Clothing and Belief Systems

A friend of mine recently asked me if I thought people really started wearing clothes because they ate a piece of magical fruit and pissed off some other-worldly father figure. Okay, so they didn't quite word it like that but you get the idea. I think clothing was developed out of sheer necessity along with the ability of humans to cognitively process the information ("I'm cold as shit.") and apply a solution to their problem ("I'll wear this dead animal!"). I think clothing stayed around because people thought it was a nifty little idea worth hanging on to because it meant that they could move through thick brush or across hot or cold deserts without fear of harm. This put them at somewhat of an advantage over much of their prey, as did their other tools and weapons. As hunting for food became less chic, Farmer Thog realized it kept him either warm or cold, whatever he wished, and it didn't look too bad either. As cognitive capacity increased, people saw clothes, like their other tools, as something of a status symbol--clothes separated them from the animals. There was something rewarding to being able to look down on other creatures and feel vastly more important. Some saw other people that didn't wear clothes as savage or filthy because they were too animalistic. Oh, how much better it feels inside to be able to claim dominance and superiority over another human! Forget the animals, well, not completely, but belittling them became much less important.

So, clothes as a symbol of cultural and intellectual development became increasingly popular. This trend just continued to transform into what we see today in our own cultures and societies. It is evident everywhere one looks that clothes are often one of the main things that separate different social groups, and indeed often entire cultures. Clothes aren't important to wear because they are morally superior to nudity, that's crap. Clothes are important because the belief systems that we designed around our need for separation from the animals--from the "savages"--say they are. Who created these rules? We did. We created them over millennia as we became more self-centered and more foolishly arrogant of our position on Earth. Are clothes inherently bad? No, there is nothing wrong with a good pair of jeans or a toasty sweatshirt. All I am saying is that this is just one of the things that we have conditioned ourselves to "know." This idea of knowing is applied to all of the different belief systems. People try to better themselves in whatever structural system they deem appropriate and fitting. Of course, each system comes with a claim:

"I am trying to be more like God/Buddah/Mohamed/Allah/Jesus/Ganesh/Elvis." --whatever. You hold a religious belief because you "know" there must be something out there that we can't even fathom that runs this sideshow we call life.

"Through research, we hope to one day unlock the mysteries of the Universe..." Mhmm. You "know" that there is so much more to understand and so much more to learn about the world and therefore you make that your life's work.

"I wish to think all thoughts." Well that's sweet and all, but you "know" that if you commit enough time and mental energy to dreaming up and imagining everything that could ever be possible, you can get a better understanding of yourself/people/nature/existence (if it even exists--"Oooh...good call! I need to think about this one...").

Religion. Science. Philosophy. All of these were created by human minds thinking human thoughts. Sure you can argue that your belief exists because "God exists and He put the need for religion inside all of us. That's why we all feel compelled to religion." But that leads me to wonder why God didn't just give us all the need for the same religion. If yours is the right one, what about all the other ones? How come only you guys figured it out? Oh....because of free will, huh? Because all the other people have been led astray? So your religion is, what, the best? Bullshi.....er....interesting. Open your eyes here people, you're all saying the same thing. You've all chosen religion as your system and all rules of logic and reasoning go along with that system. Anyone questions you, try to apply your rules to their outside logic. If they can't grasp it, either implicitly or explicitly state your moral and intellectual superiority. Sound familiar anyone?

Hey scientists! Look over here! You guys are the same as the religious folk. Your rules and beliefs and logic vary from theirs, but the basic structure is the same. You have your system that you adhere to and those outside of it are either lazy, dumb, or misguided and you are more than happy to show them the error of their ways. What's that? Don't like being compared to them? Sorry, your bad. Systems are systems, man. There's not much you can do to avoid it, might as well try to argue that yours is better than theirs, because they sure as hell are.

Ho, ho, ho, Philosophers--just one second. You guys aren't off the hook either you know. You're some of the worst offenders. You try to claim that you toss aside all conventional systems for your own magical mystery tour and so that makes you different. You know, I hate to burst your little existential bubble but, your rejection of the other two in order to apply your own--get this--rules, beliefs, and logic, mean that you too have succumbed to--gasp!--a system. Sure, yours is one that allows the user to mold and shape his or her own reality, but it is still a system within which you operate. You haughtily look down your nose at those around you because they are incapable of operating within your little system, but like a condescending older sibling you humor the weak-minded around you by going into great detail about what you have discovered through countless hours of deep thought and contemplation. Hey, you might even get a book deal out of your self-indulgence! Score!

It amazes me to no end that people continue to view these three major belief systems (of which I'm sure there are numerous others) as separate, competing entities. They are all representative of the same ultimate end here people. The idea being to get a little bit higher up. Whether you choose religion or science, it doesn't matter, when viewed for what they are, they both result in what you feel is ascension, understanding, and deliverance from those unfortunate, lesser ones around you. Systems--like language, clothes, tools, or TiVo--separate us from the animals. That is why they formed, and that is why they are still around to this day, constantly growing and building their respective cases. Be honest with yourself when you subscribe to one of these or various other belief systems; you want to be better than everyone else--the "animals."