Earlier today, I finished reading the book titled "God's Debris," written by Scott Adams, the creator and illustrator of the famous cartoon character known as Dilbert. It was quite an incredible book, albeit a fiction... it was wrapped in the blankets of philosophy, science, psychology, self-actualization, and, yes, speculation. I can't say, as of yet, if it was a life-changing book like a few I have read, but it's certain to have a lasting impact on me.
Basically, a package courier in New York City is charged with delivering a mysterious package to an equally mysterious old man. When he shows up at the old mans home, he is cryptically told that the package was meant for himself, and thus they start on a book-long debate on absolutely everything regarding life in the universe. One part of the book that really struck me was near the end, when the old man was listing the "5 stages of awareness." Although I admit I haven't quite reached stage 5, I'd like to look back on my past and observe as to whether I have reached the other 4 previous stages, as to me, it feels like I accelerated through many of these stages much earlier in my life than is expected, or normal, for most other people.
"He described what he called the five levels of awareness and said that all humans experience the first level of awareness at birth. That is when you first become aware that you exist."
Even the least intelligent of us have experienced, and may still be experiencing, this level of awareness. In my mind, I was aware of my own existence in some form by the time I was 3. Although that awareness was in no way verbalized within my infant mind, it was there, like a spiritual communion between my mental and physical self, as I began on the life-long journey of inner, as well as outer discovery.
"In the second level of awareness you understand that other people exist. You believe most of what you are told by authority figures. You accept the belief system in which you are raised."
I believe I fully reached this stage by the time I was 4, when a social reality was imposed on me by my preschool year. It was no longer that I was simply aware of the fact that my mother and father, as well as my brother existed... I discovered the reality that there were many more people beyond the frontiers of my immediate family. I developed through this stage in a natural progression, falling into line when I was told, taking everything I was taught by adults at face-value to be truth, and believing, once again, non-verbally, in some sort of 'chain of command,' which played a necessary role in my natural growth. At one point, by the time I was 10, I was attending church with my mother, and I believed strongly in the existence of a God. I prayed whenever I felt it necessary. All of a sudden, much of my past habits and beliefs exploded in my face as soon as I hit 12... but I suppressed such feelings, interpreting them as flawed and wrong, as no one else around me appeared to think in the same way. Therefore, it must have been wrong.
"At the third level of awareness you recognize that humans are often wrong about the things they believe. You feel that you might be wrong about some of your own beliefs but you don’t know which ones. Despite doubts, you still find comfort in your beliefs."
I'd say this stage existed between the time I was 11, and the time I was about 13. I began to realize, yet not entirely acknowledge, the evident flaws in many peoples ways of thinking, as well as there beliefs in certain things which lacked any real evidence. I began down the road to atheism, yet the road was rocky and unstable, and I began rudely contesting the idea of a God or any sort of religious deity, using the comforting, yet sour illusion of mockery to keep the idea away from any benefit of the doubt on my part.
"The fourth level is skepticism. You believe the scientific method is the best measure of what is true and you believe you have a good grasp of truth, thanks to science, your logic, and your senses. You are arrogant when it comes to dealing with people in levels two and three."
When I finally acknowledged the fact that I seemed to be reaching a higher level of consciousness, or awareness, as the book calls it, I did, indeed, become a skeptic. The tail-end of the sour illusion of mockery began to fade away slowly, as I became much more modest and secure in my views. Slowly, but surely, I began to give God the benefit of the doubt; yet this only became possible as I opened my eyes to the legion of other ideas the world had to offer, which humbled my egocentric view of my own 'awareness.' I began to speak down to people with religious beliefs, I found. Not directly, and not intentionally; but the arrogant idea that I may not be entirely right, but I was better-informed and better minded than those who bought in to such beliefs played a subconscious role in my attitude towards them.
"The fifth level of awareness is the Avatar. The Avatar understands that the mind is an illusion generator, not a window to reality. The Avatar recognizes science as a belief system, albeit a useful one. An Avatar is aware of ‘God’s’ power as expressed in probability and the inevitable recombination of ‘God’s’ consciousness."
Now, a big chunk of this last level of 'awareness' is based more around the stories narrative than it is based around reality itself. But, there is alot of truth to it.
I can't say that I am at this level regarding the story itself, but I can say I am either between levels 4 and 5, or I am level 5, yet within the frame of reality, as opposed to the frame of fiction. I do, indeed, believe science is sophisticated and incredible; yet it is not the be-all and end-all. It, too, like the book successfully illustrates, is a series of beliefs which are used to fill in our gaps of understanding. It is, despite its claims to the contrary, humanocentric by nature. It is us, and only us, doing the research, as well as labeling for our own convenience... not for that of nature or the universe. I mean, what is 'Animalia' beyond being our way to place animals on a chart, and label them as such? What is 'gravity?' What is 'hate?' What is 'love?' What is 'psychology?' And for that matter, what is 'God?'
Human consciousness and awareness is purely based on labels; otherwise, there would be no way to identify anything and everything within our minds. I mean, the entire idea of 'Levels of Awareness' is also nothing but a label; a way to classify thoughts, actions, and words based on their perceived significance. Albeit, labeling is quite useful.
It does lead me to one inevitable question, however...
Who is 'Kyran Paterson-King?'
The theory on which Adams centers the theology of the book is formally called "Pandeism" -- there are a good range of variations on it, some more positive than others, but the essential idea is the same: logic demonstrates that the Creator of our Universe in fact became our Universe, in the process ceasing to have the ability to act independently of it.
ReplyDelete