The man with the foolish grin
is probably living his best life
Morgan Freeman, the man who has played God a few times, said in an interview he believes we invented God. This isn’t a new concept. In the 18th century, Voltaire said “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him” and thus, with a catchy sound bite, we ushered in the Age of Enlightenment – a time when superstitious beliefs were banished by our new understanding of science.
Now that we are (hopefully) entering a new Age of Enlightenment, it might be appropriate to figure out what went wrong with the old one…
The main problem seems to be an over emphasis on the mind, in particular the left hemisphere of the brain, the part that governs reason, logic, analysis and the accumulation of knowledge.
Advances in science split people into two camps – the smart people (with their rigid devotion to reason) and the naïve people (with their childish devotion to a personified God.) The smart people believed humans determined their destiny – so study hard and learn stuff. The naïve people believed everything happens “as God wills it” – so pray and keep him on your side.
However, both camps had one thing in common – rules. Most debates over the past 3-400 years have featured the rules of science vs the rules of God. Rules are a very left-brain thing. A rule is an instruction that clearly states how things behave (eg gravity makes apples fall from trees) and how you should behave (eg your particular God might want you to love your enemies… or celebrate the fact that you’re killing them.)
In addition to this, there has always been a small enclave of mystics who had nothing in common with science or religion. They were either ignored, ridiculed or referred to as the fool on the hill.
Life went on. Religions carried on fighting over which rules were right or wrong and Science presumed that the mystery of life was something we’d soon be able to figure out with our fabulous minds (rather than magic to be experienced).
Then science grew up, turned quantum and all the rules were broken.
It turns out the world is full of paradoxes, not rules; a particle and wave are the same thing; opposing things can both be true because they’re two sides of the same coin.
The scientists scratched their heads. The religious predicted the apocalypse. The mystics smiled and reached for their Syd Barret albums.
There is something inside and outside of us that creates – something science has no access to, but we can access it… through the portal of our right-brain.
Our entire education system was designed around left-brain development, which is a shame because its zenith is A.I. – a left-brain intelligence that has now superseded it’s human creator, and is in danger of making it redundant.
We’ve revered the intellect so much that we’ve lost touch with our capacity for the more sensory world of creativity, imagination, awe, mystery, magic, curiosity, wonder and intuition – things A.I. has no access to.
We now have a bit of a face-off. While the stock on “creative thinking” of the right-brain has never been so high, “survival thinking” of the left-brain is fighting for survival and supremacy.
When we engage the right-brain to create something new, we don’t know how it’s going to turn out. Having been taught for years to set goals and control the outcome, this can make us a bit anxious.
Before we have a chance to calm ourselves down, the fast-acting left brain kicks in and searches its database. Perhaps it thinks this is helpful. “People who bought this experience of mild discomfort also experienced dread, fear, and an inexplicable desire to run away”.
So yes, Morgan was right, we did invent God – the mind’s version of God – a capricious father figure who demands we follow his rules. But behind this artifice is the God the Mystics knew – the power of infinite creativity and unconditional love.
This God…
Isn’t easily translated into textbook words but can be experienced in authentic expression – in art, music, play, dance, or any form of intimate connection.
Doesn’t have rules and has little interest in right or wrong because duality thinking is boring and uncreative.
Probably appreciates humans who are willing to defy fear and take risks guided by intuition rather than rules.
Smiles at Children (who love to be foolish); and grown ups who haven’t forgotten how to play spontaneously – the Divine Fool; the Fool for Love and the Fool on the hill.
Because for sure God loves the Beatles.