Common sense has always been our best guide

To the editor:

My problem with religion was finally resolved after I recognized that religion itself was the problem, but at the same time, I realized that all cultures need a religion, and solving problems is what propels mankind forward. We all have our share of ups and downs, and most of us learn to make the best of things, however, our problems are actual “blessings” because solving them brings about progress to our self, and our culture. Even so, and regardless of how good or how smart we might be, everyone needs the support of a community to provide employment, education, and social order, etc.

By retirement age I had come to understand “God” as being the outward manifestation of a logical force. The awakening and development of logic was caused by an ever-present “need-for-change” in the darkness of empty space, which aroused vague thoughts and feelings that led to logic’s dual nature of intelligence and emotion. The first logical action was the establishment of the intelligent laws of physics — which caused a Big Bang — and later, logic’s emotional nature enabled certain particles of matter to develop a “will-to-live.” The continuing evolution of life brought about the self-consciousness of human beings who have the ability to manage their own life. The laws of physics insure that everything in the world “makes sense” — except for some of the foibles of man, who is in a continuous process of learning about the physical world and the emotional spectrum of human life.

Even though humanity overcame primitive conditions and developed modern civilization, our future progress is questionable because human individuality enables some people to succeed better than others, which is commendable, however, a powerful group of tycoons seem to have control of our politics and economy — and the “good of all” (which had always been been the cultural anchor of human survival) has been corrupted by the modern idea that “more is better.” The “need-for-change” continues, and now is a good time to renew our values, hopes, and expectations for the future.

Fortunately, we can still determine our own best interest, but doing requires some amount of self-honesty, humility, and painful soul-searching. We cannot change the results of natural law or the mindset of other people, but we can change our self — to some extent — by adopting the age-old values that guided us before we became subjected to the propaganda of big business and partisan politics. We need to adopt a truer perspective about the value of life and how we live. In spite of present and future problems, a measure of contentment can be found through the use of reason, which has always been mankind’s primary means of achieving progress and survival.

Common sense has always been our best guide for achieving peace of mind and progress.

Art Carney

Wasilla