Dr. Yehia Al Rakhawy:
Is there what we can call a Harmonizing instinct with the Universe?

March 2004

I was born moslem. I doubt if this was not so what I could be saying by now in this very topic. I had no choice. Perhaps, I still have little choice. Most probably my parents, more than myself, had no choice also.Which Islam am I introducing or defending? At best: it is my working through what have been settled in my genes and mode of upbringing over more than six decades. Working through my very consciousness(s), mixing and challenging my patients', creatives' and children's. It is not simply, a personal point of view.

Certain basic questions are to be put forwards with no commitment to try to answer them:

(1) Is religion necessary in our modern life?
(2) Do religions differ in their basic assumptions and ultimate goals?
(3) What is the essential relation between:
(a) Religion and Faith.
(b) Spirituality and any specific religion.
(c) Religious authorities and God's words
(e) Religion and Instincts (Biology).

Reorientation through reading history, religion proved to be indispensable some way or another. It seems that man is essentially a religious animal. Almost all trials to do without religion seems to fail ultimately.

Instincts do not oppose religion. Instead, considering its role in life preservation and evolution it should be taken as part and parcel of the religious stand in essence.
What is the stratusco, uses (and abuses) of what is called religion or religious?

(1) Religion is predominantly, and occasionally exclusively used as a sort of tranquilizer.
(2) It is also used as weekend recreational and / or social activity.
(3) It is used as a tool to achieve some political, financial and socialstatus authority.
(4) It is aggressively used as rationale to occupy other's territories, to expel them from their houses and to kill their children among other civilians without trial.
(5) For terrorists, it is the ready to be simply a motivation to kill others.
(6) It is also used to serve of marketing certain scientific or pseudo scientific ideas. The reverse is true when religious texts are claimed to be foretelling certain scientific facts or agreeing with them.

All this could mean that what is called religion now seems to go for away from what could religion be for. In spite of all such reductionism and abuse it proved that all trial to dispense without religion have failed.

The traditional way of practicing religion seems to be short of human needs of modern man to promote creation and evolution.

The following is a trial to state some of such failing trials:

(1) "Science", as practice and as a value, failed to replace religion. Reducing religion to what science had proved was a sort of superficial rationalization.
(2) Religion is considered by some as an exclusively personal affair overlooking the fact that religions all over history have been declared as group activity before and after being a secret individual concept (or delusion).
(3) Intepretation of religion as a defense innovating some imagined super power to depend upon is basically an intellectual device to bypass some genuine biological propensity.
(4) Taking religion simply as some means to enhance certain moral values is too simple to cope with the history and function of religion over ages.
(5) Trials to update religion by introducing it in modern language proved to be both dilute and tangential.
(6) Re-evalutionizing religion to act as motivation enhancing justice and the wellfare of masses confronting overwhelming authorities reduced religion to a political tool.
(7) Replacing traditional religions by recently innovated eccentric religions has attracted some eccentrics but did not stand the test of time.
(8) Replacing religion by modern ideologies such as Marxism did not satisfy some profound existential need of the human being.
To conclude, one could come to the conviction that religion, as presented all through history is part and parcel of what is man. Regardless how much religions vary in content and practice they seem to have common biological basis or origin.

Delineation Rather Than Definitions

What about religion?
(1) It is an ideo-affective phenomenon.
(2) That constitutes some system which is only partly conscious.
(3) It answers certain basic questions about existence, original life and fate of the individual and the universe.
(4) It has its own rituals.
(5) It is promising some definite benefits or rewards now, and more essentially in the after life.
(6) Group or masses should share the some phenomena (theer is no exclusively personal religion).
What about instinct:
(1) It is an innate motivating propensity.
(2) Any instinct has its role both in self (individual) and species preservation.
(3) Most probably, it could be modified by certain acquired experience especially through imprinting.
(4) Instincts have essentially a positive role. It could be threating, dangerous if they act, or are ready, to act independently or regressively.
(5) One is not aware of the activity of his instinct unless it is unsatisfied in due time with certain optimum dose.
How man deals with his instinct?
The answer of this question varies and the following are some variety of possible responses.
(1) Natural response in proper time with optimum satisfaction.
(2) Postponement waiting for better timing.
(3) Misconceiving and mutilating.
(4) Manipulating with certain defensive mechanisms whenever it is perceived as actual or fancied threat.
(5) Integrating with other instincts and functions along the process of growth.

The hypothesis

(1) The tendency to be in harmony with the definitely existing, still unknown, macro-cosmic harmony is an instinctual drive (just like sex and aggression). Perhaps this instinct is more basic and profound so much so that it is to be traced back to pre-human or plant existence.
(2) This tendency coexist along with other basic tendency or propensity that attracts the bio-psychological existence to "return to womb" (or even to the hypothetical nihilism). This other propensity seems to be part and parcel of the stirred up activity including the "converging harmonizing creative instinct".
(2) The open ended program that regulates such propensities could be in some way related to the "in and out program" (in terms of object relation theory) adapted in the biorhythmic march of growth
(4) This instinct (like sex and aggression) is not restricted to human race. It looks more universal and much more extensive. It could be traced beyond the animal kingdom into plants some way or another.
(5) Man, with different hemispherical functions has acquired what is known as "consciousness" and "self" hence consciousness of the self vis-a-vis the "object" and the universe.
(6) Hyper-awareness of, and trust in, such basic initint has led certain creatives to allow enough activation so much so that they could receive ,inspire or create such illuminating link, uncovering certain basic facts about existence and man in relation to universe, in time and space.
(7) Such creatives (inspired) leaders have also discovered (or conveyed) certain instructions, means to facilitate illumination and positive means of getting in harmony with oneself and the universe where man is but a tune in the master symphony of existence.
(8) As far as prophets are concerned such messages have been reported in terms of sacred instructions and illuminations of GOD's sayings. Creatives are doing the same job, in limited area, with specific tools.
(9) So long as such sacred messages are not mutilated they go on serving the goal of the basic harmonizing convergent creative instinct.
(10) Putting aside possible mutilation, the intellectualized and symbolized interpretations may lead to aparting the raw instinctive presentation from the available symbolic interpretations. Thinking and intellectualization replaces motivation, perception and holistic cognition. As such the basic faith is transformed into intellectualized ideology. Regardless how much the ideological system is coherent convincing and sophisticated it should never be taken as synonymous to the original faith presented via basic instinctual creative activity.
Many times , it is this ideological level which gives hold to religious (and/or political) authorities to monopolize explanation putting down more sacred interpretations than the original sacred words of GOD. Such intellectualized interpretations do not only replace original creative activity but also repress it instead of unfolding its promicing functions.
(11) In principle, there is no religion without rituals. Religious rituals performed with or without their corresponding rationale or interpretations could be traced to have some overt or covert relations with this claimed instinct. They are usually less related to the ideological level of interpretation. Rituals seem to act as facilitators to activate other channels of communication between the individual and the macro-cosmos, apart from the verbal symbolic language.
(12) The continuous shift between these three levels (the instinctual, the ideological and the ritualistic) serves to enhance human endless growth apart from the monopolizing suppressing religious authorities.
(13) Some of those who are scared to believe in such active link between the personal harmony and cosmic harmony may deny any second hand information about something they did not experience themselves on their own. This denial is likely to extend to include denying the presence of the instinct it self.

Possible consequences of the hypothesis

Instinct, in general could not be handled as accessory or temporary aid to life. If the assumed instinct here proves to be there one can realize how serious and mutilating it has been dealt with. Just as the sex instinct in health is controlled or mutilated by certain mechanisms, let us look at how the same mechanisms are possibly handling the assumed instinct.

The following are some possibilities:

(1) Intellectualization, where the intellectual (and symbolic) interpretation replaces the natural propensities and inclination to synchronize the personal harmony with the macrocosmic harmony i.e. religious interpretations, frequently monopolized by religious authorities, replace the activity of the natural harmonizing biorhythmic instinct.
(2) Sublimation taking religion as a simply moralistic system .
(3) Substitution refers to the previously mentioned replacement with some moder modern ideologies (e.g. i dealizing Marxism, human rights, democracy etc).
(4) Reductionism to some calculating praise and punishment for goods and sins.
(5) Misinterpretation: especially through the so called scientific interpretation of sacred text.
(6) Denial which usually extend beyond denial of certain religion or even of GOD, to denial of the existence of such instinct in principle (throwing the basket with the baby in it).

Hypertrophy of personal identity:

As mentioned, when one is scared from undue or independent activity of any instinct, one manages to deny it by all means. This is true if sexual urge is directed to some incest or if aggression threatens to kill rather than to be used in self defense or creation.
Now, what makes us afraid of admitting, or letting go, such assumed harmonizing instinct?
The first fear is to lose one's own personal identity in the macrocosmic activity. This in not real or a must. It is but our imagined threat. Going towards the macrosmis does not necessitate losing one's self but it is the process of being some more significant tune in the major symptony.
The second source of fear is to be trapped through the backward limb of the "in-and-out" program in a 'no return' allay. This again threats to loose one's identity, or rather one's existence.
The third, source of fear is due to the actual or imagined threat that believing in the messenger's message may inhibit or replace one's own initiation to find his own responsible way. The messenger is denied lest he himself would replace the open ended common goal we are converging towards.

Conclusion

Review of history proved that it is rather impossible to be real human without considering and activating the role and profound basis of religion.
Profound understanding of human nature is not the least contradictory with the essential basis of any current traditional religion.
Dealing with religion as an instinct does not mean that man is not more responsible through free will for whatever he does or believes in.