Chapter IV Culture and Religion in Eurasia / North Africa
The new ways of
thinking about religion: personal moral or spiritual transformation - the
development of compassion.
Profound, and this transformation happened in China, India, the Middle
East, and Greece at about the same time.
People must have been experiencing a philosophical vibration throughout
the lands.
Aha! The answer
is “tumultuous social changes.”
“What is the purpose of life?” I wonder about that every day at my desk at work.
Yes, it takes chaos in order for one to even think about how
to restore order.
How to be a Legalist:
Rule your kingdom as though everyone (except farmers who grow food and
solders who enforce rules) were a moron.
Just think if our fearless leaders of today followed the
advice of Confucius: “This process
of improvement involved serious personal reflection and a willingness to strive
continuously to perfect his moral character.”
Wow. Confucian views
were “rigidly patriarchal.”
Somehow I am not shocked.
Filial piety – your family is gold. Good rule to follow, if your family is
worthy of respect; not all are.
Oh, here we go:
“Confucius values clearly justified the many inequalities of Chinese
society.” Don’t we all justify
everything we do? Confucius was
just better at it.
“Daoism encourages abandonment of education and active
efforts at self-improvement.”
Really? I can buy into the
nature theme, but not using one’s mind is sure to lead to the devil’s
playground. I have to take another
look at the movie “The Dao of Steve.”
OK, the ship has been righted with a more balanced outlook
between the sexes. Better.
Oh, cool. One
can practice Confucianism by day and Daoism by night. I like that.
Just like the Catholic Church with its pope – run like a
business. Same with the Brahmins,
who required “heavy fees and became mechanical and formal.” Churches and religions are businesses,
and they need money to keep up their image.
I wonder who
might have been part of this group of anonymous thinkers who composed the
Upanishads – women perhaps?
Instant karma is going to get you – John Lennon
Oh, this is good: “Women were increasingly seen as “unclean
below the navel.” “It taught that
all embryos were basically male and that only weak semen generated female babies.” I cannot stop laughing. Did these morons ever think about the
fact that it takes both a man and a woman to create a baby, and what would
happen if only male babies were born?
For supposedly deep-thinking people, this concept is pretty asinine.
A common thread of releasing oneself from material desires
is at the core of these enlightenment religions, a noble quest indeed.
Zoroastrian and free will to choose between good and evil - another
great religious invention to lead people down an alternative path. I think it best that one cherry picks
from all of these religions, since each has its own pieces that make sense.
The Jewish people have certainly made an impact on society
in a global sense, being that they began as such a small element and endured
many episodes of enslavement and conquer.
They do a fantastic job of running Hollywood.
Yes, I recall reading about Yahweh in world religions class
about six years ago, in particular that the Jews were “the chosen people.” What they were chosen for is a mystery
yet to be revealed.
Socrates was one hell of a guy! ‘Question everything’ is a good mantra. Take religion out of the equation for
explanations of the world.
It seems to me that most word roots are steeped in Latin,
Greek, and French culture, so it is appropriate that Greek culture is awarded
with “celebrating the powers of the human mind.”
I never knew that Buddha was classified as a common criminal
by the Jewish and Roman authorities.
Women were responsible for the world’s sins and were a
temptation to men, yet men surely loved engaging in sex with women. Would they ever admit that?
What starts out as a way to unify people and create a sense
of peace turns into controversy and battles of control, starting with the illustrious
pope.
Religion offers many benefits, but it also was, and still
is, a great source of conflict.
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