Imagine for a moment that our civilization has passed, as civilizations do. A perfect storm of global warming, nuclear war, worldwide famine and a reversal of the earth's magnetic pole have conspired to end our time and reset the clock.
A small cadre of human beings have survived and a few thousand years have passed. A new civilization has emerged, with its own belief system, its own mythology about the nature of the universe and humankind's place in it. Eventually, when this new civilization has established itself, the human need to understand ones origins becomes focused on the past. Using the tools of their time, our descendents begin to burrow into the past. They discover a book of ‘sayings' within which is the statement:
"People who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones."
Following years of research, and tying together multiple sources, our progeny develop several conclusions and hypotheses:
a) glass was a manufactured product whose properties included transparency, hardness, brittleness, and malleability into different shapes.
b) one of the uses of glass in this former civilization was to build houses.
c) The admonition that "people who live in glass houses should not throw stones" makes sense, given the brittleness of the substance.
d) most people did not live in glass houses. Perhaps only the wealthy or royalty or the ruling class did, and only when external conditions (e.g. weather, political stability) permitted.
Note that all the above conclusions, would be correct on the part of our academicians, as that is in fact the case-most people do not live in glass houses, only the wealthy do, and only in certain climates and locations.
What our archeologists would be missing; however, is the fact that this statement is really an abstraction, a proverb. They would be mistakenly using a concrete, literal interpretation of an abstract concept-a behavioral admonition. It is a pithy, well known saying that expresses an obvious truth and advice: if you yourself are guilty of a behavior, don't attack others for doing the same thing. You will be vulnerable to attack and criticism.
In the same way, when we read the bible, the dead sea scrolls, or other ancient texts, we are at a distinct disadvantage. We lack the cultural context, and can be prone to concrete literal interpretations.
By way of example, in the old testament, Lot was told, when she left Sodom and Gemorah "Do not look back or you will turn into a pillar of salt." Of course, the text informs us, that as she left, she did look back and indeed turned into a pillar of salt. Some archeologists claim to have located the pillar, and see it as proof of a miracle, of God's hand. I propose, instead, that ‘turning into a pillar of salt' was a proverb of the day. It meant, do not look back in regret at what you have lost. If you do, you will cry bitter, salty tears. And you will be paralyzed, like a pillar, unable to move in any direction in your life. You will be then a ‘pillar of salt'. This perspective, invites us to take the bible as a book of lessons about life, written with deep inspiration at some time in the past. It invites us to think out of the box, to use the bible to look for some eternal truths about living and about human nature. It invites us to explore myths as metaphors for the great mysteries of life: what is our purpose and meaning, how can we cope with the fact that life feed on death, how can we make life work best for us and those we love?
Why I am writing today's blog:
In this age of rapid change, increasingly scarce resources, growing population, and cultural mixing, people are more and more threatened. It is natural to seek stability and certainty, when there is less and less of it. It is difficult to tolerate the uncertainty. As a parent, one wonders: will my child use drugs? Will my daughter become pregnant? Will my child fall under the influence of the media and succumb to values I do not believe in? What can I do to protect my children and grandchildren? What can I do to re-establish the order of life? Using religion to reconnecting with a stable, like-minded group, is a natural and healthy inclination.
However, if the perceived threat is great enough, and ones internal gyroscope unstable enough, fundamentalism is the next natural step. Rules, precise behavioral codes, a uni-modal way of viewing the world all serve to reduce anxiety and uncertainty and provide a blueprint for living. Like an intoxicating addiction which reduces anxiety, the rules and control expand, obliterating the individual, shifting that critical balance between individual and the collective, to the right. Unfortunately; however, the cost of fundamentalism is that it precludes diversity of opinion, flexibility, adaptability, individualism, and inter-group cooperation. Fundamentalism promotes ‘group-think', and cedes power to a relatively small number of individuals. While providing a semblance of stability and reducing uncertainty, fundamentalism divides people, reduces cross fertilization, and increases the risk of conflict between individuals, communities, ethnic groups, and nations.
It is my humble hope that this blog will stimulate the reader and allow him or her to step out of the polarization (e.g., I believe/I do not believe) to a more comfortable balanced place, illuminating a path of enlightenment and spirituality. It is my position that one should strive to think for themselves, taking in different perspectives, and remembering that most conclusions should be thought of as temporary. New information can and does regularly change our understanding and perspectives, if we are open to it.
As our civilizations resources (water, food, oil) shrink and world population expands, we will be forced to attend to more and more fundamentals in our hierarchy of needs (i.e., for a hungry person, food becomes more important than art). We will be drawn to and vulnerable to fundamentalism, and some will use the bible as a tool in that process. We will hurt each other more.
I imagine that this posting might be a very small step in the direction of tolerance, individual responsibility, creative thought, and ultimately, love. Love heals. Hatred and isolation kill. If it makes sense to you, share it with a friend.
