Pantheism. Part 4

"Believe those who are seeking the truth. 

Doubt those who find it". -Andre Gide

Outlook on life, and the purpose of life

To understand reality as it is is quite frankly a difficult task. We, humans, make understanding the world a lot more difficult than it should be. Even since prehistoric times our ancestors have tried to give meaning to events which they couldn't explain. It provides the brain with a tool that solves any puzzle, or so it seems. Myths and superstitions were born like that. Every society has myths and superstitions. This holds back the real understanding of what life is. What is the purpose of life? Is it to be afraid of what could happen? Or is it to learn what really happens? Most religions answer the question with rules and guidelines that must be followed, in order to fulfill the roll of a good person. The purpose of life is to be good, and to follow God's rules. However, there are no reasons to believe there is a God wanting us to do such things. Some people just want to control and manipulate others around them for their own goals. And this guidelines for life can be useful sometimes, but most of the time they are not. Most of them are taken from old books, which teachings could be applied in the society of their times. Nowadays, all societies and their different moral point of view makes it difficult to have a universal rule book of how to behave. So, obviously a universal religion is not a solution. Then, how can a Pantheistic view have a outlook of life? We see life as it is. We do no assume anything we cannot perceive by our senses and logic together. And even basic concepts such as egoism do not hold their original meaning when you see life that way. How so? Well, if you are truly egotistic, and want the best for you, then you must also care for others (be altruistic), as it is well known that in society, and nature, there is a fine balance between individuals and even non-living objects. If you break that balance, things fall apart and everything worsens. A simplistic way to see this would be, if you use 10% of your energy to help 10 people at different times of their life when they need it, and they all reciprocate 10% of their energy to you at a time when you need it, then it is as if 1 person dedicates 100% of its energy to you, which is better then being by yourself in a time of need. It is an extremely simplistic example, but it works very similarly in real life. The more people you take care of, the more people are going to be ready to take care of you when you need it. Maybe you are going to find a group of people who truly don't understand that and could even try to hurt you, but if you do your best to show them you have nothing against them, and that if they reciprocate they will get the benefits of your friendship, then the chances of having more people on your side is even bigger. So, it sounds maybe a bit cold, but you must care for others if you want them to care for you. It is amazing to see somebody who cares for others and do not expect anything in exchange, but there is genetic research that indicates that is not true in a deeper sense. Believe it or not, the selfish gene is a well known and accepted explanation of why some individuals are altruistic, which is the opposite of selfish behavior. The genes look up for their own survival, and in turn they make their carrier (the living organism) an altruistic agent (at different levels and extents of course) because that improves the chances of survival and reproduction. Now, we know we are not alive just to survive and reproduce. We have a brain capable of understanding beyond any other creature we have come to know so far. So, in the same way it is unethical to pretend not to know something, to avoid work. It is unethical not to use our minds to their fullest. If we know we are capable of learning something, we should try to learn it. We may never understand some things, but to live fully we must try. To learn, and to protect everything there is, because everything in the universe is part of a system that works well together. The universe is beautiful as it is, and we are part of it so we should embrace this life that was 'given' to us. That is my outlook on life. To keep looking for the limits of our minds, look for understanding and do not pretend to have it. to love and care for yourself and others, that is my purpose in life.