Our consciousness's complexity and intricacy are the sources of much our ideology, major components of our psychology, our faiths (perhaps), and much (though not all) of our behavior. Since humans do not fully grasp their own minds, they are less in control of events than they believe they are. I contend that people do not completely understand their own motives. I further contend that this poorly understood and inadequately controlled mental reality accounts for the bizarre, tortuous way in which human society has developed. The unbelievable complexity of the human world and the daunting problems we face are exactly what we might have expected from a species that is more at the mercy of randomness than it would like to admit, a species that is inherently incapable of grasping the wholeness of its own reality, and a species driven by internal thoughts and instincts that it cannot fully understand.
Therefore, I see history as the story of how the genus Homo has grappled with the reality of consciousness. We have tended (in general) to assume that we know what we're doing and where we're going.
We don't.
8 comments:
so do you contend that faith and religion are simply manifestations of the human mind in an attempt to understand or explain that which our brain is unable to filter? or perhaps more precisely, do you believe that the only reason religions exist are for that purpose?
Zach, I think the human brain needs to believe in something outside of the physical realm. Faith seems to be favored by natural selection, probably because it gives people hope. I also think religion is deeply tied into death and the whole host of questions that surround that. Does the brain DETECT God or does the brain WANT TO DETECT God? A pretty crucial question.
Well, I believe that the brain does detect God in a way, but i think He also resonates within us. Kind of like He is speaking to or through something else inside us. Call it a soul or what have you, but i think that God is much bigger than something the brain just detects and decides it might be good idea to worship.
i know the reason i worship God is not for that reason.
But Zach, how much of faith is inherited from those around us? What IS a soul? When you use the word resonates, in what sense do you mean that? Where is this felt, if not in the brain?
it is true that i was first exposed to the christian faith because my parents brought me to church. without that, who knows? maybe would have turned out alright with just a tad less direction or maybe i would have turned out a twisted, horrible person, either way, there is no way for me to tell if i would have come to Christ without that early influence. and while being raised in a Christian home had alot to do with my choice of where to worship, since i have made my decision to follow Christ, I have encountered many things that I can only attribute to God.
When i mentioned a soul, i realized that it was rather ambiguous and i still dont feel as if i am adequately prepared to explain what i mean exactly, but here it goes: when i say soul, i mean a part of me that is in me and is me, but is not physical or traceable. I have never fully understood the concept of a soul, but i have always thought of it as a deeper part of your being which God can speak to. It's the part that resonates within you when He speaks to you.
When i say resonate, i mean experiences like the chills I get when i get down on my knees and truly worship or when a tear forms in my eye during Amazing Grace. I mean the great feeling that overcomes me when i pray or when i feel alone and then i know im not. that resonance is like a drug to me; more intoxicating than anything i could buy on the streets and more satisfying than any feeling a woman could offer me. That resonance that i speak of is what tells me that there is a God and He loves me.
Perhaps the brain is where the soul is, or perhaps the brain is simply what translates God's words into something i can relate to: true euphoria.
i dont know if you have ever felt that. i remember in class you mentioned that you had experienced what i believe was called total concsiousness twice before, but i have no idea if these feeling are the same. i have never been able to feel that feeling unless i was worshiping or praying or having some "God-time." I pray you will be able to understand what I am talking about first hand.
You are a deeply impressive, person, Zach, and your eloquence is moving. Can you understand that I have my own reasons for my doubts?
i can. i have had doubts myself at times. if it's not too bold of me, what are those reasons?
We have tended (in general) to assume that we know what we're doing and where we're going. We don't.
This truly is the only rational theory which succinctly explains the tremendous adoration, wealth and influence granted to the singing ape-creature known as 50 Cent.
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