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3 Recreating the Self

The process begins when we seek self-knowledge. The brain can be visualized evolving in four stages or on four levels. First a central nervous system controlling autonomic responses such as breathing and heart rate clumped in an area of the brain called the reptilian complex. The next level of "intelligence" developing was the emotional center/ limbic system responsible for the more or less reflexive responses such as flight/ fight and love/ hate. Then the cognitive center in the cerebral area of the brain yielded our outstanding analytical and problem solving capabilities. Lastly, in a fourth and ongoing phase of mental evolution, we are developing the capability to view situations in a perspective leading to the philosophical questioning of the meaning of life and what we "should" be doing. This is quite different than problem solving since it enables us to visualize problems in context and understand the interrelatedness of our behavior to the world around us. This is the intelligence we must nourish to give us the strength and wisdom to constructively change our interactions with each other and our environment.

Maybe the easiest way to understand this fourth level of mental activity is to think of it as holistic awareness. Thinking of the self holistically would include the many aspects of self-fulfillment -- such as sexuality, artistic and musical abilities, intellectual development, and generally the awareness of ones desires and interests in the widest possible sense. Thinking of the self holistically in the context of others entails developing an understanding of justice or what it means to treat others fairly in keeping with the overall welfare for the all of life. And this awareness would inevitably lead to the development of an understanding of the self in ecological balance with all forms of life.

The growing awareness of what we know should lead to an awareness of the limits of our knowledge and the relatively meager understanding we have of the world around us. This is the source of spirituality. The "unknown" and our relationship to it. Do we name it, pray to it, or worship it? Do we view it with awe or ignore it? Or do we deny the existence of all that we do not understand? Whatever we do we should not attempt to define what we do not understand and call it the "one way". This is in the realm of fanaticism, and we should be aware that our biologically driven tendency to do this undermines our attempts to live harmoniously with the world around us. It not only leads to greater human misery but a growing level of misery for all life.

The ability to rise above the emotional reaction of the moment, place events in perspective, and evaluate responses, evolves out of self-knowledge. The journey can take many different paths, but the wise men have commonly sought quietude remote from distractions so as to facilitate reflection. They found that solitude was necessary to put their lives in a perspective so that they could comprehend their spiritual essence. And illumination would yield values in harmony with their being. "Seeing" the spirit of life, or the harmonious resonance transcending the all of Nature, necessarily leads to an understanding of our relatedness to all forms of life, and how the welfare of one form is inextricably connected to the welfare of others.

Values or principles consistent with our best intelligence flow from this quest for self-knowledge. Seek the truth within and it shall set you free... free to question the traditions, myths, and hypocrises that adorn all societies. Of course, vested interests, and others with ulterior motives, have often used the seductive power of religious belief to exhort us to revere the work of others. Teachings deemed sacred by the dogmatists (like the Bible or Koran) are held as the inerrant words or teachings of God.

Yet in the eyes of those who have studied these documents, they offer little more than some conventional thinking of the times couched in myths and stories to help make them palatably interesting and understandable. For example, consider the legend of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments as a result of his unification with God. Some obviously reflect a bit of common sense wisdom -- but others address the number of permissible gods, stipulate that God should not be dishonored with "graven images", and refer to swearing, working on the Sabbath, or coveting your neighbor's possessions. The documents were drafted thousands of years ago and were interpreted and massaged many times for many purposes using numerous languages. In the context of life today they seem confusing and out of touch with reality. And as a result of deferring to this type of thinking, and a lot of other similar fuzzy guidance from the past, our morality is often hypocritical and senseless. Our leaders seem to fret over using a blob of stem cells the size of a pinhead for medical research, but display little concern over the loss of innocent human life and senseless carnage resulting from the endless "wars" justified by reasoning known to be specious and conflicted.

The wise believed that we should develop our own principles consistent with our own self-knowledge and be true to them. There is nothing in their words encouraging us to revere the graven or foolish images couched in the belief systems fabricated by others. They knew a God would not speak in riddles, or want us to do the nonsensical in his (her?) name. A life worth living will be a search for truth. We must abandon the myths and lies that have been used to supress reason and control the weak throughout our history.