Seeing the world in color contrasts with the dualistic philosophy of black or white. Do you see the different colors ideas, people and cultures, or are you stuck in the good versus evil mindset?
The pure form of dualism is a balance between two equal forces. The world isn’t black or white but a kaleidoscope of colors, yet some religions still promote the concept of mitigated dualism to justify their worldview. That makes them blind to the values and rights of others outside their group.
Taoism’s yin and yang concept is a dualistic way of explaining opposing views. In Taoism, these forces are not good and evil but complementary forces. Everything in creation has both yin and yang aspects. The world is not just black or white. Instead, it’s a variety of colors. So, there isn’t an absolute moral judgment of good and evil.
Seeing the World in Black and White?
Mitigated dualism is a good and evil, white and black mindset. It is the idea of a good god and an evil god, with one superior to the other. It’s a simple way of categorizing things as good and evil. Unfortunately, this mindset reflects the biases, prejudices, and values of those who define and control the cultural group involved.
Western organized religion is based on the concept of mitigated dualism. It is the dominate force programming our cultural narrative. It is so pervasive that most people don’t recognize it. This concept is the most destructive when you can’t see it or acknowledge it.
The Perspective of the Lion & the Deer
Seeing the world in color gives you a different perspective. It’s seeing it from a holistic outlook instead of one confined to a specific role. You can find examples of these roles in nature.
Look at the life of the lion and the deer. Hunting the deer is (morally) good because it sustains pride from the lion’s perspective. From the deer’s perspective, the lion is an evil force.
When we understand nature, we see both the deer and lion are necessary; they keep the ecology balanced. But, to see this, we must stand outside the lion and deer’s dualistic paradigm and see life from a holistic perspective. Only we do this are we able to get the whole perspective. So, defining your world in black and white makes you like a lion or a deer.
We observe how the lion first hunts the deer injured or has a disease. Then, the lion keeps the deer herd healthy by thinning the herd. In this way, the deer population doesn’t multiply beyond the land’s capability to sustain them. Thus, the lion helps maintain the balance of the ecosystem.
We doubt neither the lion nor the deer understand their unique places in this yin and yang expression of creation. Seeing the world in black and white dualism is a way to justify actions. Do the lion and deer make a conscious decision to act, or is it part of their survival instincts? Can you relate this situation to people you know?
The lion is not good or evil; it’s merely behaving as its instincts tell it to hunt or die of hunger. The deer is doing what it needs to do to avoid being eaten by the lion. Neither can observe from the larger perspective. They are captive in their roles.
Defining Your World in Terms of Good or Evil
This narrow perspective locks into the perspective of the deer or the lion. It can quickly become a hindrance to our spirituality. A dualistic mindset reduces reality to thinking about just black or white, good and evil, happiness, and sadness.
There is no way to see the “shades of gray with this overriding perspective.” Nor can we see the other colors of the rainbow. So, if we are like the lion or deer, we become “locked into” a black or white perspective, making us prone to groupthink manipulation. So, we then mistake mythology as fact.
When we take ideological “take positions” based on narrow perspectives, it prevents us from stepping outside and observing from the third perspective. The third perspective is the ability to see the whole.
Western Religion and Black and White Dualism
Dualistic ideology shapes your thinking in “terms of moral absolutes based on mythology and superstition, which becomes a prison of thought. It also creates a philosophical conflict for Western theology, of the Semitic or Abrahamic Religions (1).
Dualistic thought pervades these the religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism because they adopted all of their dogma directly from the earlier mystery religions of the Mediterranean region circa 5000 BCE.
These paradigms need their followers to adhere to dualistic philosophy. They don’t want people to start thinking for themselves. If they do, they will start seeing the world in color instead of shades of gray.
The whole system depends on the use of self-hypnosis and groupthink manipulation tactics.
Western religion also asserts the idea of absolute monism, which claims that there is only one Supreme Being, but maintains a lesser God or an evil entity, the Devil. So, you need to explain why the more powerful Supreme Being would allow another lesser God to continue to exist, which requires illogical explanation and circular logic.
Therefore, Western religion is a form of “mitigated dualism,” which means you have two Supreme Beings. In this way, you can have a primary and lesser God.
The superior God accomplishes evil by proxy through the inferior God. These actions occur through natural disasters or by causing (possessing) people to perpetrate evil. The superior God can place blame for evil on the lesser God.
However, this circular explanation creates the problem of evil. How can God allow evil to exist? If they were indeed all-powerful, they should be able to eliminate it.
“Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?” ― Epicurus (2)
Epicurus shows us why seeing the world in color is so essential. The fundamental error of reasoning when belief is substituted for common sense, logic, and facts.
This type of circular logic is the bedrock of Persian and Assyrian mythology. Western organized religion elected to keep it, along with other contradictory superstitions. Western religion is the re-branding of Assyrian, Egyptian, Persian, and Babylonian mystery religions. They copied them without considering the implications of a skewed philosophy.
So, even if you aren’t a follower of one of these religions, you still feel the influence of their colossal social reach. As of 2005, 54% (3.6 billion people) of the world’s population ascribes to one sect of the Abrahamic religions (2). About 32% follow other religions, and 16% have no organized religion. Their level of influence in your life depends upon how integrated you are into their paradigm. They use powerful brainwashing tools to attract and integrate people into these paradigms.
The Benchmarks of Western Religion
1) Accept the framework of theology encompassing a higher power and mitigated dualism
2) Justify violence and genocide to protect the theological ground of the sect
3) Purchase afterlife rewards to avoid afterlife punishments of their higher power.
The doctrines are reinforced using groupthink manipulation tactics, which substitutes mythology and superstition to overcome our existential fear.
Unfortunately, these dogmas infiltrate our society and governments. Religious traditions take precedence over the fair treatment of people and the environment. It’s been a battle that isn’t new. Earlier forms of Gnostic Christianity aligned with pure dualistic philosophy. They held the Devil was an equal and separate independent deity.
The dominant system of Christian dualism is the creation of Constantine-Silvanus. He argued God created the universe through evil means. So, that means the Earth, including humanity, is an error.
Seeing the World In Color Not Black and White Dualism
How does one get the ability to step outside of this paradigm to employ other techniques for expanding consciousness? Is it possible to break free from the perspective of the lion or deer?
The first step is to identify your emotional attachment to specific value-laden concepts. Next, you’ll need to see the values judgments that trap you in either the lion or deer perspective. It’s possible to break free from this mindset. We’ll discuss some tactics later, but first, you must understand the roles you play and your sacred ground. Realize that defining your world in black and white dualism is a problem.
During a crisis like a pandemic, the worst thing you can do is fixate either positively or negatively. If you want to find solutions, you’ll need to be able to be both a realist and an optimist.
The Repeating Question Exercise
The repetitive questioning exercise is a tool to expose our values and thought scripts. This process works best with a partner, but you can do it alone. First, they ask and pause, waiting for your response. Next, you write a few words to help you remember your answer. Then they ask the same question again.
The person who asks needs to remain non-judgment and keep everything confidential. They keep asking the same question, repeating it, for about 10 minutes. It will give you a good list and get below the canned or easy answers.
If you do this exercise alone, ask out loud. Then, use a timer and keep going for at least 10 minutes. In either case, you must be honest with your responses.
The Questions
Here are some questions to help you see if you are the lion or the deer. To do this, we recommend a process we call the repeating question. It will help you ferret out the emotional, spiritual, and physical ties to these roles.
- What is your definition of evil? Does it exist within you, or is it an external force or entity?
- Do you believe evil exists outside of you?
- Do you believe it is good within yourself?
- Do you believe is good exists outside of you?
Analysis of the Process
Review your answers to these four questions. Do your answers contain statements that attach emotions of fear and anger, or possibly even sadness? Are your responses ambivalent or neutral? Are you seeing the world from a black and white dualism perspective?
Whatever emotional attachment you have to your answers is a massive clue about your mindset. If you can’t answer without emotional attachment, you know you have some work to do. You know you need to expand your awareness to see past the boundaries of your paradigm. If this is the case, take your list to the library. Research the topics using sources OUTSIDE of your current worldview.
You don’t have to be a lion or a deer. There is a third perspective on where peace is available. It is the perspective of the Observer.
In Conclusion
What happens if you complete the exercise above and only have two lists? What happens if you can think of nothing that would allow you to see the third perspective? Well, you have some work to do.
We recommend conducting research using sources from outside your paradigm. If your belief system has a “banned” book or subject list, then that’s the place to start. You’ll need to challenge your current boundaries of thinking.
Once you begin seeing the world in color, you’ll see the error of the dualistic worldview. If you live the life of the lion or the deer, we hope you find your way out. Black and white dualism is an outdated and inaccurate worldview.
References
(1) Abrahamic Religions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions
(2) World Religions by Population: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups
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