Religion is Engineering
I stand in awe of engineers—both modern and ancient.
Prince Philip once said: “Engineers—next only to God. Everything that wasn’t invented by God was invented by an engineer.”
And I totally agree.....
But what exactly is engineering?
Engineering is, the application of truth to gain an advantage—mechanical or otherwise.
And if we generalize by removing the word mechanical,
Then ALL believers, irrespective of their religion, are in fact, engineers.
Why?
Because they apply the timeless truths of faith in much the same way:
Seeking to win an advantage, one way or another.
Religion, then, may well be the ultimate engineering tool, for it engineers the human soul, and the human soul, in turn, has engineered this Brave New World.
One in which, sitting here in Lagos, I can peer through the clouds five thousand kilometers away and watch the sun rise.
The Mayans and the Stars I
Mayan engineering is perhaps the best example of the link between religion and engineering.
(I’d have loved to add ancient Egyptian engineering— but as we all now know, those pyramids were built by aliens.
(Just kidding)
When I visited Chichén Itzá in December 2022, the most fascinating thing I discovered was this - Standing off to one side, when you clapped your hands, the echo that returned was the cry of a bird in distress.
I still think wonder about this to this day: Was that an unintended consequence of engineering perfection, or a deliberate calculation born of superior knowledge of acoustics?
I desperately want to believe it was an unintended consequence
the result of this simple truth: that the universe is perfect.
The Universe Is Perfect. The Universe is Patient
The universe is perfect in so many ways— perfect in its constitution, perfect in its logic. Its mathematics is flawless. Unchanging. Its numbers never lie.
Did you know the Bible gives the value of pi? Yes, it does—1 Kings 7:23.
The universe is perfectly patient— and unobtrusive.
Offering knowledge only to those who ask questions.
Remains silent for those who'd rather not know - blended quietly into the wallpaper of their existence; awaiting the 'thawning' of their consciousness...
Seek and Ye Shall Find
Moses asked questions: “What’s Your name?” “Who shall I tell them sent me?” He wanted answers. So must we.
It is important to seek.
Even if you do not find what we seek, we will find something new.
(Perhaps within us)
Back to the MAYANS...
They were incredibly engineers—of that we are sure.
I once read that they created the most accurate calendars ever—
more advanced, even, than NASA’s.
And I remember thinking:
“Wow… NASA makes calendars now?”
Every ancient civilization observed the stars
and learned from them.
They sought patterns, meanings, and connections.
They engineered their lives around the heavens—
and in doing so, mirrored the patience of the universe itself.
Then again, what do you do at night
for thousands of years without electricity or TV?
You watch nature’s television—
on the grandest screen of all.
That's what you do!
Generation after generation,
Observing - recording - and passing down knowledge.
It is such diligence that forces the universe to reveal its hand—
perhaps confident that humans so meticulous
could be trusted with knowledge.
No Progress without Patience
Patience is more than a virtue—
it is the quiet pulse of all advancement.
Without patience, there can be no advancement.
For advancement requires meticulous observation,
And meticulous observation requires patience...
It is fools who hurry for no reason at all.
It is in their nature to hurry—
Their nature to neither stop to smell roses,
nor watch the sun rise or set.
The Folly of Hurrying for the sake of Hurrying....
Have you ever wondered about corruption?
About people who will not wait?
For God or for man?
Who seek only their narrow selfish advantage?
Who practice self-injury as though it were a religion?
Who will not queue,
even if their lives depended on it—
Who in a desert, would topple a water tanker.
Without a second thought,
in their mad rush to get just one bucket full...
They have to know that queuing orderly would ensure
everyone gets a pail of water, with enough for a few more days.
But they will topple that tanker... knock it sideways.
Spill its content and proudly walk home with the spoils...
A half full bucket of water.
Not a problem
Tomorrow they will listen out for where a tanker would be headed and join in toppling it for another half-bucket
Have you ever wondered about such people?
I have!
I have often wonder about people who have free chosen to live without dignity.
Wondering why they cannot turn around and choose a different path?
Patience and The Japanese...
I think the universe met its match in Japan—in the art of patience.
Everything there speaks of precision,
borne out of long obedience in the same direction,
and balance.
Back to the documentary: making brushes for calligraphy must require an extraordinary level of self-mastery—
it is torturous work.
Then the documentary shifted to the making of ink for Japanese calligraphers—
and again I thought:
let me just say this once more—
Without patience, there can be no advancement.
Show me a nation of impatient people,
and I’ll show you a people with no capacity to solve even the most basic problems.
Patience and the Mountain Africa Must Climb
Africa…
I wish we could be a little more like Japan—in our patience.
I’d like to think the universe is waiting for us—
to climb up our own Mount Sinai
for an encounter with the Giver of that which disciplines the soul.
Perhaps we long for the mountain but cannot find our way—
always getting lost along the path.
Perhaps that is why the universe waits.
Patiently.
If you cannot diligently seek, then diligently wait.
If you long for the mountain but cannot find your way—wait.
Be sure of this: the mountain has seen you.
It knows how many times you’ve tried to come—
saw you falter and fall.
Wait.
Be still…
and it will come to you.
Closing Reflection
Hmmm… Be still and know. Be still and know, I am God.
I rest.
— Don Kenobi (#OldManInTheMolue)
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