Seth Roberts

Dru Hazelton
HUMA-1100
8:00 a.m. 8:50 a.m.
October 31, 2014
E-Portfolio Assignment #3
Definitions: These are my versions of these words.
Culture: The learned behaviors and symbols that allow people to live in groups.
Religion: Religion is an organized belief system. Religion follows a creed or law of conduct. By
this definition all of the elements of culture are manifested through religion.
Organized Religion: A single framework for rules of engagement.
Spirituality: An individuals self-interpretation of their own personal perspective as to how the
whole of existence is.
Nature = Existence
Emotion: The expression of the whole of the minds interactions.
Religion & Spirituality:
To me religion is simply a belief, or a trust in an idea as being true. Religion is in the language
we speak, the gestures we perform, our habits and traditions, and the drive behind the overall
concepts to which we are visualizing. So, to me, religion is the organized interpretation of
meaning; an interpretation that is unique to every individual.
Organized religion is a form of religion that seeks to interpret existence under a single
framework. This includes beliefs in multiple or singular deities, mathematical interpretations,
governing bodies such as laws, and anything else that defines the rules of engagement.
Spirituality is an individuals religion. It is an individuals self-interpretation of the whole of
their understandings.
I believe in energy, that it is all the same essence. That it is infinite.
The Universe is like an ocean, the depth of which is a measure of its density.Seth Roberts
For this essay the word Religion or Religions will refer to organized religion.
Spiritual Journey
Growing up I had been introduced to religious ideas through cartoon films depicting
stories of the bible. (Not sure which one) I had initially thought of religion as similar to Disney
films. I saw religion as nothing more than stories. It was not until roughly 8th-9th grade that I
realized how ingrained religion was into the human psyche; and more so in recent years that I
have realized the generational influence of religion. Religion guides the framework of the human
psyche and creates symbolic reference in the mind.

Growing up I did what those around me did. Somewhat like a mocking bird, I learned
behaviors from those around me and thoughtlessly re-produced such behaviors. This allowed me
to blend in with those I was amongst. I blended in because it made me feel accepted. It brought a
sense of comfort, security, and ultimately was an adaptation to my environment. As I have gotten
older, more so in my recent years, I have found myself questioning all the aspects of my
behaviors. I have become a rather introspective person.
I did not appreciate being given the answer Just because when I asked questions. I felt
that Just because was an answer given by those that didnt know the truth, didnt want to tell
the truth, or those that were afraid of facing their own ambiguities. Where is the Honesty? The
Trust? Where is the Humility? I wondered.
I have not had much motivation to seek out answers on my own. Thus, I have spent most
of my life simply wondering through the phases of my life. Most of my life I have questioned
myself. When I would ask questions, I would ask because I wanted to know how it was I was
supposed to behave. In 12th grade my questioning turned from myself to my culture. I began to
ask myself questions as to why it was humans acted the way they did and I wanted to know how
it was that they came to be the way they are. I started to try and understand my culture, to
understand my species. I have always felt a little distant from other humans.
I consider myself to have a wonderful imagination. I spent much of my childhood
fantasizing of anything under the Sun, and I mean anything. Whatever thought manifested
became the influence for a symphony of interactions within my imagination. I grew up watching
an anime called Dragonball Z watching this enticed my imagination. I wanted to be able to do
what the characters could do. I wanted that reality so much that I decided to try and figure out if
it was possible. I knew that to determine if it was possible, I would have to do so with honesty
and truth. I.e. I could not allow myself to decide how something worked without knowing all the
variables and how they interact.
This pursuit came with a realization. My imagination is a tool; I can picture anything I
choose and manipulate it with ease, so long as it remains in the balance of my thought. I realized
that by applying my knowledge of Natures truths to my imagination, I could create scenarios
that would play out under the condition I set. To me, it is something like a computer
imaginationCreate laws to follow, add variables, rules of engagement, and watch the show.
This realization became palpable when I set my imaginations sights on emotion.
Take a moment to imagine this:
Imagine the sunlight as it flows into and around your body. Feel the warmth as your body
absorbs its energy, the glow of your bodies reflection, the smell of its enveloping heat; feel the
sweat trickle down your brow, the wind as it blows across its snail like trail

That was a simple example but Im sure it gets the point across. The imagination is
capable of creating a reality in the mind. After realizing this I decided that I wanted to refine the
truths of my imagination, i.e. I decided to refine my view of nature by searching for
unchangeable understandings of it. Simple truths that create a window into the truth of Nature.
My Spirituality/ Philosophy
My current perspective derives from a personal philosophy of physics. Using interpretations of
physics I try to find what I call guiding truths. Guiding truths are interpretations of existence that
are based on factual interactions of nature.
I find my comfort by incorporating the information my body is interpreting to me with my
imagination. I try to use my guiding truths to visualize how it is things are actually happening
around me. Guiding truths are common sense observation. Such as: 1+1=2 or principles of heat
transfer.
By visualizing the world around me and incorporating it with my imagination I feel a personal
connection to nature that has thus far defeated any concept of dismay. Suffering has become a
symphony of understanding, a melody of emotion.
My belief system is based in concepts and ideas. I think that our ideas are conceptual
interpretations of what we experience.
The Self
I consider the self to be the collection of interaction/reactions taking place in the brain. These
interactions are given to the brain via the nerve connectivity to the body. Thus, the brain function
is a series of reactions to the bodies interactions with itself and the world around it.
Memory is the primary role in the imagination. The brain receives signals and holds on to a
resonance of the energyhow it acted and reacted to such a flow of energy. The total collective
state of being is recorded in the brain based on the way the energy is distributed amongst it;
much like the idea of muscle memory.
The brain interacts with the body relatively constantly. When the brain receives new signals it
filters the signals through pathways dependent on the energy and how it enters the brain. The
merging of all the incoming signals with the neural pathways is what I believe creates the
window into perspective or self.
To me this means that the self is created through a series of interactions within the brain. This
means that we may choose the self we intend to be, only by guiding our thoughts,
responses/reactions, habits, and overall behavior. We cant stop our total system from interacting
as it does and so we must slowly mold the pathways to fit the desires we have for ourselves.

Concepts & Ideas

I find comfort in truth, that is, truth that is unchangeable. I find unchangeable truths through
phrases that represent Nature. I prefer phrases that deal with natures reality and not the reality
we create for ourselves, i.e. the human perspective.
The most important phrase I adhere to is:
It does not matter what we think or dothe reality of existence will not change.
Meaning, things are as they are with or without acknowledgment. The only thing about reality
that changes is our perspective of it. We may see things under whatever light we choose. That is
the ultimate freedom.
There is no such thing as right or wrong, bad or good. These are words created to depict an
acceptance or non-acceptance of something. They are religious words.
I find it very important to live in what I call the neutral zone. The neutral zone is an
interpretation for being without judgment, both from others and from oneself, to look at the pros
and cons equally and to look at the situation for what it is not what your emotions are telling you.
There exists a comfortable contradiction in my perspective; I must be willing to fully involve
myself in all my thoughts and feelings, as honestly and truthfully as possible. But I must also be
emotionally uninvolved in those thoughts as to not allow them to cloud my perspective.
A key concept in my imagination is what I call my inner council. My inner council is a round
table in my imagination that every individual I have heard speak becomes a part of. This includes
all versions of characters depicted in any medium. Depending on the context of my thoughts
different individuals manifest to the table and give me feedback in what I am thinking about. I
use different individuals dependent on their voice, what they mean to me, purpose of
conversation, how I think they would respond, and how I feel at the given moment.
Here is a metaphor for my perspective of Human interpretations of reality:
A magician performs a magic trickyou find yourself bewildered and cannot figure out how
the trick was done.
Some people are amused and dont think much of it.
Some people deem the trick as magic, believing in the magicians illusion.
Some people poke and prod at every possible solution trying to figure out how it was the trick
was performed.
I poke and prod nature.