I strongly suspect
that both my parents died not knowing or understanding why they had been part
of this world. I also suspect this sad
prospect may be attributed to the majority of people in this world today – who possibly
at some stage ‘wonder what it’s all
about’, but never quite fathom a satisfactory answer. Questions and answers alluding to the meaning
of life have been asked down the ages and many of the responses have been
recorded throughout history. I count
myself fortunate to have been born at a time when both education and
information have become more readily available to the public, thus, should we
choose, allowing even the lowliest amongst us to form a reasonably informed
opinion.
The ‘official’
responses for the – ‘meaning of life’ or ‘why we are here’ - range from those
profoundly thought out, by philosophers both ancient and modern, to a plethora
of glib answers - mere dogma - trotted out by any number of religious
organisations. The human race has
grasped at these mostly false straws in the hope of finding some inner peace or
some logical reason for ‘being’ with all the associated pain and joy (if you
are lucky) that accompanies us from cradle to grave.
Throughout history,
the human race has had an obsession with the ‘spiritual’ world; an obsession
that often borders on fanaticism. This fantasy
spiritual world seems to have been created entirely in the human mind. It is a world inhabited by demons, spirits, evil monsters,
hobgoblins and gods of everything;
a vibrant imaginary world, apparently holding all the answers, to seemingly
unanswerable questions. This world is an
illusionary world, where man’s incredulity can be quickly and easily satisfied
and impossible questions answered in one fell swoop. But it certainly isn’t real!
The human race has
sometimes been described as being ‘hard-wired’ in the spiritual sense. Since
the earliest times - before recorded history – ancient peoples followed rituals,
rites and ceremonies that shaped their daily lives and gave meaning to their
very meagre existence. They followed nature’s
rules and performed the rituals that apparently guaranteed control of the
uncontrollable. If their efforts failed,
then the fault lay somehow within them.
The god’s were seen to be
punishing mankind for some lack of observance or failure to obey obscure - but man-made
- rules - invented by a shaman or similar person, regarded as being in touch with the spirit world.
In a paper – entitled,
Heavenbound A scientific
exploration – Henig, makes the following observation…‘Lost in the hullabaloo over the neo-atheists is a quieter and
potentially more illuminating debate. It is taking place not between
science and religion but within science itself, specifically among the
scientists studying the evolution of religion. These scholars tend to agree on
one point: that religious belief is an outgrowth of brain architecture that
evolved during early human history. What they disagree about is why a tendency
to ‘believe’ evolved, whether it was because belief itself was adaptive or because
it was just an evolutionary by-product, a mere consequence of some other adaptation
on in the evolution of the human brain.’ HENIG, 2007
The gods, or spirit
representatives, could also been seen as providing a ‘third party’ – a ‘big
brother’ – who ensured that compliance was rewarded and non-compliance
punished. This ‘third party’ can also be
blamed or beseeched in times of
trouble. Gods were and still are mankind’s
security blanket in troubled times!
Likewise, the old remedy of basic reward and punishment – heaven and
hell - are still applied in most religions today.
Could this be linked
to something as basic as the need for self-regulation of a mind that has the
capacity to be self-aware and has the capability to extrapolate beyond mere self
into the minds of those with whom he or she shares their daily life? Certainly, control and power play a part,
even if its basis is illusionary.
Whilst prehistoric
peoples may not have employed psychologist per se, they almost certainly
employed psychology on a fundamental level.
The power of the human mind to justify itself as an individual and to
promote its own selfish personality and well-being over others has in all
probability been with us from before the days when we descended from the trees. As the human race has evolved so too has its
ability to manipulate in fact – or in fiction – the world and those with whom they shared their daily
lives. Summed up in a few words – this
amounts to little more than self-survival at any price.
Understanding the
minds of the ancients is difficult from where we in the modern world sit –
perched amongst our air-conditioned branches, with full bellies and nothing but
idle thoughts, TV, or a plethora of modern day propaganda to fill our otherwise
empty minds. Trying to inhabit the world
of the prehistoric cultures from this distance is very difficult if not
impossible.
The prehistoric world
is inconceivable to modern man; on a day-to-day basis it is difficult to know
where to begin in describing its workings.
Shamanic practices
held sway, and from our understanding, a philosophy similar to the Aboriginal
Dream Time was adhered to, and governed day-to-day living.
Religion could better
be described as ideology in the sense
that – as with modern day Islam – religion dictated every aspect of daily life.
Prehistoric
Medicine
Medicine that predates written records,
evolving with the emergence of modern hominids over two-million years ago. The
study of prehistoric medicine is mainly dependent on sources such as skeletons,
artefacts, and cave paintings, and draws heavily on anthropological studies of
indigenous cultures in Asia, Australasia, Africa, and the Americas. Prehistoric
people relied on a combination of religious beliefs and practical treatments
made from local materials to treat their ailments. Their anatomical knowledge
appeared to be very slight, and they believed that illnesses were caused by
supernatural media, such as the gods or curses. Rational treatment was used
only on obvious injuries; otherwise spiritual treatment was carried out by a shaman or medicine man, who
received his medical ability through his relationship with the gods.
Discussing early
records, S. H. Preston suggests that suggest that life expectancy from
prehistoric times until 1400 or so was in the range of 20 – 30 years - Ch. 2 Samuel
H. Preston pp. 30.
He goes on to say …’the
most satisfactory collection of skeletal remains is drawn from the Maghreb
peninsula (North Africa, between Egypt and the Atlantic) during the Neolithic
period. This population evidently had a
life expectancy at birth of about 21 years.
Its age patterns of mortality were remarkably similar to that of modern
populations at similar levels of mortality.
Whilst life
expectancy was short, the likelihood of losing a child was equally gloomy with
an average death rate before the age of five averaging around 500 in every
thousand.
In an essay entitled,
‘The Decline of Childhood Mortality’
– (Kenneth Hill Ch. 3 pp.38). Hill
admits the difficulties involved in retrieving accurate information from
fossilized remains. However, he goes on
to discuss a more reliable method using the Theoretical
Constraints of Population Dynamics method…‘Over the long haul of pre-recorded history, the human population
survived but grew very slowly, with an average annual growth (allowing for
periodic ups and downs) of less than one per thousand. Births and deaths had to have been in very
close balance, and the net reproduction rate (number of females surviving in
the next generation to replace the mothers of one generation) must have
averaged only very slightly over 1.0.
For this to have occurred, the requirements of population dynamics
indicate that, over the long haul of prehistory, the probability of dying
before the age of five for females was probably not lower than 440 per thousand
live births and not higher than 600.
Risks to males would have been similar or higher.’
The environment of nomadic
hunter-gatherers peoples, whose homes were rude shelters in damp, dark
inhospitable places, would be a world of mystery and a terrifying place where
the prospect of often violent death accompanied each passing day.
Little wonder such
people developed an inner desire for ‘something better’ – even if it was in an imaginary,
heavenly or spiritual form of afterlife.
In a sense, we here
in Australia are fortunate to have a first-hand view of one of the few
remaining ‘primitive religions’ to still exist to this day – namely, the Aboriginal Dream Time.
Robyn Davidson, in her recent Quarterly Essay on nomads, sums
it up beautifully in the following paragraphs:
‘One could say that the Dreaming is a spiritual realm
which saturates the visible world with meaning; that it is the matrix of being;
that it was the time of creation; that it is a parallel universe which may be contacted
via the ritual performance of song, dance and painting; that it is a network of
stories of heroes – the forerunners and creators of contemporary man.
During the creation period, the ancestral beings made
journeys and performed deeds; they fought, loved, hunted, behaved badly or
well, rather like the Greek gods, and where they camped or hurled spears or
gave birth, tell-tale marks were left in the earth. While creating this topography, they were
morphing constantly from animal to human and back to animal, again rather like
the Greeks.
They made separate countries, but interlaced them
(related them) with their story tracks. They
created frameworks for kin relations.
Many different ancestors created a country, by travelling
across it and meeting each other. In
that way, a particular country is shared by all creatures who live there, their
essences arising from the Dreaming, and returning to it. Some Dreamings crossed
many countries, interacting with local ones as they went, and connecting places
far from each other. Thus the pulse of
life spreads, blood-like, through the body of the continent – node/pathway,
node/pathway – as far as, and sometimes into, the sea. At the end of that epoch, exhausted by their
work, they sank back into the ground at sacred sites, where their power remains
in condensed forms.
It is not quite right, however, to say that the creation
period is in the past, because it is a past that is eternal and therefore also
present. Ancestors sink back into, but
also emerge from and pass through, sites.
In other words, an ancestor's journey, or story, became a place, and
that place holds past, present, and future simultaneously.
For traditionally oriented Aboriginal people, the
historical past lies a couple of generations back and always will. The Dreaming encompasses and
surrounds this time of living memory, which sinks into it. Time sinks into place, into Country. Each sacred site contains a potentially
limitless supply of the particular species left there by an ancestor.
But in order to ensure their continued
generation, ceremonial action is required.
If this isn't done, or isn't done properly, that life-form will
eventually disappear [a term Aboriginal people call ‘Looking after Country]’. Children, too, are born from the ancestor's
spirit which arises out of its place to impregnate a woman. Such children belong to and have
responsibility for that place, and will return to it after death, so that its
life potential isn't dissipated.
Not only did the mythical ancestors give the world its
shape, they imbued it with moral and social structures – handing down laws
whereby all humans have intrinsic value and a share of goods. Living by these laws invigorates the
life-force surging and burgeoning through the land. In fact, to sing a ritual song is to move
that ancestor along through the land. Earth
is sacred, sentient stuff; it is not a counterpoint to heaven. Heaven and earth are embedded together, on
the same plane. A country is saturated
in consciousness. It recognizes and
responds to people. It depends on
people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_%28spirituality%29
NO FIXED ADDRESS: Nomads and the Fate of the Planet
- Robyn
Davidson
The questions
themselves – questions such as: why does the sun shine – why do we die – what
is death – why do the seasons change – is there life after death (or why am I
afraid of death) – all stem from a mind that is capable of being ‘self-aware’;
a mind capable of communicating high level thoughts with other ‘like minds’.
The philosopher,
Protagoras, 484
- 414
B.C. when asked about the existence of God replied that his faculties were too
limited to take him to a conclusion on that matter and his life too short for
the necessary search. He later said that
God existed for those who believed in God. (de Bono 1993 – pp.20)
In essence, the ‘requirement’
for a spiritual world offers an escape from the harsh world of reality. It also offers a multitude of instant answers
to questions beyond logical thought of the time. The spiritual world fills many ‘perceived’
inner needs – not least amongst them the need to avoid or ‘survive’ death – or
to have a meaningful spiritual existence
after death. It can be deduced that fear
of death led to the creation of ‘another
world’ – a world inhabited by beings or creatures capable of not only
surviving death but of not even being subjected to the same physical cosmic strictures
as mere flesh and blood.
That is on one
level. On another level entirely, the
need for the human race to grasp at straws presents an opportunity for the smart mind to control the gullible mind. With the emergence of self-awareness and the
greater thinking power of the human brain – physical strength alone was no
longer enough to make a leader.
Science
Daily (Oct. 29, 2004), discusses how the fear of
death affects people’s political choices.
Whilst this study is related to modern day political choices, I suggest
the basic hypothesis applies equally to our prehistoric cousins:
‘This
research is based on the idea that reminders of death increase the need for
psychological security and therefore the appeal of leaders who emphasize the
greatness of the nation and a heroic victory over evil.
To
test this hypothesis, Jeff Greenberg, a professor of psychology at the
University Arizona in Tucson, Sheldon Solomon (Skidmore College) and Tom
Pyszczynski, (University of Colorado, Colorado Springs) and their colleagues
conducted an experiment that is scheduled to appear in the December 2004 issue
of Psychological Science.
For
their current research, the scientists asked students to think about their own
death or a control topic and then read campaign statements of three
hypothetical political candidates, each with a different leadership style:
"charismatic" (i.e. those emphasizing greatness of the nation and a
heroic victory over evil, as described above), task-oriented or
relationship-oriented. Following a
reminder of death, there was almost an 800 percent increase in votes for the
charismatic leader, but no increase for the two other candidates.
"At
a theoretical level," the authors wrote, "this study adds to the
large body of empirical evidence attesting to the pervasive influence of
reminders of death on a wide range of human activities.
These
findings fit particularly well with prior studies showing how mortality
salience leads people toward individuals, groups, and actions that can help
enhance their self-esteem. People want to identify with special,
great things, and charismatic leaders typically offer the promise of just
that.’
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/10/041027141726.htm
It is suggested that
1 in 10 people demonstrate leadership capabilities. Whilst all cannot be leaders – many can be ‘leaders in their field’. Opportunists abound throughout all
cultures. Often the most successful
survivors are the best opportunists. Those
who see an opening then use it ruthlessly to further and improve their own
life-style, and perhaps the life-style and chances for their own families for
generations.
All organised
religions had a beginning – originating with one man or woman; a person who sat
amongst others – perhaps freezing and uncomfortable – a person who sat and
studied others. This was a person who
had an idea and was prepared to offer that idea to others. Maybe in some cases it was simply a thought
that was spoken openly, rather than some great design or plan to take over the
minds of others. Perhaps more than one
person was responsible for the further development of a belief. Maybe, as often happens, the belief was
linked to some quirk of nature – ‘we have
done something wrong – it has rained non-stop for a month – the gods must be
angry with us’.
This type of
thinking suggests immediately that if ‘we
are good’, then ‘the gods will stop
being angry with us and the rain will cease’. The sun will reappear and all will be
well. So, if ‘we’ as a group do try to
mend our ways – and magically the sun reappears – we are ‘obviously’ on to
something big! The same concept fits in
with the trait humans have towards mass hysteria – and primitive mindlessness that
is often more obvious amongst our primate relatives – with whom we sadly share many
savage behaviours.
The idea might appear
simplistic, but given that living conditions for many thousands of years, and
indeed in many parts of the world to this day, are basic, to say the least, it
is hardly surprising that the thought of being able to control one’s
environment holds such great appeal. Life
is a truly hard road for many and at the end of that pain-filled road waits
only death. No wonder the human race
looks for a better more appealing outcome.
Origin of Religion - Important Dates in History:
* c. 2000 BC: Time of Abraham, the patriarch of Israel.
* c. 1200 BC: Time of Moses, the Hebrew leader of the Exodus.
* c. 1100 - 500 BC: Hindus compile their holy texts, the Vedas.
* c. 563 - 483 BC: Time of Buddha, founder of Buddhism.
* c. 551 - 479 BC: Time of Confucius, founder of Confucianism.
* c. 200 BC: The Hindu book, Bhagavad Gita, is written.
* c. 2 to 4 BC - 32 AD: Time of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and founder of
Christianity.
* c. 32 AD: The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
* c. 40 - 90 AD: The New Testament is written by the followers of Jesus Christ.
* c. 570 - 632 AD: Time of Muhammad, who records the Qur'an as the basis of
Islam.
Origin
of Religion - Ancient Foundations
The origin of religion can generally be traced to the ancient Near East and
classified in three basic categories: polytheistic, pantheistic and
monotheistic. Atheism is really a modern belief (or non-belief) that resulted
from the "Enlightenment" period of the 18th century.
The very life of the community depends upon
observing the conventions of communication. The function of a religion is
precisely to guarantee the whole system of convention, or the rules of thought
and language, conduct, and role. For Judaism and Christianity, the idea of
salvation is inseparable from the idea of belonging to a community of so-called
chosen people, that is, the Church,
considered as a body of members, or an assembly (Latin ecclesia), whether it be
Israel or the communion of saints.
© 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights
reserved.
Religious salvation is basically the idea of
incorporation in a divine community through conformity to the will of God. In
the later phases of the Semitic tradition, salvation began to include the idea
of survival beyond death, first through miraculous resurrection of the body and
later, as a result of Greek influences, by virtue of the inherent immortality
of the soul. Salvation, however, remained subordinate to and conditional upon
membership in the divine community. After death, those who remain
unincorporated are spiritual outcasts consigned, for example, to the Judaic
Gehenna, the Christian Hell, or the Islamic Iblis. On the other hand, salvation
beyond death is conceived of as being a state of the most intimate union with
God, in which, however, the distinct personality of each member is preserved.
© 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights
reserved.
Thankfully, a growing number of people these days
prefer their own version of the meaning of life, and the inevitability and finality
of death. Once the ties - and lies - of
childhood religious brainwashing have been broken and fear of the great ‘unknown’ dispelled
– it is quite possible for any man or woman to stand proudly and live life by their
own unencumbered rules of decency. When death
approaches – that same person can meet death comfortable in the knowledge that
they lived their lives as intellectually free and independent human beings - unbound by the fear of fanciful religious dogma.
