Journal 2
1)One paragraph summary of the key idea summarizing the major idea of the section.
The major idea of this section was "The Human Condition." The Human Condition is the condition that every person, regardless of race, sex, social status, etc. finds himself or herself in. M. Scott Peck says that Truth is reality and that which is false is unreal. The more clearly we see the reality of the world, the better equipped we are to deal with the world. However, the more that we see falsehood and illusions the more we will be confused and unable to discern between the right path and the wrong path. Buddha's First Noble Truth states that the natural human condition is to suffer. Catholics believe that all evil stems from original sin in three different but connected ways:
1. wounded intellect, in which we are often unable to distinguish the right path from the wrong because of our emotions
2. concupiscence, or the idea that everyone subconciously tends to do things that are bad for them
3. Death, which is obviously the worst effect of original sin and evil.
Eric Fromm says that all people feel alone and strive to get away from that feeling throughout their lives. However, all the philosophical or religious views have something in common, they all stem from the Problem of Evil, that is if God is omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and actually exists, then how can evil also exist? I think that the answer is simple given that one believes that God is very powerful but not quite omnipotent just to the point where He allows humans to have free will. All humans and the whole world came from God, and from humans came original sin. All humans have the God given free will to choose whether to do right or wrong. Evil comes not from God but, rather evil comes from the bad choices made by humans.

2)List and explain three of the most important ideas you want to remember from this week.
A. The First idea I want to remember from this section is that of The Buddha's Four Noble Truths, but especially the first noble truth, which states that our natural state as humans is suffering. Our suffering, according to Buddha, revolves around the fact that everything around us in this world is impermanent. No matter what our race, social status, education, or abilities we all were born and eventually will die. However, I would also like to believe that our suffering has a purpose, for without any sort of suffering then how could we appreciate the good things in life? Without loss how could we appreciate gain or victory. When posed with the question,"Why do you hit yourself with that hammer?" a man once answered,"because it feels so good to stop." Given that example seems silly and trivial, it is nevertheless true. We all appreciate health through experiencing pain.
B. Secondly, I want to remember the Problem of Evil. If God is omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and He exists, then how could evil exist at the same time, for God, being all good would not want evil, and being all-powerful would be able to get rid of it, and since He exists then He could remove evil from the world; so, since evil exists, God must not be all-powerful, not be all good, or simply not exist at all. I want to remember that the Problem of evil is not God. It is the bad choices made by humans. God gives us the free will and we are the ones who create evil. On the flip side, since God gives us free will, we are also the ones who create good.
C. Thirdly, I want to remember the main idea from the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?!" One such idea that sticks out in my mind is "Is it possible that we're conditioned to our daily lives; so conditioned to the way we create our lives that we buy the idea that we have no control at all? Quantum physics say that what's happening within us will create the word outside of us." In other words, we accept the world as it is around us as something that is definate and that cannot be changed or affected by us. However, the principles of quantum physics suggest that we (our thoughts, emotions, and feelings) directly affect the world around us. Not only do they affect the world, they shape it.


3)Images that remind me of the main topics of this section:

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Click image for source

4)One question that I will keep with me to ponder.

Am I conditioned to believe something that is untrue? Am I seeing the big picture, like with the Blind Men and the Elephant? Does my Map even allow me to see the big picture?

5)What should I try to do to make myself a better person, a more faithful person, from this study?
I, Like any other person, am imperfect and I will never be perfect. My maps will never be completely correct. The only thing that I can do to improve my life is to never be satisfied with the maps I have. I must constantly be striving to perfect my outlook on life, my world view. I must keep my mind open to new ideas and messages that may seem controvercial. Also, from this study I have taken the idea that evil is ultimately not my choice. What I mean by this is not that I am forced into evil, but rather that through original sin wounded intellect, and concupiscence I am naturally inclined to do things that are not right. This doesn't mean that I should give in and get taken away down the easy, fun, and often sinful path, but that I need to be forever vigilent in seeking the truth and doing what is right.




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