Titanic Post

Most of the world’s major religions and non-materialist philosophies have ways for us to re-link to the essence of the universe, or the creator, if you will. Simplified, they tell us to live in the ‘here and now’ and things will get better. And if they don’t get better, it won’t bother us so much.

Not too long ago, on a hike in the foothills, my hiking companion mentioned how difficult it is to live in the here and now with all the distractions and demands on our time. I replied that it might help to lose the ego, whereby she rightly asked “How do you lose that?” My background is in sociology and experimental psychology. I am also an ordained fake minister. In other words, I have my own ego problems, and I don’t really know. However, I have seen clues here and there.

I do know that we somehow as children get separated from each other and from nature and most of us then never reconnect. We become important as individuals and lose sight of our community and commonalities. I believe its because almost everything we do has its goal somewhere in the future. The rare exceptions to our living in the future are listening to music and sex. As small children, we are told to be good so that we won’t burn in hell when we die. We then go to school with the goal of being able to get a job and earn money so that we will have a comfortable future. We save money for a rainy day, we buy insurance in a wager with the insurance company against our best wishes and interest that we will die “before our time.” We bet that our house will go up in flames along with all our possessions. I am not saying that we shouldn’t take prudent precautions. Maybe something will happen, maybe it won’t. Its really too early to tell, isn’t it? Meantime the ‘here and now’ is gone forever never to be reclaimed.

We strive to make our lives safe and predictable. Our leaders go so far as to devise vast homeland securities with huge armies to back them up, thereby removing some of our freedoms while not making us one iota more secure. Security is in reality an illusion. No amount of preparation can make us secure.

We should also realize that we are free to make mistakes, free to waste time, and free to die. We should have faith in ourselves, in life, and in others in this instant and in this place. If we don’t, we are doomed to live in the ‘there and then.’