Do people worship God or Security?

Security, whether it be emotional, financial or even physical, as acquired through protection from enemies, from outsiders, protection of our feelings from others, from imploring others to sugar coat pills that may otherwise be painful to swallow, through the building of enormous armies, our species yearns for security and we, as a whole, have a rather unyielding and unapologetic demand for protection from things that threaten our security.


Now, let’s consider for a moment how exactly the general population goes about attaining that security, and you will find, rather quickly, that the answer is that, we don’t. Instead, we pawn off the responsibility of the provision of such a thing onto others and onto beings that we perceive, for whatever reason, to be higher than ourselves, or even on substances. Cops, marijuana, alcohol, and in higher powers, whatever divine being you so choose to subscribe to.


Now let’s also examine our society- one which places such an immeasurable amount of importance on the power of one’s intents. We are told daily that our intentions are what construct the reality in which we live. Therefore if one doesn’t feel secure, if one doesn’t possess the be-all-end-all, ever coveted sense of security, then it must be due to a lack of good intention or a lack of faith. If you are feeling insecure or afraid or stressed or any negative emotion, it must be because you don’t have enough faith in the process of whichever deity you subscribe to, and that he/she has your best interests at heart. It’s a personal failing and it’s your fault.


This sentiment, however unproductive this may be, runs rampant in societies across the globe. These messages do offer a degree of comfort-that you are a nothing but a whim of a god in heaven somewhere and that through the practice of your faith you will receive security- a promise of happiness, or health, or the afterlife, or virgins. Whatever the promise may be, the thing they have in common is that a promise is a definite, and definites offer security. A promise of happiness in the afterlife offers a security blanket for when life becomes challenging or frightening or stressful in the present moment.


The thing these religions fail to take into consideration is that life is immaculate now. Alan Watts wrote a book in 1951, a book which my younger brother purchased me for Christmas and in this book he states that humans “find life meaningful only when we have seen that it is without purpose and know the ‘mystery of the universe’ only when we are convinced that we know nothing about it at all.” In this book Watts suggests that it is through actively searching for and trying to be secure, that we find ourselves in positions of insecurity. He states the age old saying that all things occur with balance and that with pleasure will come an equal amount of pain (the example being the more you love a person, the more you will grieve and be saddened with their death). There is no way to save yourself from this, only to accept the insecurities of life and sometimes, religion aims to attempt to remove these insecurities that are so necessary to living life authentically. Watts also suggests that the type of “living for the future” that these religions promote might actually be the cause of a lot of insecurity and anxiety. Besides, why desire a reality that is different from the reality that exists? That ties back to the First Noble Truth in that desire causes suffering.


If to enjoy even an enjoyable present we must have the assurance of a happy future, we are “crying for the moon.”-Alan Watts








And I find this extremely useful because while there might not be true security offered in life, there is much to be learned and explored. Life is wonderful and life is tragic all at once and it is only through the realization that there is no true, lasting security, that we find the security we so desperately search. So while the purpose of this post was not to suggest you renounce your religion and give up faith altogether, it was merely to bring to your attention some fallacies that may have crept their way into religion as a whole to maybe help direct your faith in a more wholesome. After all, is someone who worships only for assurance of a happy afterlife someone who is worshiping from the truth inside their soul, or from selfish motives driven by the desire for protection and security.







Discussion Questions
Have you read “The Wisdom of Insecurity” by Alan Watts? What did you take away from the book, if you have. And if you haven’t, do you think reading this could benefit you?
Do you consider yourself to be a religious person? Do you think this post has changed how you view your religious affiliation at all? For the better or worse?
Do you believe in an afterlife? If you do, do you think your faith in such a thing taints the present you live in, or do you think you have found balance with your belief?
Do you actively desire security? Do you think accepting that life is innately insecure could help you lead a happier life?
How do you think you could move toward the acceptance of this fact?