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Are we Gullible?
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These are different times, it seems, than any we’ve known before. There are no longer restrictions on what we ‘are allowed’ to believe, and we as a population are more educated than ever. Information travels at the speed of light, and with the click of a button and a couple of keywords, we can research any topic we’re interested in: Hence the New Age explosion.
Spirituality in our generation has become an amalgamation of ideas and philosophies from all over the globe. We have a bit of reincarnation, some astrology, a whirling dervish, paganism, and some occult, all mixed in to what they call the “New Age Stew.” In this New Age, almost anything goes. But does that mean we’re ‘enlightened’ or that we’ve simply become gullible?
There are a lot of people telling us that that’s exactly what has happened. We’ve taken the bait. The problem is, we have a lot of people telling us a lot of things, and they’re all intelligent and well-spoken individuals. In the atheist camp are men like Bill Maher and Christopher Hitchens telling us that any form of spirituality is simply some form of psychosis. On another hand are men like Deepak Chopra who infuses the Eastern philosophy of Hinduism and Ayurvedic thought with Western ideas and Christianity. On the humanist side would sit Tony Robbins and the self-help movement. We have Doreen Virtue who talks about angels, and Joel Osteen with his Christian-in-the-twenty-first-century ethic.
In this age of anything goes, how does one keep their ‘head on straight’ so-to-speak. Is there a single idea or thought that we should be paying attention to? If not, then how do we decide what is or isn’t ‘true’? Sincere people have found themselves caught up in some pretty crazy stuff. Remember the Heaven’s Gate cult or the Jonestown Massacre? What makes images like this so disturbing is that we are faced with our own gullibility and naiveté.
I think the real issue here is balance. Everything we know about our Earth and this solar system is that it constantly seeks balance. Everything is balance. Without it, things seem to become dangerous and destructive while it ‘restores’ balance. Regardless of what idea or philosophy we choose, there must be a balance. There must be some evidence of it in the known Universe. It must be able to submit itself to scientific observance. Nature must support it.
The second thing to be aware of is our place in the philosophy. The stars may ‘guide our lives,’ but we are always the ones making the decisions and choices. By looking at the numbers on our numerological chart we might gain some insight into ourselves, but we are still the ones in charge of how we respond to the world around us. When we feng shui our house, we’re still the ones making the choices and ‘setting the intentions.’ Even a Christian wrestling with temptation is still at choice. The devil can never make you do anything.
Any philosophy that doesn’t allow itself to be questioned or challenged, or that seeks to control those whom it enfolds is a philosophy that has gotten out of balance, and it is a philosophy that will eventually implode as it cannot survive in a Universe that is constantly checking itself and seeking balance. Most philosophies make sense at some level, and when we keep them in check and in balance, they serve us. When we get out of balance, they become our masters… even unto death, as in the most popular cult stories of our day.
