kano on Nostr: A profound awakening in life is recognising that Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, ...
A profound awakening in life is recognising that Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Scientology, Liberalism, Conservatism, Environmentalism, and every other ideology you can think of are paths of life that offer valuable insights, some may be good, some may be bad.
Most religious traditions contain profound wisdom and guidance, such as Christianity, which holds its dogma as essential to its structure. However, I believe true freedom lies in engaging with these teachings deeply and personally, rather than being confined by rigid interpretations.
One of my favourite quotes by Terence McKenna captures this perfectly: "I think ideology is toxic, all ideology. It’s not that there are good ones and bad ones. All ideology is toxic because ideology is a kind of insult to the gift of human free thinking."
Carl Jung similarly warns, "Our blight is ideologies — they are the long-expected Antichrist." Jung isn’t dismissing the value or sacred truths within traditions like Christianity or Buddhism, after all, they are ideologies in themselves. Instead, he is cautioning us about the dangers of dogma or ideology when they become inflexible, reducing spiritual richness to systems that suppress individual thought and personal experience. Jung recognised that ideologies, while containing valuable archetypal wisdom, can hinder the individual’s deeper journey toward self-realisation if they are followed rigidly.
Even though Christianity, for example, contains dogma, it also offers profound spiritual teachings. Christ himself wasn’t a Christian, just as Buddha wasn’t a Buddhist. They were vessels of divine wisdom, and true liberation comes when we engage with these teachings authentically, transcending the limitations of ideology while still appreciating the sacred truths within them.
Most religious traditions contain profound wisdom and guidance, such as Christianity, which holds its dogma as essential to its structure. However, I believe true freedom lies in engaging with these teachings deeply and personally, rather than being confined by rigid interpretations.
One of my favourite quotes by Terence McKenna captures this perfectly: "I think ideology is toxic, all ideology. It’s not that there are good ones and bad ones. All ideology is toxic because ideology is a kind of insult to the gift of human free thinking."
Carl Jung similarly warns, "Our blight is ideologies — they are the long-expected Antichrist." Jung isn’t dismissing the value or sacred truths within traditions like Christianity or Buddhism, after all, they are ideologies in themselves. Instead, he is cautioning us about the dangers of dogma or ideology when they become inflexible, reducing spiritual richness to systems that suppress individual thought and personal experience. Jung recognised that ideologies, while containing valuable archetypal wisdom, can hinder the individual’s deeper journey toward self-realisation if they are followed rigidly.
Even though Christianity, for example, contains dogma, it also offers profound spiritual teachings. Christ himself wasn’t a Christian, just as Buddha wasn’t a Buddhist. They were vessels of divine wisdom, and true liberation comes when we engage with these teachings authentically, transcending the limitations of ideology while still appreciating the sacred truths within them.