Truth, the evolutionary spiral and the greater scheme of things
After having a discussion on another post, I think this might need a post of its own.
Human evolution relative to knowledge follows a specific universal pattern: In our first incarnations we tend to cling to our intuitive knowledge. I will take the religious knowledge example where we feel that there is a Higher Force. Because of our feeling or intuition of this Higher Force, we will tend to align with any external source of information that will reinforce our feelings/intuitions. For example, if religion says there is a higher force in the form of God, we will align with religion because it sounds right.
By adopting a religion, just because it accepts the existence of a Higher Force (like we do), we overlook that its portrait of this Force (God) has a list of attributes and characteristics which are not necessarily correct. We end up trusting the claims of religion with a naive rationale that religion has never harmed us, so if they are confirming what we believe as true then shouldn’t the other things that they say also be true?
But then we slowly discover that all those other things are not necessarily real or valid. So, over time, we may reach the conclusion that our religion may be full of lies, deceit and hypocrisy, which will evolve in our rejection of religion or even God (which we have come to identify as the Higher Force).
Then, something may happen (like a personal experience, a miracle or a realization) which will act as a catalyst to re-evaluate our beliefs of God’s nonexistence. From that point onward, we realize that our opposition towards religious hypocrisy or lies may have been the correct action, but our stance towards the Higher Force was more complicated than initially thought.
Our rejection of the image of God may have been appropriate (given the circumstances of religious disappointment), but we didn’t really make the distinction between the Higher Force’s portrayal (which, as God, was inadequate and as such, unacceptable) and the existence of the Higher Force.
It is then rationalized that just because a portrayal of the Higher Force is inadequate doesn’t mean that we should reject the HF as nonexistent – we just need to find a better portrayal. And then we seek and we seek and we seek – always becoming more disappointed in not finding a 100% adequate portrayal (lifetime after lifetime - in some times even on an accelerated time schedule of just one decade). So we reach a point where we realize that, most, if not all of such portrayals and external information are inadequate.
At that point, the process of being naive and trustful to any external source ends. This then catalyzes the internal search for the Higher Force and the formulation of a “personalized religion”.
If human evolution could be represented as a two-dimensional circle (a clock would be a good analogy) then humans start at 12 o’clock (inner reliance on intuitive feeling – naivety in allowing externals to define one's truth) and by 6 o’clock they’re fully externally reliant/dependent on others for defining their own world view and knowledge.
Then humans start to break external reliance (usually by being disgusted by the lies and suppression) and head back to 12 o’clock, although this time they will be free from naivety (since they’ve had the experience of being manipulated). This applies for most, if not all, things like internal/external knowledge, inner/external (religious) concepts of God etc.
From a 3D perspective, this cycle, is actually not a cycle but an evolutionary spiral. Humans start at a certain point of the spiral (12 o’clock from 2D), then go half a spiral upwards (6 o’clock from 2D) and finish exactly one spiral upwards (12 o’clock from 2D / confident internal knowledge) in comparison to the starting point (12 o’clock / naive). It is noteworthy that even while 6 o’clock might seem like backwards motion relative to 12 o’clock-naive (since one is doing exactly the opposite than they should by moving away from God), it is not. And this is because it is half a spiral upwards relative to the starting point.
So, from this perspective, the 6 o’clock external dependencies are necessary catalysts for personal evolution. Our personal evolution would be impossible without these catalysts. If we had all the information readily at our hands, supplied by accurate and all-knowing external sources then we would never take the time to evolve to a point of internal reliance – there would simply be no need for it. But, as is evident, we need to try the external sources, be disappointed by their inadequacy or deceit so that this disappointment can be channeled creatively into going within for the truth.
Given the larger design it would make sense that instead of being enraged at manipulative sources of external information (whether religions or sciences), one should try to apply a wider perspective, understand their wider role (as facilitating forces for our own growth), honor them and appreciate them for the opportunity they provide to us. The cosmic plan is very wise in its design.
Sounds like a Tool song... Lateralus
Haven't heard it, but I believe you :D