Facing our gods
... for what we are worshiping we are becoming."
"That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and character."
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)
"That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and character."
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)
god of comfort
god of security
god of certainty
(An All American Trinity)
“But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes you are
You're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody” (Bob Dylan)
Humans have a tendency to worship… worship something… worship anything that is ultimate or of supreme value in one’s life. Although we are often unaware or deceive ourselves, it is not hard to tell what it is that we worship, if we pay attention. What is it that occupies our thoughts, attention, time, energy? What is the focus of our desire. What is the object of our lust?
FACING OUR MANY VERY SUBTLE GODS
We call ourselves a culture and religion of one, and only one, God. But I propose that we may be one of the most pluralistic cultures in the world when it comes to our gods.
But here is the thing; our gods are smarter than we are, they are cunning and sly like a fox.
My gods, that I’m beginning to see, are largely hidden neatly beneath the surface of my life, out of sight… out of mind…
“A person will worship something — have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts — but it will come out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshiping we are becoming.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)We live our lives by the stories we tell ourselves, whether they are true or not. Myths that have gripped us deep within, often at a young age... and when we are old, we do not depart from them. Beliefs are now modern iterations of the instincts we no longer need to survive in the wilderness as hunters and gatherers by triggering fight or flight in the face of danger. But those instincts have evolved in order for us to survive in the present day complex societies, confusing cultures, and dire realities by triggering illusions of comfort, security, and certainty in response to our fears of the unknown, and denial of death. When things are beyond our ability to comprehend or make sense of, we must simplify and contain those complexities into systems of beliefs and stories in our minds. Using stories to explain away our greatest fears could give a hint at what it is that we worship and desire.
Out of sheer lust for comfort, security, and certainty, we create systems of belief, then we hang on for dear life crying out for a savior.
How do we discern that which we worship?
How do we identity our gods?
What is it that occupies my attention?
What is it that I desire, that I long for?
What is it that I work my whole life for?
What is it that I cling to?
What is it that I grasp?
What is it that I cannot let go of?
What is it that I cannot live without?
What is it that I cannot live without?
What is my addiction???
Nothing is certain.
Nothing is secure.
Nothing is permanent.
Nothing gives lasting comfort.
So what longings have my illusions created?
What or who is my savior? Another person? A belief system? Politics?
What or who is my savior? Another person? A belief system? Politics?
Am I grounded in reality? Or illusion?
Is my illusion my savior? My addiction?
Is my illusion my savior? My addiction?
Comfort
“The lust for comfort
murders the passion of the soul,
and then walks grinning in the funeral.”
(Kahlil Gibran)
“People wish to be settled.
Only as far as they are unsettled
is there any hope for them.”
(Emerson)
“We find comfort among those who agree with us… growth among those who don’t.” (Frank Clark)
“Comfort is one thing, and truth another; they lead away from each other. If you seek comfort, you may find it in an explanation, a drug or a belief; but it will be temporary, and sooner or later you will have to begin over again. And is there such a thing as comfort? It may be that you will first have to see this fact: that a mind which seeks comfort, security, will always be in sorrow. A satisfactory explanation, or a comforting belief, can put you soothingly to sleep; but is that what you want? Will that wipe away your sorrow? Is sorrow to be got rid of by inducing sleep?” (Krishnamurti, Commentaries On Living, Series III | Chapter 13, ‘ Why Should It Happen To Us? ‘)
“There is the comfort in God, which is an image put together by thought, or comfort in some illusory concept or idea. And that’s all you want. But you never question the very urge, the desire for comfort, never ask whether there is any comfort at all. One needs to have a comfortable bed or chair— that’s all right. But you never ask whether there is any comfort at all psychologically, inwardly. Is it an illusion which has become your truth? You understand? An illusion can become your truth— the illusion that you are God, that there is God. That God has been created by thought, by fear. If you had no fear, there would be no God.
“So this is a very complex problem of our life— why we are so shallow, empty, filled with other people’s knowledge and with books; why we are not independent, free human beings to find out; why we are slaves. This is not a rhetorical question; it is a question each one of us must ask. In the very asking and doubting, there comes freedom. And without freedom there is no sense of truth.” (Krishnamurti)
“Comfort is one thing, and truth another; they lead away from each other. If you seek comfort, you may find it in an explanation, a drug or a belief; but it will be temporary, and sooner or later you will have to begin over again. And is there such a thing as comfort? It may be that you will first have to see this fact: that a mind which seeks comfort, security, will always be in sorrow. A satisfactory explanation, or a comforting belief, can put you soothingly to sleep; but is that what you want? Will that wipe away your sorrow? Is sorrow to be got rid of by inducing sleep?” (Krishnamurti, Commentaries On Living, Series III | Chapter 13, ‘ Why Should It Happen To Us? ‘)
“There is the comfort in God, which is an image put together by thought, or comfort in some illusory concept or idea. And that’s all you want. But you never question the very urge, the desire for comfort, never ask whether there is any comfort at all. One needs to have a comfortable bed or chair— that’s all right. But you never ask whether there is any comfort at all psychologically, inwardly. Is it an illusion which has become your truth? You understand? An illusion can become your truth— the illusion that you are God, that there is God. That God has been created by thought, by fear. If you had no fear, there would be no God.
“So this is a very complex problem of our life— why we are so shallow, empty, filled with other people’s knowledge and with books; why we are not independent, free human beings to find out; why we are slaves. This is not a rhetorical question; it is a question each one of us must ask. In the very asking and doubting, there comes freedom. And without freedom there is no sense of truth.” (Krishnamurti)
Security
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” (Helen Keller)
“Shutters on storefronts and shutters in the mind -
We kill ourselves to keep ourselves safe from crime.
That's the gospel of bondage…” (Bruce Cockburn lyrics, Gospel of Bondage)
“So where is security? There may be no security at all. Just think about it, sir, see the beauty of that—having no desire for security, having no urge, no feeling of any kind in which there is security. In your homes, in your offices, in your factories, in your parliaments and so on, is there security? Life may not have security; life is meant to be lived, not to create problems and then try to solve them. It is meant to be lived and it will die. That’s one of our fears—to die. Right?” (Krishnamurti, The Last Talks, pp 34-35)
“When we close the windows and doors of our house and stay inside, we feel very secure, we feel safe, unmolested. But life is not like that. Life is constantly knocking at our door, trying to push open our windows that we may see more; and if out of fear we lock the doors, bolt all the windows, the knocking only grows louder. The closer we cling to security in any form, the more life comes and pushes us. The more we are afraid and enclose ourselves, the greater is our suffering, because life won’t leave us alone. We want to be secure but life says we cannot be; and so our struggle begins.” (Krishnamurti, Life Ahead, p 54)
“What happens when you seek security, certainty? There must be fear; and if you are conscious of your thought, you will discern that it has its root in fear. Morality, religion and objective conditions are based fundamentally on fear, for they are the outcome of the desire on the part of the individual to be secure. Though you may not have any religious belief, yet you have the desire to be subjectively secure, which is but the religious spirit. Let us understand the structure of what we call religion.
“As I said, when one seeks security there must be fear; to be subjectively certain, you seek what you call immortality. In search of that security, you accept teachers who promise this immortality, and you come to regard them as authorities, to be feared, to be worshiped. And where there is this fear, there must be dogmas, creeds, beliefs, ideals and traditions to hold the mind.” (Krishnamurti, Santiago, Chile | 1st Public Talk 1st September, 1935)
“If your knowledge of fire has been turned to certainty by words alone, then seek to be cooked by the fire itself. Don’t abide in borrowed certainty. There is no real certainty until you burn; If you wish for this, sit down in the fire.” (Rumi)“Shutters on storefronts and shutters in the mind -
We kill ourselves to keep ourselves safe from crime.
That's the gospel of bondage…” (Bruce Cockburn lyrics, Gospel of Bondage)
“So where is security? There may be no security at all. Just think about it, sir, see the beauty of that—having no desire for security, having no urge, no feeling of any kind in which there is security. In your homes, in your offices, in your factories, in your parliaments and so on, is there security? Life may not have security; life is meant to be lived, not to create problems and then try to solve them. It is meant to be lived and it will die. That’s one of our fears—to die. Right?” (Krishnamurti, The Last Talks, pp 34-35)
“When we close the windows and doors of our house and stay inside, we feel very secure, we feel safe, unmolested. But life is not like that. Life is constantly knocking at our door, trying to push open our windows that we may see more; and if out of fear we lock the doors, bolt all the windows, the knocking only grows louder. The closer we cling to security in any form, the more life comes and pushes us. The more we are afraid and enclose ourselves, the greater is our suffering, because life won’t leave us alone. We want to be secure but life says we cannot be; and so our struggle begins.” (Krishnamurti, Life Ahead, p 54)
“What happens when you seek security, certainty? There must be fear; and if you are conscious of your thought, you will discern that it has its root in fear. Morality, religion and objective conditions are based fundamentally on fear, for they are the outcome of the desire on the part of the individual to be secure. Though you may not have any religious belief, yet you have the desire to be subjectively secure, which is but the religious spirit. Let us understand the structure of what we call religion.
“As I said, when one seeks security there must be fear; to be subjectively certain, you seek what you call immortality. In search of that security, you accept teachers who promise this immortality, and you come to regard them as authorities, to be feared, to be worshiped. And where there is this fear, there must be dogmas, creeds, beliefs, ideals and traditions to hold the mind.” (Krishnamurti, Santiago, Chile | 1st Public Talk 1st September, 1935)
Certainty
“The very desire to be certain, to be secure, is the beginning of bondage. It’s only when the mind is not caught in the net of certainty, and is not seeking certainty, that it is in a state of discovery.” (Krishnamurti)
“I am asking myself what is fear, not what I am afraid of. I lead a certain kind of life; I think in a certain pattern; I have certain beliefs and dogmas and I don’t want those patterns of existence to be disturbed because I have my roots in them. I don’t want them to be disturbed because the disturbance produces a state of unknowing and I dislike that. If I am torn away from everything I know and believe, I want to be reasonably certain of the state of things to which I am going. So the brain cells have created a pattern and those brain cells refuse to create another pattern which may be uncertain. The movement from certainty to uncertainty is what I call fear.”
(Jiddu Krishnamurti, Freedom from the Known)
“Fear begins and ends with the desire to be secure; inward and outward security, with the desire to be certain, to have permanency. The continuity of permanence is sought in every direction, in virtue, in relationship, in action, in experience, in knowledge, in outward and inward things. To find security and be secure is the everlasting cry. It is this insistent demand that breeds fear.”
(JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI, On Fear)
“The fact is there is nothing that you can trust; and that is a terrible fact, whether you like it or not. Psychologically there is nothing in the world, that you can put your faith, your trust, or your belief in. Neither your gods, nor your science can save you, can bring you psychological certainty; and you have to accept that you can trust in absolutely nothing. That is a scientific fact, as well as a psychological fact. Because, your leaders — religious and political — and your books — sacred and profane — have all failed, and you are still confused, in misery, in conflict. So, that is an absolute, undeniable fact.” (JIDDU KRISHNAMURTI, Psychological Revolution)
“The radical, committed to human liberation, does not become the prisoner of a ‘circle of certainty’ within which reality is also imprisoned. On the contrary, the more radical the person is, the more fully he or she enters into reality so that, knowing it better, he or she can better transform it. This individual is not afraid to confront, to listen, to see the world unveiled. This person is not afraid to meet the people or to enter into dialogue with them. This person does not consider himself or herself the proprietor of history or of all people, or the liberator of the oppressed; but he or she does commit himself or herself, within history, to fight at their side.” (Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed)
The Questions We Refuse to Ask
"There are two things that determine (who we are and) who we will be:
the questions we ask and
the questions we refuse to ask.”(Sam Keen)
What resonates so deeply with me about this statement is that
1) who I am is closely tied to the questions that matter to me, the questions that I have the courage to ask. These are foundational to my identity.
2) but those questions that I refuse to ask, that I’m afraid to ask create a sort of negative of me. They reveal what might be missing within me.
We all hold tightly to things that create our own sense of comfort. Do I hold so tightly to these things that I won’t dare to challenge my own assumptions that undergird my comfort with questions that might uproot things… that might uproot EVERYTHING!?
We all hold tightly to things that create our own sense of security. Do I hold so tightly to these things that I won’t dare to challenge my own assumptions that undergird my security with questions that might uproot things… that might uproot EVERYTHING!?
We all hold tightly to things that create our own sense of certainty. Do I hold so tightly to these things that I won’t dare to challenge my own assumptions that undergird my certainty with questions that might uproot things… that might uproot EVERYTHING!?
Also see
https://ronirvine.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/the-god-of-comfort/
https://livingwithopenhands2.blogspot.com/2019/07/permanency.html
https://livingwithopenhands2.blogspot.com/2019/07/permanency.html
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