A Philosophical Revisit

I apologize in advance, this is going to be long, but I like to think it's interesting enough to be worth it. I wrote the following about a year and a half ago for a different blog I was involved with as part of a three part series. I'm interested in how the monks feel about it, and I'll throw some of my more recent thoughts in if the comments go well.

-----------------------------------------------------------

For the greatest effect, please take the time between each step to really get an idea of how the situation would make you feel.

1) Imagine that you put your time, effort, and resources into making a gift for a friend of yours. Let's say you made them a sculpture, and you spent weeks of your free time trying to get it just right, to show your friend what they mean to you. Try to think of how you would feel about this kind of investment.

2) They weren't home for you to deliver it face to face, so you just left it at their house. Several days go by and you still haven't heard anything, maybe you get a little worried that maybe they weren't as excited as you had hoped they'd be. As of yet, you haven't even heard a "thank you." How would you feel at this point?

3) You finally get a call, it's your friend. They want to know if you'll make them a completely different sculpture because the first one was lacking and inadequate. But they feel they owe you loyalty as a friend, so they don't want to have someone else make it. How would you feel then? All of that time, effort, and good faith, all just to show that you care - just to find out they didn't get anything out of it except for a desire for something better. Think it over before moving on.




People pray because they desire, they desire because they are dissatisfied with what they already have. What they have is what their god gave them. Though here, we are talking about life, existence, nature, emotion, family, friends, anything and everything one has, has had, or ever will have - and not merely a sculpture of comparatively no importance. And yet everyday, billions of people all over the world of all different faiths make that phone call. "Hey, god, yeah, it's Todd, ummm, do you think you could change all of that stuff you gave me into completely different, better stuff? That would be really cool, thanks." For the sake of argument, we'll grant that any religion is true, and it's *still* no wonder that most prayers are never answered. "Hey, omniscient creator of everything, I just wanted to let you know that you're doing about 65% pretty good, but there's still a lot of stuff you need to fix." Most of you were pretty disappointed in your friend's reaction to your present earlier, now imagine you provided absolutely everything for everyone ever, and then heard billions of complaints a day for it.

It's safe to assume that god is pretty on top of things, even without your input. He knows your aunt is sick, that was his decision. He knows you could really use this promotion, and he'll let you have it or not regardless of whether you pester him about it. And it's a good thing I'm not your creator, because the first time one of you interrupted whatever it is I do all day to ask for floor seats at the Laker's game... well, spontaneous human combustion would be a mercy ruling. If you believe enough to pray, you should already believe he knows what you want and what you need. That's sort of the point of being omniscient and omnipresent.

The only thing worth actually praying for would be the only thing you don't need to, that is, what you already have. Because that's what god wanted you to get, and when he's ready for you to get something else, he'll let you know. You could call it "saying thanks."

[removed by author] By Shakespeare or by monkeys, Lear is Lear, and so too is our existence. If god was the author, our praise still belongs to the work, just the same of our criticism. Nor would it matter why god created the world, for us to be happy, for us to prove ourselves, or for just something to do. What we have in no way changes because of the intent it was created with.

Even if god were to be praised for his work instead of praising the work itself, why would he want to be? For one, he already knows you're a fan. Two, he sort of knew it was going to be good before he started. And three, I'm pretty sure the lord of all creation isn't in desperate need of a pat on the back from you in order to feel good about himself. Mankind has the tendency to paint his gods in the colors of his own demerit. Beings who strive for recognition, power, the subservience of others, loyalty of others, and exclusive right to credit and ownership will envision gods much the same, but I feel it's safe to assume this is not the case. What a pity it would be to spend one's life in service of a perfect luminous being only to find out upon death that this being was, in reality, no better than the humans we consider the most base and desperate of men.

So let's think about this then. If your creator doesn't want to hear your complaints and has no need to hear your praise, what should one speak of when they speak to god? This I have no answer for, but I have what I would like to personally believe...

If one is going to speak to god, let it be because they want to, not because they feel they have to. Let it not be for personal gain or for unnecessary praise. Let it be because god is there and so are you. If god has always existed, then god didn't choose to be god, you didn't choose to be you, but like all nature, like all existence, we each go about our own ways, all in universal accordance. If you're going to talk to god, let it be because you're both a piece of existence, speak as friends would. Your sincerity will be worth more to god than hollow ceremony, god knows how you really feel, so be honest and be yourself. And like old friends who have spoken of everything five times over, let the two of you speak of nothing of importance, just talk to be together. I'm sure a two year old rarely has any ground-breaking revelations to share with his or her parents, but they talk together anyway and they both love every moment. A couple who has been married for 50 years doesn't have to always have new and important things to discuss to be happy spending time with one another. Get it off your chest, part of being friends is having someone to talk to, even if you don't need to be told what to do, just letting it out helps. And how often do you think god gets asked to tell a joke? And even if he already knows the punchline, I'm sure he'd appreciate hearing your joke too. All of this trite, sanctimonious formality is a product of mankind. Just be yourself. Have fun. Tell god a secret and, if you're lucky, maybe he'll tell you one of his.