Humanity Religion Feedback Proposal 2 - Vakarism

[Killerhurtz]

“A god’s main purpose is to create. Art creates. Therefore we, as humans, can fairly be considered gods. The question is - what kind of god are we? The one that beckons from above, or the one that reaches up from the abyss?”

Vakarism’s pillars are simple. Self-improvement, creation, innovation. Practitioners of the belief are expected to apply them at every turn - as they associate them with the divine nature of creation. The specific explanations of each component will be explained in detail, but can be summed up as follows: Improvement means being able to do more - which means being closer to the beatitude of absolute possibility. Creation means contributing to this universe - and thus leaving a permanent mark in the fabric of existence, even if insignificant. And innovation means allowing new things to exist - and so, in a sense, innovation is the source of all creation.

Self-improvement

The means. Self-improvement drives creation by allowing one to create more things, gives them the tools to bring innovation. It can be as simple as learning new skills. Practicing is often claimed to be one of the methodologies - as with training comes better creation. The physical is just as valuable as the cerebral - and bodybuilding is a popular activity. However, some… more extremist sects, most often found in the underbelly of society, put value in actively changing their bodies and minds through surgery, narcotics and cybernetics, though a lot of vakarites frown upon it as an insincere path to follow, as it is improvement without effort.

Creation

The end. What, according to believers, gives a god - or anything else, for that matter - divinity. Creation is the act of adding to the collective pool - whether it is small, such as an idea to discuss or an interpretation to someone else’s creations, to immense, with new machineries and other such creations that shape and change the very fabric of the society that created it. Generally speaking, people who follow these beliefs do not differentiate creation according to morality - a piece of pain is just as valuable as a piece of pleasure.

However, an absolute sin (the only sin, as a matter of fact) is deconstruction, where one’s actions actively undo another’s actions, resulting in a null sum - it is seen as actively attacking one’s divinity and rights to the universe. And so, while healthy competition is seen as profitable, cooperation and assistance is seen as beautiful, while pride, arrogance, scorn and noncooperation are traits that are seen as unwanted, rejected.

A very common sect, Universal Vakarism, praises and accepts among their rank any species capable of creation - while most groups limit themselves to humans. Due to the very practical nature of natural sciences, it is considered an art, and is a very approved profession.

The nature of creation does not matter either. The deepest act of debauchery is as valuable as the greatest act of charity, if one can learn from it.

Innovation

The method. While creation deals with adding to the pool, innovation is defined as expanding the pool. A 20th century commentator, Cyril Edwin Mitchinson Joad, had put it clearly; the height of originality is skill in concealing origins. And so, creation while creation deals with existing material, innovation is invaluable in that it creates origins - it actively adds to what can be added, cross-referenced and compounded. In this sense, theoretical sciences are the pinnacle of the pillar, as is psychology and philosophy.

Origin

The movement started in the mid-2200’s. Modern historians, analyzing patterns in humanity’s progresses - from the basic tools and drawings of the primitive man, to the strange graffiti and societies of history, to the eight revolutions of the 19th, 20th and 21st century (the telegraph, telephone, the heat-based engine, the rocket, computing, massive-scale telecommunications (which was, then, called the Internet), the turbine and FTL-technology). And what they saw was consistent: when Man created and innovated, society ascended to a superior level. When Man clung to past ideas and refused new creations, it regressed.

And so, by extrapolating, it was obvious that there was a point where the feat of legends of old would be within Man’s hand, should he keep progressing. The universe seemed to belong to those who contributed to it.

It took credence through many groups - from the proud and arrogant who wanted to feel superior, to those who simply agreed to the statement, to those who wanted to use it for their own agenda. It’s popularity saw the biggest increase in lifestyle coaches, who saw it’s position as a great way to improve one’s life easily, and in corporate recruiters who saw that, in most cases, this paradigm formed the base for excellent employees. Mostly due to the latter, the belief eventually spread to it’s current status, being toted as the best way to live one’s life. It’s name was widely adopted due to a 2352 editorial on the subject - as the group had no universal name by then, the writer referred to a lithuanian mythological figure, Vakariné.