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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Following the Leader

Following the leader, the leader, the leader
We're following the leader wherever he may go
We won't be home till morning, till morning, till morning
We won't be home till morning
Because he told us so
Tee dum, tee dee
A teedle ee do tee day
We're out for fun
And this is the game we play:
Come on, join in
And sing your troubles away
With a teedle ee dum
A teedle do tee day
~ "Following the Leader" from Walt Disney's Peter Pan ~
In my last post, I talked about the difficulty in literally following in someone else's footsteps. This is the precise methodology of religion. Some people long ago created the steps one-by-one and followers have tried in vainly ever since to mimic each individual step themselves.

If you think I'm just popping off, then I suggest you undertake a little experiment. At random, grab someone off the street and have them walk through a slightly muddy field for at least 100 yards. After they've completed this short trek, you try to walk in their footsteps without so much as little bobble here and there. In short order, you'll realize it can't be done.

For one thing, your natural gait and stride might not match up with theirs. What if you're short and squat and the "leader" happens to be tall and thin or vice versa? In either case, the physical differences in your strides will make it difficult, if not impossible, to match their steps one-by-one.

If the trek is longer than 100 yards -- say 100 miles -- the speed at which the "leader" walks may also exert a great influence on your ability to follow. If the leader moves swiftly and you move slowly, some of the footsteps will disappear by the time you get to them. On the other hand, if the leader moves slowly and deliberately but you move quickly, you may crash into him/her, particularly if you're so focused on the footsteps that you keep your head down. You may get so frustrated with the slow speed that you decide to veer around the obstruction.

Of course, many might argue that this is all theoretical mumbo jumbo. The journey toward salvation or enlightenment is not a physical quest; it's a spiritual one. Consequently, a physical-based example misses the mark.

It should come as no surprise that I scoff at such criticism. While there is no question that the actual journey itself is indeed non-physical, the religious specifics of how to get from here to there are based upon this physical world. It is the leaders of any religion who inform us of the specfic path -- including very detailed directions -- of how each person must get from point A to point B.

If any of us don't seem to be making adequate progress upon this preconceived external path, we're told that the problem lies within us. We're not praying hard enough. We don't believe correctly. We're not dedicating ourselves in the right way. We're not listening to the will of the all mighty.

I've got a different explanation -- it's simply not the right path. We each move in our own distinct ways. Being unable to follow someone else's path does not mean that you or I is inadequate. It doesn't mean we don't care, pray or meditate enough. All it is does mean is that we each need to forge our own path. We each need to be our own leader.

3 comments:

  1. I'd perfectly follow someone's footprints through a minefield. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can't speak for other religions, in fact, I can't speak too knowledgeably on Christianity, but your implied description of it as having been set in stone ever since Christ died simply doesn't fit the historical facts. Even the Catholic branch has changed its mind on various matters of dogma, and that's before you reach all the various 'splitters'.

    Anyway, I don't see why you waste your time hammering away at the Christians, it's not as if they're pushing you into church at the point of a bayonet!

    ReplyDelete
  3. David,
    I will deal with some of the issues you broach in my next post later today.

    ReplyDelete

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