My Sunday Thought for 051417: The Ineffable Mystery

"The ultimate truth must remain an ineffable mystery."

-- Roger Shattuck (1923-2005), "Forbidden Knowledge"

Is the mind a terrible thing to waste, or is the mind simply... a terrible thing?  The more we discover about our universe, the more we discover about our own ignorance and our own negativity toward that same desire to discover.  We are finding out, through archeology, just how many times civilizations have reached the heights of philosophy and the sciences, conquered knowledge, and lost that knowledge through war and intolerance.  How far would we have progressed if this lost knowledge had been protected, used, and built upon by greater minds of following generations?

"Everything changes and nothing remains still... You cannot step twice into the same stream... The only thing that is constant is change."

-- Heraclitus (535-475 BC), Socratic Greek philosopher

For centuries, however, protection of this knowledge has been defined as preventing any change to the status quo - don't rock the boat.  The Earth was flat and the center of the universe to the "civilized" world, even though the astronomical prowess of 'savage' indigenous cultures everywhere seemed to know this not to be the case, even as 'civilized' science was seen as witchcraft if it deviated from Christian or orthodox thought.  Even scientists in the enlightened age leading up to the 20th century were hard pressed to allow new insights to shake the cage of orthodoxy.  Most notably, for the layperson, science found itself having to keep pushing back the date of mankind's civilization; 2000 BCE became 4000, then 6000, then 10,000, and yet we keep making definitive conclusions of the date of mankind's awakening without definitive facts to support them. 

We have the hardest time giving ourselves any wiggle room for change.  Scientists are all about the definite and things proven or that can be proven, "Civilization is began about 4000 years ago," instead of being honest and saying, "As of this moment, we can find evidence to support X date, but we are still looking for more evidence which may push this date back even further - we just don't know for certain."  

Antigravity has been shelved by most reputable organizations.  For instance, one article, Feeling Antigravity's Pull, has NASA physicist Ron Koczor saying "Don't call it antigravity research.  Call it 'gravity modification.' 'Gravity anomalies.' Anything but antigravity. That's a red flag."  The article goes on to state, "When people find out that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has researchers working on sci-fi stuff like antigravity—or rather, "gravity modification"—the red flags do indeed start waving. Reputable scientists like Koczor earn polite disdain from colleagues (or worse, from funders of research). But truth's truth: NASA has been studying the manipulation of gravity for at least 10 years, as have nongovernment researchers."  Scientists worldwide have suffered this same slap in the face when broaching antigravity research.  This same 'polite disdain' from colleagues has been visited upon the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).

“The only thing I know is that I know nothing, and I am not quite sure that I know that.”

-- Socrates (469-399 BCE), philosopher

It always seemed to me that Christianity and scripture historically pushed back against knowledge and allowing 'commoners' to be anything more than, well... ignorant sheep.  Religious leaders are, more times than not, not the founders of their religions.  These 'leaders' are simply the pious few who fall prey to greed, ego and, by extension, control of mindless followers.  I say 'mindless' because of enough historical evidence proving people who have freedom of thought cannot be controlled, unless they desire it.  There is a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk who explains this best:

"Every religion consists of not only the teachings of the founder of that religion but also the rites and ceremonies which have grown up around the basic core of the teachings. These rituals and ceremonies have their origins in the cultural practices of the people who accepted the religion. Usually the founders of the great religions do not lay down precise rules about the rituals to be observed. But religious leaders who come after them formalize the religion and set up exacting codes of behavior which the followers are not allowed to deviate from."

-- K. Sri Dhammananda (1919-2006), Buddhist monk and scholar

We are just now discovering, or rediscovering, what ancient cultures seemed to grasp, that the human mind possesses a power greater than only few have ever thought, but many have certainly dreamt.  Physics is now looking at thought as a measurable energy and, if this is true, it opens the real possibility that the soul is, in fact, that measurable weight which we lose immediately upon death.

I love to throw Descartes around, whenever the chance arises.  Whenever I get close to discussing our path to discover that which is forgotten, René always seem to pop into my head.  I find the idea of his dictum being "a first step in demonstrating the attainability of certain knowledge" as an interesting point to ponder.   

Cogito, ergo sum, (Latin: “I think, therefore I am) dictum coined by the French philosopher René Descartes in his Discourse on Method (1637) as a first step in demonstrating the attainability of certain knowledge. It is the only statement to survive the test of his methodic doubt. The statement is indubitable, as Descartes argued in the second of his six Meditations on First Philosophy (1641), because even if an all-powerful demon were to try to deceive him into thinking that he exists when he does not, he would have to exist in order for the demon to deceive him. Therefore, whenever he thinks, he exists. Furthermore, as he argued in his replies to critics in the second edition (1642) of the Meditations, the statement “I am” (sum) expresses an immediate intuition, not the conclusion of a piece of reasoning (regarding the steps of which he could be deceived), and is thus indubitable. However, in a later work, the Principles of Philosophy (1644), Descartes suggested that the cogito is indeed the conclusion of a syllogism whose premises include the propositions that he is thinking and that whatever thinks must exist.

-- Encyclopædia Britannica

Whenever we think, we exist and. therefore, whatever thinks must exist.  Philosophy, of 1637, melds with the new theoretical physics of today with a possibility that what we think might also, therefore, exist.  It makes my mind want to explode when I consider the ramifications, and the possibility that ancient magic might not be fable.  The power of the human mind is running on idle.

There are forbidden mysteries and knowledge, kept from mankind by the 'intelligentsia' for the greater good, and which we are just now beginning to uncover.  This has been our forgotten task, levied upon us by our God when we were given the freedom of choice - eat of the apple, or don't.

According to scripture, only the gods know of good and evil, yet the one God among all others placed the Tree of Life with us in the Garden of Eden as a lesson to us of choices and consequences.  Why else put it there?  It was one thing for children to learn there was evil as well as good, two sides to every coin, but with the knowledge of choice comes, also, the ability to gather more knowledge from the Tree.  It was the ability to expand our knowledge beyond our young age which had the gods concerned; with great knowledge comes great responsibility.  We were not ready.

The parable makes me wonder, however, if we were advanced enough as constructs to make a conscious decision to reach for more knowledge instead of just doing as we were programmed, or if a mistake was, in fact, made by one of the designers on the team, some lesser god, who might have gone out for coffee and left knowledge where we could easily access it.  If this lesser god was Satan, it would explain the extreme punishment of being banished from heaven and, perhaps, the God above gods, recognizing the grievousness of the error, took personal control of the experiment, placing Himself in direct line of control by ensuring mankind would answer to no other god but Him from that point on.  But one would have to admit that, according to scripture, the damage was already done - "Behold, the man has become like one of us..."

"Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil..."

-- Genesis 3:22

If we have become as gods, this would answer an ineffable mystery which has haunted mankind for countless millennia - Who are we?  If we are, in fact, gods created in the image of our maker, then the question has already been answered by the God who created us, if we but open our eyes and see, because our answer to who we are is the same as His:

“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”  Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’, and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’... this is my name for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.”  In revealing his mysterious name, YHWH (”I AM HE WHO IS”, “I AM WHO AM” or “I AM WHO I AM”), God says who he is and by what name he is to be called.

-- The Catechism of the Catholic Church (205-206)

In 1637 René Descartes (1596-1650), French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist, wrote in his Discourse on the Method, "Je pense, donc je suis";  I think, therefore, I am.  Philosophers have come to grips with this basic idea and we have tried to understand just what it means.  We are what we are, and if we become so much more we will still only be that which we are.  The answer to the question is for the person asking the question to determine for themselves.  Who am I? The answer is one only you can be.  Who are we?  This answer, also, is one only we can be, and we are still striving to be all of it.

"I yam what's I yam, 

And that's all what's I am..."

-- Lyrics to "Popeye the Sailor Man"

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with an Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects in pharmaceutical research.  Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, to wage his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as Chaplain Program Liaison, at a regional medical center.