Look

If you look into the eyes of the Divine

You wouldn’t see eyeballs or pupils or iris’

Just stars and space

The universe

Look closely and see

Your galaxy

Your solar system

Your world

Your country

Your city

Your street

Yourself gazing into the eyes of the Divine

 

The Divine gets wherever it wants to go

By looking itself in the eye

All it needs to do is stare and be there

In that other part of itself

Creation

Creation                                                                                                          

 

When God knew enough

He realized his nakedness

And created humanity to clothe him

Knowing no other form

She made mankind in her image

They all spoke the same language

But that was boring

So God muddled them

They fought among themselves

Because now they appeared different

‘We are one,’ God yelled down

But nobody listened

Because God seemed different, too

‘We only trust our own,’ they said

And so God was exiled from Eden

‘One day my children will grow up

And come to their senses,’

God said waiting for humanity to return

A Message to Men

 

 

Man must open his eyes to woman

See her completely

Hear her as though her voice was his

She too has strength, she too has feelings

Her voice is as valid

Her grievances as justified

She speaks not only for our mothers

And sisters and daughters

But for the part of us that cares for others

As we should care for her

For millennia too long

We have taken our weaknessess out on her

In our insecurity we have held her down

Because of our want of power

Our fear of sharing it

For Millennia too long

The weakest among us

Have held her down

And forced open her legs

Because our lust overpowers us

Or because we are too afraid of to earn her love

As natured intended

Are we man enough to admit

That we must do better by her

That it is up to us to challenge

Those who see her as nothing more than an object?

It is up to us to protect her power to choose

Who she sleeps with

Who she lets touch her

She is more than a body

She is our graceful companion

She is mighty and wise

And has survived her struggles with pride

Are we brave enough to stand in her light?

Are we man enough to be men

Who want women to be women?

Finding Yourself

Where do you go to find yourself? What map will take you there

When your compass is broken and you’ve been wondering in the wilderness for years?

The old paths stretched before you. They loop and lead straight back here.

Pride keeps you from admitting you are lost and in need of guidance.

That path seems too steep to climb.

It takes courage to leave behind the old ways

And break new ground.

To pull yourself over the obstacles

And discover how far and wide is the road that leads home

Where you are no longer a stranger.

Power = Responsibility

Why do some people say we should not vote at all?

 
They do not believe they have any power anyway and do not want to take the effort to participate. Instead, they sit back and criticize the whole system (even the parts that work), even though they use the system when it suits them. All of this they do while pretending to be rebels. In reality all they achieve is the continuation of the corrupt parts of the system which their abstinence gives power to.

Flawed Almighty

Say my name with every prayer

Close your eyes and I am there

Remember me on your knees

I am the one you’re born to please

I am your God the one, the true

With all the vices I forbid in you

Know your place! Question not!

Give me the only life you’ve got

Put no other before me

Forsake the now for eternity

The Divine, especially in a religious context, is often portrayed as vengeful, jealous, greedy, and forbidding.  In other words, with characteristics unbecoming of a holy person, let alone a supreme being. This, I believe, is mankind projecting its own flaws onto the universal parent figure, namely God.  

The above poem was written from the perspective of such a God.  It was not intended to offend (though it surly will) but to show how hypocritical such a view of the Divine is. For how can the divine expect of us what it itself is unable to achieve?

Some might argue that the Supreme Being is above its own laws. I am, however, willing to bet that they would also claim (though less vehemently) that we were created in the image and likeness of God. Does that mean that we are likewise above the laws of God? Or that we should strive to rise above our own often flawed nature? And, if so, should we not also hold our views of God to a higher standard?

 

Proof of God

20150325_190006The concept of God (or whatever name you’d prefer to call the Almighty) has been debated since we first learnt to argue. There have been arguments to affirm God’s existence, which I am in no way trying to do. And there have been arguments aimed at disproving the idea of a supreme being, which likewise falls outside the scope of this article. What we are dealing with here is not whether God exists or not, but whether there is any way to prove the existence of an almighty God.

 

Before we go on, we need to establish what is meant by the word God – at least in the context of this article- as the term means different things to different people. I am using the word God, in the Almighty and infinite sense of the word: a Supreme Being and creator of all existence. I would like to emphasise that this is not an attempt to prove God’s existence, so atheists please bear with me. Many believe that the birth of science meant the death of God. That in light of recent discoveries – such as the big bang and evolution – a belief in God is nothing but superstition. But, is it really?

 

Today we know that a massive explosion, commonly known as the big bang, created our universe. But what, might I ask created the big bang? And what created the singularity before the big bang? And even if we figure out what created the singularity then what created that? And so it can go on and on, infinitely. And that is the point.

 

Even if we trace creation back to a single point, which some scientists claim to have already done, then surely the question of what created creation or the creator still lingers.

 

Infinity as described in the Oxford Dictionary is being infinite, boundlessness. The best way to understand this concept is to take a mathematical example: no matter how high you can count, you can always add another number onto the end and therefore keep counting into eternity. In the same way, we might be able to prove where the universe came from, yet fail to prove where the phenomenon that created the universe came from.

 

The scope of science, unless it has changed while I wasn’t looking, only deals with subjects that can be tested and measured. The point is, that if an almighty God does exist then such a God, being infinite in nature (in other words immeasurable), is beyond the scope of science.

 

Again, I am not arguing for the existence of God, merely illustrating that an infinite God’s existence cannot be ruled out by scientific means. Unless, of course, the scientific community broadens its methods to include discoveries that fall beyond the scope of what can be tested and measured. Not that I think this is a good idea, as the scientific method at least offers a criteria.

 

All that I am doing is admitting my ignorance. I do not say that God does not exist all because I know – according to modern science – that the big bang and evolution do. Thus, the question of God’s existence remains open and may never be closed. In the mean time though, isn’t it practical for both sides to admit the obvious: that if God does exist there is no way to prove it, and even if God does not exist there is no way to prove that either.

 

The above article has already been publsihed on www.alteye.co.za under the name God of Philosophy

 

Illusion

 

A little boy and little girl were walking through the woods on their way home, when they found an old monk, sitting in a clearing. His legs were crossed in lotus position and his eyes closed. As the children drew closer they realized that the old man was levitating. They gazed at him dumbstruck for a minute. Then they circled the monk, looking for any a clue as to how he floated.

The monk, still levitating, seemed totally oblivious to their presence. “Wake up,” yelled the boy, but the monk remained unresponsive, floating in the air as if gravity did not exits to him. The children were too curious to go home so they waited until the monk woke up.

Hours passed before the old monk floated gently to the ground and opened his eyes. He saw the children standing in front of him.

“How do you float like that?”asked the boy.

“It is an illusion,” replied the monk.

“Then where are the ropes that hold you up,” retorted the girl.

“You don’t understand,” said the wise old man. “The floating is not the illusion.”

A versionof  the above story has already been published on www.alteye.co.za