Convictions

You are living in a fantasy world. All people are living in fantasy worlds, even scientists and down-to-earth realists.

We all have our religious beliefs, political opinions, worldviews, and cultural values. We can question other people's fantasies but not our own. 

It took decades for the Germans after 1945 to begin questioning their Nazism; many never did. Many communists refused to question their Stalinism. Many neoliberals cannot challenge their view that governments shouldn't interfere with what corporations are doing. Corporations must be free to buy and sell what they want. The slave owners in the American South refused to give up their right to keep slaves. It took 200 years for the Catholic Church to agree that Galileo was right. Some people are clinging to beliefs that were formed 2500 years ago. This list of examples can be made very long.

We don't want to question ourselves. It is too unpleasant. So, therefore we must continue to live in our fantasy worlds, fighting each other in idiotic wars and trying to convince each other that our fantasies are the best.

Can you question your own beliefs? Do you still insist that you are right and that I am wrong? Can't you see that we both may be wrong? Or maybe I'm right. Maybe New York is the capital of the US. Maybe there is a God, after all, hiding behind the trees.

Do you think waking up from your fantasy without adopting a new one is possible?

I don't think it is possible to completely clear out one's beliefs and convictions, but it is possible to question them. It is possible not to be totally convinced.

Eternal injustice

Imagine a man who has been an ashole all his life, selfish, nasty, greedy, exploiting other people, lying through his teeth, smiling, playing mild and caring, but crazy for money and power, etcetera.

Then, think of an upright man who has always been kind and helpful.

Do you think these two men will meet the same fate when they die, that both will be admitted to the wonderful spiritual realm, the kingdom of heaven?

All people who have had a near-death experience, at least all the people I have heard of on YouTube, talk about how wonderful it is there on the other side. Will it be fantastic for all people? What do you think? How do you fantasize about these things?

Integration

The brain is divided into two halves; they are like Yin and Yang. Both sides are essential — intuition and thinking, poetry and logic, imagery and explanations, art and scientific theories, being and doing.

It is not about this way or that way, my way or your way, spirit or flesh. It is about the way — which includes both Yin and Yang.

Who are you?

Sometimes I'm an atheist, sometimes I'm a theist. Sometimes I'm a deist; sometimes I'm an agnostic. Sometimes I am a jerk; sometimes I am an idealist. Who am I really? I ask myself. 

Thoughts are not of much help if you want to find your true self. If you want to learn about who you are, you must observe your actions. Did you stay, or did you go? Was your career more important to you than your best friend? Did you follow the instructions? Did you toe the line?

God

There are many ideas about God, who he is, how to contact him, and what he wants from us. Some people believe he is jealous and vengeful; others believe he is merciful and forgiving. Some believe God is a female, a great mother; in India, they believe in many Gods, male and female.

Some believe that he is nothing but a fantasy; others believe that the world itself is God or that he is, in reality, an extraterrestrial civilization. They have created us in their high-tech computers. But who created that civilization? Did they create themselves?

Some pretend that they believe in God, others pretend that they don't.

Endless wars have been fought over which God is the right God.

I don't know what to think. Maybe he is a sad and miserable loser. Perhaps he lost the battle against the evil forces.

The concealed

The world consists of two parts: the known and the unknown.

All animals are curious by nature, but humans are inquisitive. The unknown drives us crazy. At any cost, we must find out what it's like beyond those mountains - or out there or in there. Scientists and spiritual seekers spend all their time and energy trying to make the unknown known. Only to realize that the unknown is so much larger than they expected.

Because it's irritating and frustrating not to know, and because we have invested so much time and money in understanding the world, who we are, and why we are here, and because we are unwilling to admit that we are ignorant thickheads, we resort to lying. We claim with emphasis that we know. We create religions and teachings that explain things to us. We build metaphysical castles in the air. It feels so good to know the truth.

However, because a big part of the world is unknown, it does not necessarily imply that a higher being exists. The unknown is simply unknown. 

Some, a small group of people, acknowledge and pray to the unknown, ignoring the teachings of priests, monks, mystics, pastors, imams, mullahs, spiritual guides, gurus, and philosophers.

Extreme mystics don't even pray or engage in any spiritual exercises. They simply live their life. Good or bad, the unknown made me and my life this way. When the time is right, I'll change my ways and stop drinking and smoking.

Democracy

In the US, you can choose between two presidential candidates representing two right-wing parties. Their policies are practically identical. Both are devoted supporters of the rich and the military-industrial complex. It's the same thing in the UK. A similar system prevails also here in Sweden, but here you can choose between two political blocks (coalitions of parties) with similar political ideas. It's like the European Song Contest; all contestants sound the same. The vast majority love the European Song Contest.