Looking Back from the Future

I just listened to Terry Gross' interview with Eric Foner about his new book The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery. They were discussing the development of Abraham Lincoln's attitude towards slavery. It is nearly incomprehensible to me how people 150 years ago were thinking about their fellow human beings. It is as incomprehensible to me as the catholic church's inquisition in the dark ages, or the roman idea and Jewish support of crucifying Jesus, or the European idea of colonization, and so many other crazy action, attitudes and traditions people adhered to in times gone by.
Then it dawned on me. It is easy for me to understand better than the people at these times. I grew up being taught that these things were grave mistakes. I grew up in a culture that did not depend on these things to be in place.
So I made another step. What would somebody 150 years from today think about us? What would they see as incomprehensible atrocities?
Maybe the modern day slavery resulting from the US approach to immigration? Maybe the thoughtless, selfish waste of resources – inventing and supporting SUVs, building appliances without an off button so they continue to use energy even when they are asleep (to a degree, where the US' biggest water power plant – the Hoover dam – can't produce enough energy to satisfy only the sleeping TVs, chargers, DVD players, Computers...)? Maybe our judicial system – that is based on revenge and sensationalism, rather than teaching; where your financial situation determines the outcome more than your actual guilt or innocence? Maybe our school system, our approach to teaching our children? Maybe our careless, selfishly using atomic energy – for power-plants and weapons? I could go on for pages with topics I today can already see. Imagine how many topic the people 150 years from now will be able to see – and question our sanity, our ability to use our brain, to listen to our conscience, our soul!
Well, that raises the question whether it will even still be possible for people to live 150 years from now... But that is a whole other conversation...
Come what may, we have a chance today to change our priorities, to change our attitude, to learn and grow. THAT is the goal purpose and reason of existence of the Change Agent Movement. Some of us have a mind open enough to realize what needs to be improved, an energy inside of them to do something about it. Differently from previous “change” attempts, we are not so much looking at other people, other countries, other cultures and telling them how to change. We are looking at our own selves – at my own self. How can I change? How am I supporting questionable traditions and habits? And how can I facilitate improvements?
The first – and most important – step is to reevaluate my spiritual framework. My belief-system is the basis of my values, which arrange my priorities, which determine my actions.
The one insight, that lets the old belief-system come tumbling down, and recreates a fundamentally different system – like the Phoenix rises from the ashes – is the realization that “it is not about me,but I am about it!” I am not the crown of the creation to rule it – No! No! No! I am the crown, as I am the only part of the creation that can change it!
Armed with this new approach to my own existence, I can now stop focusing on what I want to get from this world, and start thinking about what I can contribute to this creation. This changed self-purpose automatically leads to my questioning the status quo, my trying to find aspects that I could help change.
Once enough of the folks that lived in the area that today is the US got tired of the Brits, they kicked them out - change happened.
Once enough of the people will change their attitude from being a leech to being a contributor – change will happen.
And 150 years from now, people might look back and rejoice: Thank God there were these people who understood and did something about it!
If you want to be part of something great – join the Change-Agent Movement...

Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

At the Decatur Book Fair there was a booth of the "Muslims for Peace". Of course, I had to check them out! Well, a quite interesting conversation ensued. I learned some more about Islam. And, I hope, the man who talked with me, took away some seeds for thought as well.

The most interesting bit of new information to me was that "Islam" means "Peace". He explained, that at the core the prophet's message is about Love.

It seems to me, though, that there's a contradiction: How can a teaching of love demand a death sentence? How can a group that is treating women as second class humans expect to find peace?

Now, throwing out everything, just because there is some nonsense among it, holds the risk of missing real wisdom and insights contained as well.

Why do we tend to swing from one extreme to the other?

Either we follow something to the letter - without reflection, consideration, logical and rational thinking - or we discard everything - without seeing what we can learn from it.



I find, we havee been created with a brain, that can think logically and rationally. I take it as our responsibility to use it. It is our choice, though. If we choose not to use it we find ourselves (even in the 21st century) in the dark-ages, where a lot of people are suffering and where, instead of peace and happiness, there is war and mayhem.



Here's another example:

In the movie "Rabbithole" a couple, who had lost a child, was trying to cope with the loss by saying: "Maybe God needed another little angel. That's why he took our baby." "Why didn't he just make one?" the other woman blurted out. "He's God! Why couldn't he just make one?"

Exactly! It just doesn't make sense!

"My life's purpose is to praise the Lord!" Is another one of these illogical ideas.

Would you create a device, whose sole purpose is to utter "You are the greatest!", and if it doesn't, destroy it in anger? Of course not! And you are just a fallible little human, and not the almighty, all-knowing God!

It just doesn't make sense!

To me these are typical examples of people just reciting what they've heard, without using their brain.

Does that mean all of the teachings about God are to be discarded. I don't think so. That, again, would be to go from one extreme to the other.



I am suggesting to use our brain to think through our spiritual believes. To retain and build upon content that is congruent and fits reality as we can observe. To identify and discard content that makes no sense, and to try to replace it with something that - at least - is not impossible. And each one of us can and should do this her/himself.

Again, you can choose. Do you want to get ahead, to grow, to find peace and happiness in your life? If you stay as and where you are, you stay as and where you are. It's that simple!

I do not suggest you quit being a Muslim, a Christian, Jew, Atheist, or whatever spiritual direction you like to follow. I do recommend, though, to think things through, to question and double-check; and to dare to discard parts that do not jive.

If we want to get ahead we have to continuously work on separating the wheat from the chaff!



This blog and the website www.toolOfTheUniverse.org are all about helping you in this process, and about providing seeds for different, new strains of thought. I hope it fulfills this purpose. Please, do drop me a line and let me know what you think... Thank you! And much success in your spiritual growth...