The Gambler
Every gambler knows, That the secret to survivin', Is knowin' what to throw away, And knowin' what to keep. -Kenny Rogers
What is Most Likely?
When it comes to the unknowable and unverifiable things in life, like supernatural beings or the subjective experience of the afterlife, you can either fold your hand like an agnostic or go all in on the version of reality that you think is most likely to be true.
When you view these decisions in terms of "what is most likely?" as opposed to "what can be proven beyond any doubt?" it makes it much easier to come to a decision, place your bets, and move on with your life.
It is also important to decide what is truly relevant to your life choices. It is easy to get lost in the information overload. Call the bluff of pseudoscience, grift, conspiracy and materialism so you can bet the farm on best practices.
Faith is What You Bet On
The concept of faith is simply where you place your bets. In the realm of uncertainty, you must decide what you think is most likely and place your bet on that. This is what faith is.
The Gambler Meets God
As a gambler, what is more likely? Where do you place your reality bet?
- Every culture in history has independently had contact with different supernatural beings that formed the basis for their religion.
- Every culture in history has independently had contact with the same supernatural god that has taken different forms in different times and places, forming the basis for religion.
- Every culture in history has made up stories of supernatural beings with no basis in reality, creating religion strictly as a means of social and political control.
- Every culture in history has made up stories of supernatural beings, except for one culture (yours) that was actually visited by a supernatural being and given the correct religion.
- Every culture in history has observed the same reality and universe that we all exist in, and attempted to create a creation story using allegory based on their observations. It is intended to convey the wonder and beauty of existence as a conscious being, along with important lessons handed down from generation to generation about best practices for that culture. And maybe some social control thrown in by various rulers through the ages.
- Any of the above options, but from inside a computer simulation for some reason.
metaculture puts it all on #5. By far the best odds of the bunch. You can bet your life on it.
RIP Kenny