We are the masters of destiny

To the editor:

A religious belief in a “God Creator” inhibits any inclination we may have to search for a different explanation of our existence, and that inhibition is a disservice to mankind. On the other hand, people have a natural inclination to believe in something greater than ourselves, and religion fulfills that need very well. No wonder some of us get confused when we try to maintain a faith-based belief in the face of an honest doubt.

I once felt a need to save those poor souls from the confusion and worry of their doubts by writing down and sharing my non-religious ideas about where we came from and why we are here. However, in attempting to do so I discovered that relatively few people have a need to be saved because we all have an inner-self which, by its very nature, is in the process of becoming as good as it can be.

Our view of the world and how we fit into the scheme of things is based on the knowledge and understanding of our inner-selves, which is continually being shaped by our personal thoughts, feelings, education and experiences. In a sense, we are heavily involved with our own inner-selves and our own little corner of the world, but at the same time are also living in a big physical world where our survival and wellbeing is the first order of business.

As a part of the physical side of life we are totally dependent on other people and the cultural institutions that make our survival and way of life possible. But in the spiritual world of our inner-self, we are the master of our own destiny. How we integrate our subjective inner-self with our objective outer-self is what determines whether or not we need to be “saved,” and if we do, we must do it ourselves through an honest process of introspection.

Art Carney,

Wasilla