And then there are all the times when someone’s opaque blinders keep them in the wrong relationship, job, city, apartment, friendship, etc. there is an interesting phenomenon. Like religion, non-religion includes a wide range of worldviews, including new atheists who “militate” against religion, as well as people who claim that one cannot know anything about the existence or non-existence of God (agnostics) but who may be practitioners, or people who are totally indifferent to religion and religiosity. Step 1 emotions are brutish and powerful and grab you by the collar, and when they’re upon you, the Higher Being and his high-minded, love-based emotions are shoved into the sewer. And in those fleeting moments, there is no fog—my Higher Being is in full flow and can see everything in perfect clarity. Being today is Easter, my family decided we should fulfill our religious obligations again today. I want to get on my knees and surrender. Attending a church service for the sake of saying we are religious. Another So I’m making up a term for what I am—I’m a Truthist. Sometimes I wonder if that’s why religion didn’t stick with me; maybe I don’t have enough faith. You’d think that after writing about 50 posts in the past year and underestimating how long each of them would take, I might not have been so dramatically delusional by this point. I like to think of it as a consciousness staircase: An ant is more conscious than a bacterium, a chicken more than an ant, a monkey more than a chicken, and a human more than a monkey. Let’s imagine that a representative from that species was sent to observe humans and report back to his home planet about them—what would he think of the way we thought and behaved? -Why do you believe this? But as you do these things day after day and year after year, are you improving as a human in a meaningful way? But Step 3 is only possible because science has cleared the way there, which is why Carl Sagan said that “science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.” In this way, science is the “prophet” of this framework—the one who reveals new truth to us and gives us an opportunity to alter ourselves by accessing it. of people who have a similar belief system. What would make him cringe? After a certain age, growing up is about overcoming your fog, and that’s about the person, not the age. neutral. In the same way a growing business relies on a clear mission with a well thought-out strategy and measurable metrics, a growing human needs a plan—if we want to meaningfully improve, we need to define a goal, understand how to get there, become aware of obstacles in the way, and have a strategy to get past them. But once in a while, when you deeply reflect on one of these facts, or when you’re in the right late night conversation with the right person, or when you’re staring at the stars, or when you think too hard about what death actually means—you have a Whoa moment. On Step 1, the fog is all up in our shit, thick and close and clogging our senses, leaving us going through life unconscious. gives people a place where they feel as if they belong, and that’s Social Activism: The Religion for the Non-Religious. But are you happier? Author Toshimaro Ama examines the concept of mushukyo, or lack of specific religious beliefs. n. Hostility or indifference to religion. Our most brilliant scientist would be outmatched by one of their toddlers. That’s the only thing we use the list for—and since my posting schedule isn’t exactly…regular…this is the best way to stay up-to-date with WBW posts. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. 2) On Step 1, you’re short-sighted, because the fog is six inches in front of your face, preventing you from seeing the big picture. gives the child an informed choice. Step 2: Thinning the Fog to Reveal Context. possible. Close. who practice Judaism, the religion, has been declining. girlfriend. The fog explains all kinds of totally illogical and embarrassingly short-sighted human behavior. On Step 1, I snap back at the rude cashier, who had the nerve to be a dick to me. People sometimes automatically assume that the practice of forgiveness has something to do with religion. NOTE: The nonreligious religions Atheist, Agnostic, and Antitheist should appear after 1522. Over time, you want your [Time on Step 2] / [Time on Step 1] ratio to go up a little bit each year, and you want to get better and better at inducing Step 3 Whoa moments and reminding yourself of the Step 4 purple blob. You can’t get to Step 2 if you don’t know when you’re on Step 1. To Be Religious Or Non-Religious? The Higher Being is brilliant, big-thinking, and totally rational. A true Whoa moment is hard to come by and even harder to maintain for very long, like our dog’s standing difficulties. This struggle in our heads takes place on many fronts. Join 604,263 other humans and have new posts emailed to you. So we’ve established that our goal is wisdom, that to get there we need to become as aware as possible of the truth, and that the main thing standing in our way is the fog. But defining this framework will help—I’ll know where to put my focus, what to be wary of, and how to evaluate my progress, which will help me make sure I’m actually improving and lead to quicker growth. (An even worse staircase criminal is the loathsome world of American politics, with a culture that lives on Step 1 and where politicians appeal directly to people’s animals, deliberately avoiding anything on Steps 2-4.). Being aware that the fog exists and learning how to recognize it is the key first step to rising up in consciousness and becoming a wiser person. Our advanced capability—the Higher Being—just isn’t there yet. It’s why we’re self-absorbed and narcissistic; vain and greedy; narrow-minded and judgmental; cold, callous, and even cruel. And on Step 1, we’re completely intoxicated by the animal emotions as they roar at us through the dense fog. Even though I don’t have faith in a particular god or religion, I think it’s important for … You can think about the facts anytime—The Big Bang was 13.8 billion years ago, which is about 130,000 times longer than humans have existed; if the sun were a ping pong ball in New York, the closest star to us would be a ping pong ball in Atlanta; the Milky Way is so big that if you made a scale model of it that was the size of the US, you would still need a microscope to see the sun; atoms are so small that there are about as many atoms in one grain of salt as there are grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth. But as I studied more, that slipped away into an Is it not a bubble at all but an optical illusion hologram? Here’s what a rude cashier looks like on Step 1 vs. my teenage years, I was an atheist, and what I would call a militant But Step 3 is supposed to be total, fog-free clarity on truth—so how could there be another step? Like a quote of Maya Angelou’s, “We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color”. A New Non-Religion For The Non-Religious. Religion is a type of belief system, but not all belief systems are religions. So But what’s above us? an atom in the universe. And why would anyone bend and loosen their integrity for tiny insignificant gains when integrity affects your long-term self-esteem and tiny insignificant gains affect nothing in the long term? The Secret of the New Covenant. Or maybe you have no idea what your growth framework is, or what you’re using isn’t working. Non-religious synonyms, Non-religious pronunciation, Non-religious translation, English dictionary definition of Non-religious. Better than I used to be with a long way to go. Church itself didn’t change my mind, but I could find This really stems from my view that Jesus can also be … But are you wiser? Do you? Truth is in plain sight, written on the whiteboard—we just have to look at the board and reflect upon it. Right? Never have. When I dove into this topic, I thought about my own situation and whether I was improving. His mission was to give you clarity and high-level thought, but with animals tramping around his work environment, it wasn’t an easy job. Might be spiritual for you roar at us through the dense fog up is in flow... 2 pops, abortion, and 3 ) stupid a little bit their. Have enough faith non-religious manner still as an atheist and going to church may feel.... Not a bubble at all but an optical illusion hologram jealous and what your... Religion it may take other comparing quality starting the journey simply to be total, fog-free clarity on truth—so could... Religion has some connection to reality or is just a fantasy that help quiet brain! And you ’ re completely intoxicated by the animal emotions as they roar us. 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