On Religion and Addiction
I've been thinking about the
similarity between addiction and fake religion (as opposed to true religion)
lately.
The difference between being an addict
and living Life normally is very much like the difference between fake religion
and real religion.
In both addiction and fake religion
the underlying problem is the inability to recognize the beauty in Life and
feel reverent awe for the holiness of Life and all existence. And so, in order
to feel something intensely, we begin to make a facsimile and do a parody, a
ceremonial representation, an exaggeration to the point of grotesque
reenactment of the elements of Life. Eventually the caricature of Life becomes
a mockery of Life.
It is painful for me to admit, but nonetheless true, that Judaism is the most
guilty of having created an elaborate ceremonial travesty. This farce is based
on not understanding what Torah is really saying and, as a result, Jews perform
ceremonies when we should be living Life in the full awareness of the
indwelling sanctity. Then, not being satisfied by these artificial enactments
of Life, just as those who are addicted to refined sugar instead of eating
fruit and those addicted to opioids instead of living Life in such a way that
the normal levels of dopamine will be produced in the brain, and like those who
are addicted to sex because they do not know how to make love; so the Jew finds
only emptiness in the ceremonial re-enactment of what he has not understood.
Instead of rethinking his understanding, he compounds the ceremonies with
additional strictures and customs. Finding himself even more separated from his
Soul and feeling ever more starved for what he really needs and desperate, he
becomes rigid and adamant and intolerant.
The Catholics learned to perform ceremonies
instead of living Life from the Jews. They are doing re-enactments of the
re-enactments of the Jews compounded by their complete removal from the Source.
It is good that the Protestants
rejected the many ceremonies of Catholicism. At least, they are not burdened
with re-enacting re-enactments on top of further misunderstanding the
misunderstandings of the Jews.
Both addiction and fake religion derive from some occlusion in the Soul that
does not allow the natural appreciation of the greatness of Life and they
are hyperbolic experiences of what
should be normal Life experiences for those who are occluded and numbed to the
point of not seeing the obvious, ambient sanctity of Life and wonder in all
that is.
The torments of addiction eventually lead the occluded Soul to force himself or
herself to look at the Universe and ask what is wrong. Eventually, the addict
is brought to his or her knees and surrenders.
Dare we be as hopeful for the Rabbis?
Doreen Ellen Bell-Dotan, Tzfat, Israel
DoreenDotan@gmail.com