On Science and Religion

Fibonacci sequence

We are fascinated by patterns, transfixed by how things relate to each other in our world.  There are established standards that we all agree upon and are taught, these tools the touchstones by which we measure our experiences to project probabilities.

"Scientists need a new way to explain the universe"

Science has taken such an interest in recording, compiling and correlating all of the various nuances of anything that can be measured: from brain cell responses to sizes of galaxies to what Asian-American children under the age of four like to eat for breakfast.  The wonderful, exhausting and sometimes stultifying pursuits of discovery never seem to end.  The more that we learn, the more we have need to define, and not only that, the more we learn, the more we have need to redefine.

"Let's try this and see what happens," science says.  "How about if we move this here, and realign this with that and then see what happens."  Life is full of potential experiments, enough to keep us busy for eternity.

It is all very fun for scientists, I daresay as exciting for others as watching a race car on the track make that tight curve and wonder if it's going to crash or not.  We love to spectate and postulate and project and create all sorts of entertainment, studies and pursuits around this human feature.

Even before science, we have had religious paradigms given to us by leaders doling out what we should believe and how we should interact with the world.  Just as science has splintered into many factions, so goes the fractal of religions.  Who are the victims of this banter of beliefs?  Wars have been born.  People have been used.  Hearts have been broken.  Our environment suffers from the inside out.

It's all very confusing and unstable when you think about it, and so very frustrating because all we really do want is some answers.  Not just any answers, either; we want answers that will remain stable and unalterable.  We want something that we can stick to with certain knowledge so that our lives can be more easily navigable.  We want something that not only is reliable and constant for our own solidity, but we want this standard to be recognized by everyone else, too.  What we want is the truth.

How do we obtain the truth?  Our humanity's existence centers on this very concept. 

Discovering truth is a very personal journey.  It cannot be dictated or spoon-fed to you by anyone else.  Knowledge comes when you believe something inside of yourself to be true.

Do you believe that the knowledge of truth is only understood by those that are intelligent enough to figure it out?  Or that it will be withheld from humanity until we reach a certain evolution and ability to discover it?   Can real truth be that elusive?

All that you need to find truth is here for you, in this life, every single day.  Life is a metaphor, our paths parables, our stories a symphony of symbols all interlacing together beautifully for you to observe, enjoy and to use as a tool for deeper understanding.  Whenever you observe an interaction or relationship or pattern, know it is a gift given to you.   The key to unlocking knowledge lies in your own ability to relate to what you observe.  This takes conscious, focused meditation, pondering and thought.

volunteer squash

Here is a simple example of how you can use a daily experience as a meditation to discover truth:

I prepared a small patch of yard for a vegetable garden several weeks ago.  I turned and loosened the soil, weeded unwanted plants and added compost for nourishment.  After planting a few seedlings from the hardware store and watering them, I left the space alone.  It had been raining frequently enough that I had not needed to check much for a couple of weeks until today.  What I found surprised me: several plants had sprouted that I had not put there intentionally.  A few of them were grasses and other non-edibles, but there were also a bunch of other curious starts that, as I really looked at them, were baby tomato plants, and snap beans and squash of some sort.  I'd only planted 3 watermelon and 2 zucchini seedlings here.

What did I make of this?  There are a few ways you can react to such observations:

1. OMG, look at all the weeds and work I have to do!  All these unwanted plants growing... ugh.  And now, if I want to keep any of these other new plants, I have to move them all around so they aren't competing with each other...
2. Well logically, the composting process was inefficient as it did not kill all the seeds that had been placed in it.  
3. How very surprising and abundant is my garden this year!

Yes, all of these things are truths, however, when you take a moment to go beyond your reaction and look at this as a metaphor or as a parable or a proverb, you will see yet another layer of truth.  This underlying truth is applicable throughout time.

Metaphor: In preparing for your crops (fruits of your labor), consciously plot your space (prepare with a plan),  space your seedlings (your hopes, dreams, aspirations) in such a way as they will have room to grow, nourish your space with energy collected and composted from the past (wisdom). Tend with love and care: keep paying attention- there will always be weeds to pull and pests to rid (challenges of all sorts).  Reap what you sow- as much effort as you place into your garden, you will be rewarded equally by its abundance.  Put forth your best effort and you will be richly rewarded.

Parable: A woman prepares her garden.   She loosens the soil in the space she has set specifically aside, and adds composted nourishment that she has specifically prepared for this garden.  She plants 5 specific seedlings.  When the sun shines and the rains comes, the plants begin to grow.  The woman goes back to check on her growing garden to discover there are many more than the 5 seedlings that she planted.  She had prepared the soil well enough to support hidden potential.

Proverb: Seeds from the past may benefit or hinder you in the future.

Though we hear truths in stories and myths and are able to understand so very easily through parables, we express our inner truth through art.

Listen to music and you can hear the longing.  Read poems written centuries ago, study mythology and fairy tales, hymns and prayers, pay attention to trends of queries on the internet, tune in to what we all seek.

The Answer is very plain and simple, streamlined, pure and unalterable.  It's what we all crave so very deeply- to be appreciated, honored, respected; to be joyful and abundant; to be free to create and do whatever we want to do with all the support necessary for success; to not be limited by judgement, illness, disability, inequality, scarcity- in other words- fear.

You do not have to know it all.  You only have to know one thing.  There is only one standard guide by which anything of real value can be understood, and by which you will find success.  When you use Love as your guide in all manners, it will tell you what to do in every situation you will ever encounter in your entire life.

When you're afraid you do not know what is the best path to take, heed the Golden Rule's pervasive truth:

Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.