As we watch the news of war in the middle east, and contemplate unthinkable fears of a third world war ending to civilization as we know it. Which has many religiously minded people questioning whether current events are clear signs of an end times prophecy. Is the good news prophecy above, about a supernatural being and his supernatural father, or the natural awakening experience of ordinary people?
Is there a clear perceptual confusion about the original meaning of words like apocalypse, and our human perceptions of reality? And are our human systems of belief, still ludicrously partisan and dictated by the arbitrary nature of language, and the existential lottery of our biological conception?
As a speaking species, are we confused by the great gift & curse, of our adaptive behavioral capacity for language? And still living in denial about the way the recursive nature of language makes us feel like we are more conscious of reality, than we actually are? Still fearing exposure of our undeniable self-ignorance, and the simple truth that no human being can explain "how" we think, talk, & walk?
Sure, we can articulate "what" we are doing, when performing these quintessential human behaviors. But is the "how" of human behavior still an unasked question, generally speaking? No matter how well educated we are, or research field we work in? And is the perceptual problem inherent in language actually compounded and maintained by our systems of education?
And in the context of current events reshaping our world, into what many people are calling a rapidly escalating global metacrisis. Is it possible that the prophecy of an end time that will change the reality of the world as we know it. Was always about the deceiving power of the Word?
Is this the simple truth of quote from the historical gospel of Matthew above? And the simple truth of the natural philosopher Jesus of Nazareth's concisely stated reason for teaching parables of awakening? When we read "therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand," in Matthew chapter 13, verse13?
Does this saying of Jesus' exemplify the spiritual self-diagnosis practices, of an Axial-age revolution, that focused on creating parables that awaken perception? Please consider:
The Axial Age revolution shifted human consciousness from literal myth to transcendent reflection, reframing ancient stories as parables. During this era (800-200 BCE), thinkers in Greece, Israel, India, and China independently birthed universal ethics. This great transition is best understood through foundational parables of awakening.
And is our species still working through this subconsciously generated impulse, towards an awakened perception and balanced experience of consciousness? As a conscious recognition of the perceptual problem with language that naturally leads us into balancing our biologically receptive and psychologically projective experience of consciousness?
Are our human behaviors so subconsciously orchestrated, for the express purpose of becoming functionally automatic? We simply fail to notice the biologically receptive nature of our experience of consciousness? Because generally speaking, we are raised with a behavioral emphasis on the descriptive nature of language? And is the perceptual problem inherent in language, evidenced by a Christian belief that the word Christ is the last name of a supernatural being?
And is this the simple truth reason for Jesus' concise statement about his parable teachings, of awakened perception? For example, is it true that we are all biologically conceived creatures with biological organs of consciousness, like our eyes and ears? And in the context of our normal perceptions of reality, could it possibly be true, that we actually do "seeing see not; and hearing hear not?"
Because of the way we subconsciously project psychologically thought-words, "into" our biological experience of seeing and hearing? With our subconsciously orchestrated and functionally automatic behaviors, combining with the arbitrary nature of language, to create a superficial sense of reality. And the deceptive feeling that we are more conscious of reality, than we truthfully are?
And is this undeniable truth, because of the historical fact and personal experience of the completely arbitrary nature of reality-labeling words? As we use language to simultaneously describe & disguise the true nature of reality? As explored in the previous post: The Era of Natural Philosophy & End Times Prophecy?
In which I used an explanation from one of humanity's recently invented large language model AIs. To illustrate the existential proposition I am making in this series of blog-posts about the increasingly urgent need for a balanced experience of consciousness. And an awakening prophecy about the problem with human languages. Please consider:
The connection between the sounds we make, the symbols we write, and the actual objects or ideas they represent is completely arbitrary. This concept, known as linguistic arbitrariness, means there is no natural or inherent reason why a specific word matches its real-world meaning.
Can you just sit for a while, with a body-wise contemplation of the personal import of this statement about language? Do you dare to imagine what this actually means for our human sense of reality and the history of societal organization? Or the historical deaths of millions and millions of people? Will you dare to imagine what it means for the state of our world right now? And the death of countless innocents? Please consider:
Innocent people die in countless ways across thousands of specific contexts, but global epidemiologists and criminologists group these deaths into four primary categories of non-natural or preventable mortality: preventable medical conditions, unintentional accidents, interpersonal violence, and systemic societal failures.
Are systemic societal failures ultimately based on the personal experience of being human? Our personal experience of developed beliefs about perceived reality? And does our experience of belief, revolve revolve around our unquestioned faith in the descriptive power of language? So much so that we never think to question the way we use language to simultaneously describe & disguise the true nature of reality? Please consider these intuitively wise comments about the experience of being human:
The delusion is extraordinary by which we exalt language above nature:- making language the expositor of nature, instead of making nature the expositor of language. ― Alexander B Johnson
This is how humans are: We question all our beliefs, except for the ones that we really believe in, and those we never think to question. ― Orson Scott Card
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. ― Albert Einstein
While in the existential context of balanced consciousness & ancient prophecy words like Jesus' "you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." Can you contemplate albert Einstein's advice that “everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler," and the metamodern idea that truth is quite complicated? Please consider:
The metamodern view of truth is that it is deeply complicated, shifting between modern earnestness and postmodern skepticism. Truth is neither a simple absolute fact nor a complete fiction. Instead, people oscillate between different ways of knowing.
Yet, in the context of knowing and the whole-self reality of being human, is truth about objectively measurable and verifiable facts & figures? Or does the Achilles heel of both science and spirituality, as the fact that we cannot study the living of whole of our human reality. Mean that Einstein's comment about our intuitive mind, is worthy of more discernment, than the assumptions of metamodern theorist's can conceive? And from the perspective this blog-post series is advocating, is the core message of the story of Jesus, the Christ about truth, beauty, & goodness, as it was for Axial-age philosophers, in general. Please consider:
The core of the Christian message connects deeply with truth, beauty, and goodness, which Christian theology views as the eternal properties of God. These three concepts—known in philosophy as the transcendentals—are expressed through Jesus Christ, who embodies God's ultimate reality, moral perfection, and glory. How the Christian Message Reflects the Three Properties:
Truth: Jesus states that he is "the way, the truth, and the life," representing objective reality and divine revelation.Goodness: The gospel calls for radical moral virtue, selfless love, and the redemption of a broken world from sin.Beauty: The majesty of creation and the profound, self-sacrificial love of the cross display the ultimate aesthetic and spiritual glory of God.
And please consider the possibility that in the context of spiritual self-diagnosis and the way language simultaneously describes & disguises the true nature of reality. That the word God is simply a 3-letter word-symbol for whole of Creation, aka the Universe?
And as I finish this post, continuing this series theme of good news that can be preached to the whole world. About the cryptically wise meaning of the words "and then the end will come?" Through a conscious realization about the deceiving power of the word. That enables an increasingly urgent need to balance our biologically receptive & psychologically projective, experience of consciousness.I can only hope that I've provided some useful food for thought about the universal reality of being human. And why historical figures like Buddha & Jesus, are also known as enlightened, realized beings? Please let me know what you feel and think about this blog post, in the existential context of truth, goodness, & beauty.
Best wishes,
David Bates.
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Footnote:
- The Cave (Greece): Plato asked humans to turn from flickering shadows on a wall to the blazing sun of truth outside. Reason replaced mere storytelling. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- The Chariot (India): The Katha Upanishad compared the body to a chariot, the senses to wild horses, and the soul to the rider who must learn self-control. Inward reflection superseded external sacrifice. [1, 2, 3]
- The Mustard Seed (India): The Buddha gave a grieving mother a mustard seed from a house untouched by death, teaching universal suffering and compassion rather than tribal favor. [1]
- The Prodigal Son or The Vineyard (Israel): The Hebrew prophets and later Jesus framed history and duty not as blind fate, but as a moral journey of return and individual accountability. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- The Way (China): Lao Tzu and Confucius used parables of water and uncarved wood to show how alignment with the Dao or social virtue beats rigid brute force.
| Pre-Axial Era (< 800 BCE) | Axial Age (800-200 BCE) |
|---|---|
| Local gods and blood sacrifice | Universal ethics and inner transformation |
| Fragmented time and static myth | Linear history and reflective philosophy |
| Tribal identity and rigid hierarchy | Individual moral agency and transcendence |
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