Here's A Dichotomy For You

Isn't it interesting that, even though we see at least a few depictions, in popular fiction of, say, a guy like Spock coming to understand that it was sometimes logical to be un logical, it is still very hard for logical, rational people, to find any sort of useable, sense of spirit, and perhaps even worse, faith?

The problem, as I have come to see it, is that we have always been saddled with only once choice as to a path towards these, what I think are fundamentally necessary aspects of human nature. And that path inevitably involves deities and that has always been a big sticking point. I know it was for me, and still remains so. But the thing is, you don't have to have deities involved to have either spirit, or faith be a part of your life. And I can say this now in all sincerity because it is something that I have been able to achieve.

But then it might be asked: Aren't you only replacing one form of deification with another? Saying that process itself is a god? And to that I would say no.

For me, to say that process is "divine" is not to make it some form of super sentient, all knowing entity that not only designed it all, but continues to plan and implement his/her will throughout the firmament. It is, rather, to say that there is something, that is made precious by the very fact both of its essential transcendance of us, but also because we were made to be part of this thing that makes mind, and love, possible at the same time, in the first place. Because then, you have to add the fact that it must be mediated somehow by those same, self sustaining systems; the systems that can make choices; themselves examples of how structure can create ever more complex structure, if it has the right balance, and the mediators make the right choices.

Then there is simply my belief that there is inherent magic in structure because it is both meaningful things to connect to, as well as connection itself, that makes everything happen. And we are an active part of that. And our belief gives it unbelievable amounts of power. Our belief in ourselves does the same thing, and so much of it has to reside in your ability to have faith in the idea of it, because only with it, and the trust that is inherent in it, so that you can then take the intuitive leap, as well as the leap of faith, to have your reach exceed your grasp. Knowing that you have to have these because you will fail on a regular basis. And that will happen because you must often make choices on always incomplete knowledge, and your always imperfect ability to make sense of what you experience.

This is, helpfully, where cooperating with other "perceivers," and "deciders" can come in handy. Not only do you get the benefit of more eyes on the problem, and more minds to pull relevant experience from, you get a chance to leverage all actual decisions to act. You get more hands on to help naturally, but also the chance to do so in concert with, as opposed to randomly bumping into, and frustrating, as you are then frustrated, the efforts of others.

And in this we must make peace with those who choose the other path to divinity. Because there is truth to be found on that path, even if it is not a truth that makes sense to this new path of a "Higher Purpose" as opposed to "Higher Power." We must make this peace for the same reason that they must make the same peace with us. Precisely because we too have a truth to be found in our path.

Keeping humanity going will then be up to continuingly negotiating a balance between these two, many layered, opposites. I think it can be done precisely because I believe in the magic of people, and the magic of the universe. And with balance anything is truly possible. Not very likely in many cases (because inertia, in all its forms, is a formidable opponent), but still possible. It just takes a lot of faith, and love, and reason, and practicality, and sacrifice from all sides, to make it happen.

The choice is literally, and figuratively, fundamentally ours to make.