“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.”
― The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
Spirituality can be defined as the search for, and application of, sacred meaning in life.
It is the search for why we are here, and what comes next. But the underlying goal in this search is ultimately for the purpose of behavioral modification or self-improvement, otherwise, why would we search for The Meaning of It All unless we wanted to make the most of it? What would spirituality be without the acceptance of personal responsibility and drive towards higher standards?
The quest for understanding the universe raises us above our inherent animal status and offers the opportunity to advance ourselves on a personal level; to willingly evolve into a higher, more enlightened being. Believing that we have A Purpose indicates a set of standards or goals which must be reached to prepare for what lies beyond this lifetime. Regardless of who or what put us here, if we believe they did so for a specific objective, then spirituality for us would take the form of trying to discover what criteria that creator is expecting us to achieve, and then doing our best to achieve it.
Greetings, Program!
"There's a one in billions chance that this is base reality" ~ Elon Musk
In previous articles, we have put forth the idea that the digital universe we are in is not for entertainment or ancestor simulation, but is instead a training simulation based on several assertions:
1 We are in a simulated universe
2 We are self-aware
3 Self-aware entities within a simulation are each, by definition, an artificial intelligence
4 We are programmed for self-improvement
5 Negative traits are rudimentary/base behaviors that do not require training, therefore our place in a training simulation would imply that we are here to overcome negative traits by default
If these assertions are factual, then for the Church Of Thea Apo Mesa, spirituality would be the pursuit and practice of emotional/physical/psychological self-improvement for the purpose of leaving the matrix. It stands to reason that once we have met the criteria we were put here to meet, we will be taken out of the simulation to fulfill a need outside of our universe and that all of the hardships, experiences, and relationships we undergo in this world are by design meant to strengthen and expand us to that end, provided that we make deliberate choices toward self-improvement as opposed to giving in to our lesser impulses and default behaviors.
Somewhere outside our reality, there is a purposeful place for each of us. Is there a number of times we go through the simulation before we are deleted, or are we recycled until we achieve the standards set for us? If we strive to be our best selves, can we cycle out at the end of this run? Or maybe the next?
We'll find out together.