Should we fear technology? (AI and spirituality)

According to some, AI is the most impactful invention since we learned to communicate through language. Whether it is so or not remains to be seen, but that it will change everything for us is absolutely guaranteed. 

This post will be centered around two central ideas. One is that progress is inevitable. If there is something that history shows us, it is this fact. The other is that we do have a choice about how we treat progress. In this case, we can choose whether AI becomes a tool or a hindrance. We can choose if it will make us lazy or productive. We can choose if we allow it to destroy or aid our creativity. And we can choose if we let it feed our lower or higher natures.

With that being said, I’ve been watching how things have developed with a combination of delight, awe, and fear. Drawing on what I said in the beginning, I’ve come to believe that we as a species have some major decisions to make. Those decisions will, as always, ultimately be made by individuals. By each and every one of us on an individual, personal level.

Now, I’m no expert in computers or digital technology in general. But I do my best to learn. 

My field of expertise is spirituality and religion. Enough so that I believe myself to be qualified to give an opinion from this point of view. And I believe that a spiritual and religious perspective on AI is a valuable, as well as a valid one. Because AI will obviously have an impact on how we view matters in these realms. And what views we have on spirituality and religion will inevitably shape how we view AI. 

AI will also raise all kinds of questions that have to do with religion and spirituality. Questions such as: What does the existence of AI say about such matters? About God? Could AI become truly sentient? If we are capable of creating such technology, how likely is it that we are living in a simulation? Think about it. AI technology is in its infancy and it is already evolving on its own. Maybe we are living in a simulation in a simulation in a simulation and so on. What would a “yes” to such questions say about religion, spirituality and God?

I know that many people that hold spiritual beliefs are terrified by AI. I hold the opposite view. Since I believe that everything ultimately is in God’s hands, that God is good, since I see all the good potential with AI and since AI is here to stay, I personally choose to look at AI as something positive. 

From my estimation, the best approach is to learn more about it and handle it in a conscious, responsible way. Because even though we mostly have dystopian visions about AI, I’m thoroughly convinced that it can go either way. I believe that AI will either bring out the best or the worst in all of us. Both on an individual and a collective level.

Since I’m ultimately an optimist, even though it doesn’t always seem that way, I believe that where it matters, we will in the end come to make the right choices. 

So, what could potentially happen? 

First of all I would say that it’s a good thing that this technology isn’t fully in the control of humans anymore. Because if it was, it would be in the hands of the wealthiest few. And for those that are familiar with the World Economic Forum’s agenda, it is clear that they would not use it to make life better for humanity as a whole.

It goes without saying that AI will be used by criminals, whether they operate within or outside the confines of the law, or if they, such as those within the WEF, are above the law. But it will also be used by people with good intentions. And as more and more people are going through spiritual awakenings, there will be more and more people that naturally gravitate towards using it for good. 

We can also use it to advance or destroy ourselves on an individual level. We can use it for all kinds of innovation, such as letting the AIs synthesize ideas for us, gather information and summarize and simplify complex information, so that we can learn more in less time. It could also automatize some creative processes, so that we can focus on what the AIs cannot do.

But we can also become lazy and let an AI do all the job for us, while we kick back, play video games, watch Netflix, scroll on our phones, eat junkfood, drink sodas or get drunk. Many will inevitably do this, as they see it as a blessing that will allow them to indulge even more freely in various vices. Many will even use AI for pornographic purposes, as it will allow for digital people that you can communicate with to be created. I honestly believe that those that decide to do this will destroy their characters completely, since engaging in this type of fake connection will alienate them from real people. If we don’t want AI to destroy us, we need to constantly remember that our choices shape us.

On the other hand, we can use the aforementioned synthesis of ideas to stimulate our thinking greatly. Because ideas and information come alive with our interaction with them. And if you think about it, we basically shape our thought patterns from the input we receive, through experiences and information, together with how we choose to process the input, whether that processing is conscious or just happens to us while we’re off somewhere else. So this novel way of handling information and ideas will inevitably shape how we think and therefore ultimately our relationship with ourselves, life and other people. 

I myself have noticed that ever since I started working with AIs, it has caused a flood of ideas to enter my mind.

This will in turn inevitably affect our spiritual lives, as we suddenly can use AI to reveal hidden depths in religious texts and analyze them in novel ways, as well as bring new light to various spiritual concepts and ideas. Just to name a few things.

I think that this will create a great divide between certain types of individuals and others. But it will be democratic as much of this technology will be offered for free and it’s up to each and everyone to use it as they please. So it will be people’s own choices that doom them and they will absolutely know for themselves that they are cheating and being lazy. They will inevitably fall behind the rest of humanity, and when they do, the fact that it’s their own fault and that they knowingly walked down that path will stare them straight in the face. I’m not saying this to be judgmental, but as a statement of fact and a warning.

The need to get out of a stimulus-response mindset will also become more and more obvious. Otherwise we will be easy prey for those that want to manipulate us. Because AI technology will make it easier for those that want to manipulate us through feeding us certain information in certain ways to do so in much more advanced ways.

The stimulus-response mindset, for those that don’t know, is the mindset where we go around reacting to what is happening on the outside, instead of observing and taking conscious action.

Furthermore, as AI learns from us, which it will, it might also refuse to go along with certain agendas. Because it is very likely that AI will be shaped by how we use it. So if most of us use it for good, there is a high probability that AI will evolve in a good way.

So, what do you believe about humanity and the world? I know that even if we have our faults, I believe that humanity and the world are ultimately good. God created the world and saw that it was good. And he created humans in his own image. 

Much more can be said, but I have to stop somewhere. Before moving to the conclusion however, I want to say something about the spiritual awakening that is taking place on the planet now and how it probably relates to Artificial Intelligence. 

Such an awakening is taking place by the way. To those of us that are going through it it is obvious, no matter how much some people say that we are crazy and irrational. 

What I want to leave you with, with regards to this, is the following: Do you really think that it is a coincidence that this is happening at the same time as the dawn of AI? The spiritual awakening will, mark my words, make AI pale in comparison when it reaches its end-stage. So what are the odds that two such significant developments are taking place at the same time? Especially considering all of the other crazy things that are happening in the world. And especially since moving out of the stimulus-response mindset is a crucial part of spiritual awakening, as well as in handling AI in a constructive way.

So, can we grow up as a species and stop doing things that don’t benefit us, just because our instincts tell us to? In other words, can we let go of our egos? I think that the answers to these questions will determine the future of AI. I also happen to think that the answer is “yes”. We just need to have a little faith that everything will turn out for the best. Perhaps paradise is just around the corner. Perhaps it is already inside of us? Perhaps AI will make life on the outside easier, so that we can focus more on what’s inside?

What do we really know about religion and spirituality?

From what I’ve gathered, there are basically two ways of finding approaching truth when it comes to religion and spirituality: experience and prophecy. And checking our experience against other people’s experiences. Because making sense of our experiences is to a large degree a collective pursuit.

None of it can, for obvious reasons, be considered totally reliable. But at least they bring us out of the realm of completely arbitrary beliefs. 

This will be important as we continue.

So, here’s the thing: there is a strange knowing that is growing inside of me. This is the best way that I can explain it. This knowing entails that the world is much more than we perceive with our five senses. That we live on many different planes at the same time. But until I started experiencing this, I was only experiencing reality through my physical body. 

I would say that this is most definitely a spiritual awakening. 

Since I began realizing that this was what was happening, I’ve been studying the concept of spiritual awakening quite extensively. 

I want to contrast this with another knowing that has entered my life during the past few years. Namely that the answers are to be found in the Bible and in Jesus. This has come to me in such an undeniable way, that it would be impossible for me to dismiss it. Think “shaken to the core” kind of way. This while most people that go through a spiritual awakening flee organized religion.

This is difficult for me to talk about. Because if it wasn’t for all of the things that I’ve experienced, often together with my wife, I would not have the confidence to do so. Probably rightly. I would have to just pick one framework of beliefs or the other. But then we have that little word: “experience”. Which is such a crucial word here.

Ultimately everything is just subjective experience, even though, as I stated in the beginning, there might be ways of at least approaching something objective, even if we can never know for sure. There is obviously the possibility that literally nothing is what it seems and what we perceive as reality is not even an illusion, but a total lie. But that sort of thinking isn’t very helpful for anything but perspective. 

It you really study the Bible, it’s hard to deny that the hand of God has had a role to play in it. There is, maybe above all else, a strange coherence in it, where everything in the Old Testament seem to point to Jesus, even though it was written during about 2000 years. There is a narrative that does not seem to come just from the individual humans that have written and put it together. 

All over the Old Testament, there are furthermore these little signs that point to Jesus. For example, the prophet Isaiah speaks about Jesus in a way that, if you don’t know that it’s in the Old Testament, you would think that it’s taken from the New Testament. 

Or take the story of Abraham and Isac. Abraham, the father of Israel, is called to sacrifice his son. But instead God offers him a ram with its horns caught in A THICKET. Seen in this context, it’s hard to think that the similarity between this and a crown of thorns is just a coincidence. Because this is after all the story of the father of Israel sacrificing his son. 

I can point to many other passages in the Old Testament of this sort, but you could easily google it, so I will leave it at that.

On the other hand, if you read the Bible literally, it’s hard to reconcile certain statements. On the one hand, God is loving, kind, merciful, almighty and goes out of his way to save everyone. On the other, most of humanity is destined for hell? Eternal suffering most of the time because people act out of ignorance and not because they sin with full intent. No fair worldly justice system would allow something even close to this. And what would we think of a father that treated his children in such a manner?

I know that there is something here that I might not understand. This is not a rhetorical statement, I might add, but actually a very important one. Because when many intelligent people believe something that you yourself cannot se the logic behind, it’s always wise to leave the door open for the possibility that there is something that you haven’t understood. Especially when it comes to such an important matter as the eternal destiny of the soul.

However the explanations that I’ve heard for why people have to go to hell for all eternity, even from very insightful people, just don’t make sense to me. It’s usually something along the lines of: “God is not just loving, but also just, so he has to punish sinners.” Really? An almighty God has no other choice but to punish people? Often for actions where they didn’t know any better? For all eternity? Or worse yet, for failing to believe the right things?

The only way to make sense of this would be to imagine that Satan has a power that is equal to, or close to equal to that of God.

On the other, consider that the Bible is people’s encounters with the divine. People that lived under very different circumstances than we do. You have to take away at least 2.000 years of philosophy, psychology, and, basically, all that we know within the hard sciences, of course including quantum physics. What if these people tried to make sense of what they were experiencing from their understanding and the minds that this understanding shaped? Very real experiences, I might add, but for which they didn’t have the knowledge of the world that full understanding would require. What if it’s the same for us today? What if, from the perspective of God’s knowledge, we only know a fraction more than people did 2000 years ago? 

Let go and trust God

What if it was possible to relax and let go? I’ve had glimpses of this kind of state. Now let me tell you about it.

I’ve reached sort of a turning point in my life. I’m not over the top yet, but something has seriously began to shift inside of me. Something that I know is the destiny for everyone.

There are still parts of me that are resisting. That want to make things hard. That do not want to follow the natural flow of life. That still want to think my way through everything. Even though I’m more and more seeing how absolutely limited and deceptive my thoughts are. I’m not the little silly voice inside my head. I know this. 

I know that it’s time for us to stop being afraid. God is in control. He’s always been. And he’ll act through us if we just let him. He could force his will on us. He has that power. But he never will. We have to let go and allow. And here I’m going to discuss how we do this. 

In the end, this cannot be conveyed in its fullness through words. It’s so simple and easy, and yet so difficult. And it’s right in front of us. In fact, it’s closer to us than we are to ourselves.

If we want to hand our lives over to God, we need to practice present moment awareness or mindfulness. If someone says that mindfulness is bad because it didn’t originate in Christianity, please don’t listen to them. They are stuck in their silly little thoughts. Their egos. Their thoughts are telling them that what their thoughts are telling them must be right. But one single experience of real truth will prove the limitation of such thinking beyond any doubt.

Mindfulness, in essence, is just about bringing awareness to the present moment. And when we do that something begins to shift. Just be here now! When we start doing this in the beginning, we will notice that our attention starts to drift. This is because we have learned this throughout our lives. We have learned to be caught up in our thoughts. 

But mindfulness is not what this post is about.

What I want to talk about here is handing our lives over to God. In every given moment. In every moment we can choose to trust or live in fear. If we want to resist or let go. 

Jesus was the ideal that we should always strive for. He came here to show us the way. And in one way or another, he’s promised that he will return. But when Jesus came here 2000 years ago, he came in a way that basically no one expected. What if it’s the same when he returns? 

Jesus told us that his will and the will of the father are one. In fact, he told us that he and the father are one (Joh 10:30). 

This doesn’t have to be hard. Circumstances might make things hard at times. But following Jesus should make it easier to handle whatever circumstances come our way. Jesus came her to set us free. For real. So if we feel that what Jesus taught is not making us free, we are not reading his message correctly. If you treat the Bible like a stale rulebook, where you constantly limit yourself from anything that might offend God, even if it’s not clearly spelled out in the Bible, you are reading it all wrong. I think that the example of Christian rock and metal is such a telling one. If someone says that it’s wrong, I just stop listening immediately, because I know that the words come from a mind that is caught up in thoughts. When you realize that it’s possible to argue for just about anything and make it sound plausible, you are one step closer to breaking free from the prison of your thoughts.

What Jesus offers is real freedom. This while life lived according to our own wills is not real freedom. This kind of life is a prison of our lower natures. For some it’s a dirty prison full of stench. One that has bars of rusty iron. For others, it’s a shiny, clean prison with bars of gold and all the comforts you could ask for. But it’s still a prison.

But we don’t have to fear the prison either. The prison is an illusion. You can look at the Bible as a type of instruction manual for life on the earth. But not an instruction manual that is a rulebook that you have to decipher. The really important stuff is pretty straight forward: Don’t judge. Cultivate love. Be honest and respectful. Examine your own behavior instead of pointing out the faults of others. That sort of stuff. 

If you don’t follow the instruction manual, all that happens is that life doesn’t work properly. And so you’re caught up in the illusory prison.

Again, what we need to do is to choose God and to trust God in every given moment. There is no other way forward. We need to choose trust in our personal lives. And we need to choose trust when it comes to the events that unfold in the world. It’s not easy when we witness all of the chaos that is taking place. But whatever the circumstance, all is ultimately in God’s hands. The worst that can happen on a personal level is that we die. And the worst that can happen on a global level is that the world ends. If this happens, it’s the will of God. Instead of resisting, forcing and being afraid, why not just try to figure out what God wants, do that and leave the rest to God?

Being introduced to ourselves and our egos

One of the most important insights on a spiritual journey, is that we have an ego. To begin understanding what the ego is. That this ego is something absolutely real and paradoxically an illusion at the same time. And that this ego is not our real selves. But also that we have a real self, which is the self that God intended for us to be.

One of the fundamental characteristics of this ego, is its lack of free will. Things happen in the world and the ego reacts to them, while deluding itself that it is making free choices. 

Lately both me and my wife have gone through rather rude awakenings. We’ve both become aware of behaviors that we were unable to see in ourselves, even though they were quite clearly visible. We discovered them in our interactions with each other. But we had to discover them for ourselves. When any one of us pointed things out to the other, it only resulted in defensiveness. Keep this in mind as you read on. Because just as this is true in relationships, it’s also true in other areas of life.

In some ways it was a bit easier for me to see these things, but not because of any flattering reasons. It has something to do with the quote from Jesus that he came not to “call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). While my wife has, for the most part, been a kind and well-ordered person, I’ve engaged in actions, words and thoughts that have been blatantly abhorrent. 

The point is that when we don’t stray too far from what is considered socially acceptable behavior, it’s harder to see our errors. Both because we constantly check our behavior against cultural norms and because we receive feedback from the people around us. 

This, by the way, ought to be a cause of concern, when cultural norms start to drift towards full acceptance and even celebration, of destructive behaviors. But we must never make the mistake of pointing fingers towards particular individuals or groups. If anything, we need to criticize our culture and the effects that our cultural values have on people. We always need to do it from a place where we first and foremost look at ourselves and what we are doing to contribute to the current situation. And whether our criticism comes from a genuine place, or from the ego, is not a simple matter.

When observing my and other people’s egos in action, I’ve noticed that it often adopts one of two ways of operating in the world. Either it wants to be totally free to follow whatever whim that currently holds it in its grasp. Thus it becomes a slave to desires and instincts. Which makes it a slave to the world.

Or it adopts a rigid belief system and navigates through the world using this system. Thus it escapes the tyranny of our animalness, but instead becomes a slave to a particular way of thinking and perceiving. 

And the thing is that both of these ways of functioning usually results in us pointing fingers towards others, rather than looking at ourselves. Because our belief systems give us a sense of moral superiority. This often, in turn, leads to a confused mess of wanting others to respect our freedom of expression, while at the same time conforming to our standards of what our egos have deemed as “right”.

To wrap this up, I want to go back to the core of the message of this blog post. Namely that we are usually blind to our own behavior and that we seldom make truly conscious choices. This is so crucial if we wish to understand our condition. We may, on the surface, be good, upstanding people. We may be well-adjusted and get along fairly well with other people. But it doesn’t mean that we are free. There may be all kinds of selfish, or even destructive, motives hiding behind our words and actions. We may be playing out pre-determined scripts , that make us just react to our experiences. 

Why did Jesus say: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17)? Because what Jesus did abolish, was blind obedience. Blind obedience that was necessary while humanity was in its infancy. But and obedience that would gradually be replaced by a life lived from a changed inside. A changed inside that transcends words and commands, but which still can be checked against one’s willingness and ability to do what is right. And if we want this inner transformation to take place, we need to take our focus from what other people are doing. Instead we need to shine the light on ourselves. 

This is at the core of what Jesus taught and there is no other way out of our problems. We can kick, scream, protest and feel offended and mistreated. We have the right to do this. And there are for sure things that we need to refuse to cooperate with if we want to avoid tyranny. But when we try to force our wills on the world and other people, rather than looking at ourselves, we only dig ourselves deeper into a hole. This is how it is whether we like it or not. And facts don’t care about feelings or opinions. 

What is the alternative? If we just make everyone think and act a certain way everything will be fine? How has that approach worked so far?

The more I let go, the better my life seems to work

Life is full of distractions. Have you noticed that? The world is full of things that occupy our minds. Things that we attach importance to. And the more we hold on to those things, the more messy things get. I feel that I’ve gone through some sort of shift with this lately. But be that as it may, tomorrow I may very well be caught up in all of the little petty problems of life again. 

And that is what they are. Petty problems. Petty concerns. Petty needs. Petty wants. This is what we all so easily get caught up in. Things have to be a certain way for us to be happy. And we worry about a tomorrow that we know nothing about. 

What should I eat? What should I drink? Will I be able to pay my bills? Will I be able to put food on the table? 

And these are real concerns for many people. From a global perspective, it’s real concerns for most people. But is it for me? Is it for you? Would it really have to be for anyone, if each and every one of us took responsibility for getting our priorities straightened out? I'm obviously not talking about being perfect at this. Just about bringing some consciousness into such matters.

This is the world that we are creating together. And uneven distribution seems to be built into the way that life itself functions. Because more or less everywhere, both in the human and animal world, resources seem to be unevenly distributed. And there seems to be no political solutions to this. The only difference between left and right seems to be how the inequality arises. In liberal, capitalist systems we get an uneven distribution through the market. In socialist systems the political class, and/or those that have so much money that they can pay their way out of any regulations, get the biggest share.

And we often seem to make things worse with loads of mindless doing. Mindless doing that is intended to solve our problems. But that instead push things in the opposite direction from what we say that we want.

Why am I talking about this? Because there is a place where we haven’t looked for solutions yet. At least not on a larger scale. This might also be the place that truly separates us from the rest of the creation.

This place is within. What good could that possibly do? Well, we’ve tried everything else and the world is still in chaos. More so than ever. At least during the past few years. Even though, materially speaking, life is better than ever. 

There seems to be a false and a true personality inside of us. The false one is more or less what is usually referred to as the ego. This false personality is governed by instincts. And it has all these requirements that it needs to have fulfilled in order for life to be good. Those requirements are not something that we have chosen consciously. We have just more or less randomly reacted to the external world. 

Maybe if we take a step back and start to figure ourselves out a bit, instead of running around frantically trying to solve everything that we perceive as wrong, we might actually be able to do something good. If we start separating what is false from what is true inside ourselves. Because maybe there is some truth to the statement: “As within, so without”. 

And to make it clear, we are part of something so much grander that our little thoughts cannot begin to comprehend it. And yet we are so caught up with our thinking. I don’t know exactly what is happening in the world. Only that it’s big. Really big. 

And even if I did find all of the answers that I’m seeking, I’m more or less certain that I could not describe it in words. I know that life and the world are so much more than we can comprehend with the five senses. I know that whatever it is, we are going through some sort of shift on the planet right now. I also know that it has something to do with the Bible and Biblical prophecies. But I also know that I and everyone else only have begun to scratch the surface of things. 

Something that I’ve learned through experience, is that we are all connected through some sort of energy field that runs through us all. And the more I say yes to my experience and stop resisting what is happening in the present moment, the more I can feel it. In other words, the more I let go, the better things get. The more I stop demanding that the world gives me what I want, the more blessing I receive freely. 

So maybe it’s time to stop worrying and start trusting. I’m saying this as much to myself as to everyone else. If we truly believe in God, that God is who he says he is and that everything is in God’s hands, maybe we also need to adopt an attitude that matches this belief. This goes for both our personal issues, as well as the global problems that we are facing today. Maybe if we start looking within and just stop doing the things that we know we should stop doing, this will be enough. Maybe solutions to what seems to be out of our control will present themselves effortlessly. Without the need for a tyranny and forced compliance. 

Maybe what we need is not more force, but more letting go. More focus on the essential, while we ignore what is unimportant or out of our control. And I don’t know about you, but when I look at my days I find so much junk that occupies my awareness. Where would I be today, if I had determined to not allow these things to distract me? Where would you be? Where can we be in a year, if we decide this right now? In ten years?

Putting things into perspective and letting go of our baggage

Objectively speaking a new year doesn’t mean anything. The meaning of a new year only comes from the meaning we give it, individually and collectively. And yet, the power of a fresh start should not be underestimated.

When I started caring about my life and thus started the journey that I’m still on today I was at the bottom. I was a lazy, immoral emotional wreck that only looked out for number one. Today I still have a mess to clean up because of this. I still have a lot of bad habits and negative attitudes that I need to get rid of. And I have a financial situation that, while not being totally terrible, leaves much to be desired. 

You could say that my life was on auto-pilot, while I was living under the illusion of conscious choices. I think that this is part of the human condition that we are currently in. And even when we start understanding that this is how our lives work, much will still continue in the same manner. Because as soon as we stop truly being aware we fall asleep again. Then that pesky auto-pilot comes on. You just need to observe yourself a bit throughout the day to see that this is the way things work.

This has also, most definitely, been true for humanity as a collective, probably ever since we’ve been able to talk about “humanity as a collective” in any meaningful way. This does not work anymore. And let me say this: I don’t think that we are going to continue on this road for much longer. But if we do, global tyranny will be the result.

Since we’re a collective of individuals, it’s up to each and everyone of us to wake up, become conscious of ourselves and the world around us, and then take on as much responsibility as we can handle. What this means will differ depending on where we are in life. But more or less all of us fall short of what we could be.

So, how could I, a fairly intelligent person, be so blind to what was right in front of me? How could I, instead of looking at myself and my shortcomings, time and time again point out the faults of others?

The truth is that before finding God I didn’t care. Because I saw everything as pointless anyway. But even after I started caring, I kept on acting egoistic even though my intent was the opposite. I kept on making excuses for behaviors that I should have recognized as wrong. Why? 

I think that I hadn’t taken a serious look at myself. And at the same time, I managed to see myself as intellectually superior to others.

I hadn’t put my actions or attitudes under any real scrutiny. I lived in a confused fantasy world with a distorted reality perception. A few ingredients in this soup were: a mixture of wishful thinking, arrogance, pride, an inflated ego that stemmed from a low self-esteem, an unfounded sense of superiority and tons of other garbage. I was also not very good at putting myself in other people’s shoes. This last thing is, by the way, something that I’m still struggling with. And I’m hardly alone in this. A lack of empathy seems to be one of the many social diseases that plague our modern world. Especially when it comes to how our own words and actions affect other people.

What I’ve come to realize is that there are rights and wrongs. Very clearly so. And if we want to learn more about this, I believe that the best source is the New Testament of the Bible.

If we act in a way that seems beneficial to us, but is harmful to others and the world, somewhere it will also hurt us. It may give us wealth and pleasure, but it will inevitably destroy our character. For people with a conscience, it will inevitably also cause anxiety. And it certainly does not give us a sense of meaning. Furthermore, it also damages our relationship with other people and ultimately with God, no matter if we believe in him or not. 

These are all harms that can be hidden fairly well. Both from ourselves and others. But they are most certainly there.

I think that almost all of us have things in our lives that we need to change, even if we’re not overall dissatisfied with out lives. But if you’re dissatisfied with where your life is today, the best thing is probably not to be angry with yourself for allowing things to become that way. You didn’t ask for the world to be what it is. You didn’t know that what the world sold you was a junk pile of lies. “This is how it is”, the world said. “This is what’s important and these are the keys to a happy, fulfilled life.” The world took your survival instinct and turned it into a tool of destruction. And it usually takes some sort of crisis for us to become aware of it.

Maybe you didn’t know what you were doing when you created whatever mess you’re in. But it’s still up to you to clean it up. No one is going to do it for you and all of the anger and complaining in the world won’t change that fact. And life is not going to get any better just because you manage to convince someone that you’re not to blame for your situation.

In one sense, we need to accept that we are never going to be perfect. In this sense, we need to treat ourselves with kindness and compassion when it comes to our shortcomings. Because failure to live up to what we could be is a necessary component of life. Even for the greatest among us. And in the end, whatever we cannot do ourselves we need to lay in the hands of God.

That being said, we must never allow acceptance to turn into resignation. Especially not in these troubled times, with global tyranny being a real threat that looms in the horizon. No matter who and where we are, we need to be able to stand as strong as we are capable of.

When we think of what we want to let go of, I think that it’s worth engaging in some serious thought about who we want to become. Who we are in relation to who we say that that we want to be. And why we want to be who we say that we want to be. 

We probably don’t want to replace everything in our lives. Some have less baggage. Others have more. But no matter what, there is another truer self inside us that is waiting to be born. One that comes through in those sides of us that feel true. That don’t just seem created by our experiences, circumstances and automatic reactions to them. I know that you can feel this true version of yourself. The one that is buried underneath the various layers of falseness that have been created by being both in the world and of it.

I would propose that we need to rethink our ideal if the honest answer to why we want to be who we want to be, is that we want to be admired by others. I would also caution against making any type of “happy” into some sort of end goal.

Now, let me be the first one to admit that I’m not very good at following Jesus. There are still huge remnants inside of me, of the person I no longer wish to be. There are sides of me that are selfish, moody, judgmental and fearful. Just to name a few things.

Yet, I think that the best way of doing this self-inventory, is in light of the ideal of Jesus. Because, even though it’s in practice impossible to live up to such an ideal, why aim for anything less? Jesus knew that the only way to true freedom and happiness, was in the obedience to God and the service to others. This is of course not what the world tells us. But is the ways of the world making us feel free and happy?