Many Chinese people tend to seek the help of mysterious powers. and the rich and powerful are no exception. A snake-summoning mystic and “qigong master”, Wang Lin, has for years been duping famous entertainers and politicians into giving him money. Last week saw film star Jackie Chan and other celebrities weeping at news of the death of White Dragon King, another such mystic. Then there’s the craze for feng shui: it has got quite out of hand, as state officials tear down their offices to rebuild them according to the dictates of “experts”. In the 21st century they must learn that it’s not fake mystics who help you succeed, it’s exercising discipline and self-control. (Rong Xiaoqing, Global Times, Beijing)
Epicurus would say, were he still alive, that the above con-men and their silly superstitions should be sent packing. But then other superstitions, like virgin birth and turning wine into water, are candidates as well. In the time of Jesus there were apparently dozens of “messiahs” all claiming to have cured the sick and performed miracles. That was over 2000 years ago. We should have grown smarter and less gullible since then.
Ten thousand years ago, who could explain the utter chaos and unpredictably of life? Why the lethal floods, disease, famine, injustice? The Sumerian priests hovering invisibly over the post below and the Chinese mystics above both got into business because people did not understood what all the chaos of life might be about. Those who figured out things like the connections between floods and solar movements ran with the information.
Over the centuries, the Sumerian priests (and their Sinic counterparts) were super astronomical observers and accumulated capital in the temples because they could predict the floods and received tribute in exchange for their “clairvoyance.” Then came our long list of sacerdotal con games preying on the fears of ordinary people.
Ok, so today we know a lot about how the Cosmos works. It has taken thousands of years of empirical observations and of theoretical science. What we still don’t know is why this carnival of existence happened in the first place and why we should have to struggle for relief from ignorance and injustice.
People like Epicurus, Jesus, Confucius and others have offered us clues but how to put the charlatans out of business forever? Apparently that’s going to require endless effort both inside and outside the Garden.
Yes, indeed, I agree with Carmen… many very wise people have come to show how we could live on this planet with peace and harmony, and how to put the charlatans out of business. As a pseudo Epicurean, however I will take a moment to be moderately pedantic where Robert’s remarks about one particular wise person is concerned.
He refers to Jesus and the superstitions regarding the virgin birth and changing water into wine. A superstition is, according to the Oxford dictionary, credulity regarding the supernatural;, irrational fear of the unknown or the mysterious.. a particular opinion based on such tendencies. I suggest that instead of superstitions, he could have used the word ‘myths’.
Myths (and legends) grow up around charismatic and august people. They are not merely fancy or superstitions, but stories which convey a meaning , and point to a deeper truth. Moreover, the very fact that such stories grew up around Jesus demonstrates that he has’,something extra’ over and above the ‘messiahs’ you mention’.
Whether or not the virgin birth and the miracles are taken literally, I stress that they are hardly superstitions but evidence that Jesus had important things to say about the way we could be living, in peace and harmony.
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