A reader remarks that there is a strain of eclecticism that appears to go through Matt’s spiritual beliefs and asks Matt whether this is accurate.
Matt responds:
That's an interesting question. My biographer, Richard Speer, has said that I’m a wanderer and I keep my bags packed, so I agree with that assessment. I have great awe about who we are, where we came from, what we’re doing here, what our job is, and the question of whether there are other worlds.
I have come to my own conclusion that it would be presumptuous on our part to think we are the only things in this whole big universe that can make decisions, come to know ourselves, and come to be as good or evil as we are as a species.
The human being tends to want to have closure in many different aspects. I believe that in some cases, the closure is religion. It’s easy to put on the cloak and walk around, but once you leave the place of worship, are you waving to people as you pull out of the parking lot, or are you giving them the bird telling them to get the hell out of your way?
I happen to like the message of Jesus Christ: Love one antoher as I have loved you. A love-based God who thinks that we can be better than we are—that’s a real challenge.
Are there times I wonder about all this? There are times when I wonder if I’m really here, or if this is all just some big dream. In terms of my own personal philosophy, I have a deep faith in what I believe in, but I also believe that I’m not going to really and truly know anything until I’m dead and gone to the next level. At that point I hope and pray that all things will be revealed.
When we talk about religions that believe in reincarnation, I just hope that I’m not sent back here to be a dung beetle or a plow horse or a dancing bear. I hope this is my only trip through this crazy world of ours. Sometimes I think this is the insane asylum of the universe, where we figure out who in the hell we are. We have glimpses of God and eternity, we have all kinds of doctrines, and in many cases it’s so puzzling, it’ll probably drive us crazier than we already are if we really think about it.
Just existing sometimes is a task, but I have found that it helps immeasureably for me to ask for help and direction from my spirit guides, my faith, to give me joy. I know this sounds crazy, but when my wife and I are on airplanes, she’ll look over at me, and I’ll be crying from laughing so much, from the stories I’m telling myself. That’s a gift. I hope that’s the way I die: laughing at the absurdity of the world.
I don’t know if that answers your question. I would probably say that most of the time I’m more confused than certain about almost everything.
One final note: Lately it’s taken me less time to read the menu and make up my mind what I want. Maybe if I take up fasting, I won’t have to read the menu at all.
Matt