A puzzle solved

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(April, 2021)

 

At one point I was puzzled by what seemed to be my own inconsistencies with regard to my feeling that beautiful moments in music, a lovely piece of art, or an incomparable scene in nature offered what I called “glimpses into the divine.” Those “glimpses” intimated another realm of reality or the handiwork of God. Or, at the very least, I seemed to be saying there is a spiritual dimension that remained undefined.

  

At the suggestion of a friend, I read the book “How God Changes Your Brain,” by Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman. Being the skeptic that I am, I rather quickly came to the conclusion that the book was mis-named. Any descriptions described in the book resulting in changes (for the better) reportedly came about as a result of meditation.

 

In other words, God (at least the God as described in my youth and to which I tried to believe and cling at that time) was not making the changes, but the changes came about as a result of actions taken by the individual. Something might easily be happening in the brain itself as a result of conscious efforts to quiet oneself and spend time daily in meditation. Apparently, “by manipulating our breath, body, awareness, feelings, and thoughts, we can decrease tension and stress. We can evoke or suppress specific emotions and focus our thoughts in ways that biologically influence other parts of the brain.” (p. 63) 

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Now, here is where I truly speculate... 

I speculate partially because I know so little about the brain. So, I wonder if this amazing organ has evolved over hundreds of thousands of years. I wonder if various parts of the brain...the frontal, parietal, temporal, and limbic areas or some such part of the brain have perhaps developed a sensitivity, say, to beautiful sounds, to sounds (I speak now of music only) that are deemed beautiful. Perhaps the whole of the person is uplifted, inspired, energized...in short, perhaps even made to feel happiness as he or she listens to this beauty.  

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One can call this experience God related or accept it as a marvelous gift of being truly human. I make no judgment about what it is called or how it is described, but it happens. Sometimes it’s a response that sends those “chills” through the body. Sometimes such beautiful moments can elicit joyful tears.

 

To me, at least, it seems the puzzle is solved.