Drift Reality > Iran > Religion

Greater than differences in culture, language, and race; religion has been responsible for some of the bloodiest conflicts between nations in the history of our world. Conversely, some of the bloodiest conflicts have been aggravated and sustained by differences in religion.

In present day society, differences in religion have contributed to substantive misunderstandings between western nations and nations in the Middle East.

Out of a desire to learn more about these differences and how we may be able to resolve them, I did some research into the prophets behind some of the major religions in the world, in the hopes that I would be able to find a common thread that could serve to bring us closer together as one race.

What I concluded was that there is indeed a common thread between all the major prophets, but it is not what you might expect. Consider the following:

Judaism: After Moses parted the Red Sea and led his people to Sinai, he left to speak with God on the mountain. After forty days, he returned with stone tablets, given to him by God, upon which were inscribed the Ten Commandments.

Christianity: In Matthew, Chapter 5 of the New Testament, Jesus, "seeing the multitudes, went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him." What transpires then is the famous sermon on the mountain, in which Jesus essentially encapsulates much of the essence of Christianity.

Islam: The prophet Mohammed was born in Mecca, the principle commercial and religious center of Arabia, around 570 AD. He grew up during a time of decadence; and it was this decadence that drove Mohammed to the surrounding mountains in order to think of an alternative to the materialism and superficiality in Mecca.

Buddhism: Much like Mohammed, Siddhartha Gautama (who would eventually become known as the Buddha) would often leave the city in an effort to find the requisite peace that allowed him to grow closer to enlightenment. When the first disciples sought him out, he took them to the Vindhya Mountains for six years, where he taught them his wisdom.

If it's not clear by now, what I'm getting at is the fact that high-altitudes play a significant role in the development of all world-religions.

Right now, you may be asking yourself, "Who the hell cares?"

Well, according to MedicineNet.com, at sea level the concentration of oxygen is about 21% and the barometric pressure averages 760 mmHg. As altitude increases, the concentration remains the same but the number of oxygen molecules per breath is reduced.

At 12,000 feet (3,658 meters) the barometric pressure is only 483 mmHg, so there are roughly 40% fewer oxygen molecules per breath. In order to oxygenate the body effectively, your breathing rate (even while at rest) has to increase.

This extra ventilation increases the oxygen content in the blood, but not to sea level concentrations. Since the amount of oxygen required for activity is the same, the body must adjust to having less oxygen. In addition, high altitude and lower air pressure cause fluid to leak from the capillaries, which can cause fluid build-up in both the lungs and the brain. Continuing to higher altitudes without proper acclimatization can lead to potentially serious, even life-threatening illnesses.

One of these illnesses is called High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE).

According to Rick Curtis, Director of the Outdoor Action Program at Princeton University, HACE is the result of swelling of brain tissue from fluid leakage. Symptoms can include "headache, loss of coordination (ataxia), weakness, and decreasing levels of consciousness including, disorientation, loss of memory, psychotic behavior, and even hallucinations."

What type of behavior might these symptoms lead to?

Well, after experiencing HACE, perhaps one might be inclined to find large slabs of rock and carve commandments into them, telling people that "God" had given the slabs of rock to him.

Maybe after experiencing HACE, one might feel compelled to sit Indian-style under a tree for forty days until reaching enlightenment - an enlightenment that would include the ludicrous belief that sex was not a necessary part of life.

Maybe after experiencing HACE, someone might start yelling out crazy things like "if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee."

Brilliance or insanity?

Or High Altitude Cerebral Edema?