Long Lost Logos

That deep emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God.
- Albert Einstein 

For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
- Jesus Christ

Are humans merely a fancy breed of ape, no more special than any other beast on the planet? Is our existence inherently devoid of purpose? Is the search for meaning, happiness, and fulfilment a pointless pursuit?

Or are we different from other animals? Were we chosen by a higher power for a special purpose? Do we hold within ourselves a fragment of the divine, and is this fragment key to achieving joy and fulfillment?

Dan Meilleur did a fantastic job laying out the particulars of this debate in his post entitled "Special or Not?" In it, Meilleur clearly disagrees with the Judeo-Christian view of humanity's superior status. He states that

human life is no more important or intrinsically valuable than that of a kangaroo, a carrot, or a flea. Our sentience is different, yes, but our importance--our “special-ness”--is not.

Meilleur rightfully blames the Judeo-Christian view--that the creator of the universe personally made us, takes an interest in our daily activities, and that the earth is our birthright--for some of the problems we are facing as a species today. By thinking that we are superior to other lifeforms and that the earth is ours to subjugate, we can pollute and destroy without a shred of remorse.

On the other hand, blaming a book or ideology for human behavior is like blaming a wrench for the mechanic's sloppy work. The Bible isn't at fault: our interpretation of the Bible is.

There are splinters of wisdom and insight embedded within the Bible but in order to glimpse them we must read the Bible symbolically, as it was always meant to be read. The problem is that many people interpret the Bible as a literal history of the universe and in doing so miss the truth contained within its pages.

What truth?

That humans are indeed special; that we were chosen by a higher power for a specific purpose; that we carry a shard of that higher power within ourselves; and, that this shard of the divine is key to  discovering our purpose and achieving happiness.

Best of all, this truth does not contradict reason or modern scientific understanding; to the contrary, the two sides, seemingly at odds, compliment each other remarkably well. Let's examine the statements listed above.

We are Special

This isn't hubris, folks. Just look around you for a moment. You see the cars driving by, buildings towering above, and planes shooting across the sky? Did gorillas make these wonders? Did ants? Fleas? Seagulls?

I'm not saying we're special as in "better" or "superior" to other animals, nor am I saying that we aren't animals: we most certainly are. When I say special, I only mean that we are otherwise different from what is usual. If humans are animals, and no other animal has come close to rivalling our accomplishments, then one cannot deny that we are somehow different.

What is it that distinguishes us from our animal relatives?

The ability to analyze, hypothesize, organize, predict, and override our biological programming. Combined, these allow us to literally rearrange the world around us into forms that serve our needs. Tables, street-signs, wheelchairs, pace-makers, computers, and every other human-made object on the planet was once raw material which we extracted and reshaped for our own purposes.

No other animal on earth can do this.

That's not to say that we should mistreat other animals or subject them to needless cruelty; only that we are indeed different from them. As you will see, the thing that makes us different also demands that we take care of one another and treat all lifeforms with dignity and respect.

We were Chosen

It's important not to get hung up on terminology here. When I say we were chosen by a higher power, I don't mean that we were hand-crafted by a bearded sky-father. I don't mean that a deity told us that earth and everything on it was ours to do with as we please.

When I say we were chosen, I mean that we are the product of evolution, which is also called natural selection. This implies that certain lifeforms are selected or chosen to survive, breed, and evolve further. And since we exist here and now, we can safely assume that we are among the races chosen by nature to survive and fulfill our purpose.

When I say higher power, I'm not referring to an anthropomorphic deity who judges and doles out punishment to his unruly children; I'm talking about the "superior reasoning power which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe," as Einstein put it. It's the pantheistic God, aka the Universe. Nature is simply the creative spirit organizing God's parts into ever more complex forms.

Humans just so happen to be the most complex form on earth and, in all likelihood, in the solar system. If that doesn't make us special, I don't know what does.

We have a Purpose

When comparing like objects, what leads us to judge one as superior to the other? For instance, what makes one type of car better or more valuable than another? Only this: that one fulfills its purpose more efficiently, beautifully, and effectively than the other.

If a garden produces an abundance of fruit and another very little, one will judge the first to be better than the second. It is because a garden serves a purpose: to bear fruit.

We hold in our minds ideas of what different things ought to do and prize those that do it best.

In order to discern our purpose as a species, we must look at the basic functions or traits of human beings. What are some hallmarks of humanity? What is unique about us? What do we do better than other animals?

In other words, what is our function?

First, we are social animals. This isn't a unique trait, of course. Most animals function in packs, tribes, colonies, etc. but no other species has devised such vast and complex social networks, nor leveraged them into a global civilization. No other animal has developed advanced methods of communication, nor the ability to contact others instantly across vast distances.

Second, and more importantly, we are reasoning animals. This, I believe, is the thing that also makes us special. Without the ability to recognize and analyze patterns, organize information, plan, predict, and rationalize, we would be no different from our cousins, the great apes.

There is no other trait that is uniquely ours. Everything else we do, every other skill or attribute we possess, exists in the animal world in greater abundance. We are not the strongest, fastest, or most resilient beast in the animal kingdom. Only reason allows us to reshape the world around us and more importantly, override our biological programming or instincts so that we may act rationally.

And so, in order to fulfill our purpose as human beings, we must first employ reason, our greatest tool, in all aspects of our lives and second concern ourselves with the common good of those around us.

The Divine is Within

If you agree with the above, this last one--which at first glance is probably the least believable of the bunch--becomes much easier to grasp.

The Universe is a higher power and Nature is the creative spirit that shapes and governs its parts. Using Nature, the Universe recycles and reinvents itself, moving from simplicity to complexity and manifesting itself into new forms.

Doesn't that sound a whole lot like what we do with our surroundings? We take existing matter in its crude form, refine it, reshape it, assemble it, and put it to work fulfilling some new purpose. It's this very ability that distinguishes us from other animals, and coincidentally, it is the very thing that drives the Universe along.

If we regard Nature as the intellectual force of the Universe, the thing that drives evolution in all its myriad forms, and we alone of all the animals on earth are capable of imitating the Universe, doesn't it stand to reason that we too must possess a fragment of the universal intellect?

That's what a bunch of ancient philosophers believed. They called this piece of the divine intellect the Logos and they claimed that only through it could humans find salvation.  Oddly enough, Christianity agrees with this notion. In the opening verses of John's Gospel, the author refers to the Logos by name, claiming that

In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

We later find out that the Logos came down to earth in the form a man named Jesus Christ, who tells us that he is "the way and the truth and the life" and that "no one comes to the Father" except through him.

The Father is none other than the wondrous Universe itself and the only way we can truly know God and find salvation is through the Logos, which dwells within each and every one of us.

Conclusion

We have inherited a great and powerful gift that no other animal on earth possesses. That makes us special, but not invincible, and it certainly doesn't give us the right to poison our beautiful planet or abuse the other lifeforms who dwell upon it.

We would do well to remember Uncle Ben's warning to a young Peter Parker: "With great power comes great responsibility."

Atheists like to point to the book of Genesis as the source of our reckless behavior and ego-centrism. What they ignore is the second chapter of this book, which retells the creation story from a slightly different perspective. Here we are told that God made us to look after his garden. In other words, we are the earth's caretakers, not its masters.

As such, we must look out for our home and all its inhabitants. We must strengthen reason in our minds and use it to govern our instincts and passions. We must banish ignorance and destroy greed. We must put our petty, superficial differences aside and look to one another for strength, love, and support.

Alone even the mightiest human can accomplish very little; but together, working coherently toward a set of common goals, we can finally stop worshiping imaginary gods and become gods ourselves.

Look around you again. Clearly we've already begun our transformation but our progress is hindered. Along with the Logos, we carry the baggage of our animal heritage--our tendencies toward tribalism, violence, competition, insecurity, and fear--and this burden threatens to grind our progress to a halt.

Only the light of the Logos can frighten the animal mind into its cage where it rightfully belongs.

The holy spirit isn't upon you: it's inside you. You need only awaken it to transform your life and the lives of those around you.

/rant over

Two Cent Rant: Jesus

Was Jesus Christ a real person or a fabrication? Was he a miracle worker, wise teacher, political radical, or a mix of all three? Was he truly God personified or just a regular dude? For whatever it's worth, here's my two cents.

People have long debated the existence of Jesus and called into question the details of his life. The four Gospels of the New Testament provide enough contradictions to fuel the debate alone; throw in the 52 Gnostic Gospels and lack of corroborating testimony in secular historical records and you're looking at a difficult case to crack.

To make matters even more difficult, those who maintain that Jesus was real and that the Biblical accounts of his life are 100% literal and accurate cannot be swayed by evidence or a lack thereof. Why should they care that the only clear references to Jesus are contained in the New Testament and no where else? To these people, the Bible is the perfect word of God and contains all the evidence they need regarding the existence of Jesus.

Here's how we can resolve the historicity debate: we can stop having it.

It's another pointless argument that leads both sides to a place I like to call butt-fuck no where. Neither side can win but more importantly it's a pointless debate because both sides are focusing on the wrong thing.

Whether a flesh-and-bones Jesus ever lived is irrelevant. The Christ meme--the idea, mythos, or character of Jesus Christ, the son of God who traveled the Levant performing miracles and teaching the masses, died, and was resurrected--exists and is alive and well. It thrives in the minds of millions around the world, affecting how they think, speak, behave, and believe.

If one can't deny Christ's effect on the millions who worship him, how can we deny his existence?

Memes are selfish replicators. They try to achieve two simple  things: survival and reproduction. Religious memes are particularly good at this because they learned long ago to exploit our fear of mortality and hunger for meaning. By offering followers a special purpose in life and continued existence after death, religious memes secure their prolonged survival.

Christianity is by far the most successful religious meme in history. A few hundred years after its birth it spread across the whole of Europe, pushing all other religious and philosophical memes to the brink of extinction.

"Hold up!" I can hear some of you atheists shouting. "Christianity only achieved supremacy by using violence, barbarity, and other underhanded tactics. The Church forced people to adopt Christianity. There's nothing special about that!"

Like I said, memes don't give a shit how they survive, just so long as they do. They will throw people under the bus, wipe out entire populations of non-believers, cheat, lie, steal, whatever.

Even so, Christianity didn't start off burning witches and torturing pagans. Anyone with a passing knowledge of history will tell you that early Christians were literally fed to the lions by the Romans.

So how did Christianity go from Rome's favorite whipping boy to dominant state religion? And why is it that millions continue to identify as Christians despite clear evidence that the Bible is just a collection of quasi-historical myths and stories?

In other words, what is it about this particular meme that captures the human mind so easily and firmly?

First, Christianity's success in Rome was due by and large to its adoption of existing pagan symbols and themes, the most influential of which is the Solar Saviour myth.

Allow me to summarize.

Throughout history we find essentially the same legend told over and over again. The legend is allegorical, a reflection of events that take place annually in the heavens above, and is remarkably consistent in its many incarnations. The story revolves around a hero or savior figure, typically born of a virgin, whose coming is heralded by a prophet in the wilderness and who gathers around him twelve disciples. The hero eventually dies and, three days later, rises from the dead.

I could go on but this topic is far too lengthy to tackle in a 1,000 word rant. If you want to learn more or just want to have your mind blown, check out this video. And if you want a more in-depth look, I highly recommend Tom Harpur's book "The Pagan Christ." Needless to say, a large part of the Jesus meme is simply a rehashing of time-worn myths.

Adopting this well-known motif might've helped early Christians convert pagans and become the dominant religion of Rome but it doesn't explain how Christianity continues to sway so many humans in the modern age. People nowadays aren't attracted to Christianity by the miracles Jesus supposedly performed. In fact, many Christians eschew literal interpretations of the Gospel altogether in favor of symbolic or metaphorical readings.

Christianity's power lies not in a list of plagiarized miracles but in the message attributed to Jesus (and moreover to the Apostle Paul, whom many believe to be the true father of Christianity as we know it). The message is in no way unique--we can find bits and pieces of it in Buddhism, Stoicism, Platonism, Zoroastrianism, and Taoism--but Christianity is perhaps the first meme to bring so many fragments together under one roof.

What is this message?

That we are all God's children; that God's Kingdom resides within each and everyone of us; that this Kingdom is accessible only through the Logos (the author of John's Gospel calls it the "Word" and equates it with Jesus, but more on that Friday); and finally, that God is love.

Byproducts of this message include loving your neighbor, treating others as you would like to be treated, turning the other cheek, living in the now, and holding in low regard earthly or material possessions.

Christ's message contains within it elements of Truth, hence why it continues to resonate with so many people. Unfortunately for those people, centuries of literal interpretation and meddling from religious and political organizations have obscured Jesus' teachings and fragmented the Christian community into countless sects and sub-sects.

Nowadays, most people who identify as Christian know very little about the man (whether real, fabricated, or a little bit of both) who gave them their name. They support political parties that claim to be Christian but whose deeds prove the opposite.

Any politician who spews lies and hatred, cuts funding to welfare and education, or who attempts to impose his personal beliefs onto others by way of government, is announcing his apostasy to the world.

Whether physically real or not, Jesus was a wise dude and more so-called Christians would do well to abide by his teachings. If everyone who claimed to be a Christian actually acted like it, they wouldn't have to wait to go to paradise: they would already be there.

/rant over

Beginning of Salvation

You must discover yourself in the wrong before you can reform yourself. Some boast of their faults. Do you think that the man has any thoughts of mending his ways who counts over his vices as if they were virtues? Therefore, as far as possible, prove yourself guilty, hunt up charges against yourself; play the part, first of accuser, then of judge, last of intercessor. At times, be harsh with yourself.

-- Seneca the Younger

What happens when you suddenly realize that you were wrong, rude, stubborn, mean, ignorant, irrational, insensitive, or careless? Do you acknowledge your mistakes and resolve never to repeat them or do you deny their very existence? Do you yank the weeds out of your garden or allow them to choke out the flowers?

"The knowledge of sin," said the philosopher Epicurus, "is the beginning of salvation." At least it should be. For most people, the knowledge of sin is nothing more than an opportunity to practice denial and willful ignorance.

You'd think we would be relieved to discover our flaws. How is anyone supposed to improve if they never discover where they need improvement? How is anyone supposed to grow if they ignore every opportunity to do so?

The answer is simple: they're not.

Few deny that self-improvement is a worthwhile pursuit. No one wants to get worse at something. No one wants to go backward in life. Whether you're an athlete, parent, artist, carpenter, nurse, or salesperson, you should want to be the best--not the best in the world necessarily, nor even the best in your league, but rather the best you can be. In other words, you should want to reach your full potential. You should strive for excellence in everything you do, not to showboat or prove yourself better than others but because that's what you were made to do.

One way to be the best version of yourself is to build on the skills and positive qualities you already possess. People tend to have less difficulty walking this path. They understand that practice makes perfect, that hard work leads to results, so they train, study, and put in the hours.

But that's only half the job, and arguably, it's the least important half. No matter how hard you practice, no matter how good you get, your flaws and weaknesses will always hold you back.

Instead of focusing on what you can do better, why not figure out what you should stop doing? In case you haven't figured it out yet, we're back in "Know Thyself" territory here. In order to be excellent, you have to be ready to discover some unpleasant things about yourself.

I told my good friend this very thing and her reply was very insightful. She said, "I've been there before and I don't like the feeling. I don't like being exposed without my armor." What she calls her armor is actually her Ego, who fights off any and all uncomfortable revelations that come with authentic knowledge of self. What my friend doesn't know is that the skin beneath her "armor" offers more protection than the Ego ever will.

In fact, the Ego doesn't protect her at all: it protects itself. My friend just so happens to mistakenly identify the Ego as her authentic Self.

There's nothing like realizing that you've been a giant douche-bag for the majority of your life, especially if you spent those years believing you were a witty, charismatic, likable character. I'm not speaking generically here, folks. I'm talking from personal experience. When I write about knowing yourself and being mindful, I'm not preaching from on high. I'm in the trenches with you, my friends.

It's an ongoing and never-ending process.

Every night before bed, I reflect on the day's events like a detective investigating some petty criminal. I look for moments of selfishness, ignorance, insensitivity, and irrationality. Without fault, the process always uncovers some new flaw or questionable habit.

Face, meet palm.

The sting you feel in these situations is an unnecessary reaction. Unless you were being an asshole on purpose, why would you feel guilty? You were blissfully unaware of your moronic behavior. Now that you're aware of it, you can amend it.

These little revelations should bring relief, not shame or embarrassment. Each one is a lesson. Learn it and reduce your chances of backsliding. Do this over and over again. Yank the weeds out the moment they break ground and eventually they'll all but stop growing. You'll look back at the person you were a year ago with a mixture of wonder and relief.

You won't be a different person. To the contrary, you'll be more you than you've ever been. The authentic You--the reasonable, creative, loving You--will flourish. All the petty grievances, worries, grudges, and judgments are holding you back. Drop them and move on. You'll be thankful you did. 

Anyway, I had a nice little moment of douche-baggery at work just the other day. I belittled someone and dismissed their concerns without knowing it. I probably would've remained unaware too if it wasn't for my co-worker who just happened to overhear the exchange.

Now most of the time people don't tell you when you're being a jerk, or else they tell you in the worst possible way. Not my colleague. She very clearly, directly, and respectfully told me that I was being an asshole. I tried to justify my behavior. She listened and stated flat out that I was wrong.

I went back to my desk and mulled it over. Of course my colleague was right. I had been insensitive, inattentive, and dismissive. That wasn't my intention, of course, but it was the end product nonetheless. So I apologized to the person I had mistreated and when I ran into the colleague who had pointed out my thoughtless behavior, I thanked her too.

"What for?" she asked. I explained to her that she had been right--I had been an asshole--and that I probably wouldn't have realized it without her.

She was flabbergasted. "Most people have a hard time admitting that kind of stuff," she said.

Which is both true and a shame. We're all capable of self-awareness. We're all capable of dissolving the Ego and being free of psychological constraints. Like anything else, it takes practice and dedication.  It means stepping out of your comfort zone and exposing yourself to sometimes scary and often uncomfortable truths.

The payoff, though, is well worth it. It's nothing short of freedom--freedom from insecurity, aimlessness, and discomfort. You become at home in your body and mind.

You become you, which is the first and most important step to finding true, lasting Happiness.

/rant over 

Hot Commodities

It is not that we have so little time but that we lose so much. The life we receive is not short but we make it so; we are not ill provided but use what we have wastefully.

--Lucius Seneca, On the Shortness of Life

What is the most valuable commodity in the world?

Is it Gold?

Water?

Rice?

Coffee?

The correct answer is, None of the above.

The most valuable commodity in the world is time and ironically it's the one we hold in lowest esteem. Think about all the time you've wasted over the years, all the idle hours spent watching TV, playing video games, sleeping in, and being bored.

All those hours are gone forever.

If the value of a commodity is based on supply and demand, how can anything be worth more than time?

Time is always in short supply because it's the ultimate non-renewable resource. Each one of us is born with a finite amount and life starts debiting your account the moment you're pulled from the womb. When your funds eventually run out you can't ask for an extension or borrow more time from the bank.

Things are just as bleak on the demand side of things. Nothing can be obtained, acquired, or accomplished without investing time into it, which is why everyone needs it. You've got 24 hours a day in your budget and eight of them are for sleeping. That leaves 16 hours to spend on your interests, hobbies,  education, family, friends, and peers.

How often do you hear people say, "I don't have time to do this" or "if only I had more time!" How often do you think or say these things yourself? Everyone is short on time. Everyone could use more. The only difference is that some people know it while others do not.

If you understand the preciousness of time you probably try to invest it carefully. But this begs the question: how does one go about distinguishing between worthwhile investments and worthless ones?

You need wisdom for that.

What do I mean by wisdom? Simply this: the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight, with good intentions.

Where does one acquire wisdom, exactly? It's not like there's a Wisdom 101 class being offered at your local community college. Because wisdom is actually the culmination of different skills, traits, and behaviours, it has to be assembled piece by piece. You can acquire knowledge in school or in books, experience in everyday life, understanding through study, common sense with practice, and insight through contemplation, but wisdom requires you to use them all in concert.

If only there was a one-stop shop where you could acquire the building blocks and learn to put them together... Oh wait, there is!

It's called Philosophy, which in Greek literally means "Love of Wisdom."

Forget what you think you know about philosophy. Modern academics have transformed this ancient discipline into something radically different from its original state. You need only read what ancient philosophers wrote about philosophy's purpose and function for proof. According to Seneca, for example, philosophy

is a matter not of words, but of facts. It is not pursued in order that the day may yield some amusement before it is spent, or that our leisure may be relieved of a tedium that irks us. It moulds and constructs the soul; it orders our life, guides our conduct, shows us what we should do and what we should leave undone; it sits at the helm and directs our course as we waver amid uncertainties.

You can be sure that the acquisition of wisdom, whether through philosophy or other means, is time well-spent. Wisdom dispels illusion and reveals the true worth of every object, person, pursuit, and action. It acts like a map that reveals the location of various treasures and outlines potential routes to reach them.

Wisdom reveals the hedonic treadmill beneath your feet and the endless line of carrots dangling into the distance. It gives you the ability to distinguish between worthwhile investments and worthless ones, meaning you won't waste another second of your time ever again if you don't want to.

And that's good news, considering how strapped everyone is for time.

Material pursuits are necessary. We all need to make money in order to pay the rent, stock the fridge, and obtain other bare necessities. Some luxuries are also worth pursuing, but only so long as we remember their nature and function. Luxuries are means, not ends: they make life easier, more convenient, or more enjoyable. In other words, they can contribute to the ultimate end, which I believe is the same for all people and yet so damn elusive: happiness.

A wise person enjoys material goods while they are in her possession but doesn't count on these for personal happiness. Happiness derived from externals is temporary and fleeting; it will turn to misery at Fortune's whim. A wise person spends very little time chasing temporary pleasures, choosing instead to invest time on those things that cannot be lost, stolen, or destroyed.

This life of yours is a precious and temporary gift. The sand in your hourglass is constantly slipping away grain by grain and when it runs out, that's your cue to exit stage left. It is in your power to infuse your life with purpose and meaning here and now, while you can. You have the ability to rearrange your priorities and invest every moment of your time into worthwhile pursuits.

Only a fool would choose to waste the most precious commodity in the world. Let wisdom be your map and reason your compass. With these you will never be tricked into throwing your time away.

/rant over

Change

The company I work for recently got purchased. Right after the sale was announced, many of my co-workers were anxious. Would there be lay-offs? Would we lose benefits? Would our new owners change the way we operate? Were they going to absorb us into their much larger fold?

My colleagues and I were lucky. Our new owners were transparent, answered all our questions to the best of their abilities, and assured us that we would remain autonomous. They promised that wages and benefits would either remain the same or increase, but that under no circumstances would we find ourselves in a worse position than before the acquisition.

Despite these reassurances, many of my co-workers remained skeptical. What-ifs buzzed and swarmed throughout the office sewing anxiety and discontentment. Things that might happen weighed heavily on people's minds.

What if our new owners were lying? What if they turned around and did all the stuff they promised they wouldn't? What if, what if, what if? Seneca was bang-on when he said that "we suffer more from imagination than from reality."

Worrying about what might happen doesn't prevent it from becoming so. And even if the worst happens, the only thing that makes it "the worst" is your opinion, and you can ditch that anytime you like. Remove the judgment and what are you left with?

Change.

Change is constantly happening all around you whether you like it or not. Everything is in constant motion. Nothing stands still. All matter--whether stars, planets, or people--is subject to the universal cycle of birth, development, decline, dissolution, and rebirth.

For thousands of years philosophers and spiritual guides have been trying to tell us about this. They've warned us that the only constant is change, that life is brief, and that nothing is certain. In the 6th century BCE, Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, said

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.

Little did Lao Tzu know just how right he was. It wasn't until modern science came on the scene that the ever-changing state of the universe truly came into focus.

All around us, entropy is prying apart the atomic bonds that hold stuff together. Matter assumes form temporarily, shaped by God's invisible hands, before it is reabsorbed and reassembled into new forms. Marcus Aurelius advised:

Observe constantly that all things in life occur by change, and accustom yourself to consider that the nature of the universe loves nothing so much as to change the things that are, and to make new things like them.

The universe is a machine that recycles itself into ever increasing complexity. It uses the bones of dead stars to craft new stars, planets, moons, asteroids, gasses, liquids, and organic matter.

We short-lived humans are especially susceptible to entropy. We wage a never-ending battle against decay, feeding fuel into our meat-vehicles and causing them to grown and regenerate. As a result, there isn't a piece of you here and now that existed when you were a child. Your entire body has recycled and remade itself on a number of occasions. That's why Heraclitus said that

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.

Heraclitus, an influential pre-Socratic philosopher who lived in Greece between  535 and 475 BCE, also said that “nothing endures but change” and "All entities move and nothing remains still."

Some change feels unpleasant, painful, or unjust, but those feelings are generated by your mind and have no basis in objective reality. If you can do anything to prevent or mitigate what you perceive to be negative change, take action; if nothing can be done, then accept the hand God dealt you. What good is there in resisting what already is, especially if it cannot be changed? You would do better to take Aurelius' advice to

Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live.

In other words, make the best of every situation you find yourself in. If it is unpleasant and can be altered, do so; of it cannot be changed, of if you tried and failed to change it, accept it with every fiber of your being. 

In a universe that "loves nothing more than to change the things that are," it stands to reason we shouldn't get too attached to anything. The loss of external things such as material wealth, possessions, and reputation should be expected as a matter of fact. "Loss," Aurelius assures us, "is nothing but change, and change is Nature's delight."

Wise man and stellar beard.

View your earthly possessions as being on loan from the universe. Whenever you come by some precious item, large sum of money, prestigious position, or anything of the like, recite the following: "Receive without conceit, release without struggle."

Knowing full well that the universe is change, and that loss is merely a kind of change, you ought to place little value on material possessions. If you don't believe Marcus Aurelius or the other wise fellows I've quoted in this post, then at least listen to the man who died for your sins:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal.

Treasure that which is and will always be yours. Be happy with what you have, imagine how life would such without them, and expect to lose it all at any moment.

"Wealth," Epictetus tells us, "consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”

Resisting change is like swimming against a strong current. You might succeed for a time but the river will inevitably exhaust and sweep you along any way it likes. Instead of resisting, ride the current in the direction you wish to go and accept where you end up without resentment, regret, or anxiety.

Your circumstances are what they are; either change them or make the best of them. 

/rant over

Gospel of Seneca (Letters from the Past III)

I'm not gonna lie: I have a serious man-crush on Lucius Seneca.

His insights into human behavior are painfully accurate and just as valid now as they were nearly 2,000 years ago. Dude's a poet, too. He sprinkles vivid imagery and allegories throughout his letters, helping readers grasp ideas that might otherwise elude them. The word "epic" is terribly overused these days but I can think of no better way to describe Seneca's writing.

Seneca's philosophy really speaks to me, but lately it's his spiritual side that gets me inspired. His theology is a fascinating blend of pantheism and pagan spirituality layered with Christian overtones. He uses words like "God" and "heaven" liberally, regards earthly matters as secondary to spiritual ones, and believes that the human soul can be liberated from the body.

Despite the apparent similarities between Christianity and Seneca's Gospel, there is no mistaking Seneca's God with its Biblical counterpart, Yahweh.

Seneca's God is the pantheistic God, aka Nature, aka the universe. It's the intelligent force organizing matter into ever more complex forms, of which we are the pinnacle. 

Likewise, Seneca's soul is radically different from the winged ghost that rises from your corpse and floats peacefully up to heaven after you die.

Or, not so peacefully?

According to the Stoic philosophers, reason is a divine gift, a fragment of the universal programming that keeps the machine running smoothly. As such, Seneca swaps the word "soul" with other terms such as "ruling faculty" or "Logos." He could just as easily call it "mind" or "consciousness," as far as I'm concerned. The semantics aren't that important.

Because he believes that the mind is of divine origin, Seneca holds the material world in somewhat low esteem. This opinion extends by default to the meat-vehicles we inherit at birth. This body of ours, Seneca says,

is a weight upon the soul and a penance; as the load presses down the soul is crushed and is in bondage, unless philosophy has come to its assistance and has bid it take fresh courage by contemplating the universe, and has turned it from things earthly to things divine. 

Note the abrupt departure from Christianity. Whereas Christians believe that only Christ can save one's soul, Seneca believes philosophy is the guide to spiritual freedom.

The soul, imprisoned as it has been in this gloomy and darkened house, seeks the open sky whenever it can, and in the contemplation of the universe finds rest. The wise man, the seeker after wisdom, is bound closely to his body, but he concentrates his thoughts upon lofty things.

Reflecting on the universe frees your consciousness from its prison of flesh and allows it to roam among the lofty things where it may find enlightenment. One who has begun this process of spiritual liberation finds their priorities radically realigned:

Bound so to speak, to his oath of allegiance, he regards the period of life as his term of service. He is so trained that he neither loves nor hates life; he endures a mortal lot, although he knows that an ampler lot is in store for him. 

Such a message will sound backward to someone entrenched in our materialistic society. Why waste time pursuing wisdom and contemplating the cosmos? Why not focus on reality, on the tangibles, on the here and now? As always, Seneca answers with brilliance:

Mortal things decay, fall, are worn out, grow up, are exhausted, and replenished. Reason, however, is nothing else than a portion of the divine spirit set in a human body. 

And then:

Must I be ignorant of the heights whence I have descended? Whether I am to see this world but once, or to be born many times? What is my destination afterwards? What abode awaits my soul on its release from the laws of slavery among men? Do you you forbid me to have a share in heaven?

In other words, do you bid me live with my head bowed down? No, I am above such an existence; I was born to a greater destiny than to be a mere chattel of my body. And I regard this body as nothing but a chain, which manacles my freedom.

Not only does Seneca view the body as secondary to the mind, he goes one step further and identifies it as a form of imprisonment. Epictetus, another Stoic, says: "You are a little soul carrying around a corpse." The body, in other words, is luggage, a burden, an anchor weighing down your soul.

I must restate that Seneca and other Stoics don't promote mistreating or neglecting the body: quite the opposite, they value a life of self-discipline, exercise, and proper diet. The body houses the Logos, after all, a piece of God, and as such should be well-maintained. Seneca is simply saying that the body should serve the mind, not the other way around:

World-matter corresponds to our mortal body; therefore let the lower serve the higher. Let us be brave in the face of hazards. Let us not fear wrongs, or wounds, or bonds, or poverty. 

That last bit is also stated by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, by the way, when he advises us not to "fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul."

The physical world is always pressing us to take action. We scramble and toil to stay afloat and in the process neglect the single most important thing in our lives: our mind. Take a little time out of your day to exercise this gift which you have received from the universe.

Don't let society stifle your curiosity. Send your thoughts outward to explore the wonders of the cosmos. Answer every question that crosses your mind. Contemplate your place and purpose in this vast and glorious universe and you will find the world in which you dwell changed forever.

/rant over

People's Platform

I was scrolling through my Facebook feed the other day when I came across this excellent article by Nora Loreto. The title--Laying the Path to Defeat Harper in 2015--immediately captured my attention. I'm glad that more and more people see Uncle Stephen and his cronies for what they truly are--a bunch of ideological hypocrites, liars, cheats, and thinly-veiled fundamentalists--but I'm also worried that many are missing the point.

Harper and his lot are not the disease; they are a symptom. The Conservatives are merely the most recent in a long line of corrupt politicians dating all the way back to the days of Sir John A. McDonald and you can bet your bottom dollar that the next party to take charge--whether it's the Liberals or New Democrats--will resort to similar behaviour sooner or later.

Getting rid of Harper is a temporary fix at best.

Instead of thinking short-term and plotting Harper's political demise, we should be thinking of ways to implement checks and balances so that we never have to tolerate another Harper again. This mandate takes precedence over all other issues at hand. If we cannot hold politicians accountable for their actions and drastically limit corruption in politics, we'll never be able to address any of the other problems facing our country.

The good news is that we are poised to hit two birds with one stone. We have the opportunity here and now to get rid of Harper and enact changes that would make rampant corruption a thing of the past. We just have to play our cards right.

Loreto mentions a key part of the winning approach in her article: strategic voting.  She is also quick to point out the pitfalls of this tactic:

Strategic voting is dangerous to democracy because it demands that people suspend their desires and vote against their own interests. It requires citizens to vote against something rather than for something. It places way too much faith in polls and is easily corruptible. The result is deep disenfranchisement and the election of a party that is not actually supported by the people.

Ethically speaking, I have no problem with strategic voting. It's the population's way of gaming the system, something politicians do on a regular basis, and I'm all for fighting fire with fire. What I'm against is giving a political party widespread support in exchange for nothing. I want to get rid of Harper as much as the next person but not if it means giving the Liberals or New Democrats the same unregulated power that got us into this mess in the first place.

Loreto encapsulates this as well:

Fact is, either party (Liberal or NDP) would be much better than Harper's Conservatives but neither would bring about the change that we desperately need.

What then?

The ever-astute Loreto lands a glancing blow on part two of the winning approach:

Progressives should unite around a set of demands and push all left-of-centre candidates to unequivocally support these demands. And, where no candidates will support these demands, progressives should put themselves forward as candidates.

Now we're talking! If we're going to offer our votes to a party, why not get something in return? I have a few minor disagreements with Loreto's plan though.

First, why should we limit ourselves to progressives only? I know for a certain fact that many Conservative voters are disillusioned with the Tories. Why not reach out to our brothers and sisters across the political spectrum?

"Because progressives and conservatives don't get along!"

Is that true? Or is that what we've been conditioned to believe after years of bipartisan propaganda? Sure, left and right disagree on a variety of issues, but I'm confident that there are issues on both sides of the imaginary line we can agree on. Why not identify those issues and work together in resolving them? More on that in a moment.

Second, I've already pointed out that certain systemic flaws must be resolved before we can move forward as a nation. I'm not saying that children, women, the environment, indigenous people, and workers--Loreto's hypothetical top five--shouldn't be our priority, only that the best way to address those issues is by repairing the system first.

Until we can install checks and balances to keep our "representatives" in check and doing their job, issues that matter to Canadians will remain unresolved. So long as our government can make policy decisions based on wishful thinking, belief, and ideology, Canadians will never know true representation.

Okay: here's how we hit two birds with one stone.

First, we identify the systemic problems plaguing our government, then list their remedies. Here's what I think such a list would look like:

• Transparency
• Accessibility
• Accountability
• Proportional Representation (or anything but First Past the Post)
• Evidence-based Decision Making

Second, we use these items to create a People's Platform, a list of demands that preferably includes specific bills demonstrating how our Platform should be enacted. We'll need the help of various experts to draft these bills but I don't think we'll have much difficulty finding them. In fact, many of the items on my list are already championed by MP's on the left, be they New Democrats, Greens, or Liberals.

Third, we take our finished product and begin an aggressive media campaign. We educate Canadians about the People's Platform in plain, accessible terms and invite people from both sides of the political spectrum to join us. Corruption, lack of accountability, and misrepresentation affect all Canadians regardless of political leaning. Let's put our differences aside while we give our government a much needed upgrade. After that, we can resume our petty bickering (though I hope we won't).

Lastly, we make an open offer to the political parties: our support in exchange for the enactment of our People's Platform. When a party steps forward, we demand that their leader sign a legal contract ensuring follow-through.

And if no party wants to play ball, we have a backup plan: we start a party and take matters into our own hands.

Loreto's article is a breath of fresh air. Finally, someone who understands the power of the masses and thinks outside the box! To my great pleasure, she also understands that the people have a duty to nurse our ailing democracy back to health:

Together, working from outside the formal mechanisms of politics, we have to offer a peoples' alternative, invite everyone to join us, and challenge those people who refuse.

I'm ready to go to work. Are you?

/rant over

Inner Citadel

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.

--Marcus Aurelius 

Your mind can be an impenetrable fortress. Within its walls you can escape suffering and store the weapons you have acquired along life's journey. From its lofty battlements you can widen your perspective and see distant objects unseen by the masses.

Notice how I keep saying "can?"

In order to make your mind a fortress, you must first ensure that it is free of disturbances. By that I mean free of misery, anxiety, restlessness, anger, dissatisfaction, jealousy, and pride. The tranquil mind is indeed an inner citadel, but the disturbed mind is a prison cell.

It doesn't protect its owner; it enslaves him.

You've undoubtedly met people who are prisoners of their minds. They express unfounded opinions and beliefs as absolutes, take great pride in material achievements, deny or are unaware of their shortcomings, identify with falsehoods, act without regard or consideration for others, make poor life-decisions, and are ruled by emotions. They whine and complain, wish for things that aren't so, and are perpetual victims. They are quick to take credit and quicker yet to deflect blame.

Does this sound familiar? Does this sound like you?

If so, don't be embarrassed. Embarrassment is one of those disturbances that prevents you from reclaiming your inner citadel.

If you suspect you might be a prisoner of your mind, don't beat yourself up; rejoice instead!

How can you free yourself from a prison you don't even know exists? Once you realize that you're a prisoner, you can start working on your escape plan. But before you do, let's talk about how you got yourself locked up in the first place.

Your mind is home to a plethora of ideas and memories, judgments and opinions, beliefs and emotions. As these objects crowd into your inner citadel, they obscure the real you. The Christian mystic Meister Eckhart expresses this beautifully:

A human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the heart. We know so many things, but we don't know ourselves! Go into your own ground and learn to know yourself there.

When the mind can't pick its owner out of the crowd, it starts identifying with the crowd instead. It starts to identify with thoughts, feelings, memories, actions, possessions, talents, and achievements, all of which are not you.

These false identities combine to form a distorted version of the authentic You, a grotesque doppelganger that will do anything to exert its will over your thoughts and behaviour. Say hi to the Ego!

That Ego is a real motherfucker.

Who do you think tricked you into handing over the keys to the castle? Who do you think lured you into prison and convinced you it was your proper place?

This begs the question: if you're not the body at your disposal, the sum of the roles you play in life, or the summary of your skills, beliefs, and traits, then who are you really?

What defines you?

You cannot truly become master of your mind until, in Meister Eckhart's words, you tear away the skins that cover the depths of your heart. The walls of your prison are made up of false identities and the Ego acts as the warden, but you can rid yourself of both at any time.

The only power they hold over you is the power you have inadvertently given them.

Dig down through the labels and falsehoods and you will hit the bedrock: the real and authentic You. And would it shock you to learn that the authentic You is actually just a single You shared by all humanity? How could it be otherwise?

Peel back all the superficial bullshit and what's left is the objective Self, the observer, the ruling faculty, the Logos.

Maybe I'm getting a little too deep here. Let's pull back to the topic at hand: transforming the prison of your mind into your personal fortress.

The following two tricks can help you assume control of your inner citadel: mindfulness and presence.

I've mentioned mindfulness before: it's the act of keeping a detailed inventory of your thoughts, feelings, and opinions. I recently found out that mindfulness techniques like the ones described in Buddhism and Stoicism are being used to successfully treat Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, so it's legit.

Presence just means being present. It means no more time-traveling. Stop fixating on negative experiences from your past; don't fret over things that may or may not happen in the future. Learn from your past, plan for the future, but be present.

Mindfulness and presence will help you recognize the Ego's voice and deal with it accordingly. The more you catch yourself engaging in negative thought-patterns, the easier it becomes to prevent those patterns from taking over. The more you connect negative thoughts and emotions to your false self, the harder it is for the lie to remain intact.

One day, the Ego will just shut up.

Don't let the silence fool you, however: the Ego is still around, and it's a crafty sonofabitch. The whole time you think you've got it under control, it's plotting to take charge again. It's biding its time, watching, and learning how to bypass your defences. And when it does, you'll find yourself in that familiar cell without a clue of how you got there or how to get out.

In these situations, it's important to have a guide, mentor, or coach to show you the way out. Some people look to Jesus, Buddha, or Muhammad for guidance; others read self-help books. Even Homer Simpson has a guide!

Who is your Space Coyote?

And while you're at it, why limit yourself to just one? Why not put together a dream-team of guides and mentors? Whoever you decide to enlist for the job, just make sure they are always close by.

You never know when the Ego might spring a trap on you.

/rant over