Amerika

Knowledge is not power, the unknown is power. The unknown does not explain itself, the unknown does not justify itself. The unknown is the primordial fact.

Man is aboard a ship surrounded by the seas of the unknown. We have steering, we have shelter, we have navigation systems, and we are thankful for this. Yet reality does not end within the boundaries of the ship. The only thing we can do is navigate.

After several voyages we might learn a thing or two, we can make repairs, and we can use our good old fashioned horse sense. We control our ship, but we do not control the sea. We encounter ice, violent weather, rogue waves, system malfunctions, sea sickness, madness.

Once upon a time, a captain looked to the sky to predict the weather. He used the sun and the stars to chart his course. Now we have satellites, computers, and communication systems to do these things more accurately. Yet we would never suppose that because of this upgrade we now control the sea itself. Knowledge is navigation and nothing more. The unknown remains.

Now, I’m just an old chunk of coal, but I ain’t never known a seaworthy ship that doesn’t have an anchor. The anchor is the most important part of the ship. We could consider it to be an aspect of navigation but paradoxically it is the only aspect that halts movement. Drop anchor and you sway with the sea.

There I was, sittin’ on the dock, swappin’ tales with ruffians. I says that ‘religion ain’t medicine,’ I says, ‘but I still reckon it has a function.’ And this ol’ sailor says to me, he says, ‘yeah, religion has a function, halting the progress of society!’ Well, I have to concede that this is true. And yet a car without brakes, or a ship without an anchor, is a disaster waiting to happen. Progress is irrelevant if you do not arrive at your destination.

Man’s anchor is religion. It is essential. It is an aspect of navigation, yet it is the only part that does not actually navigate. When we drop anchor, our ship synchs up perfectly with the movements of the sea, yet it is not swept away by the sea. Religion synchs us to the unknown.

We can either become allies with the unknown or be destroyed by it. We can never thwart the unknown. There is no ‘controlling’ it. We have a destination, navigation, and faith. Luckily, that is all we need. A destiny, a mission, and an intrepid heart.

Welcome to the vast Bering Sea. Fortunes are made, lives are lost, and underwater, the men tell no tales. This is the deadliest catch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyhJRo8m6Tw

Tags: ambiguity, cosmos, mystery, religion, universe