THE VALUE OF FOCUSING ON GOD

My principle belief is in a great creative spirit, an energy more like the wind than any clear focal point. But here i want to make a case for "old time religion" and God as a focus point.

The Value of an Abstract God
Trying to find oneness by focusing, is almost a contradiction. The only easy way to resolve this contradiction is by focusing on an external almighty all-powerful higher focal point.

And, if there is no great spirit, and the idea of God developed purely as a result of our abstract thinking system – the system which divides life into abstract bits to understand the relationship between subjects and objects  – then exactly that makes God an ideal focal point. And in the reality of our abstract understanding, nothing could ever function better than that.

Focusing and concentration are easy and natural with anything beautiful, creative or awesome; and God is, at the very least, an amazingly powerful focal point.

And if our imaginations create an abstract personality, even a supernatural body with third eyes and eight arms, to make it feel more magnificient and powerful, and then we project our highest human emotions and ideals onto it – then this image will have a real psychological effect, regardless any scientific, logical or rational ideas.

Dear Creator, Without you i wouldn't exist. I love you with all of my heart, all of my strength, and all of my understanding.

But religions and beliefs all involve intense forms of focusing. And the practical problem is that any strong focal point can easily become closed-minded.

And a closed-minded God can never create anything. God has to be open minded.

Closed Minded Gods and Egos
The projection of our own wishes onto God also happens with the authoritarian closed-minded Gods of so many organised religions which have traumatised billions of innocent people.

It was essential to avoid all-out wars and for the survival of our global communities, that Nietzsche, Darwin, et. al. questioned and destroyed the traditional personalised God image.

But then Freud et. al. replaced the centre of the world with an individual ego.

And so nowadays, philosophers question if the ego is merely an abstract idea, in much the same way that Nietsche questioned God.

But, the bottom line is that God and the ego are both focal points. And only ever exclusively focusing is an unbalanced use of our sensory faculties. It limits our understanding, creativity and intelligence.

Every other animal on our planet alternates or coordinates almost all of their focused activities with periods of panoramic sensing.

Whatever we believe in, needs to be balanced with periods of panoramic sensing.

Back to Chapter Five : Panoramic Sensing and The Great Spirit
Back to THE SENSE OF IT ALL Priority Pages