Back in college in the early 80's I had a class where we got into a discussion with the professor on the future. A question was asked, "What are some interesting predictions for the future of society." The professor answered, "Some believe that society will become fixated on extremist religion for a time and then after a lot of conflict, the new religion will be the environment." This statement has always stuck in my head, probably because I hoped the last part would come true.
It is a fascinating concept to contemplate now more than 25 years later because I truly believe we are seeing it happen.
Stay with me, it could get interesting...
A little background.
I do not have a problem with those who practice some form of religion and in fact I believe in God because I am a superstitious sort who likes to hedge my bets. It is kind of ingrained. What we see today is not religion, but fanaticism of a sort that did not used to be in the public eye. It was something that I chanced upon a few times when people would invite me to their church and I would go along just to be nice. I would enter the building and things would be normal until, well, they weren't. I would escape after a while and quickly disassociate myself from these people before they came asking again to 'join'. Their idea of religion was a scary one for me since I was brought up to believe that God only required you to live in balance with the beautiful world that was created. That the reward was a satisfaction in knowing that I was continuously striving every day to be a better person and make the world a better place. I did not need the fear of hell or the promise of heaven to force me into this view because it had it's own reward in just being alive to experience it.
Now this religious extremism seems to be everywhere.
The world is a scary place for most people and has been throughout history. Religion is really just a need to keep the light on, clutch the bedsheets close to your breast and have Daddy close the closet door against the monsters and then tell you that he will keep you safe when it is dark outside. The bible was a primer on how to keep the scary monsters of the dark away. The monsters of a couple centuries ago were huge because people did not understand much of anything of how the world worked. The monsters of today are different because we understand much more, but the new monsters are no less to contemplate.
Global warming, overpopulation, and nuclear annihilation have been in that closet for a while and there are those who want to keep that door locked.
The fanatics of the religious right are clinging to their bedsheets and screaming because they are afraid we are going to shine the light in, the closet will not be empty and Daddy will not be there. They have followed their book too literally and they can't see the answers to the monsters of today in the lines written by men almost 2,000 years ago. They cling to each line as a shield because they can see no alternative with that door closed and locked.
Shining the light into the closet and seeing our fears is a hard thing to do. So how do we get there from here?
Understanding why religious fanaticism works for them is the first step. Not only does it give them the bedsheet and a locked door to block out their fear, they have found that it gives them power. If they have an answer then they are the ones that others will turn to to help calm their own fear. I believe most people want someone else to figure out the rules and make the hard decisions. We are a majority of followers deep down. But we do not have to be sheep. Shining the light on our fears does not mean we would dissolve into a puddle on the floor. Someone needs to be there to tell us that though the fear is real, we can find an answer, we can make it through together. The answer is for us to learn more, to use our skills to meet those fears head on, that pulling the covers up over our head is not going to work because the monster is not going to go away.
I am reminded of Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer. For those of you who are not familiar with his philosophy it is this.
A pack needs a Calm-Assertive leader in order to be balanced. A calm assertive state is one that is without fear, doubt or indecision. When the pack doesn't have an Calm-Assertive leader they try to fill the void but are unsuccessful. An ineffective leader breeds conflict, aggression and fear. There are some in the pack that try to dominate and strike out at any perceived threat with teeth bared. There are others that shut down and become hyper-submissive, quivering, hiding or obsessively trying to appease others. Another group may become overly possessive or territorial in the hope that they can keep their fear at bay. It is because they sense that their leader is not really a leader at all. Their leader does not really have the answer, he has not conquered fear, he has many doubts, that in fact he is no leader at all. He is a poser.
An ineffective leader is the fearful one. He says he knows the way, but questions have been raised that he cannot answer. His response is to raise the volume, nip the heels and herd everyone down the same dark path together, at a run if possible, because who knows what is behind in the dark. Because if we all are on the same path, then it must somehow be the right one. We have, by following them, validated their view of what is right. It relieves their fear of the unknown to thunder down one path together.
So what does it all mean?
Our Calm-Assertive leader is now in charge. He does not show fear or doubt and he only asks that we work together to bring about the balance. He exudes confidence that we can find the right path. The closet may not be empty but he is not afraid to open the door and to shine the light in. He has asked us to look at the monsters that are in there and to take them out and examine them. Because he is not afraid, we are not afraid. If we examine those fears, we can understand and learn how to deal with them. He does not ask us to follow him blindly because he has all the answers. He only asks that we trust ourselves enough to believe we can find the right path together.
For those who would mock him as a false messiah, really, the word only means-
A professed or accepted leader of some cause or belief
There is nothing scary in that.
So really, what does it all mean? Are we going to move beyond the fear of the unknown? Can we find a new religion in our environment? Is the prediction true? If not today, it will have to be soon because we do not have much of a choice. We can continue to pull the blanket over our head and keep the closet door closed, or we can open that door wide and shine the light inside. I believe we are on the brink of that choice and we now have the right tools to make it happen.
Make it so!