Religion, evolution, and the ecstasy of self-transcendence
This talk is so amazing that I have to share it. This topic has special relevance to my life. Through high school and then a couple of years into college my life revolved around my religion. I even studied Biblical Studies for a couple of years at a private university and took Biblical Greek and Hebrew at the seminary there. The best classes there were on the Old Testament story and poetic structure offered by a professor from India. That man made the books of culturally misunderstood prophets beautiful.
Since that time I have stopped believing that anyone has the right to require someone to agree to one doctrine, one perspective and I ended up where many of the religiously transitioning/communally minded do, the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Society (in Cedar Falls, IA). Through this journey I have lived at an intentional christian community, and a yoga community as well as started a small community with another UU couple who studied shamanic arts. I have been a part of a secularist meetup group where we shared religious disillusionment experiences and attended a buddhist meditation group where we chanted and meditated by candlelight (at the same time period, but different days of the week). I got to hear the Dalai Lama speak on education and secularism. I think that I have gained a lot from all of these amazing people and all of these amazing experiences. . .but catch me on a grumpy day and I will tell you that I never want to have anything to do with a religious community.
I like that this TED talk covers religion, the group collective, and free-riders (when he discusses free-riders and group collective my mind immediately jumps to Ayn Rand novels). I love working with a group of people who share a vision and an intent. It makes me feel really alive. I want this type of community . . .but I also want my independence. I love that my particular modge-podge of spirituality makes me feel grounded and focused, but sometimes a few glasses of wine and some trance music (or Ella Fitzgerald) help me let loose as well. I think the ultimate goal of a spirituality is to have a life that lives ones beliefs, a life that is not split, but one. Whether one sees the world through a religious scope or just sees life in everything it is about connection and gratefulness, growing and journeying, balancing as we learn. Perhaps it is a pastor who is understanding and accepting of differences, or an atheist living a life devoted to caring for animals, a hippie that renounces the rat race to nurture plants, or a mother who loves her daughter, it is about integrating the best version of each of us to the rest of our lives and expanding that to show others this part.
We are looking at having community here, but ultimately what we want are independent, resourceful people who share a common vision. On that note I am very excited to share that next week we have our first possible member coming to stay for a bit and check us out. . . more on this later. I would like separate living spaces on this property (though one transitory shared living space). The type of community that I experienced that was the healthiest for me was during my internship at Earthships in Taos, New Mexico. At Earthships there are independent, hard-working people with open minds who know how to relax and have fun--and they are making a big difference in the world.
Intentional community doesn't have to mean "commune" or "socialism" (though it can if that works for you). I think that perhaps many people who live in unintentional communities aren't aware of how greatly their life, identity, and happiness are influenced by the existing social rules of that society or area. People working together toward a common goal (here sustainability) can be very powerful, but individual physical space seems to be a good buffer for acceptance of differences.
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