Us Against Them

I need to preface this blog with a disclaimer. I need to be categorical when I say I am not religious. I have absolutely no religious affiliation. I am, however, a deeply spiritual person. My blog posts share my observations based solely on my life experience, observations and learning.

To say we live in a polarized time is to state the obvious. "us against them" seems an overstated, highly charged subject. The news we read and the social media we engage in continually reinforce that sentiment. Talking heads on the left and right are determined to make the opposition wrong, increasing the volume of antagonism on both sides. I continually ask myself how this rather intense messaging serves me, my community, and the country. The question itself is rhetorical. There is no single unified answer, just a lot of opinions and a lot of rhetoric.

So why my disclaimer? Simply, it is about Satan. Yes. You read correctly. Satan. Let me do my best to clarify.

I don't want to get bogged down in the "unqualified" pronouncement of who or what Satan is. So, I did the next best thing. I asked ChatGBT. This is what came back. "Satan, often referred to as the devil, is a figure in various religious traditions who represents evil and opposition to the divine. He is commonly depicted as a fallen angel or a rebellious being who tempts and deceives humans."

Wanting to be as thorough as possible, I also Googled the derivation of "Satan." This is the information provided. The Hebrew term śāṭān (Hebrew: שָׂטָן) is a generic noun meaning "accuser" or "adversary" and is derived from a verb meaning primarily "to obstruct, oppose."

So, what does this all really mean to a non-practicing Jew who lives his life based on his own spiritual and cultural imperatives and has absolutely no belief in Satan? According to this definition, what exactly am I obstructing or opposing? It's not always easy for me to know. But I do have two principles that I try to live by. They help inform me and help keep these supposed self-made obstructions to a minimum.

First, when I see myself separate from the world, that dichotomy of being keeps me separate from life itself. I experience life arising from the mystery that lives all things. I am part of, and my life arises from, the eternal, unknowable process of creation. Everything of everything arises from that infinite creative impulse. God is not separate from me. I arise directly out of that creative impulse. I am compelled to embrace the totality of existence in all its infinite shapes and forms, including my own.

When you categorize people based on their differences, such as thief, prostitute, astronaut, surgeon, soldier, rabbi, priest, black, white, democrat, republican, Hispanic, Jew, Palestinian, Mexican, Russian, Chinese, or gay person, you are left seeing them as separate from yourself. Physically and culturally, they are different. Seeing past that difference, feeling into their humanity, and understanding that all people strive for love, safety, and to be valued, you can be open to the possibility that we all arise from the ineffable movement of consciousness. It never ceases to amaze me that life can express itself in so many unique ways. We are all so different, yet so much the same.

When you see yourself separate from life, taking from what gives us life and sustains us becomes easy. Pollution, poverty, starvation, war, and resource theft are all examples of people depleting the very heart of the gift that nourishes our lives.

When you experience yourself as separate from the very essence of what lives us, it is easy for the mind to conjure a projection of separateness. Most people are challenged to look within themselves for the dissatisfaction they experience. Grasping for relief makes taking what doesn't belong to them easy. It becomes easy to place blame on some external projection. Understanding the mind's incessant need to externalize, label and categorize the activities of life is not a reach for it to conjure a Satanic force.

The second perspective is to accept responsibility for my actions and not blame some shadowy figure for my shortcomings. The human condition can be messy and uncertain. My actions in life are sometimes unhealed, unkind, and maybe even mean-spirited. Certain things I have done in my past were malicious. Some were mistakes. Some were deliberate. I have learned, grown, healed, and matured. Those actions would be unthinkable now.

Nonetheless, I did them. I need to take responsibility for them and not blame them for the influence of a sinister figure that influenced my actions and tempted me to do evil. Ultimately, I must take responsibility for what I project into the world.

The opportunity to live as a free being can be challenging. That freedom can easily overwhelm the human nervous systems. Often, individuals don't do well without structure. Maybe, at its simplest level, believing in Satan helps someone come to terms with the impact of good and evil in their own lives. Doing wrong can then be attributed to a force outside yourself. Satan made me do it. I was tricked or tempted by Satan.

If I did believe in Satan, and as I have stated, I absolutely don’t, I would be amazed at how effective “he” has been at promoting a point of view and compelling someone toward subsequent malicious behaviors. It is a brilliant strategy to have people doing "his" work while thinking that they are defying his influence. It seems there is a substantial investment in ridding earth of all the Satanic evil while doing the opposite.

It would be naïve to think there is no evil in the world. People sometimes do evil things. For me, that creates even more urgency to take responsibility for my actions and not place blame in some collective projection of the human psyche.

Good and evil both arise out of the ground of creation. They don’t exit separately from each other. We can’t know one without knowing the other. We as individuals need to continually choose which one ignites our hearts and moves us closer to a deep-rooted experience of the divine.

I can only surrender to the unfolding of my life as it continues to reveal the truth of my being.
Amidst the chaos and uncertainty of life, I remain open to Grace and the gift of my life.