Tied Goats and Professional Believers

I went off on another tangent before reading the venerable Klay’s Post. But it begs response. Of course, I will, like the moth to the flame.

I have mentioned before the differences I see between philosophy and religion though they use similar if not the same methods. One commits and one does not to be particular belief system. I am a bit mystifying with the distinction between believers and professional believers. Are professional believers, folk like myself who got paid for proclaiming their views versus those who don’t. If so, I’m retired, and I’m not getting paid for my ramblings anymore. I have even refused to make this blog site that could generate income; not because I’m against income, I just thought it would be distractive.

And who, pray tell ties the goat to the post? Is it the goat, or the goat’s master/maker/creator? Or, is the supposed untied goat any freer than the tied goat. There is a story from a book called the Illuminator, whose author I’ve forgotten. The story is about a man named Hermie (?) who is thrown into jail and complains and complains about it and the injustice of it. He proclaims his innocence to all who will listen. This goes on for days. Finally, after sitting quietly and thinking a bit it says, “I’m guilty. Guilty as hell.” And then notices the door to his cell has opened.

Freedom is a tricky concept and political freedom seems different than religious or philosophical freedom. Political freedom says that I am free to do anything I want as long as it does not harm/affect others. Everything we do affects others, political freedom is an illusion, not that we should not pursue it. It is like the illusion of owning things. I own this land but if you don’t pay your taxes you won’t own it; it’s really rent. Or as another story of the same era as the cell story. It proclaims “I’m free, I’m free to do what I want. I’m free to eat all the candy I want. But if I eat the candies I get cavities and I have to go to the dentist, and then I’m not free at all.

Enlightenment, for Buddha and many others is letting go of things, otherwise the things begin to own you. Christians are prone to phrase it, “Let go, let God.” Freedom as I see it is the acceptance of human bondage to self, to others, and for believers, to God. This truth I believe sets us free. We are free to do what we are ordained to do. Bondage of will is the illusion to think we can go another way. Now there’s a set up for more conversation.

~Hugh