HI GUYS! Okay, it's like 3 a.m. and I should be in bed, so it's the perfect time to write a blog. I want to discuss two weird ideas that have been swirling around in brain for years now. I haven't read any books to inspire these thoughts, nor have I taken any illicit drugs. I ain't about that drug life. Speaking of which - weird ideas and drugs - I'm sure there are going to be some people who are going to say "You've been hanging around Yokokano for far too long" after reading this. Great joke, guys! But hopefully, that whole saga is done with, and I'm glad he lives on the opposite side of the country. Someday, I'm gonna be doing my internet silliness thing, and poke some guy who lives down the street from me, and then end up on some milk cartons.
Just kidding, milk cartons don't feature missing people. :p
Idea #1
This is gonna get weird, so bear with me. For this idea, we're going to make a couple of assumptions. I'm not trying to convert you to some weird ideology where you're counting thetans, so calm down and put your beliefs aside and let's use our imaginations!!!! The first assumption is that there is some kind of 'spirit world'. What kind of spirit world? I don't fuckin' know. Geez. The second assumption that the spirit world cannot be perceived through sight, sound, smell, feel, or taste. It can only be perceived through the mind. That means ghosts can't be wandering around stacking up chairs and sucking kids into televisions in this scenario.
So, what if the human brain isn't a processing device? What if it's not a computer that dictates our actions, but actually is a receiving device. So our spirit is floating around in some other place and beams communications to our brains and allows us to interact with this world. Like, your actual self is sleeping somewhere and is sending messages to your receiving device. Your body would be like a virtual reality helmet that you put on to be in another world. When you take the helmet off, you're out of that world. Helmet goes on, and you're back in.
Then, when you get brain damage, you can't receive the messages properly. Then you start to wonder why you can't functional normally even when you want to. Like if you had schizophrenia, and wished you never had to experience psychotic episodes, and start asking "Why does this happen to me?" Maybe it's because the actual you wants control but the receiver is malfunctioning badly. It's like you're playing a game and there's some weird bug that happens like you fall through the ground for no reason and die and you're like "Why don't they fix this stupid bug?"
So, in this scenario, would you be able to perceive other spirits? Sure, why not. We're just making up all this shit, after all, so we could include unicorns and fairies. In fact, let's do that. Let's say you perceive a unicorn spirit with your brain. You wouldn't be able to record it on camera, or do any of that stupid shit that ghost hunters do on reality TV. It is only perceptible to people who are present with you at that moment. So if you see a ghost, there would be no way to ever prove it.
Can you perceive the spirit transmissions of other people? Yeah. That's why if everyone else starts running in one direction, you follow them and start running with them. Or if everyone is excited, you feel excited. Or if everyone is going nuts and burning cop cars, you start smashing windows and doing riot stuff. It's all because you're receiving parts of other people's transmissions to their brains.
But okay, it's just an idea.
I don't think this is actually the way stuff works, but here was my inspiration for this idea: I was just sitting around outside and watching ants walking around. So I was thinking, like, how do they know to forage for food? How do flies find poop to land in? Especially with the short lifespans of such creatures and the fact that their brains would be incredibly tiny. Do they even have the capacity to speak in some weird ant-language and instruct their own kind on how to live? How do they know to burrow underground and store food for the winter? Maybe it's animal instinct, but instinct is almost like there is an outside force controlling them, telling them what they need to do.
So anyway, there's that thing. If you can come up with 'flaws', I can just make up ideas to explain how my idea overcomes those flaws. Logic has no power in the imaginationverse.
Idea #2
Similar type of idea, another "what if" idea that I actually wrote as a blog on another website 'as a joke', but then I started thinking about it, and was like "What if I'm onto something here?"
The idea is simple: Aliens.
That's the whole idea. It's just fucking aliens. Super-intelligent, flying-saucer piloting, big-black-eyed motherfuckers. So what if they made us? Actually, what if they didn't just make us, but they rule us? This isn't some reptillian illuminati shit. I mean, they just use mind-control devices from space to make us do stuff. All the religions - Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism - they created it all to control us. All the 'miracles' are just aliens doing stuff.
They're not threatened by us, and really have no desire to try and 'contact' us. We're guinea pigs and they keep us around just because we're like pets. Maybe some alien kid was like "Hey, space-mom, space-dad, can I start a human civilization? I've got a planet picked out and everything!" and his parents reluctantly agreed, and so we were created. Eventually, the parents came around, and the space-mom was like "Awww, look, they're making their little cute cities with the cars, just like on the box!", referring to the store-bought 'Start your own human civilization' kit, which says if you give the humans proper sanitation and healthcare, they will start building skyscrapers and cars. And global warming? The aliens don't give a fuck. Aliens don't care about environmentalism. They'll just blow up a star if they don't like where it's spinning. They sure as hell don't care about altering things here and there, so if we alter some little planet somewhere, they're like "Whatever."
More importantly, if you look at the 'greys', they look humanesque. This is probably because our imaginations led us to visualize aliens as something that would be similar to us. But it could be the opposite. They could be the same creatures as us, but separated by evolution. On their planet, there is more gravity, so they're shorter, and there is less light, so their eyes are bigger. Our hands and noses and everything just kind of adjusted to this environment. So maybe they just came to Earth to live here, and the survivors turned out to be us. But we've spent 200,000 years changing, and our social norms and language are now so different than theirs that they don't even know how to communicate with us, and have decided to just kinda let us go and not worry about it. They may have landed on other planets where they lost contact with the colonies, and those creatures evolved into something unique to that particular planet.
It's also possible that when they first decided to colonize our worlds, that they send out ships in all directions to different planets, but because of the distance between stars that by the time they developed the means to teleport around the universe and check on us, we had changed so dramatically that it was almost impossible to tell the difference between their race and ours.
The inspiration for this just comes from how different some people look from each other around the world. These changes probably didn't take hundreds of thousands of years. Some people are pale white, some are super-dark and almost black. Some people are ashamed of their bodies, others run around naked. Some have pointy long noses, others have flat noses. So, we here on this one planet can change heavily, and so heavily that there are 'tribes' that we don't even know how to communicate with. But also, we have technology that they can't even begin to imagine. We can just fly over natives of the rainforest in helicopters and take digital pictures of them, and they have no idea what is even happening, or why. How we're able to do it would be fruitless to try and explain.
So there ya go. A couple of weird ideas I have.
So, what do you think about these ideas? What are some ideas you have about human existence or society?
I'm not too much into alien stuff therefore I can only comment on the first idea.
The whole 'virtual helmet' thing is actually a topic in philosophy, linked to various alternatives (i.e. Socratic dream: how do we know that this is not a dream? / Brain in a vat thought experiment / Descartes' Demon). Here is a link if you want to read more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_in_a_vat
Idea 1 is actually an interesting metaphor for the way we use our brains to process thoughts. Although we have a bit more influence on our shit than just being a receiving device, its pretty hard and requires lengthy training to be able to stop thinking, so 'receiving' thoughts is pretty much how it works. It appears our receiving gear has been gifted with some amount of will power though, for better or worse i suppose. The example about ants reminds me more of genetic predisposition towards certain behaviour, which has evolved over a long period of time. In this way there certainly is a controlling outside force that is invisible.
On June 03 2015 17:58 ninazerg wrote: I don't think this is actually the way stuff works
Neither do I. As you point out, there's no reason for assuming that there is a "spirit world", and it's hard to get anywhere with Idea 1 without that. There are lots of specific explanations you give - like why we run away when other people are running away - that are already very satisfactorily explained by psychologists, sociologists, and other empirical wizards.
Poetic and philosophical daydreams can be fun though, and they don't need to correspond with the world to be valuable or interesting. So thanks.
I think #1 would experience lag. Would be like trying to play Brood War from the moon. This is assuming that our entire universe is not a simulation running from that spirit realm where laws of physics need not apply.
Same for #2 if they assume direct control, again, unless we're a simulation running some kind of delay mitigating tech, which could be entirely possible.
There's also the Roko's Basilisk idea that we're being controlled, but in a way where we make this unconscious choice to work towards a longer term goal.
I think the first one is something you can think about! I like it a lot.
The second one, yeah ... can someone pass me the aluminum foil? i need to make a hat to keep the rays of the buddhist aliens out.. Dont go along that path, or many many more cats will follow!
more seriously: the second one is so unlikely im just going to say impossible, they would have had to invest unreasonable recources into keeping something like that hidden. a) If something could do something so remarkable as that - why would they? b) By our knowledge, space travel is very limited. Nothing goes faster than lightspeed, and the nearest star is 2 years away.
There are tons of casual science magazine articles discussing the problems of Aliens existing, even reaching us or wanting anything to do with us.
Idea #2 isn't the most original thing in the world . Always a possible explanation to the Fermi paradox.
And honestly, people are not that different. We like to think we are, because that justifies all the shit that's going on in the world, but when it comes down to it we're really apes standing straight.
On June 03 2015 22:00 Savant.GL wrote: I don't really understand what you are saying at all
I think it's like.. a deeper spiritual understanding of God... like the human body is corruptible but God is pure and therefore the human sensory equipment is not experiencing God but the divine soul can experience divinity. Or maybe something like the unconscious mind can perceive something great.
As with many philosophical ideas not everyone has done the contemplation yet to understand.
As ffor the OP, I wonder where the aliens came from. Aren't they too a product of an even greater intelligence. And the ants.. I've always thought ants have an over mind like the zerg. It's controlled by pheremones and antennae. Maybe humans aren't so different. the natural explanation vs. the spritual explanation.
When I was a kid I used to stare at the stucco on the ceiling for hours and think about stuff like this.
I can only presume you have a similar process. It's amazing what the brain thinks of when you let it wander. No drugs required. I think it gets harder as you get older and things start demanding your attention every waking hour of your existence. Takes a lot to really forget about real world things and just be weird.
On June 03 2015 23:13 y0su wrote: I really want pancakes... I wonder if that thought came from someone else?
That may be from me, sorry bro.
As for idea N° 1 its very interesting and not too far off, other people have talked about another world where the mind resides, I remember being taught in highschool about Plato's parable of the cave and it was kind of similar, about how what we experience phisically is just a shadow of the real world. Or something like that I was never good with philosophy.
1) you've been around yoko too much 2) you two should meet up for some milk and pose for a picture and share it with TL 3) What about licit drugs? I got you innit innit??
1) You should start a religion and get rich (would require good lawyers) 2) Then start another one and get richer (you can just use the same lawyers) ??) Profit
On June 03 2015 19:55 weikor wrote: I think the first one is something you can think about! I like it a lot.
The second one, yeah ... can someone pass me the aluminum foil? i need to make a hat to keep the rays of the buddhist aliens out..
Aluminum foil can't actually stop radio transmissions. But even if you went underground into a bunker, the alien technology is beyond anything we can prevent from reaching us.
more seriously: the second one is so unlikely im just going to say impossible, they would have had to invest unreasonable recources into keeping something like that hidden.
It's not much of an investment, actually. It's like 3 alien-dollars.
a) If something could do something so remarkable as that - why would they? b) By our knowledge, space travel is very limited. Nothing goes faster than lightspeed, and the nearest star is 2 years away.
There are tons of casual science magazine articles discussing the problems of Aliens existing, even reaching us or wanting anything to do with us.
The aliens found a rainbow unicorn and can now bend space-time like a sheet of paper.
On June 04 2015 01:39 JieXian wrote: 1) you've been around yoko too much 2) you two should meet up for some milk and pose for a picture and share it with TL 3) What about licit drugs? I got you innit innit??
1) yes I have, more than any person should have to endure 2) lol 3) Yes, there are legal, prescription drugs that I take.
On June 04 2015 01:40 JieXian wrote: 1) You should start a religion and get rich (would require good lawyers) 2) Then start another one and get richer (you can just use the same lawyers) ??) Profit
1) No, that's evil 2) No, that's double-evil ??) If I'm starting a religion, don't you mean...
I don't think this is actually the way stuff works, but here was my inspiration for this idea: I was just sitting around outside and watching ants walking around. So I was thinking, like, how do they know to forage for food? How do flies find poop to land in? Especially with the short lifespans of such creatures and the fact that their brains would be incredibly tiny. Do they even have the capacity to speak in some weird ant-language and instruct their own kind on how to live? How do they know to burrow underground and store food for the winter? Maybe it's animal instinct, but instinct is almost like there is an outside force controlling them, telling them what they need to do.
There's nothing mysterious about that. Cells in a (multicellular) living being communicate via different ways, and that allows organs to communicate too. And if you widen the scale it also allows living beings to communicate between themselves. Our knowledge on all that is very limited as of today, but it's no "outside force", it's an "inside force", if that makes sense. Funnily enough that belief in an "outside force" is probably what spawned religions and religious beliefs in the first place, when people started to try to control said "outside force".
If you haven't stumbled across it already, allow me to introduce you to a site which is bound to wrap you up in exponentially higher orders of distraction:
I especially like crawling through and reading the analyses of my favorite games e.g. the TvTropes Deus Ex article has almost as much entertainment value as the SDA Deus Ex speedrun.
On June 04 2015 08:03 castleeMg wrote: idea 2 reminded me alot of that southpark episode where earth is just a show for aliens and the aliens decide to cancel it due to poor ratings
Never saw it. The only episodes I saw with aliens were episode 1, that one with John Edward, and the scientology one.
On June 04 2015 01:39 JieXian wrote: 1) you've been around yoko too much 2) you two should meet up for some milk and pose for a picture and share it with TL 3) What about licit drugs? I got you innit innit??
1) yes I have, more than any person should have to endure 2) lol 3) Yes, there are legal, prescription drugs that I take.
On June 04 2015 01:40 JieXian wrote: 1) You should start a religion and get rich (would require good lawyers) 2) Then start another one and get richer (you can just use the same lawyers) ??) Profit
1) No, that's evil 2) No, that's double-evil ??) If I'm starting a religion, don't you mean...
...prophet?
Be a prophet and you'll profit Drop that anvil and be evil Go for it, don't forfeit it Get dat cash and grow that stash hoes hoes bitches asses and tits Be a prophet and you'll profit
On June 04 2015 06:34 lichter wrote: With the former prince of blogs, fluffypylon, slain, nina unveils her plot to take the unclaimed throne of blogs.
hahahaha nina has been blogging like this way before it was cool.
On June 04 2015 01:14 Endymion wrote: ninazerg makes the rest of her gender look like bumbling idiots. 5/5
Shame on philosophers like Judith Butler, writers like Margaret Atwood, and scientists like Jane Goodall, those bumbling idiots. Their published works pale in comparison to this post. How could any woman every compete with the accomplishment of posting well-worn daydreams on TL?
Like Hatsphesut's temple, this is one of the great credits of womankind.
Have you ever had the urge to test your ideas? Like visit a "haunted house" or such?
Anyway of your two ideas, aliens actually seem more probable because of the statistical probability they'd be out there given how vast the universe is. Also if they were sufficiently well advanced they could probably travel to our planet in a flash and remain relatively undetected.
The real question is, why have you not thought about Spirits and Aliens? Like say both your ideas are somehow correct, is it only humans that have spirits? What about aliens? What exactly are spirits to begin with?
On June 06 2015 06:30 ninazerg wrote: I'm not a moderator, so I can't really comment on this. There's the website feedback forum and a thread dedicated to discussing bans, so I'd go there.
sh i dont care about the mods, i know you run TL behind the curtains
On June 06 2015 17:29 Destructicon wrote: The real question is, why have you not thought about Spirits and Aliens? Like say both your ideas are somehow correct, is it only humans that have spirits? What about aliens? What exactly are spirits to begin with?
Plato, king of European philosophy, wrote very plainly and understandably on the question of souls. He believed they existed. Here is his clearest work on the topic: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/phaedo.html
Shelly Kagan, contemporary professor, speaks very plainly and understandably on the question of souls. He believes they don't exist. Here is his first lecture on the topic from his online class, "Death".
The question turns on the issue of the mind. Can we explain the mind without reference to souls? If so, there's no reason to assume there are souls. I don't think that the soul-theory helps to explain anything, so I don't think there is any reason to believe that souls exist. This diminishes not at all our strangeness and creativity and wonder; neither does it fully explain it. It simply accuses "souls" of being ambiguous, unclear, and ultimately unable of expanding our exploration of ourselves. The fog of the occult kills what is otherwise a fascinating conversation.
To me it's like the age of the earth. Some people are stubborn in believing it is young. Fine. But they automatically exclude themselves from the most interesting conversations about the earth. I think souls are the same - you exclude yourself from more difficult, subtle, and interesting conversations if you end dialogue with "and that's because we are magical."
On June 06 2015 17:29 Destructicon wrote: The real question is, why have you not thought about Spirits and Aliens? Like say both your ideas are somehow correct, is it only humans that have spirits? What about aliens? What exactly are spirits to begin with?
Plato, king of European philosophy, wrote very plainly and understandably on the question of souls. He believed they existed. Here is his clearest work on the topic: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/phaedo.html
Shelly Kagan, contemporary professor, speaks very plainly and understandably on the question of souls. He believes they don't exist. Here is his first lecture on the topic from his online class, "Death".
The question turns on the issue of the mind. Can we explain the mind without reference to souls? If so, there's no reason to assume there are souls. I don't think that the soul-theory helps to explain anything, so I don't think there is any reason to believe that souls exist.
Thanks for posting this. As much as I like the Shelly Kagan lecture I still believe that souls exist.
On June 05 2015 22:56 Endymion wrote: why was fluffy pylon banned =[ 죄송합니다 ㅠ.ㅠ =[
if u read between the lines a little in that post i believe the official TL.Net claim is taht he is the user NeuroticPsychosis who was previously banned. but that is strictly speculation on my part.
On June 05 2015 22:56 Endymion wrote: why was fluffy pylon banned =[ 죄송합니다 ㅠ.ㅠ =[
if u read between the lines a little in that post i believe the official TL.Net claim is taht he is the user NeuroticPsychosis who was previously banned. but that is strictly speculation on my part.
On June 06 2015 17:29 Destructicon wrote: The real question is, why have you not thought about Spirits and Aliens? Like say both your ideas are somehow correct, is it only humans that have spirits? What about aliens? What exactly are spirits to begin with?
Plato, king of European philosophy, wrote very plainly and understandably on the question of souls. He believed they existed. Here is his clearest work on the topic: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/phaedo.html
Shelly Kagan, contemporary professor, speaks very plainly and understandably on the question of souls. He believes they don't exist. Here is his first lecture on the topic from his online class, "Death".
On June 06 2015 17:29 Destructicon wrote: Have you ever had the urge to test your ideas? Like visit a "haunted house" or such?
I've wanted to do this, go visit a 'haunted' house and see if there was anything unusual or worth observing. I doubted I'd find anything, and that turned out to be truer than I originally had thought; there are a distinct lack of haunted houses where I live. You'd think maybe 1 or 2 houses would at least be haunted, but nope.
I watched some paranormal investigation shows on television and on youtube, and all of the 'scary' stuff was just people playing tricks on their own mind. I noticed a trend.
They are always sent to a very old run-down castle, house, or mental institution.
They are always told beforehand horror stories about the location.
They always begin their investigations in total darkness, or near-total darkness.
They often believe evil spirits 'could' exist, giving the power of suggestion more weight.
The old buildings creak a lot. Maybe it's just the producers making noise to create tension.
There is near-silence, which makes every small sound amplified. This, along with the near-to-total darkness can create a sense of panic in the brain.
The 'investigators' are always given pseudo-scientific tools that basically do nothing.
The investigators freak themselves out, and 'sense something was behind them', but find absolutely nothing.
It seems like most of the 'ghosts' are psychological, rather than metaphysical.
What exactly are spirits to begin with?
Who the hell knows? Maybe they're real, maybe they're fake. Based on a pragmatic approach, the more and more we learn about how humans are alive, the less and less likely it seems like spirits are anything other than an explanation for something that was not understood by earlier generations of human beings.
On June 06 2015 17:29 Destructicon wrote: Have you ever had the urge to test your ideas? Like visit a "haunted house" or such?
I've wanted to do this, go visit a 'haunted' house and see if there was anything unusual or worth observing. I doubted I'd find anything, and that turned out to be truer than I originally had thought; there are a distinct lack of haunted houses where I live. You'd think maybe 1 or 2 houses would at least be haunted, but nope.
I watched some paranormal investigation shows on television and on youtube, and all of the 'scary' stuff was just people playing tricks on their own mind. I noticed a trend.
They are always sent to a very old run-down castle, house, or mental institution.
They are always told beforehand horror stories about the location.
They always begin their investigations in total darkness, or near-total darkness.
They often believe evil spirits 'could' exist, giving the power of suggestion more weight.
The old buildings creak a lot. Maybe it's just the producers making noise to create tension.
There is near-silence, which makes every small sound amplified. This, along with the near-to-total darkness can create a sense of panic in the brain.
The 'investigators' are always given pseudo-scientific tools that basically do nothing.
The investigators freak themselves out, and 'sense something was behind them', but find absolutely nothing.
It seems like most of the 'ghosts' are psychological, rather than metaphysical.
Who the hell knows? Maybe they're real, maybe they're fake. Based on a pragmatic approach, the more and more we learn about how humans are alive, the less and less likely it seems like spirits are anything other than an explanation for something that was not understood by earlier generations of human beings.
Yeah I've noticed that too. I wish people with more resources would dedicate their time to investigating, people with actual objective thinking and some really good equipment. Unfortunately those are just the sort of people that think its a waste of time.
One more observation, if you've looked at documentaries about hauntings and tormented families you'll notice a trend of paranormal activity not really starting until after a few days or even weeks, depending on the strength of whatever inhabits the place. This unfortunately means that if a location was legit haunted, investigators usually won't notice it because they won't spend more then a week tops at a location and they won't live in a location like a regular family would.
On June 06 2015 17:29 Destructicon wrote: Have you ever had the urge to test your ideas? Like visit a "haunted house" or such?
I've wanted to do this, go visit a 'haunted' house and see if there was anything unusual or worth observing. I doubted I'd find anything, and that turned out to be truer than I originally had thought; there are a distinct lack of haunted houses where I live. You'd think maybe 1 or 2 houses would at least be haunted, but nope.
I watched some paranormal investigation shows on television and on youtube, and all of the 'scary' stuff was just people playing tricks on their own mind. I noticed a trend.
They are always sent to a very old run-down castle, house, or mental institution.
They are always told beforehand horror stories about the location.
They always begin their investigations in total darkness, or near-total darkness.
They often believe evil spirits 'could' exist, giving the power of suggestion more weight.
The old buildings creak a lot. Maybe it's just the producers making noise to create tension.
There is near-silence, which makes every small sound amplified. This, along with the near-to-total darkness can create a sense of panic in the brain.
The 'investigators' are always given pseudo-scientific tools that basically do nothing.
The investigators freak themselves out, and 'sense something was behind them', but find absolutely nothing.
It seems like most of the 'ghosts' are psychological, rather than metaphysical.
What exactly are spirits to begin with?
Who the hell knows? Maybe they're real, maybe they're fake. Based on a pragmatic approach, the more and more we learn about how humans are alive, the less and less likely it seems like spirits are anything other than an explanation for something that was not understood by earlier generations of human beings.
Yeah I've noticed that too. I wish people with more resources would dedicate their time to investigating, people with actual objective thinking and some really good equipment. Unfortunately those are just the sort of people that think its a waste of time.
One more observation, if you've looked at documentaries about hauntings and tormented families you'll notice a trend of paranormal activity not really starting until after a few days or even weeks, depending on the strength of whatever inhabits the place. This unfortunately means that if a location was legit haunted, investigators usually won't notice it because they won't spend more then a week tops at a location and they won't live in a location like a regular family would.
Maybe I could camp out for awhile and live with them. Maybe I'm not investigating paranormal activity at all. Maybe it's all a sham and I'm homeless and my Ghost Hunter Inc., is a fake company!!!
#1 Well if you divide human into body and mind then soul makes sense. If you say clone a person1 into person2, then person1 and person2 should have the same mind and body. But you place person1 into a slave dungeon and person2 onto a paradise island then I would say that their souls are affected differenty by their environment/experience. However you could say that the environment altered their minds.. But if you only take human as a physical form say body then you don't need mind nor soul.
The ants and many animals communicate a lot through pheromones and smells plays a huge role in their life. There are a lot of hard-coded like behaviors or instincts in the animal kingdom - like if you break the pattern they begin from the start again and again. It seems that it is evolutionary. Moreover this is supported by recent studies that suggest that genetic information passed to offspring is also affected by the actions/experience of the parent(e.g. it influences body hormons and stuff that can affect the embryo). There is also some interesting discussion about the 98% unused part of our genome, which is now believed to regulate mutations which play a big role in evolution.
#2 Religion in my opinion always evolved as a mean to improve people lives(either individual or collective).. but as all good things it corrupted overtime and people soon found out that it is an effective way of controlling mind of masses.
It is hard to say how we humans evolved or have been created? I think that we don't understand evolution that deeply. Still it is quite a young discipline and there is much to be learned.
#Conclusion If you would like to try some spiritual experience you may try Salvia divinorum. This is a plant - drug, which is legal in the most part of the world. Why is it legal then? It is very short lasting(~15m hard time, after 60m completely recovered), there is no addiction and no risk of health damage(unless you jump out of window that is - which is unlikely but it is preferable to have other people around).
Salvia divinorum may be smoked or chewed, and the effects are to be hallucinogenic(you actually believe what you experience). They can range from body sensations to strong visual experiences. Although in real time the main effect lasts only up to 15 minutes, you may perceive this period as much longer. The experience may be disturbing at some points and even more if you try to struggle against it. It is also said that it has long lasting anti-depressive effects.
I think religion evolved from the first questions like; What are we? Where did we came from? Where are we going? And then two different types of people set out to answer these questions. The first kind by observing and studying the natural world around them, these became scientists. The second kind decided to answer these questions through introspection and meditation, these people became spiritualists.
Unfortunately religion, instead of staying a means for people to expand their spirituality, to get in touch with their inner selves, became a means for controlling the masses, an abomination. But that's a different topic, and we've probably scared poor nina right now.