Faith

I am reading a new book. It is filled with philosophical conundrums. The introduction compares philosophy to religion. The argument is that the former can be justified where the latter cannot. Over the years I have read this assertion in reference to many areas of study. Every group of thinking individuals places their interests above religion. They argue that faith is unscientific and therefore less than worthy of serious consideration.

It is true that religion and faith are intertwined. While many intellectuals disapprove of religion in its many forms, they also by proxy, damn the concept of faith as well. This is patently unfair. No matter what one believes in, no matter the area of science or humanities, faith is part of the equation. Belief in what we espouse is a given or why else would we think it or say it?

Faith is not solely a religious concept. I have faith I will wake up in the morning and that wild elephants will not trample me once I do. I am simply tired of being told that logic and reason are somehow concrete and yet faith is the lifeboat that the simple minded hang on to. No matter what we do or think or say there will always be an element of belief.

Believing in yourself and in your abilities is not a human failing. All of these brilliant minds in various fields should know this. Why is it so dangerous to mix what one can prove with what one cannot? Seeing and believing, no matter how persuasive the argument, requires some amount of faith. This should not be a dirty word.

I am not trying to prop up religion nor defend it from attackers. My assertion is that faith is universal. Are we so cocksure that our ability to think and behave reasonably is infallible? Of course not. What we learn so often changes or is replaced with new information. There are always limits to what we can and do know. The best we can do is take things with a grain of salt and be prepared to change our minds.

The Nature Of Time

The concept of time is subjective. We have inner clocks that affect us physically. Waking before the alarm or feeling jet leg after a plane ride are two examples. Mentally we feel time rather than intellectually track it. When having fun time flies by. Waiting in a dentist's chair seems like an eternity. Various mechanisms measure time in an exacting fashion but our minds handle it in a way that cannot be quantified.

Our past is filled with emotions. We tend to either romanticize that which was pleasurable or mourn that which was painful. Learning lessons comes from past actions. Some of us forget while others replay certain scenes over and over. Defining what qualifies as the past is a difficult proposition. Every second that passes, by its very nature, becomes the past. Where is the line of demarcation between the past and present?

This brings us to the next period. Here and now means different things to different people. This day, this week or this month may be the present depending upon whom you ask. What is current is known as the present be it one day or one decade. An old adage encourages us to live in the moment. I do not think that this is at all possible. The only way to relive an experience is to allow our minds to see it as the past. Maybe the only purpose of present events is to give us experiences to look back upon. This gives humans a sense of meaning and continuity.

The time that goes by during any experience is short yet these memories take on a life of their own. We can see them again and again in our mind's eye. In this way we can relive any interaction to our heart's desire. How we view these mental movies is tempered by experience and knowledge we have acquired since the date of the original. We tend to frame our past experiences in terms of present attitudes, circumstances and emotional states.

The line between the past and present is blurred. We need to be here today yet we still feel from our yesterday. It is natural to learn from the past and wish to make tomorrow better by the choices we make in the present. This planning, this hoping, causes us to look to the unknown which is the future. Try as we might we cannot know what tomorrow will bring. Our best laid plans are often compromised by the uncertainty of future events. It is impossible to account for all possible permutations and results of our own actions let alone the actions of others.

It is little comfort to me that we can measure time, almost control it, in a mechanical fashion. The reality is that I cannot conceive of time before I existed. The meaning of eternity is just as elusive. The closest that any of us can come to fully grasping the truth of our lives in relation to the cosmos is the calendar. A calendar is the one thing that so clearly represents the past, present and future. I only wish that I could wrap my mind around the concept of time as easily. That is probably about as likely as another person wrapping their mind around this post.

Why Bad Feels So Good

Good news does not sell. Broadcasting the news brings in viewers. Viewers create advertising dollars. People only watch the news because it is bad. News organizations cater to our basest nature such as our innate desire to look at an accident on the freeway. If we are honest with ourselves we watch the news or read the paper looking for what has gone wrong in the last twenty-four hours. Learning about bad news makes us feel good.

Local news, national news and even talking-head type shows all display the negative. We learn of local deaths, fires and corruption. When larger misery occurs it gains national attention. Various pundits tell us each night about the atrocities committed by the other party. It is as if getting upset excites us. Physically there must be a need, built into our DNA, that requires upsetting emotional input. The dismay, shock and anger we feel brings on some kind of sickening rush of adrenaline.

Of all the publications I have ever seen, and I have read hundreds, I can count the number that have a positive slant on the fingers of one hand. What we read about for the most part are problems. Money is made by publishing and printing all that is wrong with the world. Can you imagine any form of media solely dedicated to all that people do that is right and good? The truthful answer is no.

We learn of all these atrocities, here and abroad, in seconds. Each story is little more than a soundbite. They are thrown at us one after another in a manner that numbs the senses. Surprise, horror, shock, dismay or complete ambivalence are the reactions we offer in return. Anyone who says they are just watching so they do not miss the weather or sports scores is full of shit. We watch because we are entertained.

If we were not receiving pleasure on some level we would simply do something else. This is why there are multiple choices for the viewers. If one station does not offer details graphic enough or details to our liking we change the channel. I will go so far as to suggest that it is our prurient nature that is satisfied when we learn of bad news. I am sure most would argue with my assertion. Yet to them I ask one simple question: If the news is so filled with the vile and evil that is humanity why watch each and every night?

We watch and we read and we discuss because there is a payoff. Any amateur psychologist will tell you that the reason for any behavior is that there is a benefit. We gain something from the act. Liking the act or feeling good or bad is irrelevant. All behavior is linked in some way to a real or perceived benefit. And what sickens me the most is that the benefit for us is pleasure. We gain pleasure from learning about the pain of others.

It matters not whether the pain was caused or felt by a stranger. In reality we seem to get more of a thrill when it is someone we know who has suffered. I am not talking about a family member. Usually when a loved one is hurting we respond in a different manner. I am referring to those with whom we have a passing acquaintance. For those we react the same while adding the trite statement, "It sure is a small world."

What do I suggest as an alternative? How can we fight against our own nature? For many it appears to be impossible. Most are quite happy to be who they are while there are plenty of others willing to feed their need for bad news. It is like we are addicts and the media conglomerates are the dealers. We love our drug. It seems to cost so little. A few bucks a month for cable and a high-definition television are all that is required. We do pay a price though. We pay a heavy price indeed with our very souls.

Our Only Possession

I am surrounded by books. There are so many I keep them in two separate rooms. It might be the writer in me or the collector that makes me fill my shelves. Books are not the only items I have. Like most anyone I own a variety of goods which have accumulated over the years. It occurs to me though that human beings have only one true thing we can call our own. All that we have and all that we are is the mind.

Every aspect of who we are is locked up in the brain. What we think, feel and reason is determined in that body part we can never display visually. Our memories are shaped, recorded and replayed in our head. If we forget things are they truly lost or are we just unable to retrieve them? This is just one of the many mysteries of the mind.

All that we are and all that we may be is determined mentally before anything else. Our inner selves exist deep within. We can be manipulated physically but it takes much more to influence a person's mind. This is why it is so difficult to get in shape for example. Effort is required to build muscles but it first takes motivation to start. Our inner dialogue is hard enough for us to manage let alone another.

The point I am trying to make is that physical items come and go. They can be bought, sold and destroyed. What is truly lasting is that which resides inwardly. Our personalities, memories and all that we are is that which we store in the brain. We create all meaning in our lives. Whatever possessions matter only do so because we have assigned some level of importance to them.

I think about the afterlife quite a bit. I know that I cannot take my books with me. I look around and I try to understand just what matters. This is the reason for this post. What we see is fleeting. All that I have is all that I am. My intellect, my sense of humor, all that is Dan can never be taken away. I pray that all that makes me who I am will somehow live on beyond when my body ceases to function.