I would like a few moments of your time to further attempt to explain my views and concepts. While the views and concepts are my own, many are heavily based on others teachings and practices. There are however, some points that make them very unique.  I believe in the big bang. I believe that everything came into existence with a monumental explosion. I believe that we are nothing more than remnants of that explosion. Alan Watts put it best by comparing the concept to throwing a bottle of black ink at a white canvas on the wall in “The Nature Of Consciousness” The place where the bottle shatters represents the “big bang”. The ink is splattered against the canvas and lines of ink begin dripping down, taking the most efficient route down the canvas and away from the recent “explosion”. Along the way, the ink may split apart into multiple lines or may join up with a separate line. The ink changes hues, thinning as it travels and splits apart and darkening when it emerges with another line. It’s stated in “How Science Saved My Soul”, that everything including humans, are made of carbon that is over fourteen trillion years old. This would suggest that we are all connected and symbiotically journey through life.
If a child is born into the world, it is primal. It is not yet influenced by religion, society, ethics, etc. We find that it abides by the most primal necessities for life. It eats when hungry, sleeps when it needs to conserve energy and learns about it’s environment using the senses with which it is equipped. If left untainted, this individual would continue to practice such behaviors. A fire presents very similar behavior. If you light a candle, it will consume the wick as it’s energy breaks down the wax barrier. The flame eats as much as it can obtain and consumes oxygen as well. If you cup your hands over it and deprive it of some of the oxygen, the flame will shrink down in order to conserve energy and “stay alive” longer.  If you lift your hands, it will resume it’s normal pace. If you offer it extra nourishment like a tablespoon full of lighter fluid, it will devour the excess and quickly as it’s given and use the extra energy to burn yet more of the wax barrier in order to consume the wick, which offers stable nourishment. Two groups of fire will join in unison if put in contact with one another. Fire will adapt to the height and mass of flame that is most efficient. Light a match on fire. It will consume the matchstick at an even pace. Put the flame to a sheet of paper. The new nourishment is much easier to break down. The flame will split into two flames. One will continue to exist off the nourishment of the matchstick, while the flame that travels along the paper will consume at a much quicker pace on the easily digestible material. Once the paper is almost burned to completion, you will notice the flame attempt to shrink in order to prolong it’s existence as the nourishment is no longer abundant. Fire exhibits many of the same behaviors as man as well as other animals, plants, bacteria and viruses. According to Science a virus is technically “non living”, but we also know that they display definite behaviors once inside a living cell. Maybe science’s way of segregating living from non-living is not as accurate as we would like to believe. Remember, science once told us that the world was flat. Okay, so let’s assume that our ancestors were on the right track with the worship of Amun Ra. Why would we stray from this religion and grasp teachings of a Judaic God, Buddha and other mainstream religions of today?
The mainstream gods and practices of today, teach individuals to be sharing, empathetic, passive, giving, modest etc. These behavioral concepts are witnessed in popular religions such as Christianity and Buddhism. You must also practice these concepts if you are to be a “law abiding citizen”, “morally good person”, “role model” etc. This would be fine except for a couple of problems: The first problem is that the ones who control, enforce and/or promote the indoctrination of such concepts, very seldom live by what they “preach”. We can clearly see that the ones who lead the congregation under these rules, are almost never “morally good”, “law abiding” or fit to be “role models”.  Let’s take a closer look at psychology. If a person idolizes an idea or person, they strive to emulate the ideals, behaviors and teachings of such a concept or entity. Clever men figured this out long ago and decided to concoct the world’s first religion. My belief is that once man stopped being nomads and began forming civilizations by raising crops and livestock, religion entered and began humanity’s damnation.
Concept: Thousands of years ago, a small civilization of people raised food and children in one designated place of land. People of the civilization often traded livestock, vegetables, fruits, even mates. There were of course the “alpha males” who dominated the weaker, but this was to soon change. They began to form language and communicate with one another as well as teach their young. They didn’t exactly know the reason for their existence or purpose in life, but they knew the sun was responsible for the growth of their food and their health. It didn’t take long for humanity to look to the sun as some kind of ruling force. One day one of the more clever “citizens” called all of the others to congregate in the center of their establishments. He told them of the power of the sun, which they already knew to be present. Then he personalized the sun, calling it a name ex. Amun Ra. The clever man told of how Ra had blessed man with food and health, but demanded respect and tribute be shown for his blessings.
How did the clever one know these things? He explained that the answer was simple; The clever man said to have a special relationship with the all-powerful, all-knowing entity. He told the congregation that to favor him was to favor Ra. The congregation was informed that they should come to the clever civilian for guidance, as he would relay the inquisitions to Ra and return to them with Ra’s answer.  This announcement was probably made during a time of famine and/ or plague. People in despair have always been easier to manipulate, as they often grasp onto any concept that offers hope. It all seemed a “win-win” situation for the clever one. If the plague or famine passed, he would have proven his “power” and if the plague or famine was to be their demise, then at least he would do his best to remain in power until the very end. Of course the “alpha-males” were used to having their way with the food and women, so they weren’t so quick to succumb to these new teachings. The alpha’s threatened and questioned the power of the clever one. This is when he announced that his relationship with Ra was because of the Kinship between the clever one and the god. By claiming he was part god, the clever one now returned a threat to the alphas and questioned their superiority as well. The clever one probably ended his opposition by telling the congregation that the defiant alphas were the reason for the famine or plague. He explained that Ra was furious with the alphas for their lack of faith and respect.
Some of the alphas probably realized the “strength in numbers” of the congregation and fell to their knees in hopes to be forgiven. The ones who still resisted were probably overwhelmed by the congregation and became the first “sacrifices” to Ra. As the faith of the congregation grew, the clever one profited from having the control over the group, to being given free food and drink by the congregation and their harvest as well as the freedom to have his way with any of the women in the group. The clever one would become the world’s first King, Pharaoh etc.
The “King” passed his power down to his offspring when he grew too old to rule. The offspring in return, let their father live out his years in great wealth and peace. As time went on, kings grew to have more and more power over their followers, pushing for more and more authority and stripping the followers of more and more of their freedom. As history has proven, sooner or later, in desperation and fear of death, the followers revolt against the kingdom. The system collapses and their is usually a new authority lying in the midst to take control.
Like I said before, people emulate those that they look up to. Ra was eternal, fearless, at times cruel and consumed the daytime sky. It’s hard to control a massive congregation who strives to emulate such a ferocious god such as Ra. As centuries passed, other gods were introduced, rules and beliefs were altered, but religion proved to be a necessary force to allow one person or a small group of people to lead a very large group. As more centuries passed, there were gods, kings, dynasties, revolts and kings began studying the pattern in hopes of predicting or perceiving a revolt, before it became a threat.
As time went on, the kings became aware that in the past, the ones who leaned toward the worship and teachings of gentler, kinder, more merciful gods, emulated those gods and rebelled less often. In time this led to rulers indoctrinating masses into the ways of passive, giving and trusting gods. The congregations in turn, emulated the new, completely adverse gods and thus became the passive followers of today’s rulers.
I hope some of you will find this information useful. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at www.nolenthebeckoning.com Also a special thanks to Jamie for all the inspiration.
5 comments
I enjoyed this thoroughly. As always, you have outdone yourself, Nolen.
I miss you.
As you suggested, I read this through. Honestly, I’m not really sure what to say, because I’m still in high school and just a Junior at that. However, in the same way that I don’t know what to say, I somehow understand what you’re saying in all this. But on a subconscious level. Consciously, it’s just plain intriguing. I think I’ll be able to better understand some of this after I’ve been in school this year, seeing as I’ll be in psychology. I feel like this isn’t making much sense, so sorry if you’re utterly and completely confused by it.
As you grow older, it will become clearer whether you like it or not. LOL
I liked this.
I get what you’re saying about people emulating others that they aspire to be like too. And I can see how not being able to emulate those people, we start to lose hope within ourselves.
Kudos.
That’s a lot of Probablies. At times verging on Pro-bable.
Buddhism isn’t a religion. Buddha never claimed to be solely divine. One can strive for enlightenment or continue the cycle of births and deaths, Buddha could care less if you disagree with him. That’s the beauty of it, he knew that people, like plants and everything else in nature, have to grow at their own pace. To force a kitten’s eyes open before it was ready will only blind it. And yes most of the buddhist clergy I’ve met really do live by the buddha’s teachings. I think you have made a few grave generalizations about what you define as “religion”. Buddhism is more like a spiritual path.
Having said that, I completely agree with your ideas of fire being alive. And I live with Alan Watts in my heart.
To further your Alan Watts Big Bang Ink Splatter thought: We are the little curly Q’s on the outer most edges of the ink splatter.