A Religion for the Non Religious

[The Grand Nudger]

So, Cath, what appealed to you the most in all of that, penny for -your- thoughts, at length?

Oh gosh... the most?

I thought the whole thing was great!

The fact that we are still evolving, that there are levels of consciousness and we are not necessarily at the top level of it, that there is a very real possibility that there are beings out there who are far more conscious than us at a level we can't even comprehend, that there is always conflict in our mind between acting on animalistic impulses and reaching for something higher, that those animalistic impulses holds us back from really seeing the big picture and the world around us as we should, putting daily nuances into perspective by always remembering how small we are in the universe and how insignificant these nuances are in regards to the big picture, that what we know is such a miniscule amount of what is actually out there....

Of all those things, it's difficult to pick a favorite, especially because they all go together. But.... I think the takeaway that I liked most was about trying to reach that higher level of being by not letting our lives be clouded by our animalistic impulses of selfishness, narcissism, pettiness, etc.

What about you? I know you didn't like it that much, but you said you thought it was kinda interesting. Which part did you think was interesting?

Well, on the portion you found the most interesting, I'd have to suggest that selfishness, narcissism, and pettiness are not animalistic urges.  Those terms describe -us-.  Not racoons, eh?  They might all be part and parcel of the "higher" camp...rather than the "animalistic" camp.  Rushing "upwards" might be rushing towards their elevation to a fetish.  Narcissism, as the strongest example, is literally a fascination with the self.  You see my concern..given the content of the article, lol?  A journey like this, into one's consciousness, and going so far as to implicate higher states of it..this "truthism".....is -inherently- narcissistic.  I don't see how a person could reduce their narcissism by focusing on it intently.  Not disagreeing with you at all, of course, in that managing our impulses, regardless of the category we choose to put them in - is immensely helpful, only commenting on the proposed method.

I think that the article drove the point of how little we know home in an engaging fashion.  If you want me to understand something I'm going to need picture books, and the article delivered!