim extraordinary powers. They are pitiful unfortunates, so browbeaten by their own inadequacies they must contrive artifices to bolster their self-esteem. Believe you not? Look to the Dalai Lama, the monks, the Pope, the priests, the rabbis, the so-called scientologists, the preachers, the transcendentalists, the reincarnationists, the new agers, the ufologists, any mainstream religion and all their kind ... what trait do they all share? An infantile need to claim superiority over any who deny the "truth" of their fantasies. In these groups there are two kinds of people, those who follow and pay and those who rake in money and power from their followers. These leaders make a living out of shearing their sheep, in return the sheep are made to feel special. They are told they are the favored children of god. They are promised their rewards in the hereafter will be greater than any misery they have on earth. But they must have a generous heart and give until it hurts.
The road to rationality, on the other hand, demands personal dedication, immense hours of work, and may then give up some small kernel of truth. But that truth is earned and solid beyond any epiphany ever spoken by voices in the heads of mad men. This path is not for children, it is for mature people who understand that success comes only with hard work. If you can't bring this kind of conviction and dedication to life, then you'll gain little from a rational course. Go away, do your own thing, be happy and may your deity bless and keep you forever and ever.
This article is written for those who seek reason, those to whom knowledge means more than hope or faith. This article speaks to adults and for those who read it and understand it, it is a Rite of Passage. As adults in a world of children we have an obligation to set an example, to offer a place for those that are capable of joining with us, but we don't lead, we don't make a religion out of rational thinking, and most of all we don't do the thinking for other people.
Transcendence
Part II
Skepticism is far more than negation of other religions. There is a power in the ability to know reality, a sense of confidence in truth and knowledge that not only make it difficult to be gulled, but it sets a foundation for an awareness of the weaknesses and strengths of those around you.
Knowing yourself, leads to knowing others, which in turn allows you to predict other people's thoughts and actions in a manner far more accurately than make-believe psychics. Acknowledging life is what it is, A is A and not B, the world is much more readily comprehensible, predictable, and manageable. Reason and logic are precise instruments and when wielded with authority offer more "magic" than that delivered by all the mystical paths. Mystical paths offer little more than palliative comfort and do not deliver an actual personal transcendence, only an emotional pretense. The skeptic, having a firm grip on the real and the unreal, can smile and wink at ostentatious claims of those following mystical and religious paths. When those who believe in such paths assume a condescending attitude suggesting they have achieved a spiritual enlightenment not available except through their form of mysticism, it is easily dismissed as what it is, immature posturing. Maturity and enlightenment, such as they are, are available to anyone. "Real" transcendence is achieved by the transition from childishness to adulthood and it is attainable by all who seek it out.
Insulated from the games that insecure and immature people play, a skeptical mind is free to think, to create, to imagine, in ways simply not available to those steeped in superstition. Unfettered, your thoughts can soar, never blocked or slowed by signs reading, "No Passage Here! Not Permitted! Eat Not of This Tree." Emancipated from superstition, realization dawns; people are suggestible animals and are susceptible to tempting alternatives, untenable shortcuts. Not led astray by fallacies such as hypnosis, extra sensory perception, witchcraft, meditation, space brothers, reincarnation, alternative medicine, "psychic" surgery, life after death, virgin births, resurrections, gods and goddesses, myths and other unsubstantiated stories, one understands reality with precision.
The value in knowing life is what it appears and nothing more, is immense. Knowing life is a singularity intensifies everything. What you do in this life can not be undone. It can not be made right in the next life, for there is no next life. The challenge is to get it right the first time, because it is the only opportunity you will ever have. Your successes and your failures will be with you to the day you die, and they will be with the world you leave behind. It is incredibly empowering to realize that, with but one life, we dare not miss anything. Even your senses, like those of other animals, become honed. Smells become more intense, sounds become more noticeable, sights are scrutinized in greater depth, and touch is more impassioned. Our thoughts require greater accuracy. Our thinking becomes of paramount importance, as does knowing what and who we are. Every question we ever asked becomes a quest, a challenge which we must answer now or forever lose the opportunity.
Without gods, mysticism, the supernatural, and superstition to inhibit your progress, transcendence to adulthood is assured. You become an independent entity, vibrantly alive and tuned to the highest pitch, ready to view the awesomeness of the universe, ready to challenge it, to make it, to shape it, to bend it to your own will. You need no one else to lead the way for you, and only you can realize your meaning to life and discover what needs to be done to make your world a better place.
All these centuries humankind has sought the gods, those beings who can grant favors and bring magic to mundane and humdrum lives. It is time our species grew up. It is time for us to stop supplicating gifts from the "gods." It is time we realized that we, by understanding reality and accepting it, can have far more magical lives than any god could possibly grant. Indeed, there are no gods, but the next closest thing is a mature adult who can stand tall and face the universe without responding in fear.
Remember, anything we really want to do with great passion, must be done in this life. It must be done before we die, or it will remain forever undone!
