Even if some people truly deserve to be dealt with harshly, the chances are that life has probably already given them some payback, in one form, or another because of their inconsiderate comments or actions.
In other words we do not need to seek revenge upon others.
Living Well is Often Times the Best Revenge !!!
Having said this it is easy to disreagard others because of anincreasingly popular world view that many American men unconsciously have drifted toward.
In his book, Infinite Life, Robert Thurman describes the nihiistic, materialistic, doctrine so dominant in western society today.
He states:
"We are the product of a completely involuntary, utterly purposeless evoulution started by the random collection of elements. Our personal sensitivity is therefore nothing but an accident and an illusion. Our lives are utterly meaningless, since at any time we could die and disappear back into the totally uncaring nothingness that is assumed to be our fundamental reality."
Add to this our bleak and disheartening view of the cosmos:
Thurman goes on to say:"We see ourselves as billons of germs crawling on the wafer-thin skin of a boiling rock, in a tiny envelope of earth, water and air. We are composed of imperceptible particles zipping around with nauseating unpredictibility, themselves somehow sustained by subatomic waves or elusive particles that are mere vibrations or probabilities. All this somehow holds together to form an illusionary consciousness for our terminal selves, and there apparantly are no other such beings throughout what we perceive as an infinite, cold, mostly dark and impersonal universe."
"Small wonder we secretly long for death and oblivion, thinking of it sublimely as restful sleep, dreamless sleep, a welcome escape from this untenable situation."
"Small wonder we secretly loathe ourselves, considering human beings an unfortunate accident, badly made machines ill-suited for a heartless environment. Small wonder we fear expressing any sensitivity for other beings, who also have no incentives to show us kindness. Small wonder we are too lazy to engage in a meaningful way with our surroundings."
"Filled with such a powerful poison of crippling self-loathing and paralyzing depression, how does our innately human creativity stand even the slightest chance of emerging?"Given the choice of believing in a compassionate, loving God, a greater power, or spirit, the promise of an everlasting life and soul, or scientific materialism, which doctrine would you take ???
The choice seems fairly clear, does it not ??
1 comment:
Hey Frank,
I think the choice is fairly clear, but what are the implications of that choice? Believing in God, Great Spirit, or a higher power is fine--and many men want that kind of belief in their lives--but what is the practical impact? In other words, how am I going to act so that my actions are congruous with my beliefs?
You're raising an interesting point here in that what you're calling scientific materialism can take on the qualities of any religion. People can get dogmatic, harsh, and intolerant as a result of it.
Do you have any thoughts about what difference the more spiritual choice makes in the lives of individual men? How about in our interactions with others, since that's a subtitle of this entry?
You've got me interested in reading Mr. Thurman's book. It obviously has some powerful content. I look forward to your replies. Thanks!
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