Betting Pools

You know what’s really weird when you think about it?

Every belief system, ideology and institution is really just a betting pool…

It’s a bunch of people pooling their respective intellectual (and many cases, physical) resources, collective will and sovereign allotments of authority together, so that they can wager those things on or against specific outcomes.

To self-define through an ideology, institution or belief system is to LITERALLY bet your life and potential on an outcome, or specific types of outcomes.

Christian: “I’m willing to bet my life (and the lives of those who depend on me) that a magician from thousands of years ago will show up and fix everything; including my character faults, which I’ve spent no effort towards improving or resolving myself.”

Racial/ethnic-identity ideologue: “I’m willing to bet my life (and the lives of those who depend on me) that my skin color, region and/or heritage makes me better and inherently superior to out-groupers.”

Political partisan ideologue: “I’m willing to bet my life (and the lives of those who depend on me) that people who label themselves the same as I do, and who vilify and degrade the same people I do, will make the best decisions on behalf of us all.”

Philosophy ideologue: “I’m willing to bet my life (and the lives of those who depend on me) that using meanings to create and explore meanings is the best way to learn and make sense of reality.”

Science ideologue: “I’m willing to bet my life (and the lives of those who depend on me) that measuring things — relationships, phenomena, affects and effects, is the way to learn and make sense of reality.”

Belief systems, institutions and ideologies are just sophisticated betting pools…

Don’t let the language or organizational structures fool you.