One thing I find of little value is how words are used to intimidate people. If one disagrees with the conventional wisdom of the day they could be called Christ Hater, lone nutter, eccentric, useless eater or some similar term. It’s amazing how uptight some people get when they’re asked good tough questions on what they stand for or about their sacred cows.
If you missed Part I click here!
Just when I thought this God character didn’t play favourites another group claims to be the chosen ones. I like to ask just how they came to this conclusion. Did some mysterious entity appear to them to say they’re at the head of the class and you’re more special than the others? No one person or group is more special than the others. We all have some talent(s) to help out but it’s apparent just how the ego gains control to run things into the ground if it isn’t kept under control and focussed properly.
One thing I noticed that’s a sign of cultish groups is how they use sleep deprivation as a method of control. This isn’t headline news as we need to get a good nights sleep to function properly. As essential as proper rest is it’s our responsibility to get it. Boundaries need to be set with those who claim God will give strength to those who put in the long hours. I beg to differ with this as our bodies weren’t meant to function too many hours in a row on a long term basis.
There are times when a person receives a cleansing of sorts, like cold clear water flowing through a person from head to feet. Some changes will be immediate but usually it’s a long period of time before the changes to take root in a person’s life. These changes can go one of two ways. One is that a person becomes incredibly vibrant and active with life or they get so crusted over and see things from a jaded point of view. A concern I have is when a religious believer says anyone who goes against viewpoint is condemned to Hell or something similar. Or they get so involved with group activity that they forget there is more to life. Things get worse when a person turns their decision making ability over to the leader(s) of the group who may not have anyone’s best interests at heart.
To belong to a group some will do anything including selling themselves out to some form of consensus reality. A person’s thinking ability and reasoning skills are compromised by acts of repetition, lack of proper nutrition and quality sleep. As a result how many people do the 180 degree turn between complete over stimulation or total exhaustion. Beware of anyone who tells you do to without in this life as you will find your reward in Heaven. I don’t see any truth to this as I don’t believe there is any guarantee on what happens after the moment of death.
More often the human race needs to take a good look at its habits and refresh its traditions and stereotyped outlook on life. This includes important topics like the environment, education, medical costs, invasive technology and lack of leadership form religious and political leaders. It’s necessary to get rid of stuff that has outlived its usefulness; better ones have to replace them. Just as long as we don’t lower our standards and expect too little in return. To take a step beyond learning how to think, it’s important to have freedom of thought. It does mean leaving ones comfort zone and challenge the days status quo or conventional thinking.
Part III continues tomorrow!