12/21/2012

I awoke this morning to find that my neck is still screaming in protest to any movement whatsoever. It hurt to even move. I fell asleep twice last night on the couch while watching a few cool shows about religion on the history channel and my neck didn't hurt a bit. I should have stayed there and slept the night away. The storms had just begun their rumbling march across the state last night and it was perfect sleeping weather. It's still raining this morning and I don't really feel like going out in it to take care of a couple errands. I must and I will, only because nobody else can do them for me. My neck seems to loosen up as the day progresses, but locks up like a necklace made of spikes as soon as I rest my head on a pillow. I'll be eternally grateful when it subsides.

The date December 12, 2012 came up in one of the shows last night and it is a fascinating one. I've read about this period in the future on several occasions during my everlasting quest for the true meaning of life. I've read a ton of literature about many religions, cults, and dogmas over the years, and this date is one of the most intriguing. It is a date pinpointed by both the ancient Mayan beliefs and a recently uncovered code in the I Ching, originating halfway across the world. There are also several other smaller sects that pinpoint this century as the end of time as we know it.

The Christian religion has also been one that has dabbled in the "end of times" prophecy, but it has evolved over time to accommodate the ages. When Jesus of Nazareth began his ministry around the age of 30, he brought with him the "good news" (Old English meaning of gospel) that the coming of God was at hand and he was bringing about the coming of the Lord. This, obviously, never happened and led to a very quick (3 short years) downfall, ultimately ending in his death. He spoke of the end of the world as was known at the time and that all who believed would be saved by God to live in a new and wondrous world. He was not alone in his claims of Messiahship. There were scads of others in the history of man that have claimed to be the Messiah ( Sabbetai Zevi comes to mind) and that have brought with them this "good news".

The world as we know it today can exhibit itself as a most violent, horrible place, yet can also show us so many beautiful and wonderful things. This dichotomy in the world is what makes life interesting. There are vast differences in good and bad in almost everything we experience and know in our day and age. The environment, politics, religion, belief. The list goes on and on to what seems like infinity. I really don't think there can be really ONE answer to everything. There may have been ONE ultimate beginning, but trillions of chemical reactions and cellular splits all contributed to make up what we know as life. This world is way too full of a thousand different ideas for there to be but one that explains everything. The history of Earth is far too extensive and man's time on it but a relative nanosecond in the history of life on earth. I think it is a most convenient explanation for the invention of an ultimate controller because it is only natural to think that is the case when you know nothing else. There is no other easy explanation, so the simplest solution is one. One operator, one Omnipotent being. To think everything came from nothing goes against all reason and instincts. It is much easier to attribute everything to something. Something to follow, and something to believe in. It is the natural course of human condition. Man is born with the need for knowledge and explanation as he is easily the most intelligent of all living things.

If you've ever seen the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks, you saw a perfect example of this need for something to believe in. Something and someone with whom a man who finds himself all alone could interact. He applied human attributes to a volleyball that washed up on the shoreline and interacted with it constantly. He shared both the greatest of joy and excitement, and the horrible letdowns with this idol he invented. Something so simple, a cheap little volleyball, was his reason for being and a reason to keep going-to push. This is one of the most basic human needs and one that is exemplified in the major religions of today. This is just the basis, and a belief and following is born when you sprinkle in some good, a little evil, and a blueprint to leading a good life. This, for me, is a clear picture of the human condition even though I am in the relatively tiny minority among my peers. That is fine with me, because it also fascinates me to no end and keeps the fire burning.
To Knowledge.

CZ