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Originally Posted by Keith  To reinvent it, probably - we humans do like to see patterns where there are none. But to require it, I'm not so sure. |
If you recognize that we'd probably re-invent it even if we erased our memories of it (debateable, I realize), then the distinction between this strong human tendency and "requiring" is one of semantics in my book -- we can use your terminology or mine, either is equally satisfying to me.
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I think it's either a psychological fact or very close to one. People resent being told what to do, or to believe.
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The ability to think for one's self is critical. And I think most spiritual people are doing that (at least to the extent that any group of people does it).
This is precisely why I corrected myself regarding the "sheep" implications earlier in this thread -- spirituality, at the level of the individual, requires "buy in." The level of analysis involved in the "buy in" will vary from person to person and may even fluctuate throughout a person's own life.
And when you say that people "resent being told what to do," context is everything. A person actively seeking an answer will have a different frame of mind than a person being "corrected" by someone whom he did not consult for an opinion.
I've also seen enough of human behavior to know that some people actually enjoy being told what to do -- I've seen far too much of this, in fact. My point is that human behavior is more variable in this regard than you suggest.