Andrew Cort's Blog, page 48

Global Warming - A Careful Look

Global warming,
originally uploaded by kevindooley.In his award-winning film, 'An Inconvenient Truth', Al Gore showed the world some satellite images of Lake Chad in Africa – a once giant lake, and a critical water source for millions of people, that has rapidly shrunk. The movie makes it clear that this loss of water is due to global warming, and suggests that the resulting water shortage has had much to do with recent famine and violence in nearby Darfur. The warming, of course, is blamed on the overuse of fossil fuel by energy-obsessed humans.

But actually, Lake Chad has passed through many cycles of fullness and dryness over the millennia, long before human beings began using oil to heat their homes and drive their cars.

Later in the movie, Gore warns us of the likelihood that we will soon be facing an increase in infectious disease, because the insects that carry the germs of fifteen horrible illnesses (including malaria, ebola, SARS, west nile virus, a drug-resistant form of TB, legionnaire's disease, lyme disease, etc.) will soon be able to expand into new and vaster habitats that are warmer and more hospitable.

But actually, as Mellie Gilder, MD, noted shortly after the film's release, only four of these diseases are carried by insects. One of them, lyme disease, far from being a tropical illness that will spread northward, is a disease that originated in temperate Connecticut and has been spreading to the south and west. Another, Malaria, is typically seen in certain tropical climates, but this is mostly due to the effects of poverty rather than climate – malaria was once prevalent in the cold regions of northern Europe and Siberia. A third disease, west nile virus, is carried by a mosquito that is found in every temperature zone and on every continent on the planet save Antarctica. There is no evidence that the appearance of west nile virus in the United States was due to global warming that allowed the host mosquito to suddenly thrive here.

Gore's movie, and the entire global warming movement, is filled with this sort of dramatic but questionable information that gives science a bad name but sways politicians and voters. The public has been convinced that global warming is unquestionably being caused by our irresponsible overuse of fuel oil, which, when burned, releases excessive carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and this high level of atmospheric carbon causes world-wide warming. We are then treated to vivid and spectacular assertions that the glaciers are going to melt, the oceans are going to rise, our port cities will be deluged, and it's the end of the world. It is hard to question this frightening scenario since the press assures us that 'there is scientific consensus' and 'no credible scientist disagrees'.

But quite a few credible scientists do disagree, or are at least open-minded enough to question the politicized assumptions and to remember that causality is a complex concept, especially in imprecise sciences like climatology. In any case, science does not run on consensus. Claiming that a consensus already exists, and that debate ought therefore to be stilled, is a cheap maneuver to avoid the continuous questioning that good science demands.

Gore's movie claims that the presence of excessive amounts of carbon in the atmosphere causes the earth's temperature to rise. He presents a graph that compares temperature and carbon levels during thousands of years of Earth's history, and viewers can easily see that these two measurements rise and fall together. It is very tempting to jump quickly to assumptions about causality simply because two events occur together. But the mere correlation of two events does not prove causality. Sure enough, there is plenty of evidence on the very chart that is used in 'An Inconvenient Truth' to suggest that increases in temperature cause increases in atmospheric carbon, rather than the reverse. The basic evidence is a simple matter of timing: in the rising-and-falling cycles that the chart depicts, close analysis reveals that on many occasions throughout history the periods of increased levels of atmospheric carbon have been preceded by overall increases in planetary temperature – and this strongly suggests that rising temperature is in fact the driving cause of rising carbon (which is most likely released by warming oceans and land masses).

I am not trying to suggest that there is no possibility that human-mediated carbon release could be leading to dangerous global warming. But there are huge and complex factors involved in climatic events, from oceanic dynamics to solar dynamics to long-term patterns of the earth's complex movements in space, and we really do not know what is going on. An average rise of about one Fahrenheit degree over the past century or so is not in question, but what still is in question is (1) the cause of this rise, (2) the results that may or may not ensue because of it, and (3) whether anything we do is going to change the future of weather. Exaggerations, personal attacks on opponents, and disingenuous pretensions of knowledge are the bane of science and can only serve to discredit the valid ongoing attempts to impartially and accurately understand and evaluate the effects, if any, of manmade heat-trapping gases. (Both sides of the debate, of course, are guilty of this same blather. Plenty of opponents of the global warming theory spend their time attacking the integrity of its proponents, and insisting that one or another favorite piece of anecdotal evidence about a cooling trend somewhere that day is incontrovertible 'proof' that global warming is a hoax.)

It will be objected that, in the meantime, we should err on the side of caution and prevent the release of more carbon by whatever means we can employ. There is value in this precautionary principle, but there is another equally important precautionary principle with which it must be balanced. Limiting the consumption of fossil fuels will be a great nuisance to most Americans, but it will be devastating to the economies of poor and developing nations. Readily available and affordable energy is crucial to these struggling economies and there is a clear connection between thriving national economies and its citizens' health, life expectancy, happiness and security. Increased wealth brings with it opportunities for better nutrition, better education, better medical care, cleaner environments, and safer more-peaceful societies. Before Americans casually presume to tell the world that we have ever-so-nobly decided that everyone must now limit their energy consumption, we need to err on the side of caution and consider the harmful effects this will have on the lives of others, and not be so surprised and offended when other countries do not fall in line.

Why the ease with which this alleged problem has been accepted? There are several reasons behind this. It provides a wonderful diversion from more pressing matters, including more pressing matters of ecology as well as economic renewal and the improvement of our foreign relations. It allows the far left to challenge the rule of capitalism, since our American economy is very much based on energy. It allows the far right to claim they are 'green' and uniquely concerned with saving lives and saving the planet. And in the face of all the propaganda there is the matter of our common 'suggestibility', the astonishing ease with which we abdicate all responsibility to think for ourselves. Instead of so quickly jumping on the bandwagon, some healthy skepticism is in order.

The Ten Plagues

Green Frog!,
originally uploaded by Hamed Saber. When the Ten Plagues in Exodus are taken literally, as a history of external events, various troubling questions arise: If God is all-powerful, why did He not simply take the children of Israel out of Egypt in one swift stroke? Why did He make them endure so many years of pain? Why did He 'harden' Pharaoh's heart, making it impossible for the poor king to comply even if he had wished to, and thus making sure that more suffering would ensue? What sort of cruel and immoral God would violently punish people, over and over again, for a situation which He Himself had deliberately caused?
But when taken internally and symbolically the meaning of the story is much clearer. It is a necessary part of the divine plan for the soul to fully experience the depths of hell. After their many years of suffering, the children of Israel, who represent our soul, had been hypnotized by the material world. Like us, they had pretty much forgotten God and most of them were content with their meaningless lives. Up to this point, all attempts by Moses to arouse them from their passive sleep had only angered them. Similarly, his dealings with the Ego (i.e., Pharaoh) had only made matters worse: Pharaoh was more enamored of Egyptian magic than ever and clung ever more tightly to his material realm. This is hardly surprising. We are stubborn creatures who do not want to change. Moses must teach the Israelites and Egyptians – two parts of us – about God, and he must do it in a powerful and shocking way that awakens every corner of our Being, overcoming all our intellectual sluggishness and emotional inertia.

Repentance

'Repentance' is generally understood to mean a sincere feeling of regret and sorrow (not merely a hypocritical claim of regret and sorrow) for a sin against God, as a result of which we hope to procure His forgiveness. But the Greek word that is translated as 'repentance' is Metanoia, which actually means to change one's mind, to think in a new way. It implies a manner of thinking that is beyond our usual state of mind. The Bible consistently teaches that all spiritual attainment begins with thinking in a different way. Unless the Mind changes, unless our attitudes change, nothing in the world will ever change, for we will remain forever exactly as we are.
At an early point in the New Testament, Jesus' disciples bring up a recent story of some Galileans whom Pilate had viciously murdered. Jesus asks them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all the other Galileans?" He then reminds them of a recent disaster in which a tower had collapsed and killed a number of bystanders. "Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them – do you think they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?" On the contrary, he says, none of this happened to these people because they were evil. They did not 'deserve' it.
Then Jesus concluded by telling the disciples, "unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."
What are we to make of this strange warning? It cannot mean that all the disciples will be murdered by Pontius Pilate or crushed by a falling tower. Nor can it mean that they will all necessarily be punished with a painful death if they do not feel the appropriate amount of guilt for all the dreadful things they have done in life: plenty of sinful people die peacefully in their sleep without ever seeking forgiveness.
What this means is, 'unless you change the way you think, and awaken, you will die in a state of unconscious, meaningless, sleep, exactly as they did, and that means you will disappear forever, just as everyone does who dies unawakened.'
This is what Jesus wants his disciples to concern themselves with. For him, religion is not about social morality – and certainly not a vindictive self-righteous morality or a sentimental need to be 'good'. Religion is about the perfection and ascension of the soul, and this begins with Metanoia.

Peace

Peace Pie,
originally uploaded by NatalieMaynor.It is said that Moses' brother Aaron was an outstanding mediator who could make peace between angry neighbors and quarrelsome spouses. This made him greatly beloved by the Israelites, and it is the reason for his selection as High Priest, the Mediator between God and Israel. To make peace is to forge a state of harmony where there were formerly contradictions and disturbances. But 'peace', which in Hebrew is 'shalom', means more than just the absence of discord. Shalom represents everything positive that is good for the soul's evolution.

Does Religion Serve a Purpose?

Looking for balance,
originally uploaded by Untitled blue.Many years ago, when I was still a very young man, I came to the conclusion (like most of my peers) that the Bible was to be taken with a grain of salt. I'd heard it said, and completely agreed, that if a human father were to treat his children the way the God of the Hebrew Bible treated His children, we'd want him arrested and locked up. This hardly seemed like the sort of fellow whose opinions on morality and appropriate behavior needed to be taken seriously. The ethics of the New Testament were admittedly less horrific, but they seemed rather trite and unrealistic. Anyway, the more I learned about science and history, the more irrelevant the whole thing became. Later on, when the conditions and influences of my life aroused a latent interest in spiritual matters, this interest took the form of meditation, yoga, vegetarianism, and a general focus on eastern religions – for these, it seemed to me, were still in touch with 'real' spirituality. So as literature the Bible was mildly interesting, but it was not very consequential to my life.

A few years ago all of this changed. I was working on a book in which I was exploring historical ideas, and at a certain point it seemed appropriate to include a chapter on the ancient Israelites and to say something about their influence on the history of philosophy. So I began reading a bit of Genesis, with the intention of writing a simple short chapter and then moving on to more important matters.

Several years later I finally stopped writing about all the wonders I was finding in western Scripture! What happened was that I discovered a whole new way in which the stories spoke to me. It wasn't the history that interested me, or the teachings about morality and social justice. It certainly wasn't the fantastic claims that defied all scientific logic. What interested me was the symbolism: the symbols, images and metaphors that tell an inner psychological story – not about the journey of a nation, but about the journey of a human soul.

Let me share one such story, to show you what I mean:

After the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, we are told that "Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim." So Moses told Joshua to put together an army and go into battle with Amalek and his people. The Amalekites had a deep-rooted hatred toward Israel. They attacked whenever possible and with no provocation. They would sneak up behind the Israelites and attack the weak, the elderly, the stragglers. Later, during Moses' teachings by the Jordan River in Deuteronomy, he says that God will be at war with Amalek forever, and he transmits this divine command to his followers: "You shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!"

Taken literally, this appears to be one of many examples of a God who approves of murder and slaughter, and wants us to show our love for Him by killing certain other people. In fact, this particular story has sometimes been used to justify a need for Israelis to kill Arabs. But this degrading excuse for violence and inhumanity takes literalism to the extreme and completely misses the point.

The name 'Amalek' has the root 'malak', a word that means 'cutting at the neck' – that is, severing the Mind from the Body. In addition, according to the Kabbalah the name 'Amalek' signifies Doubt. Thus, whenever one is considering an appropriate positive act, 'Amalek' introduces doubt into one's thoughts, and cuts off our mind (our wisdom, intelligence and better judgment) from our actions.

Now, doubt can be intelligent and rational, making sure we don't jump to foolish conclusions, that we search for accuracy and truth. But there is also an irrational, automatic kind of doubt, the kind that mocks our Reason, belittles any argument without even listening, and reacts to the most inspiring moments with nothing but a cynical shrug. Amalek is that ugly inner voice that sneaks up and attacks goodness and truth, that laughs at decency and sincerity, that scoffs at kindness and altruism.

This out-of-control hatred of everything noble and good cannot be reasoned with, it cannot be persuaded by rational argument. Symbolically, then, there is no room for acts of diplomacy with Amalek: he must simply be annihilated! From this comes the injunction in Deuteronomy that we must "blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven."

But in actual fact, the only form of slaughter that is being justified in this story is the slaughter of our own cynicism and doubt.

So as you see, even though the stories themselves may not be literally true, the meaning that is revealed by the stories is true. Among contemporary educated people, myths are typically dismissed as childish fantasies or the unscientific gropings of primitive minds. But the mythological view of the world has always been, and still remains, an important way of understanding and appreciating our world. This is not because myths explain natural phenomena. It is because by pondering their inner meaning we come face to face with our deepest psychological and spiritual truths.

And in western Scripture, as in all great mythology, they do even more. Through allegory and symbol they provide psychological instructions for a soul that has descended into material life and must now find its way 'home' again. This journey of transformation, from inner slavery to spiritual awakening and enlightenment, has been called 'The Return to the Promised Land', 'The Quest for the Holy Grail', 'Muhammad's Journey to the Seven Heavens', and many other symbolic names. The different ways that this universal story is told by different cultures attests to the marvelous range of the human imagination, but the commonality of method and purpose that links these stories together is infinitely more striking than any of the differences.

When this common purpose is understood, the stunning underlying Unity of all our Traditions is revealed, and the major motivation for religious hatred and war disappears.

Sacred Feminine Videos

Open Bible with pen Antique Grayscale,
originally uploaded by ryk_neethling.My books are about the inner meaning of the symbols, images and metaphors that are found within Mythology and Scripture. One of the most misunderstood features of the Bible is the position of the Feminine. It is generally believed that the Bible is sexist and women are treated as second-rate. This is apparently true when the stories are taken literally, as if they were merely accounts of history and lessons about morality. But when the symbology is understood it turns out that the stories are saying something quite different and quite wonderful. This past summer, I produced a series of short (about 3 minutes apiece) videos in which I discuss the inner meaning of the stories of Eve, Sarah, Rachel, Rahab, the Samaritan Woman, the Virgin, Mary Magdalene, and many other fascinating women in the Bible. The videos are available on Youtube and on my website (http://www.andrewcort.com).

Wine

Central Coast Wine,
originally uploaded by Elizabeth Haslam.Wine is a symbol of the soul, the connection between heaven and earth, because wine (like the soul) is OF both heaven and earth – i.e., it can affect is with either ecstasy of lunacy.

Stones and Water

Jung7,
originally uploaded by turrido50.It is possible for dead 'stone' to become living, flowing, 'water'. But this takes work, not mere wishful thinking. This actual preparation, however, is precisely what is missing from all modern versions of religion. The great pathos of modern religion (including New Age religion) is that it is telling stones to flow into the ocean! "With a truly tragic delusion," Carl Jung noted, "these theologians fail to see that it is not a matter of proving the exi...

100th Birthday Anniversary

Mother-Teresa-collage,
originally uploaded by Peta-de-Aztlan.Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.
- Mother Teresa

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