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Musings Along the Way: 40 Spiritual Aphorisms

Written on October 13, 2010 in Religion & Spirituality

This post exists somewhat outside the general remit of Future Conscience, and yet I feel it is necessary to open up my spiritual thoughts a bit in order to provide some further insight into where the blog comes from.

Spiritual aphorisms are intended to speak directly to the intuitive side of us, and as such they will be placed here without comment. They are as true as they are true, and as false as they are false. I hope that you find value of some kind in one or more of these, my musings along the way.

Stay silent: this is the most important virtue of spirit.
Speak up: this is the most important virtue of truth.
There is only one true beginning, and that is sincerity. The first step is simple: I Am Ready!
Fire often lives amongst the darkest of clouds.
You will not destroy your demons until you embody them.
Intention is the key. Integrity is the key. Intuition is the key.
When one reaches, there is reaching back.
Lamentation is a pure sacrament. It is one of recognition.
Marriage is the purest sacrament. It is one of reconciliation.
The peacock announces the carrying dove.
Do not trust those who tell you of sin, but have none when speaking of themselves.
You cannot partition love, only desire.
Truth can be both true and false, but always present.
One step along the Path is worth a lifetime of dancing.
There is no such thing as negative magic – all successful magic is a positive operation. This speaks nothing of right or wrong.
Forgetting the pain you have brought to others is an ultimate sin.
There is no problem that cannot be solved by three loaves of bread.
Humanity exists upon the cusp of that which is very small, and that which is very large.
Never underestimate your ability to pull the veil down over your own eyes.
The pilgrim looks up and exclaims: I Am Here!
All moments of spiritual advancement are met with material temptation.
It’s easy to pretend to be something you are not, but only to those who can’t see who you are.
If someone seeks to sell you a secret, it is not worth learning.
Every act of integration is simultaneously one of incarnation.
The merging together of individual souls can only occur when those involved are willing to forego ultimate dissolution. It is an eternal pact of mutual servitude.
Whenever we pass judgment, we forget our role.
The moment of seeing foreshadows its passing.
Never feel sorrow once she is gone. For next time you will recognise her sooner.
A conversation is never heard the same way twice.
If everything that you see is there, and everything that I see is here; what lies in between?
It is already yours, but it will never belong to you.
Once you can look in the mirror and see nothing is when you will be able to gaze into another’s eyes and see a whole universe unfold.
Do not ask for results because you will never fathom them. Ask for the process, and you will be gifted with understanding.
The most powerful words produce no sound.
To hold another in your arms is to feel the universe breathing.
Salvation is not dependent upon where you were born.
We are shown the most sublime secrets with every passing moment, and yet we claim to know none of them.
Ask yourself: what do you seek to achieve by reading this?
Ask yourself: what do I hope to achieve by writing it?
When the time arises, stay silent.

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Discussion: Spirituality and Futurism

Written on October 5, 2010 in Lifestyle & Society, Religion & Spirituality

A new monthly piece on Future Conscience which sets up a topic for discussion for all of those who read the site. This particular post also has a secondary motive, in that I am strongly influenced by my personal spirituality (I’ve even written a parable on this very site!) and it infuses everything that I write with a certain direction and sensibility.

Because of this, I want to start writing some posts which explore spirituality with a bit more depth. I thought it would be prudent to ask whether you, the readers, would appreciate such an approach every now and then or whether you like your futurism to deal more with hard science; technological progress; and secular ethics.

So, today’s discussion surrounds the role of spirituality in futurist dialogue. Is there enough of it? Would you like to see more of it? To what degree should metaphysical ideology shape our view of the future and the direction we are heading in?

Obviously, such paradigms greatly influence the moral and ethical foundations of any discussion – and futurism is no different in this regard – and so I would like to hear just where you think the line should be drawn. Is futurism a discipline that should try to overcome subjective interpretations of spirituality and religious ideology in favour of universal secularism; or should it embrace them wholeheartedly in their variety and expression?

Whilst writing for this site over the past eighteen months, I have examined and regularly read many futurist blogs and am often personally disheartened to see that the futurist ‘market’ seems to have unconsciously moved itself away from discussions of spirituality. Unless, of course, it is seen through the lens of the political ramifications of religion and its impact on nationality and foreign policy.

This partly comes from the subject matter involved in the field of futurism: which tends to surround ideas of technology and scientific progress. It also somewhat evolves from the view that in all scientifically empirical disciplines there is more of a tendency to adapt a kind of atheistic – or at least, ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ – mentality. Modern science feels that it can say quite a lot about religion and spirituality in the form of neurology and social anthropology; but it often doesn’t seem to be able to handle the lens being turned back onto it by paradigms that can hold different conceptions of ‘truth’.

Since Future Conscience is a personal blog, I feel it is okay for me to start adding posts that explore the spiritual motivations (or lack thereof) behind certain technological and social progressions. Indeed, I have been doing this all along. For me, to ignore the spiritual component of existence in favour of a purely utilitarian or ego-centric perspective is to walk down a path that inevitably ends in hardship for a great number of individuals. This mentality can be seen through every post that has been written for this blog; but I am currently considering making it more explicit and surface-level.

I strongly disagree, for instance, with a large number of social commentators who believe that organised religion is facing some kind of death knell at the hands of rational progress and ‘lucidity’ – washing away the silly superstitions and cocked-eyed vision of the more faith oriented.

Instead, I see only a rapid resurgence in those seeking to find meaning in religion – and, more particularly, personal spiritual paradigms – then we have seen in the past few decades. Unfortunately, many of those seeking such meaning are finding it in the radically fundamentalist evangelical Christian or Islamist movements (to name two predominate ones) because there are very few highly visible alternatives.

Our communication networks are making it far easier to connect with like-minded individuals than ever before, and one outcome of this is the vast amount of dialogue and discussion surrounding spirituality in its many forms. For some, coming to grips with your own personal relationship with the divine often means having to fight against the social norms that you are surrounded by. The internet, with its ideological variety, will always offer an alternative viewpoint.

In many instances, this leads one down a path towards the rejection of religion as it is quite easy to see the flaws involved in many organised evangelical or fundamentalist movements around the globe. Online, these fundamentalist perspectives are easy to discover and often quite domineering and hostile in their approach to those who think differently to them.

Personally, I see such rejection of these extremes as the easy way out – a cop out for the thinker who merely wishes to extrapolate from the negatives seen in fundamentalist religions towards a world-view arguing that humanity would be far better off without religion at all.

However, where the more militant atheist sees a call for rejection of spirituality and religion, I see a challenge to produce a more nuanced and rationally coherent form of metaphysical understanding. Indeed, these forms of spirituality have always been present behind the more dogmatic organised manifestations of religion – but it is time that they begin to find a larger audience and more mainstream recognition.

Science and religion are not merely to be seen as hostile to one another (indeed, it is important to recognise that scientific advancement throughout history often developed out of highly religious viewpoints); they should rather be viewed as counterparts that are exploring different facets of an overwhelming complex universe and our place within it.

There is also a great need to discuss more closely and openly the difference between organised religion and personal spirituality – a distinction that many people feel they understand implicitly but can often also be taken too far in that personal forms of spirituality can often become a collection of un-contextualised thoughts and beliefs strung together merely through convenience rather than a deeper understanding (many aspects of the ‘New Age’ movement spring to mind here).

I would argue strongly and continuously that science and rational empiricism, no matter how hard they may seek to try, will never be able to entirely undermine the position of those who wish to claim a form of ‘faith’ in something beyond empirical reality. In fact, I would also argue that all viewpoints – regardless of how ludicrously fundamentalist or rationally logical they may be – require a basis of faith. For every belief and viewpoint is predicated upon basic level assumptions about truth; progress; and the human condition.

I could go on for much longer on this topic (and for those who want to see me do so, don’t worry – it’s coming); but for now I want to leave it a bit more open in the hopes that some readers will contribute to this discussion and we can start something going here that explores all of these topics and many more with particular focus on the futurist discipline.

So, what do you think: does religion and spirituality have a role to play in futurist discussion? Should futurism remain almost solely the bastion of scientific empiricism? Is there enough recognition in Singularity theory (to take one example amongst many) of the spiritual and ideological assumptions that lie at its very basis?

What do you think of the future of spirituality – will it remain at the centre of what it means to be human, or is it just a way for us to find comfort in the dark? A way that is no longer needed now that logic and science is beginning to shed so much light?

Is there room for spirituality in futurism?

I look forward to your thoughts on the issue, and don’t worry – Future Conscience isn’t going to turn into some fundamentalist evangelical rant of a blog!

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7 Random Predictions for the Future

Written on September 13, 2010 in Communications & Technology, Lifestyle & Society, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Environment

I thought that with today’s post we could get back to basics and I would present you with a set of futurist predictions for us to all mull over and discuss. So, without further ado, here are seven predictions for the future brought to you by the futurist blog Future Conscience (wow, that’s a lot of future for one sentence!).

1) Intolerance around the globe will increase dramatically

Let’s get some of the negative ones out of the way first. If it wasn’t clear already, the recent events of the past few months have highlighted an exponential return to intolerant thinking and sentiment around the globe.

Clear examples in the Western world have come from the USA in the form of staunch opposition to the building of a mosque near the former site of the World Trade Centre (not to mention Terry Jones and his threats of Koran burning, representing the Christian lunatic fringe); and also from France with their recent shockingly nationalistic deportation of the entire French Roma ethnic community. In addition to this, we are seeing growing intolerance from the more radicalised aspects of the global Islamic community – with a large and growing population clearly on the look-out for any excuse to rise up against Western regimes.

Of course, such intolerance is almost par for the course when it comes to humanity and the way we treat each other. However, the last five years in particular have seen a clear and growing sense of nationalistic/religious intolerance – with many groups and individuals looking for reasons to be upset and others looking to cause offense. The problem is compounded by the fact that it is these viewpoints that the media like to push over more tolerant and accepting ones – sensationalism sells.

Over the next decade, I strongly believe that such intolerance will increase until the point where we see a number of dramatic and almost cataclysmic events occur fuelled entirely by the fires of social intolerance of those different to us.

2) Afghanistan will return to an Islamist government

If the goal of invading Afghanistan was to instigate regime change and ensure that the Islamist Taliban were removed from power, then it looks increasingly likely that the war will be lost by the USA and their coalition. Many would argue that this was never entirely the point of the war, however one prediction I am confident in making is that within the next decade or two Afghanistan will return to having an Islamist government.

This is not necessarily a negative thing – and we must always be vigilant that we do not merely presume that Islamist equals “wrong” – however it will have made the entire process of invading in the first place a catastrophic irrelevancy. Guided by tribal elements within its own borders and the thoroughly dug-in Taliban, coupled with the ‘turn a blind eye to it’ hard-line influence from elements of the Pakistani government – Afghanistan is almost assured to return to an Islamist regime.

3) Leisure Society due to automation of manufacturing process

This prediction has a rather longer viewpoint than many of those I am making in this post, however I wanted to include it as I strongly believe it is something that will revolutionise the way many of us see the place of work and our role in society. It’s difficult to truly predict how long this one will take to come about, but it is linked closely to the exponentially increasing technological development in areas of manufacturing, construction and other forms of manual labour. We had this dream in the 1950s, where by now we should all be living Jetsons-type lifestyles – but it is now that I think we will begin to see such a change coming about.

We are on a process of complete automation for all production sectors, and with the advent of intelligent systems capable of making important decisions in abnormal situations the requirements for human interaction in many of these sectors will become redundant. This will lead to an explosive growth in the number of people existing on some form of welfare, and it will be necessary to reformulate our vision of society based upon this radical paradigm shift.

At the moment, the primary locus of value in the developed world is centred upon employment and work. In particular, for the majority of people work means taking part in the production or service industries. I have no doubt in my mind that the technology will rapidly become available to make human intervention in production redundant – and even within the service industry to a somewhat lesser, but still highly impacting degree.

Just how long this takes, and how governments and corporations will deal with employee resistance initially, is very difficult to ascertain. But look out for it, because before too long many of us are going to be desperate for things to fill our time with – quite a nice little outcome really, as long as social boredom and individual perceptions of worth are dealt with accordingly.

4) Gaming will become the central entertainment form

Over the last few years, the videogame industry has toppled Hollywood and the music business for complete dominance over our consumer spending. This trend isn’t going anywhere, and indeed I predict that the role of gaming within mainstream culture will increase further –to the point where it becomes our central paradigm for entertainment and creative expression.

Beyond merely a capitalist perspective, there is reasoning behind this opinion, and it revolves predominately around two things: structure and agency (a little pun there for the anthropologists!).

Agency, in this context, refers directly to the central component that makes gaming what it is. Our ability to control this medium, with an ever increasing degree of autonomy and options, is one of the very basic prerequisites for something to be considered a videogame. We cannot control a movie at the cinema – it is an inherently passive experience. Likewise with music, apart from a very few experiments in providing remix technology, what you purchase is a passive experience. Videogames are on the verge of an absolute revolution in agency, providing more choice for the player than ever before, and this is one of the primary reasons why they will supplant music and film as our central form of entertainment in the future.

The second reason is structure; the content-medium that you are provided when you purchase a videogame is more flexible than anything else we have currently available. The fact is: a videogame can contain film, music, fashion, art, social interaction, sport and basically any other form of entertainment experience you can consider. Gaming is, at its very core, an all-inclusive medium that is only currently limited by technology and the subsequent creative roadblocks. For many, the ultimate expression of videogaming will be the creation of a life simulator which is identical and indistinguishable from reality (apart from, importantly, many of the permanent consequences of existing within space and time). Consider the implications of that goal for a moment, along with the fact that this end-point is lacking in the fantasy available through our imaginations – and then try and tell me that videogames won’t become the central component of our leisure time in the future. We’ll need a new name for them at any rate, any suggestions?

5) Privacy will be all but abolished – and we’ll love it

We’re at a turning point in social media, the crossroads in which we need to choose as consumers whether we want our data to remain private and owned by us; or whether we want to hand over many aspects of our private lives in order to receive back greater functionality and utility.

The way it’s going at the moment – whether through choice, indifference or ignorance – is that our online data will increasingly become publicly accessible and available to those who wish to use it. For many of us concerned with the implications of this retreat from privacy, this seems like a dystopian future. However, for the vast majority of people it’s not of a concern – and the payoff far outweighs the instances in which such data will be used maliciously or cause distress.

Location services are the next big step towards an open approach to personal privacy, along with the sharing of your entertainment and lifestyle interests and choices through platforms such as Apple’s forthcoming Ping and the increasingly ubiquitous Facebook Like. People within your peer group already know more about these quantifiable aspects of your life than at any other point in human history – and soon, I predict, so will the rest of society as we become increasingly open to the idea of a non-private social existence. The long-term implications of such a shift are staggering…

6) Food alternatives will be pushed – and will fail

This one’s a bit more out of left-field, but within the next two decades there will be a big push for alternatives to the very food that we eat. Whether it be because of time, convenience, health or any other reason these technologies are already being developed and have also been depicted in many a science-fiction tale of old.

The two major forms will be dietary bars and inhaled flavour. The first is a concept we’re all quite familiar with and quite similar in concept to vitamin supplements, but at some stage it will also be pushed as a way to redefine the role that eating has in your life (just consider all the hours saved, the obesity figures plummeting with perfect portion control, the health implications of perfected nutrition).

In a similar fashion, inhalers are currently being developed that hope to provide you with all the satisfaction of taste without the caloric intake of eating. Focused at the moment primarily on substances such as chocolate and coffee, these inhalers are just around the corner and proponents expect them to be a hit particularly amongst women watching their waistlines.

Whilst the concept of the inhaler will certainly be commercially viable (after all, many people I know already find great enjoyment from even a non-edible cupcake/chocolate flavoured lip gloss), I don’t think it will bring about the revolution that many think it will. I certainly don’t think that a complete dietary substitute would be able to overcome many thousands upon thousands of years of deep-seated social development revolving around the consumption of food. What would a family dinner consist of if merely a pill? How about that first date? Or the business lunch? There are far too many social conventions revolving around food and the pleasure we gain from its texture, scent, flavour to easily topple this central part of our lives.

It’s not going to stop people trying, but I think the best they might do is find a substitute for chocolate cravings…

7) Drug policy will be softened in North America and Europe

For the final prediction let’s head into a slightly more controversial area, and one that many people in mainstream society may not see coming. It is my belief, and it is increasingly backed up by policy, that government legislation in North America and Europe surrounding illicit substances will continue to soften and trend towards decriminalisation and even possibly legalisation (with a few notable exceptions – of course – such as the United Kingdom).

Many parts of Europe are increasingly heading towards decriminalisation for users, a particular example being the Czech Republic which at the beginning of 2010 decriminalised the personal use of all illicit substances. Whilst there is some discussion of tightening regulation in well-known areas such as Holland, this doesn’t seem to be amounting to much real reversal of policy. In particular we will see a wide-spread acceptance of cannabis as a decriminalised substance, and even in the hard-lined ‘War on Drugs’ bastion that is the USA it is becoming quite clear that movement towards commercially available marijuana is gaining momentum. The referendum in California in a few months will give quite a yardstick to go by (and with a 50/50 split in the polls it’s going to be a close one), but even without it many people don’t realise that a decriminalisation bill has already been passed and is just waiting for the Terminator’s approval.

What will be the reasoning behind this shift? Well, I think primarily it will come from a recognition that the ‘War on Drugs’ hasn’t been terribly successful in curbing drug-use at all. In fact, all it has really resulted in is a rapidly increasing prison population and incredibly high profits for the criminal underworld. Not to mention the financial cost.

Politically, I think one of the major factors will be the need to free up legal resources and budgets; not to mention the taxation gold-mine that awaits upon legalisation of any kind. Scientifically, we are already seeing a push from experts against the common misconceptions of the dangers of many illegal drugs when compared to legally available ones. The scientific hypocrisy of the situation cannot be ignored, and science is no longer available as a partner in hard-line approaches as was made clear with the recent ACMD debacle in the United Kingdom. Socially, people are already doing these drugs in large numbers. If we are talking about the so-called ‘soft’ illicit substances such as cannabis the rates of usage are sky-high and cross all sections of society.

It will require a great deal of investment in education and addiction treatment facilities, but the signs are pointing towards an end to the hard-line ‘War on Drugs’ in many parts around the globe, and in the USA and Europe in particular – for better or for worse. It will be interesting to see the resulting change in society and I think it is impossible to gauge whether this will be a more positive or negative path to take until it is explored.

Conclusion

There are so many possible predictions that one can make when it comes to looking forwards into the future of humanity. The fascinating thing about existing in today’s global society is that it is actually quite difficult to truly imagine the vast array of possibilities that are just beyond the horizon. With technological, political, social and environmental changes happening at an ever increasing rate the future really is there to be made.

This is exactly why Future Conscience was created in the first place, and why I feel it is vitally important that everybody – at all levels of society – engage in discussion on the direction/s we are heading in. Without large-scale, grassroots input the future is going to be owned solely by the governments and corporations that are already looking ten, twenty, fifty years into the future. We must set our sights on this distant horizon, even if not for our own personal benefit but for those who will follow us in the years to come.

What do you think of these predictions? Do you have any others you would like to share?

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Discussion: Does social media negatively impact spirituality?

Written on July 26, 2010 in Communications & Technology, Religion & Spirituality

I wanted to try a slightly different angle with this post and create a call-out for discussion surrounding a particular topic. Before I begin however, I think it’s important to highlight the wonderful work that continues to be done by WikiLeaks (yes, their servers are down at the moment due to incredibly high levels of traffic) in providing a space for whistleblowers to find a voice.

The recent publication of over 90,000 documents pertaining to the war in Afghanistan needs to be commended as many times as possible. Obviously digesting all of this material can be quite a daunting prospect, so I would direct you to the analysis done by the New York Times as one of the best mainstream media examinations of the leak.

With that important announcement dealt with, let’s get onto the question at hand: does social media negatively impact spirituality?

Let me get the initial response that we all have out of the way – ‘It depends how you use it. It’s only a tool.‘ I agree with this sentiment entirely, but for the sake of promoting discussion let’s forget about that point for a moment and presume it a given. What I wanted to look into, specifically, is whether social media in its various forms (and most particularly manifestations such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn that rely on individual digital identities) helps to promote aspects of our being that tend to have a negative impact on spiritual progression. Even more specifically – does social media feed our egos beyond all else?

Now, I’m expecting a number of you to bring up different ideas around just what spiritual progression, and spirituality, actually means – and I’d really like to promote such a response as it’s obviously one half of the question being raised here. For me, a large component of spiritual progression revolves around the dissolution of individual ego and striving to seek success purely for personal gain.

Alfons Mucha - 1896 - Salammbô As one progresses spiritually, there seems to be an almost universal tendency to see that progress as being done for the greater good of all rather than merely the individual. You are no longer seeking enlightenment (or however it is phrased) for personal glory or gain; you are doing so in order to play your role in the uplifting reintegration of the entire universe. A feat that, ultimately, means that you as an individual ceases to have any relevance; or even existence.

From this perspective, we can still come to either conclusion in regards to social media. In some regards, it enables us to better empathise with those within our network – understanding to a far greater degree the intricacies that their lives involve and therefore being exposed to some of the many different and varied ways of expressing the human condition.

If we enter into it with the right frame of mind, these tools can certainly provide us with a small glimpse into a form of consciousness that is wider than merely our own. The peer group becomes a microcosmic expression of the macrocosmic collective consciousness, and we might in some small way learn to immerse ourselves within it.

On the other hand, there is almost no better set of tools for the negative influence that our ego is capable of than those provided by social media. Here we have an exponentially increased ability to portray ourselves as kings of our own universes – mavericks, femme fatales, social influencers, political powerhouses, erudite authors and every other form of social category that might be desirable/hip/independent/better-than-you.

In fact, what I have tended to observe is that those who are more spiritually aware (notice I don’t use the word ‘progressed’) tend to also be those who use social media in an ego-aggrandising manner…and before you start, yes I myself am guilty of this crime and am not just passing judgement from my tower of perfected serenity. Observing this behaviour in myself is actually what led me to start seeing it in others in my social media networks, and once you start really looking for it it’s amazing just what you will see. In moments of intense spiritual focus, it can actually be quite a depressing and even terrifying experience.

I wrote a post related to this exploration, entitled ‘Crafting a Digital Identity‘, which was when I first started becoming self-aware of this tendency within my own behaviour and began to see it clearly in others as well. From what I can gather reading around the subject, I don’t think it’s something that is purely a coincidence formed out of the rag-tag group of peers that I seem to have assembled online.

The individually inflated ego is one of the true identifiers of the human condition and one that will always latch onto any available tool and outlet in order to enhance its influence. Social media quite often, ironically, leads us to become more inward looking and self-obsessed.

So, if spiritual progression finds much of its utility from the productive dissolution of this egotistical behaviour than surely social media must be seen as a highly negative and spiritually destructive influence at its worst; and at the very least a dangerous set of tools that we must be ever vigilant of if we hope to use them positively.

So what do you think? There are plenty more areas I could cover with this, but I wanted to leave them for the time being to see whether or not this experiment in creating a topic discussion here on Future Conscience might be fruitful. So please do comment, and at length if you feel up to it. I’m very interested to see where you might take this…

Is social media a negative influence on our spirituality? Or do the connections and information we gain allow us to rise above the less savoury aspects and overall find great value? What are the pros, what are the cons? If we become a social media driven society, which at this point in time looks like quite a likely conclusion, then what impact will that have on our ability to be humble…to connect with things greater than ourselves and our own forged image?

Or is this post just another example of somebody waxing-lyrical and posting it on Facebook in order to appear ‘deep’?

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The Rabbi & the Golem: A Parable on Synthetic Life

Written on May 27, 2010 in Religion & Spirituality, Science & Environment

[There was a very exciting announcement recently that synthetic life had been created in a laboratory through the wonderful applications of scientific advancement. The implications of this are vast and future applications are unimaginable as we truly are about to enter a hyper-accelerated period of scientific and technological advancement. Amidst all of this, however, is a perspective that I believe should not be forgotten. So, rather than my usual commentary on the ethics of this situation, I thought I would try something different and provide a spiritual parable about synthetic life. The message of this story was inspired by a qabalistic joke of sorts, told to me almost a decade ago by a Rabbi who was teaching me about Jewish mysticism. I hope that you enjoy it.]

In the far reaches of the kingdom, there existed a lonely figure; an isolated Rabbi who had devoted his life to discovering the secret meaning behind existence. He was not always this isolated, but following his lengthy training to be a Rabbi, he found it difficult to live up to the expectations of the community that began to develop around him – so enthused was he by his personal studies into the spiritual basis of the universe. After a few years of struggling with such a situation, he decided instead to find a place where he could continue his studies without disruption.

Wandering the lands around his hometown, he soon came across a small cave that had been created by men who had long since passed – abandoned and yet still set up with furniture and fixtures to provide one with all the comfort and shelter needed in order to live a simple existence devoted to metaphysical things.

He stopped outside the cave and briefly called out:

“Hello? Is anybody still in there? Please do not be alarmed, I am merely looking for a place to be alone with my creator.” There was no response.

The Rabbi decided instantly that it would be the perfect place to focus on his religious life; to devote himself to the study of G-d and the forms of existence that lie behind the veil. It didn’t take too long at all before he felt himself settled in, his daily routine consisting of inflaming himself with prayer and slowly but surely becoming more and more overwhelmed with the very core of that which our physical existence depended upon.

One day, after a particularly ecstatic morning of prayer and meditation, the Rabbi came across a book that he had never seen before; hidden away behind some of the furniture that was pushed up against the cave wall. The book was bound in well-worn leather, and made from parchment that seemed so ancient that he worried that upon handling it might suddenly disintegrate in his hands.

Placing it gently upon a soft cloth on the floor, the Rabbi opened it slowly and began to read. What he found within kept him reading for the rest of the day; the whole evening; and the following morning.

The book told the Rabbi how to create life from simple, inanimate clay.

It took his breath away with excitement, for this was what he had been seeking. This was the secret of existence that he had been praying fervently to understand – the true knowledge of creation and the creator; of life and living. What he held in his hands told of the construction of every living thing in the universe, and how humanity could achieve such a feat themselves. From that moment on, he could think of nothing but learning the secrets within the book and putting them to practice.

Rabbi and Golem After many failed attempts and experiments, many long hours learning complicated rituals and procedures so intricate that it was difficult for one man alone to remember them, he finally found success. Before him stood the rough figure of a man, shaped from the clay that surrounded him, and with the final carving of Hebrew letters upon this statue’s forehead he uttered the incantation that the book required.

The clay figure opened its eyes. The Rabbi had succeeded – he had created life from inanimate clay! This newly formed being had not been made from the hands of the Most High, it had been created by man. The Rabbi felt an immense sense of pride in his accomplishment, a true feeling that he now understood the mysteries of creation. More than that, with this latest achievement over the very essence of being, he now had control over the universe and could create new forms of life.

The Rabbi knew that now the time was right for him to return to his community, and he brought walking behind him the newly created figure. The people were astonished – they had never even contemplated that such a thing would be possible – and quickly word of mouth spread and a crowd began to form around the two of them. The Rabbi beamed with the sense of his achievements and the importance that the community placed on it.

“You see,” the Rabbi said enthusiastically, “we now know the secrets of the universe. I can teach those of you who are disciplined enough how to do this! It is all in this book!” He held the book that gave knowledge over life up in the air, and the crowd cheered loudly. They whisked the Rabbi and his creation along the streets, a larger and larger crowd building up behind as they travelled. Before too long, they had reached the town’s central temple –the High Priest standing at the top of its steps, awaiting the arrival of this miraculous sight.

“So you return my good friend!” The High Priest said with excitement. It was good to see the friend he had grown up with, had trained with, return back to the community with such triumph. “Life emerging from nothing but soft clay?!” He continued, “such a thing must be worthy of a visit from Adonai himself!”

“We do not even need Adonai any longer, my friend.” The Rabbi said, “He will always be our father, our creator. But we no longer need Him to create life – now we can do it all ourselves!” At first, the High Priest and the crowd that had gathered around were taken aback by the Rabbi’s words. But he soon had them agreeing with him, they now knew the secrets of life; and with that had power over the universe and there were so many wonderful applications that they could pursue.

The High Priest said that such an accomplishment would surely not go unrecognised by G-d, and he began to call up with prayer a manifestation of the Most High so that He might acknowledge how far they had come. Within moments, G-d appeared before the crowd – taking the form of a pillar of smoke placed in front of the temple doors. At the same time both physical and ephemeral, there and not there.

“My children, you have called for me and I have heard your call.” A voice emerged from the pillar of smoke, a voice that did not boom as thunder does in the sky; but rather resonated internally within each of the people present. “I have seen your recent accomplishments, and they please me greatly.”

“We have learnt everything of value that you can teach us now, have we not?” The Rabbi asked.

“There are still some things you do not know.” The internal voice responded to all present.

“But I can teach these people the secret of creation; we can now make our own life in any form that pleases us. Is this not what it means to be the Most High?”

“You have certainly done well in understanding my creation. I can applaud you for that, and you will learn many wonderful things through this knowledge if used carefully and with great foresight. But there is still so much you do not understand, for it is not of your nature to understand everything.”

The Rabbi began to become a bit flustered, and quickly spurted out: “Adonai, my creator, I challenge you that I can create a life just as well and as beautiful as you can. If I can achieve such a thing – will you admit that we are no longer your children but are growing to become your equal?”

“I would enjoy witnessing the fruits of your labour in such a way.” G-d replied.

With this challenge set in place, the Rabbi quickly removed the mystical lettering from the forehead of the companion he had brought with him; and in doing so it once more became a lifeless, unformed lump of clay.

“We shall create a learned man, one who can speak and answer questions put to it. Surely this is the hardest amongst your many creations to match?” With that said, the Rabbi quickly got to work. Instantly, from within the centre of the pillar of smoke emerged a perfectly formed simulacrum of humankind – made to appear exactly like the High Priest. This creation of G-d walked over to stand before the High Priest himself and, with very audible and perfect language, asked:

“May I join you in your admiration of this Rabbi and his achievements?”

“Of course, you may.” The High Priest said with astonishment at being presented with this newly formed version of himself. The identical figure turned and stood next to the High Priest, watching the Rabbi as he was putting the finishing touches to his own creation.

When the Rabbi’s statue was completed he carved the sacred letters onto its forehead and leaned in closely to whisper the incantation into its ear. With this breath of life instilled, this second being opened its eyes and walked briskly over to stand next to the first. With the two now standing side-by-side, and the real High Priest having taken a rather confused step back, each member of the crowd walked passed and tried to choose which one was the most impressive creation. They were free to ask of them any questions they wished, or get them to perform movements or activities in order to test their respective capabilities. In most regards the two creations actually surpassed the capabilities of the original High Priest, much to his personal chagrin.

After a few hours of such scrutiny, all of the votes were in place and the High Priest took care at counting them out before everybody.

“69…70…71…Our Rabbi’s creation has received 72 of the votes, and that from the Most High,” he paused momentarily, “70 votes?! This is astonishing, please do not be angry with us Adonai – but we are amazed that we are able to surpass you now, to create life which not only resembles perfectly your own creation; but which can surpass it in tests of intellect and fortitude.”

The crowd went silent momentarily, hoping that their G-d would not be angry at this display of pride. But there came no wrath from above – or plague to repress their spirits – merely a soft breeze that emerged from the pillar of smoke; washing over them and bringing with it a faint hint of light-hearted revelry.

“Why are you laughing Adonai?” The Rabbi asked, curious at such a response.

“I am laughing, my child, because I knew from the very beginning that you would not be able to win this challenge.”

“But, what do you mean? I quite clearly have created something that in every way is identical to what you can achieve – so much so that these people cannot tell them apart and chose mine as the better creation – how is there any difference?”

“There is certainly a difference there, my child. But I shall ask of you: can you see the difference?”

“We certainly cannot, with all respect. They look identical, sound identical; have the same knowledge and physical capabilities. Are you to say that because I took slightly longer to produce mine that I lose by default?”

“Not at all, I shall allow you that one. There is something else, though. Can any of you see it?”

High priest in robes The Rabbi, the High Priest and the crowd all stood silently for a few moments; trying to think of a difference but being unable to find one at all.

The moment stretched out longer, a tangible sense of stillness in the air; a few shaking their heads to indicate that there was no difference to be found, some talking quietly amongst themselves but equally unsuccessful. Suddenly, out of the crowd emerged a girl of very young age; who had gently pushed her way through the towering adults to come to the front.

“I know what the difference is.” She said in a meek voice, her head bowed down with shyness.

“Ah, my beautiful child, you come before this whole crowd of those who feel above you. Of those who think that you have so much to learn. You come before them and show them what they have forgotten. Bring the child forwards, and let her tell you what you were unable to see all this time. I can view into her heart of hearts and know that she has the correct answer to share with you. Maybe I should make her my High Priest right here and now?”

The High Priest, embarrassed by such an admonishment no matter how light-hearted, guided the girl up the steps of the temple and stood her before the crowd.

“Tell them child, tell them what they cannot see.” G-d said, and with those final words the pillar of smoke began to spiral and dissipate; leaving the crowd to their own devices. The Rabbi and the High Priest looked up with anticipation at the young girl that stood before them. The crowd had gone completely silent.

“What is it? You must tell us, because with this miraculous achievement our knowledge of creation is surely perfect is it not?!” The Rabbi said with impatience.

“No, it isn’t Rabbi,” the girl responded, “it really isn’t as good as that which was created by Adonai.”

“But why is it not?! It is the same in every possible way. Tell us child, what do you see that we cannot?”

With a deep breath inwards, the child lifted her voice so that everyone could hear:

“We didn’t use our own clay.”

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Site of the Week: Big Think

Written on May 12, 2010 in Communications & Technology, Lifestyle & Society, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Environment

First of all, let me apologise for the small delay in posting – I’ve been rather ill recently and that has reflected in my ability to think too clearly or sit in front of a computer screen for too long! As such, today I wanted to bring back something I did here on Future Conscience for a little while: which is to introduce a new Site of the Week. This week – Big Think.

Big Think is the kind of website that has only really been able to exist recently – being as dependent on high quality video streaming as it is. As such, it’s a kind of interesting hybrid between the traditional TV interview format and the evolution of blogging into the video-blog arena. What makes the site special, and deserving of our Site of the Week post, is its focus on seeking out true experts and leaders in various fields to impart their knowledge in a frank and revealing manner.

It’s the kind of site that I really can’t say too much more about: other than to say that once you spend some time there you will understand why I hold it in such high regard. Between the countless video interviews, and the many wonderful blogs that are hosted on the site, I can guarantee that you will find something that catches your interest.

The truly wonderful thing about Big Think, is that quite often what grabs your attention will be something that you had no real knowledge of beforehand. The topics are so varied, and fascinating, that you find yourself exploring new concepts and intellectual spheres that you might otherwise not have come into contact with. It really is a wonderful educational resource that will widen your intellectual and personal horizons.

There is literally hundreds of hours of interview footage there for you to take in; with speakers ranging from a Jesuit priest to a former editor of High Times and everything in between. Philosophers; film producers; TV personalities; journalists; economists; doctors; scientists and experts of all descriptions can be found imparting their wisdom in a very sleek and minimalist format.

The videos are all of substantial length – many of them running over an hour – and don’t over simplify what can, at times, be some very detailed and complex topics. The interviews are also rather unique, or at least relatively uncommon, in that they leave you just with the expert and the topic. There is no interviewer muddying the waters with a particular journalistic style. This format, for me, is part of the great appeal of the site and it’s worth having a look just for that reason alone.

By stripping away any sense of an interviewer/interviewee dynamic you really feel like you are having a conversation with these people. They speak directly to camera – for the most part – and this really immerses you in the topics being discussed. It truly is riveting stuff and I can only say you won’t regret spending some time over at Big Think!

Check it out and then let us know in the comments to this post what your favourite interview/topic was so that others can take a look…for what it’s worth, one of my favourite interviews on the site is with Robert McKee, screen-writing guru, that has some wonderful ideas and anecdotes for anybody aspiring to be a writer.

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