A Most Complicated Entity

The other day in Chicago a 16 year old honor student was beaten to death in a street fight. The ensuing uproar over his death led to two members of the Obama administration being sent to Chicago to deal with the fall out. The young man's death was one of many that plague the City of Chicago. Children are being killed in record numbers; mostly by other children. I doubt that this plague is confined to the City of Chicago. I know that Los Angeles has a similar problem. Lest we think that the problem is confined to our country, look again. Recently in Rwanda, members of a tribe were murdered in the thousands. This problem is not confined to people of color. In Bosnia there was a similar attempt to wipe out thousands of Bosnians in a civil war. Let's not forget the millions who were killed in World War II simply because of their religion, nationality, or for no other reason than they were in the way of the war machines. Our species has a terrible record in this regard. One of the most important challenges we face as human beings is to simply learn to live with each other in peace. If we spent one half of the money we spend on arms, weapons of war, and methods of killing each other, we could solve most, if not all, of the problems of economic inequality, famine, and disease. In addition to the cost of murder and warfare, we are, as we did in the case of the honor student, killing the best and brightest of our species. How many Shakespeare's and Beethoven's have we murdered? The young man in Chicago who was murdered might have been the one to finally solve the scourge of cancer. We like to think of ourselves as enlightened. In doing so, we shy away from looking at the dark side of our nature. The Gnostic believes that God resides within each of us. When you examine the carnage that follows behind us, it is difficult to believe this to be true. There is a place in the Pacific Ocean where our trash has collected and it is killing the creatures that inhabit the ocean. Our murderous ways are not confined to our own species. The Supreme Court is at this moment wrestling with the question of whether films of people torturing small and helpless animals are entitled to the protection of free speech. Go figure! I stress all of this human garbage in our world for a reason. Nothing that I can cite illustrates the need for us to get past our current political, social, religious, and ethical boundaries more than the above litany. We have a lot of work to do. I submit that going to church for the sole reason of saving yourselves from sin is insufficient to get the job done. We need to make great strides in finding and cultivating our better natures. If we don't, how many more bright young men and women will have to die? How much carnage will occur in the future? It's a nice idea to think that God will send us salvation for nothing but our beliefs. I do not think God is that stupid. There is no free lunch. I believe that God favors our growth. At one time, we lived in caves; today we live in modern homes and apartments. At one time, we thought that disease could be cured by bleeding; today we have antibiotics. We have demonstrated that we are capable of growth. In no area do we resist growth more than in the area of religion. Because the Bible says that God told Joshua to kill every living thing that breathes in a village he conquered, that must be true about God. The Gnostic denies this forcefully. God does not believe in killing human beings for political or economic reasons. We came up with that by ourselves. If its not true about Genghis Khan, it is not true about Joshua. The heart and soul of the Gnostic Way is that the human race is capable of continuous growth. The Gnostic Way stresses metaphor over literalism. The best metaphor for life is to hold a baby in your arms and contemplate that baby's future. What kind of world do we want for our children? Do we want a world where they are beaten to death on their way home from school, or do we want them to grow up and match their full potential? This question should be easy to answer, however, our desires and our deeds have yet to match each other. When I suggest that the search for God within ourselves is important, think on this. Is there anything more important?

Why I chose to be a Gnostic

Imagine a religion that has no God. I understand that the Buddhist Religion is not based on a belief in God. The secular world has Atheism. Richard Dawkins book does an admirable job of outlining why so many scientists and philosophers have chosen to reject the idea of a God. Most religions require that you not only believe in God, but that you must accept their concept of what God is like. I was attracted to the Gnostic Way because the Gnostics do not pretend to know what God is like. God is a mystery beyond our understanding. Perhaps someday we will know God intimately, but that day is still very far away. The Gnostic searches for God inside ourselves. I have pointed out many times the words of Meister Eckhart that to know God we must empty ourselves fully; only then can God enter into us. All anyone can do realistically if asked to prove the existence of God is to shrug one's shoulders and pass on the question; anything else is speculative at best. I prefer to be honest and say that I am searching for God, and since I believe fully in reincarnation, I expect that at some point in the future that search will succeed. If someone chooses to believe that God can be known I have no trouble with that if the knowledge is metaphoric rather than literal. When you tell me that because of writings that occurred back when people believed that the world was flat and that the sun revolved around it rather than the other way around, I cannot go there with you. I am willing to accept anything as metaphor, and the Gnostics were masters at metaphor. In the world of metaphor, we are all brothers and sisters no matter what we believe. As literalists we are divided and shall always remain so. As a Gnostic I can listen to all points of view and need not adopt any single one of them. Hence, the Gnostic Way.

Death versus Life

If I could print just one aphorism and have it prominently displayed around the world it would be this: "Don't make simple things complicated." We all worry about death. Movies are often based on some form of death since it is always an interesting subject. Nothing is quicker in bringing tears to our eyes than the prospect or realization of the death of a loved one. However, I submit that the subject of death is unnecessary. Death does not exist. Nobody looks at the period at the end of a sentence as portentous; another sentence will surely follow. It is merely a marker that says one sentence has been completed and the next one will be a entity unto itself. That's what a book is; a long series of sentences that combined together make up a story. The same thing can be said for us. Like a sentence, our life is just one panel in a large tapestry. For the ultimate meaning, you must be able to see the entire tapestry. One panel like one sentence cannot express the whole. Last night I saw a program that discussed the life and death of the Milky Way Galaxy; our galaxy. It appears that the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way Galaxy are on a collision course. Apparently, our solar system may be cast out of the mix into the outer void. Don't fret, however, we are talking about several billion years from now. Our entire universe will die, I am told. Will other universes take its place? I submit that the answer is yes; everything dies and everything lives. Getting back to the aphorism I proposed. We need to stop looking at death as important. By dying, we simply make certain that life goes on. If you were to live forever in your present form, there are several bad things awaiting you. Sooner or later a super volcano will erupt (perhaps in Yellowstone Park). If not that, an asteroid will strike the earth. If that isn't enough, the sun will ultimately die and turn the earth into a burnt cinder in the process. By dying, we are able to adjust to all of this. We can come back after the dust settles and this or some other earth is now able to accommodate us. It may take a few million years, but I have good news about that as well; like death, time does not exist either. Just as you sleep at night, so you can take a nap while things sort themselves out. Someday, I would like to sit down and ask God why things have to be this way. I suspect that I already know the answer. Which would you rather do? Sit in an eternal chair staring at an eternal scene, or would you rather wake up eternally in a different place each time, leading a different life. Since it is an eternal tapestry sooner or later you will get to be everything from the simplest to the most complex form of life. I call that an adventure worth taking, what do you call it?

Frontal Lobotomy

I've never met a person who wants to have a frontal lobotomy. This procedure turns you into a zombie and robs you of the essential elements of being a human being. However, many of us, if not all of us at one time or another, give the procedure to ourselves. We do it with an emotion that we call "anger." Think back to the time that you were really angry. It doesn't matter whether your anger was justified or not. Think about your state of mind while your anger ran through your system. During my years as a criminal defense attorney, I could not help but notice how often my clients charged with murder had a problem with anger. Like a car with no brakes, these folks seemed to be unable to control the extent that anger overcame judgement. In many cases this condition was facilitated by alcohol or drugs, but not in every case; some people had this problem when they were sober. While you were angry did you say something that you later regretted? While you were angry did you do something physical that you later regretted? If honest with ourselves, most of us will answer in the affirmative. Those that answer in the negative should apply to the Pope for sainthood. Can our religious point of view help with anger? Can it allow us to control anger much better than we do at present? The Gnostic answers those questions with a resounding, "Yes." I am not suggesting that anger does not have its place. After a Pearl Harbor or a 9/11, anger is clearly justified. There is an old saying that revenge is best eaten cold. I believe that to be good advice. However justified anger might be, it is best to apply your answer to the provocation after you have had sufficient time to cool down. There are only a few cases where actions need to be taken immediately. Most situations allow for a cool down period. We are foolish if we do not take them. Road rage is a good example of what I am talking about. That fool that cut you off and almost caused an accident needs to be immediately admonished. Not! If that fool did not cause an accident let it go; he or she might very well have an accident in their future by the manner in which they drive, but there is nothing you can do about it except be thankful that you were not a participant in that accident. If you want to help out, pray for the individual; God has far more authority over that person's driving than you do. And if you do give in to your anger, what can you do that does not make the situation worse. If you call out the person to pull over, you are committing a crime. There's a good chance that you will commit another one when the person does not show you the proper respect for your outrage. It may come as a surprise, but the Judge and the Prosecutor will not be sympathetic to your plight. Many otherwise good people have found themselves in prison for just this sort of activity. Many others have found themselves as victims of this crime, some even dead as a result. I use this example but there are many others. I urge all of you to put two words into your vocabulary while you are driving. They are simple and easy to follow if you allow them into your consciousness. "CHILL OUT!" The Gnostic says that they are good advice no matter what you are mad at. It could be your spouse; your child; your boss; the person who cuts into the line; the fool who roots for the wrong team; or any other common complaint. They are all the same. Keep those two words in mind, drunk or sober, and your life will far more fruitful and pleasant.

Primary Connections

The Gnostic does not pretend to know what the nature of reality might be. It is not within the human being's understanding to know the exact nature of reality. By reality, I mean the ultimate truth about the nature of the universe we live in; a reality that includes ourselves as human beings. We can conjecture, and by so doing reach conclusions that must await proof before they become a description of reality. Neither our scientists nor our priests and ministers can tell us how reality is constituted. Everything that we know is limited by what we do not know. The difference between the Gnostic and the rest of the community, both religious and secular, is that the Gnostic utilizes metaphor to reach an understanding of reality; by so doing, he or she does not pretend to espouse the literal truth. The best metaphor that I know to describe reality is the number "one." Three Dog Night had a beautiful number called "One." They claimed that one is the loneliest number in the world. I suggest otherwise. One, in the Gnostic's world encompasses everything. No matter what form of matter you can describe, either plant, animal, or inanimate, it is all composed of atoms. Atoms combining with each other make up all matter, both alive and inanimate. A star and an angle worm, however different they may be, are all composed of atoms. In quantum physics, atoms are able to adjust to one another, and this adjustment can take place between atoms light years apart. If it were not for this adjustment, we as human beings would not exist. Thus, our ultimate component, the atom, is not alone in the universe. We, in turn, being composed of atoms are not alone either. We are all connected. While we live, the atoms in our body are constantly changing. We are not composed of the same atoms that made us up at the time of our birth, or for that matter, the ones that we were composed of during the Clinton administration; yet we are the same persons. What does this all mean metaphorically? Since our atoms are interchangeable with each other, it means that we are all connected in a fundamental way. We are all one, just as our atoms are all one. As a Gnostic it is a short step to say that the One is also the entity that we call God. That said, we are one with God as surely as we are one with each other. The implications are staggering. When you find yourself angry or upset at your neighbor, you are being angry and upset with yourself as well; notwithstanding that you are also being angry and upset with God. We are all one.

Humility

Leo Durocher was famous for his line, "nice guys finish last." Hitler fed on nice people the same way that a lion feeds on a gazelle. When I was young Hollywood made westerns. The usual western involved a hero who set aside his gun to live a nicer life. At the end when the bad guys were winning, he would put his gun back on and shoot his way to a decent conclusion. So goes humility. To be humble is the same thing as advertising that you want to be a victim. However, Jesus said that the meek would inherit the earth. How can this be? The truth is that being humble is not weak, but strong. A good example is the tree that bends in a strong wind; few such trees are uprooted. Meister Eckhart said that in order to find God it was necessary for one to empty himself completely. By this means, God is able to enter in and fill the empty space. The missing element is courage. Courage and humility can and should go hand in hand. It takes courage to let go and allow the still, small voice of God guide you when life is hard and the solutions to your problems appear to be nonexistent. It takes courage to avoid the easy but illicit solutions that tempt you at such times. If you are willing to pursue humility with courage, you will discover a great truth; this combination is powerful. Humility, properly used, allows you to not only let God guide you, but to guide you with courage and perseverance. When you study natural history, you will discover that there were many times when the earth faced extinction events. In one all but 5% of the biota died. Our ancestors survived them all, or we would not be here. Did they survive by being brash and aggressive, or by being humble and taking what God gave them for survival. I am betting that the latter is true.

Just Who is Jesus?

I have often pointed out that all religion has to be viewed as metaphor. The search for God is a search for a mystery fully enclosed by an enigma. To look at any religion as literal is a trap from which escape becomes impossible; literal resists change, but metaphor invites it. In addition, it is not necessary for us to know the exact nature of God. If we acknowledge God, we will have done all that we are capable of doing. The remainder is up to God, Himself. If we can't explain God, how can we ascribe the nature of God to a human being? The people of the time of Jesus had no difficulty doing so. The Pharaoh was a god. The emperor of Rome was a god. Every mountain had a god living on its summit. For them, ascribing Jesus with divinity made sense; indeed failure to do so would have doomed Christianity at its outset. Nobody would have taken Jesus seriously if he did not have an intimate relationship with God. Another reason for ascribing deity to Jesus lay in the doctrine of salvation. The Christian believes that he or she is born in sin. To be saved, it is necessary that Jesus intervene. Jesus had to be more than a priest to do this; he had to be the Son of God. The Gnostic does not view God in the same manner. In the gnostic view, God and His creation are one and the same thing. Science with its study of quantum mechanics is headed in the same direction, even if the scientists do not admit to it. There are many savants today who see God Himself in the quantum field. The ancient seers reached that point years before the birth of Jesus. Since the Gnostic deals in metaphor, he or she does not need to take a stand and say, "this is it." The "it" is a constantly changing concept and we will not reach full understanding until we are in the presence of God. So where does that leave Jesus. There is no better answer to this question than a book written by Deepak Chopra, "The Third Jesus." There is no need to reject the teachings of Jesus. There is much to learn from him, and his theology. No one sets it out better than Deepak Chopra. In answer to the question in the title, read his book. The important point is that you not expect Jesus to drop from the sky and save you from the rigors of being a human being. Jesus in his teachings clearly spelled out a pathway to reaching salvation through your relationship with God. The salvation comes from knowing God and thereby helping to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven. Its the same pathway the Gnostic is traveling, and its a good pathway for all of us to take. The Gnostic says that its time for you to get started.