The Way of Imitation
Why we like organized religion and reality TV
We all have idols that serve us as load-stars. Be they people or ideas, we look up to them and try to reach their heights. We also use them as a measuring stick to check our progress. And once we do that, we rank everyone, to see where we stand in society.
Thus, we claim, “My ideas, my titles, my work, my money, my friends, my family, my body, my attitude,” because those are the particulars we actually compare, even if they are just stats of our avatar.
So, we imitate. We mimic our idols to boost our parameters.
And it works perfectly. For a while — at 80% the path becomes somewhat harder, and although one could traverse almost 99% of the whole journey this way, no one can make the remaining 1% just by imitation. And the reason is trivial.
You can be only you.
In other words — at some point you have to put your idols and authorities down from the pedestal. If needed, also go away. You must be really decided. Mere signaling in hope that you will fake it till you make it does not work in this case. And you will have to dethrone even the likes of Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus or Muhammad.
But to come this far, first, you will need to ask yourself:
- Were you born with your ideas? No? So, where did they come from?
- If you were lost in jungle or desert, would your titles, money, or accomplishments count for something? No? So, why they only matter within human society?
- Do you own your friends, family, or even your body? Yes? And can you prevent them from dying?
- Do you think that you are morally advanced? Yes? OK — can you love your enemies?
That should do it, and you should also see by now, why we like listicles, self-help, biographies of famous people, or personal testimonies of people who are more or less like us, but also why we like organized religion and reality TV.
And now, imagine — how many people still look up to billionaires or royalty, and even individuals such as Caesar and Hitler.
Hm.
