The Unconditional Human Spirit

A site project: Probing why primitive apocalyptic, and “lost paradise/redemption” mythologies, continue to resonate with modern minds, despite the inevitably destructive outcomes, both personal and social. These ancient mythical themes are even embraced by “secular/ideological” movements today, such as climate alarmism.

This is a project to challenge pathology that deforms human consciousness, personality, and societies (Psychologist Harold Ellens and psychotherapist Zenon Lotufo in “Cruel God, Kind God: How Images of God Shape Belief, Attitude, and Outlook”). This is a project to correct this problem of bad ideas deforming life at the most foundational level of meta-narrative themes.

This from National Post: Common sense on the climate alarmism crusade, “Reality checks on the climate change agenda- Logic dictates a balanced approach using both hydrocarbons and renewables prudently and wisely” by Derek Burney, Feb.23, 2023

https://www.google.com/search?q=Derek+H.+Burney%3A+Reality+checks+on+the+climate+change+

Section topics: Contact wkrossa@shaw.ca

(1) Some of the most profound insights ever offered on how to live as authentically human;

(2) Alleviating/conquering our fear of dying;

(3) Site-splainin- The “burying” issue that Jefferson and Tolstoy pointed to regarding the “paradise lost/redemption” complex of ideas (i.e. the Christ myth of Paul that buries the central insight of Historical Jesus)

(4) The impulses and related ideas that still dominate human consciousness and life (the “Lost paradise/redemption” complex of myths);

(5) The baseline myth- “original paradise”, or better past (The reasoning behind this mythology: If the world was originally perfect- i.e. an “original paradise”- and now is obviously not perfect, then logically life has been declining toward something worse);

(6) Unconditional- humanity’s highest and most humane ideal- a centering theme for a new narrative;

(7) My protest against Paul’s Christ myth (It intentionally contradicts and buries the main themes in the message of Historical Jesus- i.e. Paul re-affirms retaliation in contradiction to Jesus’ non-retaliatory stance, Paul re-affirms divine conditions in contradiction to Jesus’ central unconditional theme, and Paul re-affirms divine violence in contradiction to Jesus’ non-violence message.);

(8) “The Two Degree Limit”, Andy May responding to alarmism over temperatures increasing by 2 degrees C. For most of the paleoclimate history of life (the 500 million years of the Phanerozoic era) average world temperatures were 3-6 degrees C warmer than today and all life flourished during that time;

(9) Sabine Hossenfelder on the physics of the greenhouse effect;

(10) “Why the Human Contribution to Climate Change is Minimal and Negligible”, by Rolf Reitz

(11) And well worth reading- “In Search Of A (Near) Perfect CO2 Global Warming Analogy” by Ron Barmby

This just below is very much related to my overall challenge to the “profoundly religious” climate alarmism crusade. Bad mythology is bad mythology wherever you find it, whether in religious belief systems or in so-called “secular/ideological” versions of the same.

Insert: I am old enough now to enjoy the privilege of repeating myself. Much like Pres. Reagan when he realized that he had Alzheimers- “Well then… you get to meet new people every day”. Some of you will get the point.

My ongoing protest against Paul’s Christ myth. “Honing” or refining the protest against the Christ myth (A summary of some of the most important points made on this site) Wendell Krossa Read the rest of the opening comment here

Section topics:

(1) Atmospheric physicist Richard Lindzen on “The absurdity of climate alarmism”;
(2) Summary of the benefits of CO2 by scientist and CO2 specialist Craig Idso of CO2science.org;
(3) Independent Glen Greenwald on “The greatest threat to freedom today” (Twitter files revelations)
(4) Cowardice and courage;
(5) The unconditional treatment of everyone, both good and bad (maintaining our humanity in the face of evil);
(6) Mantras based on false assumptions… and more.

Listen to scientists like atmospheric physicist Richard Lindzen on the physics of CO2. There is no need for a “Just Transition” away from fossil fuels to renewables (the irrational and dangerous obsession of Canada’s climate alarmism fanatic and decarbonization crusader- Justin Trudeau). His “Just Transition” will be very much a destruction of the energy sector in Canada with consequent electrical grid destabilization due to intermittent renewables. Keep an eye on Germany, Britain, and California rushing down the same Net Zero path. Add excessively rising energy costs to the mix of nasty outcomes from the decarbonization crusade.

Instead of demonizing CO2 as a threat to life, with CO2 expert Craig Idso we ought to celebrate rising CO2 in the atmosphere. CO2 is not “the main cause of climate change”. CO2 is not causing a “climate crisis or emergency”. To the contrary, more CO2- life’s basic food- has resulted in a 15% increase in green vegetation across the Earth since 1980. That is more food for animals and increased crop production for humanity. All from more plant food in a “CO2 starvation era” were CO2 levels have been at historic lows compared to paleoclimate history.

And the mild warming of the last 100 years- 1 degree C- has benefitted all life in a still too cold world where 10 times more people die from cold every year, than die from warmth. Wendell Krossa

There are no limits to human creative potential…

This is good from Humanprogress.org. It is why Julian Simon said that biologists get population and resources issues all wrong. They tend to view humans as just another species of insect or animal- dumb and subject to the mindless chaos, randomness, and uncaring patterns of nature. Read the rest of the opening comment here

Christianity got Jesus all wrong on sacrifice (on the most important topic/issue of his message and life) Wendell Krossa (comment on Bob Brinsmead’s summary of Historical Jesus research)

There is a growing awareness, recognition, and acceptance today, within even the Christian movement, that Christianity has gotten some fundamental things about Jesus wrong, entirely wrong in some cases. Like, for instance, his revolutionary new theology of a non-retaliatory God. Read the rest of the opening comment here

The Two Main Approaches to Organizing Human Societies across history- Collectivism versus the free individual Wendell Krossa

The comment below comes from a “fiercely Independent” viewpoint. Kinda like Goldilocks- not too far Left, not too far Right. Sort of Libertarianish, or better- Classic Liberalism. Floating like a butterfly, free to alight wherever, enjoy the nectar and then move on. A self that is free in an open process and not fixed too rigidly on any “object” (i.e. not finding cemented identity in some immutable ideology, religion, nationality, race/ethnicity, or other objects of human identity). Open and free like ‘The Mutable Self’ of Louis Zurcher.

“Independent” because while both sides have commendable features and concerns, neither side gets it all right (and this is not “bothsideism”). David Boaz, for example, said regarding the US situation that Republicans needed to embrace more freedom in the social realm and Democrats needed to embrace more freedom in the economic realm. Neither side held a monopoly on good. My ‘Free Floating’ stance also keeps me from the dogmatic tribalism that locks into loyalty to one side only and views the other side as an enemy to be conquered or cancelled. Read the rest of the opening comment here

This essay is about engaging Joseph Campbell’s points regarding “The Hero’s Journey” (i.e. some of the main features of all human stories).

Speculating with Campbell on the meaning of human life and experiences Wendell Krossa

Or: How to tower in stature as maturely human, how to become the hero of your story or quest.

Joseph Campbell said that we all live a “hero’s quest or adventure”. Our lives and life experiences can be understood in terms of “the hero’s journey”. We all live heroic stories of adventure, struggle, suffering, conquest of monsters/problems, disintegration/re-integration, transformation, discovery, and gaining insights that benefit ourselves and others. I have added to Campbell’s basic framework, revising, paraphrasing, and changing some things. Read the rest of the opening comment here

Alternative titles: “The message of Historical Jesus versus the Paul’s Christ myth: Separating Diamonds from Dung” (i.e. Thomas Jefferson, Leo Tolstoy’s views on the New Testament), or “The Great Christian Contradiction” (The core message of Historical Jesus is entirely opposite to Paul’s Christ myth that dominates the New Testament), or… “The non-retaliatory God of Jesus, versus the retaliatory God of Paul”

My main point in this essay is that Paul intentionally went after the core insight of Jesus- i.e. that God was non-retaliatory, unconditional love. Paul contradicted this “single most profound insight in history” with his entirely opposite theology that retreated to re-affirm the primitive mythology of retaliatory, conditional deity. Not only did Paul discredit the wisdom tradition of Jesus in 1 Corinthians (e.g. Stephen Patterson- “The Lost Way”), but he also directly repudiated the basic theology of Jesus’ non-retaliatory God with his retaliatory Christ myth and vengeful God theology (compare Matthew 5:38-48 with First and Second Thessalonians and, particularly, Paul’s direct statement of his contrary theology in Romans 12:17-20).

Paul is mainly responsible for keeping the pathology of threatening deity and apocalypse alive in Western consciousness and narratives, with all the damaging consequences of that theology on Western consciousness and lives- i.e. the deforming influence of fear, anxiety, shame, guilt, resignation, fatalism, depression, nihilism, and violence. See psychologist Harold Ellens’ “The Destructive Power of Religion”, and psychotherapist Zenon Lotufo’s “Cruel God, Kind God”. Read the rest of the opening comment here

The human exodus from animal existence to the liberation of truly human existence. This essay probes the heroic human journey from the barbaric retaliation of animal existence toward discovering what it means to be more truly human in terms of non-retaliatory existence. It takes a look at the deep historical roots of human mythology/religion and the core ideas/themes that have persisted across our history in both religious narratives and so-called “secular/ideological/scientific” narratives. As Joseph Campbell said, the same myths have been embraced by people across all history and across all the cultures of the world. There is little new in the human creation of meta-narratives to explain and guide life.

The Journey From Retaliation To Unconditional Love: The Narrative of Human Exodus from Animal Existence, Wendell Krossa
(Revised May 23, 2013, and again Sept. 24, 2022)

(Note: This essay is the outcome of several decades of interaction with a valued friend, a great human spirit, and probably the finest theological mind to have ever graced this planet, Bob Brinsmead, notably, this interacts with material of his such as “The Scandal of Joshua Ben Adam”.) Read the rest of the opening comment here

First in a series (revised, reposted) on better themes for a new narrative that more accurately tells us the true state of life, new themes to replace the core ideas of past narratives. These deal with a mix of scientific, philosophical, and religious concerns.

The religious or mythical speculations offered here are a response to the primal human impulse for meaning, notably, meaning as it relates to ultimate reality and ultimate ideals. Bad speculation on such things has always existed, and will always exist, so rather than deny the impulse for ultimate or “metaphysical/spiritual” answers, offer better alternatives, more humane alternatives.

This is all about the story that we live by and the essential nature of that narrative. I put the ideal of “no conditions love” at the very center of a new narrative because it is the highest version of love that we have discovered and, as the most humane ideal that we know, it points us to the most humane outcomes in thought, emotion, motivation/intention, and response/behavior or ethics.

The short version is at the top below… with a longer version further below… Read the rest of the opening comment here

“They say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one” (John Lennon)

See new comment below on “They need encouragement, man” by Jordan Peterson. Also, “The Climate Alarmist’s Greatest Fear”. And also further below: Theological comment/speculation that goes to the very heart of the issue of encouragement- “The NDE affirms the most profound insight of Historical Jesus”, i.e. that ultimate Reality, or deity, is stunningly, transcendently inexpressible unconditional love. Also, Evidence of the improving trajectory of life, and more…

Jordan Peterson was recently interviewed again by Joe Rogan (Episode 1933 free on Spotify). Among other topics, he discussed his new project- i.e. his work on a new narrative to counter the dominant public narrative of today that is profoundly anti-human (i.e. referring to the themes of the climate alarmism cult that claim corrupt, destroying humanity is ruining the pure, virginal natural world). Go Jordan, go.

Now, some main points in this section: The project to create a new narrative is about creating a complex of ideas that better expresses the true state of reality and life. Its about a narrative that expresses the true status of humanity (not “fallen” from an original perfection but actually rising and improving from a worse past). A new narrative will bring out the best in people. It will offer truly humane ideals to inspire our best impulses and to guide our stories to the safest route through life. It will reveal the actual trajectory of life to be one of rise toward a better future, not decline to something worse. It will affirm hope in the progress of life and thereby unleash love in creative innovation to make life better for all. And it will be a narrative that liberates consciousness from the darker themes of old narratives and their threat theology that has long deformed human consciousness and life. A new narrative should take us to the best of metaphysical or “spiritual” insight, speculation, and faith. Read the rest of the opening comment here

Other topics below: The fallacy of doomsaying (John Stossel), Stop mollycoddling the climate alarm narrative and its decarbonization scheme; The pathology of panic-mongering; The resurgence of Marxist collectivism, and more…

Site project: Go to the roots of the problem of declinism (i.e. life declining toward something worse- “the world becoming worse”) and replace those old mythical narrative themes with a new evidence-based narrative that shows the true state of the world. Offer people a better narrative that more accurately presents the real state of life.

The true story of life shows that humanity has not been a corrupt destroyer but has been a compassionate creator and that human creativity has resulted in life improving immensely over the long-term. Life is not in decline toward disaster and ending as per the apocalypse fallacy that dominates cultic crusades like climate alarmism. Due to the essential nature of people as compassionate creators, life rises and improves toward an ever-better future.

Tell your children not to worry but to go out and enjoy the unlimited bounty that their world offers. And to do their part in furthering the great improving trajectory of life, making the world better for all. Make sure you “teach your children well” by exposing them to evidence that tells them the true state of life. Again, good researchers have given us volumes of data on the main indicators of the state of the world and it shows us there is no trajectory of decline toward disastrous collapse and ending, but to the contrary, ongoing improvement toward a better future.

See, for example, Julian Simon’s “Ultimate Resource” and the many following studies that affirmed his basic research on the big picture and long-term trends of life- i.e. Greg Easterbrook’s “A Moment On the Earth”, Bjorn Lomborg’s “Skeptical Environmentalist”, Ronald Bailey’s “The End of Doom”, Desrocher and Szurmak’s “Population Bombed”, Indur Goklany’s “The Improving State of the World”, Matt Ridley’s “Rational Optimist”, Tupy and Bailey’s “Ten Global Trends”, and many more. Read the rest of the opening comment here

Other topics below: The true story of paradise lost (Paul MacRae on the Eocene paradise of some 55-33 million years ago when average world temperatures were up to 10 degrees C warmer than today, with much higher CO2, and that was a golden age for mammals, a true paradise. Also, the critical importance of self-determination in the individually-oriented approach to organizing human societies (Classic Liberalism), and much more…

We all live primarily by story- “Paradise lost/redemption”, Wendell Krossa

A complex of mythical themes still dominates public consciousness today. These themes/ideas constitute the main narrative of religious traditions and have similarly infected “secular” ideologies, notably in the Western world but also across all the cultures of our world.

The comment just below probes the deeply embedded ideas and the core impulses that these ideas incite and validate (some refer to our inherited impulses and related validating ideas as “archetypes”). The ideas noted below have to do with things like the basic impulse to survive and the fear of threats to survival and how people respond to such threats.

Intro notes and quotes:

A core theme in the complex of mythical themes is one of history’s most persistent myths- i.e. the myth of life declining toward disaster and ending. A YouGov survey has shown that a majority of the world population still believes that “the world is getting worse” (“Ten Global Trends”, Bailey and Tupy). The myth of life declining toward something worse, toward disaster and ending has incited endless unnecessary fear, anxiety, despair, nihilism, and violence. Early humans created a complex of myths to explain and respond to this primitive fear of decline.

Historian Arthur Herman states that the myth of “life declining toward disaster”, and even ending, is arguably the “single most dominant and influential theme in culture and politics today” (“The Idea of Decline in Western History”). Read the rest of the opening comment here

See just below- Two entirely different gods and gospels- Christology and anti-Christology

Keep an eye on what the “College of Psychologists” are trying to do to Jordan Peterson and his rights to free speech, to his freedom in general. This from National Post, Jan. 4, 2023, “I will risk my license to escape social media re-education: This should concern everyone”

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/my-critics-have-weaponized-the-college-of-psychologists-disciplinary-process-for-political-reasons

Over past years Peterson has been a singularly clear voice warning us about what is happening in our societies- i.e. the “creeping totalitarianism” that has been emerging from the extremist Woke Progressivism movement, more generally the left/liberal side of society. And it is no longer “creeping”.

The dominant threat to freedom today:

What is this shift of US/Canadian liberals toward extreme Woke Progressive culture? What is this resurgence of collectivism throughout academia, and notably through the climate alarm crusade? It is the continuation of last century’s “anti-industrial civilization” movement- i.e. specifically, the Marxist crusade against “the protection of individual rights and freedoms in Classic Liberalism”, a crusade that has been taken up by the environmental movement and climate alarm movement.

(Note- Both Left and Right sides of our societies give vent to the totalitarian impulse, to “creeping totalitarianism”. The Right tends to do so on social issues, and the Left tends to do so on economic issues. Both sides need to respect what freedom means in all areas of life- as argued, for example, by David Boaz in “Libertarianism”. And no, I am not taking up a banner to promote Libertarianism in particular. My own position is more Classic Liberal/Independent as in protecting individual rights and freedoms.) Read the rest of the opening comment here