[ExI] Let's Canonize Samantha (Was Re: Other thoughts on transhumanism and religion)

[Brent Allsop]

Samantha Atkins wrote:
> Go ahead.  It already was published on WTA.  Thanks.
>
> - samantha
>
>   

Here is one possible topic name, one line, and opening to Canonize 
Samantha's post.
I hope some of you guys can help me out and come up with something 
better than this.  Any ideas?
Samantha, what would you like to have for the 25 character name and the 
one line?  Since this is your post I would think your opinion should 
have absolute overriding control on something like this.

(see: http://test.canonizer.com)



Topic Name: *Spiritually Moved H+*
One Line: *Other thoughts on transhumanism and religion.*


In May 2007, Samantha Atkins made a post to the ExI, and WTA e-mail 
lists.  It was such an obvious hit that it has been "Canonized" here.


I remember in 1988 or so when I first read Engines of Creation.  I read 
it with tears streaming down my face.  Though I was an avowed atheist 
and at that time had no spiritual practice at all, I found it profoundly 
spiritually moving.  For the first time in my life I believed that all 
the highest hopes and dreams of humanity could become real, could be 
made flesh.   I saw that it was possible, on this earth, that the end of 
death from aging and disease, the end of physical want, the advent of 
tremendous abundance could all come to pass in my own lifetime.  I saw 
that great abundance, knowledge, peace and good will could come to this 
world.  I cried because it was a message of such pure hope from so 
unexpected an angle that it got past all my defenses.  I looked at the 
cover many times to see if it was marked "New Age" or "Fiction" or 
anything but Science and Non-Fiction.  Never has any book so blown my 
mind and blasted open the doors of my heart.

Should we be afraid to give a message of great hope to humanity?  Should 
we be afraid that we will be taken to be just more pie in the sky 
glad-hand dreamers?   Should we not dare to say that the science and the 
technology combined with a bit (well perhaps more than a bit) of a shift 
of consciousness could make all the best dreams of all the religions and 
all the generations a reality?   Will we not have failed to grasp this 
great opportunity if we do not say it and dare to think it and to live 
it?   Shall we be so afraid of being considered "like a religion" that 
we do not offer any real hope to speak of and are oh so careful in all 
we do and say and dismissive of more unrestrained and open dreamers?    
Or will we embrace them, embrace our own deepest longings and admit our 
kinship with those religious as with all the longing of all the 
generations that came before us.  Will we turn our backs on them or even 
disdain their dreams - we who are in a position to begin at long last to 
make most of those dreams real?   How can we help but be a bit giddy 
with excitement?   How can we say no to such an utterly amazing 
mind-blowing opportunity?

- samantha




-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/attachments/20070603/70a69bda/attachment.html>