April 24th – Sunday afternoon, sunny and warm, beautiful blue sky
Yesterday, a suicide bomber killed 48 people somewhere in India. I decided to see what Harry thought about it.
Paul: So what are your thoughts on the attack in India yesterday?
Harry: Ah, suicide bombings. What’s to say about them? Lots, I suppose. They are the release of pent-up anger, wouldn’t you say?
Paul: Yeah, definitely. But from a spiritual standpoint, what do they mean? Where is God in all of that?
Harry: Where is God in all that? Yes, that is certainly a good question. Most suicide bombers seem to believe that God approves of what they are doing. And even wants them to do it.
Paul: Do you think they really believe that? That God wants them to kill people?
Harry: Some of them probably do. Others probably want to be heroes. Its hard to say. It does appear, to me at least, that they are used as instruments of war more than anything. Like objects.
Paul: So they are being used.
Harry: Indeed. But they are allowing themselves to be used.
Paul: But why?
Harry: Because they are confused.
Paul: No kidding.
Harry: Are you?
Paul: What? Confused?
Harry: Yes.
Paul: Sure, about some things. But not about everything. I know not to blow people up.
Harry: That’s nice to know! But you acknowledge that you are confused about some things.
Paul: Of course.
Harry: Well, that puts you in the minority. Most people would probably insist that they are not confused about anything. Most people feel that they know what’s right and what’s wrong.
Paul: That’s definitely true.
Harry: And a suicide bomber is no different. He (or she) is absolutely convinced that they are doing the right thing when they walk into a marketplace and blow themselves to pieces.
Paul: Now, see, that’s where I’m baffled. What kind of mindset makes one think like that?
Harry: That’s the power of beliefs. When you believe something, and believe it strongly, it is a fact for you. There is no questioning. And so for some people, it is an unquestionable truth that certain others should be put to death. Whether it’s Islamic fundamentalists, supporters of the death penalty, or anyone else who sincerely advocates killing or harming another being. When you believe something, it is truth for you. It is fact.
Paul: But isn’t there an absolute truth? A truth that doesn’t depend on what any particular human believes?
Harry: That’s what God is supposed to be. That’s why people are always claiming that God approves of their choices. God is supposed to be absolute truth. And when you want to prove that you are right, you point to some scripture or doctrine to prove that God agrees with you.
Paul: Well, is anyone ever right? What does God want?
Harry: Ah! Isn’t that THE question? What does God want?
Paul: Yes!
Harry: Indeed, and that is one of our most fundamental dilemmas: we can’t agree on what God wants. Everyone interprets God in their own way, and everyone thinks he or she is right.
Paul: Well, wise one, tell us! What does God really want?!!
Harry: Well, look at it this way: Is there a difference between who God really is and who you perceive Him to be? Assuming of course that you believe in God’s existence.
Paul: Is there a difference? I suppose, yes. If humans perceive God in different ways, than we can’t all be right. So yes, there must be a difference between God as He really is and God as we perceive Him.
Harry: Or Her.
Paul: Or Her.
Harry: Now, you said that we can’t all be right. Are you sure?
Paul: Am I sure? Well, yes, I don’t see how it could be any other way. How could two people perceive God in totally different ways and yet both be right?
Harry: I’ll tell you how: because when a person turns their attention to God, they are actually turning their attention to their perception of God.
Paul: Okay, that makes sense.
Harry: So one could say that you cannot perceive God directly, you can only perceive Him from your perspective, your vantage point. You can only perceive God through your beliefs. And since your beliefs are not necessarily the same as someone else’s, you cannot actually perceive God in exactly the same way. Are you with me so far?
Paul: Yes.
Harry: Okay. So our religious problem as a race is that we are not distinguishing between God and our perception of God. We are assuming that there is some absolute Truth regarding God, and some people are aware of this Truth while others are not.
Paul: Right.
Harry: But in fact, no one is actually perceiving the Truth. No one is actually perceiving God directly.
Paul: And why is that again?
Harry: Because your perception of God is always filtered through your beliefs. Through your understanding. Through your ideas of God. Your perception of God is filtered, and no two people are filtering in exactly the same way. So we can never agree on who or what God is, or on what God actually wants, because we are each perceiving God in a unique way.
Paul: But what about those who want to perceive God in the right way? In the way that God actually is?
Harry: That is what the spiritual path is: the journey toward seeing God in a less and less distorted way. And I would agree with that, to a certain extent. But this brings us back to what we discussed on Thursday: the spiritual path is as much about unlearning as it is about learning. You’re not learning about who or what God is, you are unlearning what you thought God was. You are clearing up your distorted beliefs about what God is and what God wants. You must begin with the assumption that all the things you previously believed may, in fact, be incorrect. Otherwise you are stuck with a crystallized, unbending perception of God, and you can never get to a clearer understanding.
Paul: This seems to contradict what so many religions claim. They seem to claim that they have the Truth. It’s in their scriptures, their doctrine. Are they all wrong?
Harry: No. They are not wrong. They do have the truth. Their truth. Where they are wrong is in assuming they have the Truth. Everyone’s Truth. Absolute Truth. What they have is their truth. They have what is true for them. They have a perception of God that feels true to them. And it is true for them. That is the way they are perceiving God, and it is their truth. But it is not everyone’s truth. That is where they are mistaken.
Paul: I’m quite sure many people would disagree with you.
Harry: Indeed. From their perspective, I am wrong. From their perspective, they are right. And they are right. Within their perception, they are right and I am wrong. The only difference between them and myself is that I am aware of the relativity of truth, and they are not.
Paul: The relativity of truth?
Harry: Indeed: truth, with a lower-case “t”, is relative, because when you believe something, it becomes true for you. And your perception is filtered through that belief, reinforcing it and convincing you that it really is true.
Paul: Can you give me an example?
Harry: Certainly. Two people go to a Broadway show. The first person has been to many Broadway shows, and has even seen that particular show done previously. They are not the least bit impressed. The lighting is poor, the singing and acting are sub par. The entire thing is a disappointment. The second person has never been to a Broadway show. They have never even been to New York. They are overwhelmed by the lights, the sounds, the atmosphere. They love the show, which they have never seen before, and the entire experience is incredible and exhilarating for them. Afterward, these two people strike up a conversation on the sidewalk out front. The first person is absolutely convinced that the show was awful. Within their perspective, it was a waste of time and money. The second person is still buzzing from such an incredible experience. Now, these two people witnessed the same show, did they not?
Paul: Yes they did.
Harry: And yet their perception of the show was completely different. It is almost as if they saw two different shows, that is how different their perception of it was.
Paul: I see. So the show was the same, but their perceptions of it were completely different.
Harry: Correct. And the same thing applies to any experience, up to and including God. Two people can perceive God just as differently as our two friends at the Broadway show. To one person, God may be judgmental, punishing, and vengeful. To another, God may be accepting, unconditionally loving, and a source of indescribable joy. Which one is right?
Paul: I see. They are both right.
Harry: They are both right. Because they are not actually perceiving God directly, they are perceiving God from their own unique perspective, with their own beliefs and experiences coloring that perception. And both are right. Both are experiencing God the way they believe God to be.
Paul: So instead of being so fixated upon God, we should be focusing instead on our perception of God. Because it is our perception of God that we are experiencing.
Harry: Very good! Our perception of God is true for us. We will see evidence of it all around us, because our perception of everything is unique to us, just as the two people at the Broadway show seemed to experience two different shows. Same show, different perceptions, each of which was valid for that person.
Paul: And the same goes for God, then. Everyone is perceiving the same God, but their perception and experience of God is unique.
Harry: And valid.
Paul: So the suicide bomber?
Harry: He or she is right. Their perception is real. Their picture of reality is real. Their beliefs are true for them. They may not be your truths, but that does not make them invalid. They are real and true for them.
Paul: But where does that leave us? If each of us is walking around with our own truths, we’ll never agree on anything.
Harry: We don’t have to agree. Who said we have to agree?
Paul: Well, we have to agree on right and wrong to have a society, don’t we?
Harry: No. What we have to do is allow each person to believe what they choose to believe. And that is something that we, as a race, have been struggling with. It is at the heart of our religious dilemma. Many people refuse to allow others to believe what they choose to believe. Or they refuse to accept that any beliefs which differ from their own are valid.
Paul: So that’s the solution then? To accept that all beliefs are valid?
Harry: Indeed. All beliefs are valid. When you believe something, it is true for you. And your perception will be filtered through that belief, reinforcing it.
Paul: And we don’t have to agree?
Harry: No! That would be a disaster!
Paul: It would?
Harry: Yes! What kind of society would we have if everyone agreed on everything?
Paul: Uh, a peaceful one?
Harry: A boring one.
Paul: A boring, peaceful one.
Harry: Yes!
Paul: But that seems a lot better than what we have now.
Harry: What we have now are people struggling to learn how to accept. And as you look at the news and note all the conflicts and disharmony around the world, what you are seeing is a race trying to learn how to accept.
Paul: It doesn’t look like we’re learning very well.
Harry: Looks can be deceiving.
Paul: But we’re seeing violence and animosity everywhere.
Harry: Yes, because that’s what gets the most attention. No one pays attention when one more person finally realizes that acceptance is the answer. You don’t see the news ticker at the bottom of the television screen describing how thousands of individuals across Iraq are realizing that differences are okay, that people don’t have to believe the same things or think in the same way. What gets attention are the acts of people clinging tightly to separation, to conflict, to insisting that their side is right and the other side is wrong and must be defeated. What gets attention are the loudmouths and the suicide bombers, the people who are so immersed in anger and revenge that they can’t possibly consider the idea of acceptance. They are not there yet.
Paul: So even though we can’t see it, some people are beginning to accept?
Harry: Indeed. More that some. Lots. Thousands. Millions. More people each day. But you won’t hear about it on the news. There are no explosions or deaths to mark the emergence of acceptance. And yet acceptance grows. And eventually, gradually, it is emerging as the core value that will provide the foundation for our race.
Paul: Well, forgive me for being pessimistic, but I think that may be a long way off.
Harry: And that would be your perception!
Paul: True.
Harry: But if you begin to look for it, you will see it. You’ll see a news story here or there about a person or group of people who have decided to reach out across dividing lines of one sort or another. Across religious lines, ethnic lines, racial lines. It’s happening. It’s just not getting many headlines. But if you really want to see it in the world around you, begin looking for it within yourself.
Paul: Within me?
Harry: Yes. Try to notice each time you find fault with someone for thinking or believing something different from you.
Paul: That won’t be hard – the world is full of idiots, isn’t it?
Harry: Within your perception, perhaps! But remember, you’re not seeing the world as others see it, you’re seeing the world through your own perception. And if you’re perceiving idiots, that says a lot more about you and your perception than it does about others.
Paul: Oh, man, I never thought of that.
Harry: Perhaps you should.
Paul: I will.
Harry: Good!
