RE: Narrative Changes, But The Illusions Remain the Same
Thanks for asking us to question ourselves. However, you appear to have conflated human nature and personality traits or ethical shortcomings with culture. Let's be real. Which cultures encourage this kind of questioning in the first place? It is certainly not Islam. Western culture, relying on some breakthroughs made in the East, such as algebra, developed by Arabs, developed the enlightenment and the scientific method. We also owe a great debt to Buddhist philosophy which teaches a theory of consciousness - the observance of the self. But walk into any mosque in Saudi Arabia and demand that the Koran be forensically or logically analysed and I doubt you would leave alive. St. Paul, ironically, sowed the seed of separation between church and state by insisting that we 'give unto Caesar what is Caesar's'. It took about 17 Centuries for the Renaissance to come along and sweep away the horrific superstitions that plagued Europe for millennia. The Koran, and the Bible, for that matter, are full of passages insisting that unbelievers be 'put to the sword'. There is no room for doubt. If you walked into a Christian church in the US, and insisted that the text be forensically and logically analysed, and that you had done so and found gaping holes in it, you would leave alive, but perhaps under arrest for disturbing the peace. But back to my point about conflating human nature and culture. I believe even Buddhist monks can feel envy or hatred and act on that. Humans are ultimately animals, condemned to live with a thin overlay of cortex over a reptilian brain. Don't condemn the West because not everyone has adopted the scientific method and rigorous analysis as part of their daily practice. But Western culture at least gives us that option.