The World-view essay.
Forgive my boldness, but, I would like to inform you of something you know. The term: world-view. This is a set of beliefs you and I live by. These ‘guides’ to life or ways of living are taught to all of us and learned through various means. Much of today’s dominating global -view has trickled down from the mountainside of the great intellectuals of the past 300 years in Western society. A small group of thinkers like Darwin, Hobbes, Hume, Rousseau, Nietzsche, Freud, Marx, Sartre, Kafka, Camus, Jung, Hesse, Koestler and Huxley and more have established the new intellectual landscape for some centuries.
You may not have heard of all of them, but they fuel some of your beliefs
I have read a few of their famous books, devouring the publications eagerly and was deeply impacted by them. Some were the great thinkers who liberated my mind and that of our contemporary society. They were unrivaled men whose contribution to Western thought is incalculable. Some of their books caused me to stay up for hours at night to complete reading those works of compelling genius.
I studied two of their ‘messages to the world’ in print in High School. I learned that these thinkers were skillful with words causing 1,00s of 1,000s like me to accept their cognitive engineering of the social and evolutionary progress of contemporary Western society.
There were key themes in books that we studied in High school. For example, the individual versus the society: Huxley’s vision of the future where people were divided into 3-4 classes and how a particular drug was given to ‘lower’ masses to stop them from knowing that they were living in an elitist governed Utopia and kept ‘happily’ unaware. (Brave New World[1])
My generation, the Baby Boomers, wanted to change the world! We did exactly that. For good or ill? As I aged I virtually grew up in a way that reflected what I had read over a period of nearly 2 decades which included schooling and early adulthood. Yes! Ideas can have real-world consequences.
Yet as I grew older, I could see some flaws and eventually the ‘brain-numbing’ or indoctrination of the modern western civilization from earlier years.
I’ve read some more philosophy and particular technology books which opened my mind to search, review and understand with careful consideration.
It wasn’t the wisdom of another greater thinker that brought down the intellectual Everest for me. It was the then meaninglessness of my life, the emptiness and the void in my heart that tolled the death bell of this long-cherished world-view. After considerably more time my conclusion became that their writing was of intelligently-crafted deception and skillful fiction. We could term this collective body of work as misleading, delusional conception and dis -information. The over-arching strategy of their books is an attempt to explain away God. To deny Him a place in our world and present Him as an ancient mythic- being. An improbable Wizard in the sky.
It was my original acceptance of their spellbinding system of beliefs (the atheistic worldview) that brought me to that cave of despair and darkness in the first place. They taught that God is dead!’ ‘If you want to, then do it!’ ‘If It doesn’t hurt anyone go ahead.’ ‘That man, not God, is the measure of all things.’ ‘God left us all alone, He departed after creation.’ True? Or, not?
Look up at the night sky and in overwhelming darkness ‘see’ the billions of galaxies. Because like 100s of millions of others, we choose to trust some of those trickled downstream of ideas from a few men who—I believe--- undermined the foundation of our current Western society to crack the granite-like base of our collective lives. Their ideas sound good until you see the consequences.
Thoughts of some of the trickling down effects are found in the rise of relativism, neo-atheism, and the emergence of the celebrity cult, political correctness and reality ensembles. One example is the social popularity and approval of reality TV programs. These people are rarely endowed with awarded talents, fine acting skills or other merits except that they are famous. For instance, the Kardashian family, most of their fame lies in self - promotion and clever marketing. Many crave such celebrity, power, wealth and prestige. ‘Appearance is everything’, a myriad cry out. Cosmetic surgeons do whole body makeovers to chase the elusive ‘fountain of youth’.
In the present world of celebrities, whether athletes, rock bands, movie stars, billionaires, models... etcetera, project our inner desires. Our lives in the digital age reflect the core value of belonging; where do we fit in? We are composites of the persons we want to emulate. We mirror other mirrors, other like-minded people; it is one reason for the massive popularity of social media. Two Billion members) Becoming more like what we desire. Is this good or ill? We consume and assume worth by buying acceptance and belonging to particular people- groups. From our personal data, the web algorithmic marketing pitch, honed and shaped by all of our offline and online lives over the past years targets precisely our human need for worth. Despite our fiercely guarded independence, we comply. Longing to belong.
I know
that you believe that we are all made in the image of God---the true innate
measure of worth. I was duped, but now I see. Freed from mass deception. More
than a Game Changer, it is Life Transference
I am overwhelmed by gratitude. Who or what liberated me? All that
happened was that somebody took me out of a deep cave into pure radiant light.
This ‘new reality’ which I have begun to live in, makes me want to rescue
others trapped in the deep cave and release them. This is a gift, I am wholly
unworthy to receive, yet I did! Originally a prisoner now rescued from
falsehood and fiction, illusion and delusion.
Why should I, of all people be fortunate as to experience this true enlightenment,
this change of perspective, heart and mind?
Supernatural Love found a way.
I am being transformed. By new concepts and by others whose selflessness,
devoted actions and committed friendships shared their light. There is abundant
love, true acceptance, meaningful and purposeful life to be found. Experiencing new and renewed relationships in
the illumined world that reaches beyond barriers and toward healthier living
with the real dynamic power from the Book of Ages.[2]
(Thank you for your patience in reading this letter.)
Recommended sources for further research:
Renewing Your Mind by R.C. Sproul.
Consequences of Ideas by R.C.Sproul.
Streams of Confusion by Brad Scott.
1984 by George Orwell.
Et al.
Academy of Ideas: YouTube Channel.
What do you think, sir or madam or miss or ms?
Care to comment?
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