Does spirit exist?

This may seem the silliest question, because either you know that it exists, or you know that it doesn't. The answer is, of course, that it does not exist in the same way that a stone exists, or electricity. It cannot be measured in any of those ways, even though it can and should be experienced inside each of us.

To the materialist, believing in something that cannot be measured is superstition. But to us mystics, it is superstition to believe that mere matter can write a symphony, a screenplay or even HuffingtonPost. Our bodies consist almost entirely of a few familiar types of atoms. Where in those atoms is the symphony encoded? Is it in the electrons or the protons? No, the atoms are exactly the same whether they make up piece of bog or the brain of a genius. To explain the mystery that these simple atoms can cause all that we see and do, the scientist evokes the phrase "emergent behavior", which means that if you have enough of something in the right form, it changes its nature. A pile of sand behaves differently from a grain of sand, to take the simplest example. Likewise molecules behave differently from atoms, cells behave differently from molecules, and bodies differently from cells. Yes, it is all true. But making up a new word for it does not explain it.

So when life is different from the exact same amount of dead matter, it is not because of the spirit of life, but because of the emergent behavior of life. Yeah. And when humans have culture , it is not because of the human spirit but the human emergent behavior. Yeah. That explains so much more... As one scientist says to the other in the cartoon: "Thank God we're not religious!"

Theory and practice

I have noticed how different describing a theory is from describing a practice. A theory is true only until proven false. It needs to be proved and defended. But when people write about what they practice, what they live, they can tell it very simply and yet it increases the amount of truth in the world slightly. It need not even be literally true - the sun does not literally rise and set, after all - but a direct observation always has a ring of truth that logical theories can never quite match.

A little knowledge is a good thing

From what I glean in Scientific American, a favorite of mine, the universe consists of 95% or more Dark Matter and Dark Energy, neither of which we really have any good idea what is. Furthermore the entire universe will at some future time explode to the point where not just the atoms are scattered, but the atoms themselves and their component parts will utterly unravel and matter as we know it will cease to exist, as will presumably energy, time and space.

I'm glad God did not tell the ancient Hebrews this. If He told them that pi was 3, that's fine by me. It is a good start for engaging with the world.

The Buddha actually did tell his followers: "All composite things are subject to unraveling." And then he added: "Strive diligently!" and died. I am not sure they have yet managed to make sense of those two sentences, though they have tried for about 2500 years.

Justice 101

It amazes me that modern man does not think of paying his bill as a fundamental part of justice. How can a man, or a company, or a nation, be considered righteous or honest or respectable... if they keep borrowing money with no intention of ever paying it back? Such a person (or corporation, or nation) is a pauper by choice, not by need. There is no honor in this, nor even basic decency.

Like booze

Reading American political debate is a lot like drinking liquor. First you get amused, then you get hot, and then you get sick. I suppose it could be fatal, but I stop reading before it gets that far.

Braintenance

It has dawned on most people that bad things happen to the body if you just feed it random stuff you find and don't keep it clean and don't exercise it. It is about time we discover this for the mind as well.

I'm a mystic - wanna make something of it?

For some years now, I have identified myself mainly as a mystic. This is probably less mysterious than you think, so let's get the most common "myth-understandings" out of the way first.

"Mystic" is not a title.
It is not a level.
It is not a degree.
"Mysticims" is not a religion.
It is not limited to certain religions.
It is available to atheists.
It does not require rituals.
It does not require being a saint.
It does not make you a saint.
It is not about asceticism.
Mysticism is a way of thinking and seeing the world.
There are degrees of mysticism.

Perhaps a better expression for those unfamiliar with the concept is "open field of mind". Mysticism is about living without the walls in our soul, and even around our soul. (I use soul in the meaning "psyche" in "psychology", the software that runs on our brain. In no way do I imply that the soul is eternal or magical, in fact I don't even believe that myself.)

The essence of mysticism is simplicity, as opposed to duplicity. To always be yourself, and always the same self. In this regard, it does put ethical constraints on you. If you need to maintain separate "truths" according to who you are with, you cannot engage in mysticism. Mysticism is all about seing everything as a whole, all of reality as connected in a simple and beautiful way.

Mysticism provides a boost to intelligence. Because you can draw on all your experience, even from seemingly unrelated fields, you can solve problems easier with less need to learn things over again. And because the walls around yourself crumble too, over time, you become more understanding of others, have more empathy, and more realism in interpersonal matters.

I am not sure whether you can choose to become a mystic, or whether it always just happens. But I know that you can be "a little" mystic without becoming a saint or otherwise extreme. And once there, it is is largely your own choice how far you go. Mysticism is something you practice, kinda like music or a foreign language. If you don't, it fades but is never completely undone. If you do practice, it will grow seemingly for as long as you live (or until brain damage takes you, I guess... I don't think it confers immunity to Alzheimers, though it may delay the onset since you can use your brain resources better).