9.1.2.3 The Less Quintessential Corrigible Professions

of REALigion: a Reasonable Global Way™;

Personal Tenets of Global Beliefs and Values.

Extended Version 1.11, November 2023                         Previous Version

 

It is a reasonable leap of faith to say:

1.  I am aware of the mystery of existence:

a)      I accept my sensory experiences, including my inner experiences, are the basis of my reality,

and that this reality is a changing continuum, over time and space

which I partition and classify and I impose some order on, and I imagine parts of it;

– I know all things are really collections of events, and nothing is permanent;

b)      And using various principles to guide my choices,

I infer relationships between these constructs: things and events;

– so I cling to classification and inferences because they help me understand my experience;

c)      And though some experiences occur before any words come and some seem to be beyond words,

I use language to describe most of this,

– knowing that sometimes words fail;

d)      And things that are beyond my experience or comprehension are not useful to guide my choices

– we cannot sensibly speak of what is outside this reality; even its mystery is part of it.

e)      And I can only continue to experience wonder at the mystery of existence itself, the All,

which can’t be explained by any science, religion or philosophy,

And I am amazed and awed by its unity, its immensity, its intricacy, its power and its glory;

– and I learn from philosophy, religion and art ways to discuss these issues

2.  I am aware of the mystery of existence, self, will and truth:

a)      I am mindful of consciousness, the collection of events I call me,

and accept that there is no self or identity apart from these events,

and I am mindful of others who appear to be in some ways conscious like me

– so I accept my self and other selves as impermanent, immanent collections of events;

b)      And I am mindful of the perception of free will and the belief in truth,

and I acknowledge that these are entangled with ‘chaos or causality’ and perhaps unfree and untrue,

perhaps, but perhaps not, illusions emerging out of our complex systemic nature;

– I live with the dilemma of ‘chaos or causality’ versus ‘will and truth’, but I make choices, and seek the truth;

c)      And confronted by the fragility of this process, I live in uncertainty, with ever-present doubt,

And I must graciously allow for a diversity of similarly considered views;

And act, when I must, without being consumed or paralysed by the myriad unknowns.

d)      And rather than faith, emotion, reason and intellect being in conflict,

I understand they are just different aspects of mind and all can be reasonable or reasoned about;

– I must be whole, integrating reason, faith, emotion and intellect;

e)      And I accept my essence, my spirit, is part of reality, not separate from it, and will defuse in time,

and this gives rise to the alienation and aloneness that is the human condition;

– And  I learn from science and history how things got to be as they are.

 

3.  I am aware of the mystery of existence, self, will and truth, and I choose life and love:

a)      Even though I cannot discern whether ultimately there is a point to it all,

I am inescapably part of the narrative of the universe, the All;

And despite its travails and never-ending challenges,

– I choose to live;

   And I understand from science what drives this choice.

b)      Acknowledging other selves as conscious beings – the rest of humanity –

Knowing goodness, such as it is, cannot be imposed, or come from outside, but must come from within,

Knowing I undertake this path in part to avoid loneliness and despair,

Acknowledging the limits of my will, and humble of my understanding of the truth,

– I choose to be good, to strive to be part of the struggle for what is good;

  And I understand from science and history what drives this choice and why it feels right to me;

c)      I realize part of being good is showing compassion – love –

towards others in an expanding circle, with varying intensity,

from those I cherish, to my neighbours, to those who are humane,

to all humans, to other conscious animals, to all sentient beings, to all of life;

where to love is to minimise harm and suffering, to promote peace and non-violence,

to satisfy preferences, to promote happiness and contentment;

4.  I am aware of the mystery of existence, self, will and truth, and I choose life and love, equality and responsibility:

a)      Despite short term observations suggesting the contrary, as  part of being good,

– I choose to treat others as equals, to each other and to me, on a select few dimensions,

but not all, knowing we have intrinsic and significant differences in character;

b)      I accept we can all suffer; each person’s suffering must be taken equally into account;

And in society with others, I promote equality before the law and equality of opportunity

– reducing extreme disparities in access to basic rights and services in education, health, and legal aid;

Though I recognise the risk of moral hazard, in myself and others, and the need for motivation,

which naturally increases our self-worth but at times benefits from some stimulation;

– I learn from philosophy, science and history how to effectively balance these goals.

c)      As part of being good, despite the dilemma of ‘causality or chaos’ as it affects free will and truth,

– I choose to treat others, and myself, as if we have some choice and responsibility,

when a potential intervention, both relevant and proximate, might change our behaviour,

for the better, to promote well-being – truth, beauty, life, love and equality;

to modify the environment of the complex systems that we are and that we form,

but only to the extent this is effective to promote the common good;

since the dilemma is real, given that we all suffer consequences and have various and variable limitations,

if no intervention would be effective,

justice must be mixed with mercy, not as grace, but as of right.

– I learn from science and history how to do this effectively.

d)      And simplistic negative principles ban murder, torture, rape, slavery, deception and theft;

but we must also positively support Security, Liberty, Respect, Honesty, Self-Control, Family, Property, Generosity, Fairness, Curiosity, Sexuality, Wonder and Enjoyment,

and such principles can conflict with each other so must be applied reasonably in each situation,

– so I choose this following principles based on reason and evidence;

– and I look to philosophy, science, history, religion and art to provide guidance.

 

e)      And I realize that acting to knowingly or negligently cause suffering, or, worse, not caring,

in myself  and in others, can be a result of

fear, desperation, stupidity, ignorance, thoughtlessness, insanity or selfishness,

and my reaction to these should be

empowerment, equity, guidance, education, self-control, medical treatment and forgiveness;

– though I often struggle to react as I should;

f)       And, knowing the risks, the uncertainty, the complexity,

I choose to join with others in my communities, from local to global,

to protect and help me, those I love, others who are humane, and life generally,

to promote good governance of our shared public reality: the environment and its people;

and I hope to be treated fairly as part of such communities;

– and I learn from science and history what is possible and effective.

5.  I am aware of the mystery of existence, self, will and truth, and I choose life and love, and compassion and mercy, and act in reasonable hope and faith, knowing that I am.

a)      And life and love are to be valued even more because they are ephemeral,

And it is even more satisfying that they are a natural part of, intrinsic, to the world;

– Here on Earth at least, life and loving are everywhere, ubiquitous;

b)      And despite the ever present causes of suffering,

I learn from science that we have the technology (if not the will) to make major changes,

and I learn from history about advances (aa well as setbacks) in human rights and social justice;

though vast improvements are required, more in some places than others;

– so I choose to live in hope,

c)      And given the dilemmas and the uncertainty,

being aware that the absolute – the All – does not impose these on me,

and, conscientiously and confidently as it is possible to be,

– I hold these values, Truth, Beauty, Diversity, Reality, Life, Love, Equality, Responsibility and Hope, to be sacred.

d)      And I do this knowingly,

not because of à priori assumptions or unreasonable faith in any persons or texts,

not because I am deluded by classification, class structures  or social constructs;

not because science or history can describe the process that occurs,

not because religion threatens or promises various consequences,

not because philosophy says it is logically inevitable;

– I choose this path, cautiously, tentatively, with faith in reason, based on the available evidence;

e)      And these choices guide me,

In what may be called my spiritual awareness: the sense of awe, mystery, majesty, connectedness,

and the indescribable experiences before or beyond words;

and in the choices I inevitably make as I act or don’t act

in my personal life and in the political arena;

– And knowing this is the best I can do,

   I have a measure of content.

I am                   aware of the mystery of existence, of self, and will, and I choose truth, beauty, reality, diversity, life, love, equality responsibility, and act in hope, knowing

that I am.