Spiritual Growth And Logic

There are many people who are drawing large numbers of followers through their social network, propagating that the world is changing and that the ‘energies’ are now different as humanity enters a realm of heightened awareness.

They claim that this new period has changed the process of spiritual development such that a person can skip many levels of the process of development and go from totally unenlightened to full enlightenment instantly.

There are people who follow a concept of non-duality. Some claim that all you have to do is realize that you are not separate and you will be enlightened, it is that simple. This of course is very attractive to people who want enlightenment without the time and effort.

Many people are following these thoughts, millions are going in this direction and getting nowhere at all. The only ones who seem to be gaining any benefit from the new simplified path to God and enlightenment are the propagators and so called teachers of these new ways.

A healthy human being is a social creature, we all need companionship, both physically and emotionally. If we are or feel alone in the world, normally, we will eventually become sad or depressed. This means the drive and need to be part of a group is very strong and sub-conscious as well as obvious and conscious. If you are hungry enough, you will eat things that you would not otherwise eat. If you are desperate or fear enough, you will blind yourself to the obvious and ignore the foundation of what our world is built on. Logic and common sense which are simplified terms to describe the infinitely precise workings of the material universe right down to the smallest creature will be ignored in the pursuit of satisfying the need.

The reason scientists can calculate distances to far away stars and galaxies for example is because the universe is very precise and mathematical. Let us bring it closer to home, just take a look at your own body, the complex interactions of the organs and systems, or even a tree, and nature itself. It all works on a precise collaboration of complex parts working together in a fixed order. If the rules change, the machine stops functioning, hence cancer or other diseases are basically a change in the correct order that the cells of the body reproduce. The rules of the system cannot be changed without disaster.

A wise man said; “If God gave you a logical mind, it must be for a reason, so use it.” Normally, the concept of spiritual development is seen as quieting the intellect and opening the heart. However the intellect is not logic. There are many parts to the intellect and more precisely the ego, which need to be refined, but other parts are very necessary to use in the spiritual quest, such as common sense. This is used to develop the crucial quality of seeing the obvious, meaning the ‘objective reality’, a term I use for God.

If any of this purported new condition was true, logically, we would see a great number of enlightened beings in the world now. It would also imply that there would be less hoodlums and graffiti and gangs rather than a drastically increasing number, not to mention less wars. Or perhaps that the music and entertainment of the current period would be more about love than profanities. Style of clothing, music, common discussions, cameras throughout the major cities all point to a world that is digressing rather than progressing. It only takes a little logic and objective observation to see the direction humanity is going.

Let us now turn to the religious and mystical teachings which have been around for thousands of years. Is there any logic that the author and creator of these systems, accepting that there is a spiritual higher power in some form, would all of a sudden change the rules and say what used to take lifetimes of hard work, what had a very precise and methodical process of development, with all the efforts involved, is no longer valid and should be changed to make it easier?

This is what the school systems are doing. They are reducing the requirements on the students, some schools eliminating the entire exam process, others grading all children with a B regardless of the quality of their knowledge or skills. The results are a mediocre crop of humans, degrading into people who cannot handle the slightest difficulties.

Apathy is increasing, with it depression and a lack of purpose or hope, and all this normally makes people turn to religion. However the old religions have lost their appeal, and so people are creating new ones claiming the rules have changed and there is no longer a need of effort or hard work to make yourself into a better person. In a universe which is highly logical and mathematical, this makes no sense whatsoever. The results and obvious state of digression of society clearly point to a greater need for increased effort, implying that the rules of spiritual and personal growth not only have not been repealed, but have increased.

Use logic and common sense when listening to people saying they have found the way. If it was so easy, then the world would be a different place. Look for proof of every claim. Be patient to test and prove a person before you believe them, they could just be a good actor.

Do not get lost in the pursuit of fulfillment, rather be patient and persistent, the reward is in proportion to the effort it takes to get it. It has to be this way or large groups of lazy people would be the only groups around and they will accomplish nothing for the betterment of humanity.

The worthy leader is one who is willing to put themselves under hard demands and work for the sake of the goal, not for their own self, knowing that everything has a cost, and willing to pay a fair and worthy price.