We continue to become more knowledgable ...it hasn't as yet made us smarter.

Submitted by trans-parere (Canada), Feb 25, 2008 at 22:47

At one time we painted our faces to take on the persona we imagined represented the spiritual and animal world. We danced in these masks to celebrate the struggle between life and death, our successes in a harsh world. That spiritual celebration was food that nourished both mind and body. The animals fed and clothed and the dances told our stories and educated the next generation. We would call that primitive. Culturally relative.

Today we make up to hide our true selves, have foreign materials injected into our bodies and those of our children because we have come to believe that we are as we stand, insufficient. We tell ourselves that we are all better now that we have had our exteriors reshaped with plastic, our minds reshaped with dogma. We like to think of ourselves as being cosmopolitan. Perhaps, and I pray; that tomorrow reverses this sense of insufficiency and men and women are free to represent the truth that is the light of their individual gift, each a gift of life given by God with some special thing to offer the rest of us in truth. But can only be found in truth.

Perhaps one day we will be satisfied with who we are and will no longer need personal and social separators. I do not know what or if any limit could exist. What I do know is our collective behavior to date has been and will continue to be very very limiting as long as we huddle in our self-centred darkness shrouded by our culture[s], holding "our religion[s] before us as both shields against humanity and as an enticement to others whom we beseech to join in our struggles with the nonbelievers. We are told by all religions that a belief in god is not sufficient. We must believe in their God, and in their religion. Their cultural expression of the spiritual world. I don't want anyone else worshiping my God. It's a personal, intimate connection. It's just for me. With a little effort anyone can accept their own direct connection that is waiting for them. No one can do that for anyone else.

There is no magical club to join. It's you and your God and whatever you have to do to make yourself right for the light, baby. You can not be false and connected to your truth. And that's life. I wish you well.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".