GOD

June 24, 2001

Most people's concept of God is the historical one, having to do with all-powerful and judgmental. I think this is odd.

If humanity is truly made in God's image, then I would think we would affix labels like "most interesting" and "very cool" to our concept of God, as those are the qualities we most respect in people. That's what endures. All the power-trippers and judgmental types seem to fall by the wayside as time goes by. The interesting ones just get cooler.

So let's say that God is very cool. What is the most interesting way to set up the process?

What kind of movies do you like to watch? Since I am talking to many people here, the answer would probably be "all kinds". Some people like to be scared out of their minds. Some people like romance or light comedy. For others, only action and violence will do. A good movie will put you there. It will make you feel what it feels like to experience those events. A quality experience, (unlike what most strive for in real life), probably has little to do with comfort. Intensity would be closer to the norm, That and sophistication in the telling of the story.

The intensity of the movie is tolerable because we know it has a beginning and an end, and then we leave and go outside.

Maybe life is like that.

Maybe "outside" is where we see the whole of it all. Maybe what we call "lives" is nothing more than a trip to the theater, where we go to drink deeply of a certain experience.

Maybe there are zillions of planets out there representing a billion different levels of civilization. This planet, is what it is. Here, you get this type of stories, this type of experience.

Who would want to experience what it is like to be a starving child? Have you ever been one? How would you know? Maybe, in such state, every breath is a rare and precious thing. In any case, could you watch such a program for an hour on TV? Well, maybe, in the grand scheme of things, life here is little more than a PBS special.

My hunch is that, if everyone saw their life like this, they'd play with it more freely.

But most see this life as their one and only event, and so buy into the values which rule this time and place. They amass wealth and power and try to take control.

Just like their weird concept of God.