THE FOG – The Game of Life
If we use the metaphor of a game to describe life then it is in our best interest to play it well. Good and bad fall upon everyone and how well we play the game depends not necessarily on the rules but what rules our attitudes. It has been said that the attitude is the father of the action. Therefore it is the last freedom we enjoy regardless of how advanced or disadvantaged humanity becomes. We can never be stripped of our attitudes. Life will always challenge each and every one of us according to our needs. It knows what will stall or advance our purpose. Therefore we must constantly discern life’s teachable moments to discover its meaning.
“Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.”
Victor E. Frankl
I used to believe that religion and spirituality could coexist and were a match made in heaven, but I no longer believe this is the case. I would suggest that history and the facts support just the opposite. It is difficult to partake in two competing beliefs and excel in both. This is the cause of mediocrity which there is already too much of in the world. I would liken it to an alcoholic thinking he can sit in a bar and not pick up a drink. He may be able to endure this internal conflict for a while but eventually one or the other will have to win this battle of dissonance. One choice keeps you stuck and the other will help you rise above mediocrity. The higher-self or spiritual-self wants to rise whereas the lower self is content within the dogmas of religion. As a result religion has been responsible for the preservation of much ignorance and has become a destructive force in the world. Just ask Mother Earth and she will probably say something like, “wake up and see the climate crisis your religions are helping to create!” Dogmas, thought reforms and social engineering are creating the destructive theologies, economics, politics and corporate religions of death!
What is the current global state of affairs teaching us? In other words what is life attempting to teach us and do we have the eyes to see and the ears to listen? What attitude do we need to develop in response to Mother Earth’s wakeup call?
In the material world some people refuse to be helped. In this case they cannot be helped. Unless they look beyond their current field of vision that’s probably as good as it is going to get for them. They may not progress much beyond their current capacity and fail to progress any further in the game of life. Their potential remains an untapped latent gift which is sealed within subconscious ignorance. This has always been humanities downfall which is nestled next to anger, violence and greed.
From this perspective it seems all we can do is assess our own lives. After all is it my purpose to live my life or yours? As much as I can love another, can I really take responsibility for how your life turns out? What is being germinated in our soul must not be trampled by ignorance, anger, violence and greed. Like the lilies of the field let us see what kind of flower we are so we can manifest our innate beauty for the benefit of the world.
Homo Spiritus is a minority among humans. The difference between Homo Spiritus and Homo Sapiens is simple. Homo Spiritus has surpassed the civic virtues of Homo Sapiens. They have developed the inner potential to realize their transcendent virtues. Therefore for the world to progress beyond the civic and cultural virtue of religion Home Spiritus must join as one voice under the mantel of Mother Earth.
For Homo Spiritus to flourish they must escape the magical thinking of religion and the domineering concepts of dogma. The civic virtues of Homo Sapien have brought the human family this far and must be honoured. However the next evolution of the human species will depend on the transcendent virtues of Home Spiritus. So what is the difference between civic and transcendent virtue? We can all appreciate how important civics’ are. There are many people working for the betterment of communities within politics, schools, churches, business, science etc. But we also see these institutions bogged down within bureaucracies. This embodies a definition of original sin. For example, nothing can be more difficult than a group of well-intentioned people who are committed to accomplishing a noble endeavor. They may all mean well but due to the attributes of sin they cannot agree on anything. Power struggles erupt and the old strategies of a conquering mentality win the day. We see this especially in today’s political environment when politicians simply navigate the anger of an unenlightened electorate and drive them to dark unknown places. In the above example we can easily substitute ignorance for sin.
To surpass the civic virtues a citizen must explore the transcendent virtues of being a human being. For nothing in this world has ever taken place without the courage of an explorer who broke from the pack and became the first to blaze a trail. If we trace the origins of wisdom as far back as we can, who will we find? Whose blood will we find coursing through our veins? Eventually we will run out of people and have returned to the source. However along the way we will be introduced to many sublime figures which all had one thing in common, the advancement of the human spirit through gnosis. By following the innate drive for purpose and meaning the human quest will continue and Homo Spiritus will one day shape a new economy of sharing, compassion and equalitarianism.
When we ponder what is at the root of human need what we find is a strong desire to survive by finding the meaning of life. Most great discoveries did not happen out of greed they happened out of curiosity. Greed is simply a by-product conjured by mediocrity at the expense of curiosity. Therefore our true nature is not of the material world. Our true substance is of the spiritual realm. This is where we must make a distinction between civic and transcendent virtue. Between religiosity and spiritual reality.
Where do we come from and where are we going? What is the meaning of our lives and do I have a purpose? These are the age old questions which all great thinkers contemplated. And these are the same questions we still ponder. At least I hope we are. But as you study the current state of global affairs you have to wonder if this is still the case!
“Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become the next moment. By the same token, every human being has the freedom to change at any instant.”
Victor E. Frankl
Religion has always been a sign of the times. It reflects the struggles and ignorance of the day. The Dark Ages gave us the Black Death and the Inquisition. The Renaissance gave us a renewed way to see the world and the Enlightenment gave us a new way to interpret the human condition. Today we have surpassed the Industrial Revolution and have to reinvent ourselves as technological beings. The question is will we regress as superstitious beings of the dark web or enlightened beings of energy full of potential.
“Love goes very far beyond the physical person of the beloved. It finds its deepest meaning in his spiritual being, his inner self. Whether or not he is actually present, whether or not he is still alive at all, ceases somehow to be of importance.”
Victor E. Frankl
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