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Sorry about the long delay since my last post. Things have been rather hectic. I want to pick up some of the threads from my recent posts about Quantum Puppetry. You will remember, I suggested the effects of super-position, where we see mutually contradictory things at the same time, is illustrated by puppets. But it is more widespread. In this post and the next I will explore first the negative side and then the positive.
Let's start with projection. This is where I project my prejudices onto others. This is what de Mello is getting at in his story about the rose bush. When we look at a rose, do we see the rose or our preconceptions, our prejudices, our projections?
If it works for roses, it certainly works for people. When we allow our prejudices to cloud our judgement, we cannot see people because we already know what they are like.
And of course, there is no greater target for our projections than God. The word for projection of our preconceptions onto God, is idolatry. (I wrote at some length about this a few years ago - this is the first post in a sequence of 24!) Most faiths try to guard against idolatry because much of the time, followers of religion fall for their idols. When we know what God is like, we are projecting and making a puppet of God. How often do we get the sense when cornered by a religious fanatic that they have their hand up their puppet's behind?
So, how can we know anything? The key is in the puppets. We have no problem suspending disbelief when we see a puppet. So, why should the fact that we project our beliefs be so much of a problem? Two things. First, we don't need belief in order to live. The important thing is not whether I believe God exists or does not exist; rather it is the quality of the life I lead (more about this next time). Second, the key to unlock this is to pay attention to what is there, rather than what I believe to be there.
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