Thursday, November 5, 1998
Try to solve mystery of meaning of life
SPIRITUALITY: Religion only one road toward accepting higher
power
By Aaron Blocher-Rubin
Are you spiritual, man? Can you feel your guiding spirit, the
higher force from above, watching over us all and leading you along
life’s twisted trails? Have you searched the depths of the outer
world and found the all-powerful forgiver-and-forgetter? Or should
I say, have you found God?
The nature of spirituality among the human race is an attempt to
explain the deepest mysteries of life, to account for the magical
processes we notice even in our daily lives, specifically those for
which mere science can only offer a description.
Our lives in this world are simply too shallow without some sort
of belief in a higher, almost-surreal power. That’s why I’m all for
people expanding their thoughts to a higher, more imaginative
level, beyond our immediately apparent hands-on world, trying to
connect with forces of another dimension that feel like they could
have a great impact on our lives. We need to feel that there is
more to life than that which the naked eye shows us.
Some people, such as myself, try to tap into the flow of the
air, the energy that connects us with other people or things, and
you know when you feel it. Others seek out organized religion, so
as to have preset moral guidelines and millions of other followers
across the world sharing the same ideas about the rules of
faith.
For the first half of this article, bear with me as I criticize
and demean every aspect of mainstream religion that I can think of.
First of all, it makes me sick almost to the point of vomiting
profusely to think that there are actually people out there taking
the Bible literally! Word for word! As if one entirely objective
writer sat through all these fantastic catastrophes, saw them all
magically solved, and lived to write about it. People! Come on!
While I admit that I have the utmost respect for faith in
Christianity and other mainstream religions, I also think people
take it too far in believing these spiritual documents and that
this could become a danger  times have changed, and surely
the rules of acceptable behavior need to be updated.
Why doesn’t someone write a new Bible, the "Even Newer
Testament"? Let it take place in the ’90s, and I’ll be Jesus who
comes to enlighten you all. Sorry, getting carried away.
Back to the point: the Bible, like many other religious
documents, serves an important purpose in defining the values of
the religion through the use of parables. The stories are
definitely great stories, but they were not written to make the
bestseller list in the "Non-Fiction" category  they were
designed to teach you something important about proper morals and
faith in God.
What exactly is this almighty being they call "Him?" He is our
culture’s personified metaphor for the higher force that gets to
determine if our life was worth living. So let’s see here … I
drink alcohol frequently and enjoy sex before marriage, and
confession to some priest is not in my near future  so am I
going to Hell?
Am I going to rot away in torturous flames for eternity (that
really does mean forever, doesn’t it?) because I have my own
beliefs about what the truth is, and feel I’m more justified to
have these than to believe in some prophet with a cool name like
Jesus that no one’s talked to for 2000 years?
I really doubt it!
In fact, my beliefs on the matter are quite simplistic, which is
surprising to me because I feel like I have such a complex mind. I
think that this higher force, for which I consider God to be your
basic metaphor, does exist (assuming it’s a single power) in ways
that alter our lives.
Have you read "The Celestine Prophecy?" Neither have I, but I
hear that it talks about these coincidences we all experience that
are too good to be true, too amazing to be an accident. I do not
pretend to be able to understand or explain how and why these
happen. I constantly think about it, wondering if somehow I have
the power to make things happen, to create the world before my
eyes, but I doubt that I personally have any special power to put
me above others.
I think that by acting with our hearts in a way we know is
right, we allow for good things to come to us  and they do
follow. Again, I respect people submitting to forms of
pre-constructed religions, because it reflects an attempt to
spiritually connect with this higher power, to feel its presence
within you and your life. I also believe, however, that it is
important to stay open-minded about not knowing the whole truth of
the situation, and to know that religions are only theories and
representations of the kind of power we know must be out there.
Without a higher power, how can we explain our existence? The
key is to look within yourself for a spirituality that blossoms as
you do, that grows as you grow. Don’t break it down to such a
rudimentary level where you can say, "God wants me to act this way,
so I will, because I want to score a spot in Heaven. Right on,
man!"
Please.
Karl Marx described it all best with his classic quote:
"Religion is the opium of the masses."
Everyone needs some consolation, some good feeling, some reasons
to believe that there are higher powers than us and we should be
good people because they will reward us and take care of our
problems. Some people choose drugs, some like religion. Many go
from step A to step B, after a near-overdose in which they "found
God." Drugs are definitely powerful enough to make you believe
this.
Hell, there have been times when I thought I was the
messiah!
Yet neither the drug nor the belief in God is an accurate
depiction of reality. They both just show the power of thought and
perception in the human mind.
Growing spiritually is very important. I encourage and practice
such habits as meditation and reflection of outside energies that
guide our lives’ paths. How else can you explain running into your
high school janitor, who once gave you a dollar when you forgot
your lunch money, in Afghanistan? The world isn’t that small Â
you had reasons to cross paths again.
Trying to understand these reasons and powers is fine;
pretending you can is naive. Most importantly, I say, recognize the
Spirit when it touches you, because you have been blessed. It isn’t
necessarily the Catholic Providence, who coincidentally has
features remarkably similar to us wonderful humans. The Spirit was
a meaningful power and deserves to be recognized.
At some point, after life is over, after death is over, and
after everything after that is over and all has been wrapped up in
a nice, neat little package, maybe we will all have a clue as to
what it all means. For now, live well, enjoy your days and prepare
your soul for the next level.Blocher-Rubin is a third-year
psychology student.
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]