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The Prostate: Part I – BNP
What is situated below a body of water, has four zones and is commonly associated with venial pleasures. No it is not some romantic European city, but rather a walnut sized male organ that serves important procreative functions. It also happens to be an organ that plagues men as we age. This organ or gland is the prostate. This is the first of two articles on the male prostate. This article will focus on a disease process that affects older men, something we refer to as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH is a non-cancerous growth in the size of the prostate gland that impairs the flow of urine out of the bladder. The second article will focus of prostate cancer.
But first a little about the small yet important male organ. The gland is located just below the bladder. It usually measures one inch by one-and-a-half inches (approximately the size of a walnut). It surrounds the urethra (the tube that takes urine out of the bladder). It is responsible for producing a fluid important in male sexual function.
In the past the prostate was described as having “lobes”, but today we refer to it as having concentric zones. These zones are important both on an anatomical as well as histological level. We can separate pathology along these zones as well. For instance most all cancers occur in the peripheral zone while the benign process of enlargement occurs almost exclusively in the transitional zone (which only occupies about 5% of the total prostate volume).
The prostate gland is also made up of different cell types. Cancer cells develop from the epithelial cells, but it is the interaction with stromal cells that is important in the behavior of the cancer. BPH develops from an interaction between these cells as well, but it is complex and poorly understood. Testosterone and other hormones and their interactions with this gland are hot topics of research in understanding prostate disease.
The prostate gland produces most of what is found in the male ejaculate. The average volume is about 3 mL. This is less than a teaspoon and only 1% of it is sperm. The majority of the semen volume is made of products of the seminal vesicles and the prostate. The male ejaculate is very rich in potassium, zinc, citric acid and fructose. Along with these substances it also contains prostaglandins. There are many other unusual substances found in the semen. Not all is know about their function or purpose.
This important male organ is a complex mix of anatomical structures and cell types that make it possible for human reproduction. However beyond the reproductive years of men, this organ becomes one of burden rather than usefulness. We will discuss the finer points of BPH and how to best avoid it and if plagued with it, treatment options.
BPH typically affects men from their fourth to fifth decade of life and beyond. Several hormones come into play that have a drastic effect on the transitional zone (the zone that is most central and surrounding the urethra). Namely a metabolite of the male androgen Testosterone called Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) plays a big part on the enlargement of cells of the prostate and the encroachment on the urethra. There are several signs and symptoms that correlate with BPH and they are: slow urinary flow, the urge to urinate all the time, nighttime urination, enlargement and distension of the bladder with continuous urine leakage (incontinence) and urinary obstruction. Autopsies suggest that more than 90% of men older than 70 years have BPH. The average age for symptomatic development is about 65 years for white Americans and about 60 years for African-American men.
Ways to prevent the effects of DHT on the prostate gland and the ensuing enlargement are via medications that block the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase, which converts Testosterone to DHT. Proscar is such a drug commercially available through a pharmaceutical company. Proscar works on blocking the effects of androgens on the epithelial cells and can actually shrink the size of the prostate making some of the symptoms of BPH resolve.
Alternatively two FDA approved drugs that aid in symptoms of BPH (but act differently than Proscar) are Hytrin and Cardura. Both Hytrin and Cardura are drugs in the alpha1-blocker class. Originally researched as a centrally acting blood pressure reducer for patient with hypertension, it was discovered that this drug would actually relax the prostate tissue surrounding the urethra making symptoms of BPH resolve. Side effects generally include low blood pressure, dizziness, and nasal stuffiness. While neither of these two drugs will “cure” or reverse the process, they certainly do provide symptom relief for the patient plagued with BPH.
Another way to treat this disease and a more natural approach is the use of herbs know for their anti-androgenic effects on the prostate. These include the well-studied Saw Palmetto herbal extract that blocks 5-alpha-reductase in the same manner as the prescription drug. Saw Palmetto taken in a standardized dose of 160mg twice daily has shown increased urine flow, with minimal side effects. Saw Palmetto is an herb indigenous to the Lowcountry of Georgia and South Carolina. Pygeum Africanum is shown to do the same yet it is not as effective and there is a fair degree of stomach symptoms. Pygeum is derived from an African evergreen tree. Stinging Nettles (Radix urticae) is another herb used widely in Europe for prostate health that has been shown to lower the residual urine volume in men with enlarged prostates. These phytotherapeutics (plant derived medicines), used and described by the Egyptians as far back as the 15 Century B.C., have a common compounds called phytosterols. The most effective phytosterol is beta sito sterol for BPH.
None of the medications or herbs has been shown to prevent prostate cancer. These prescription medications and herbs are for the treatment, reduction in size or prevention of the benign process of enlargement of the prostate. Prostate cancer prevention and treatment is by other means and the subject of the next article.
Besides the herbal and drug therapies there are a few surgical therapies worth mentioning. These include the most common transurethral resection of the prostate or TURP. This is where under the care of an urologist the constricted urethra within the prostate gland is “reamed out” thus mechanically or surgically widened the opening. A variant of this is the transurethral incision of the prostate (TUIP) where an incision rather than resection of the tissue is performed. A suitable procedure for patients with prostates 100 mL in volume. This involves an abdominal operation and removal of the whole prostate. Of course symptoms mentioned above for TURP are of greater frequency with this more radical procedure. There is also thermotherapy (a type of microwave treatment) that alleviates irritative symptoms, but not much is available in long-term results in the medical literature. And finally stent placement is an option. This can be used in selected cases of patients with a poor general condition and in the non-operative candidate.
Symptoms of BPH include:
Obstructive symptoms: Hesitancy in initiating voiding (trouble getting started) Weak urinary stream, prolonged voiding Post-voiding dribbling (mild incontinence) Sensation of incomplete emptying Nocturia (night time urination) Overflow incontinence Acute urinary retention (very painful condition)
Irritative symptoms: Dysuria (discomfort in urination) Frequency Urgency
Scoring BPH:
The American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUASI) and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) are now considered the gold standard measurement tools for the assessment of BPH symptoms and response to treatment. Both questionnaires can be used by a physician in a clinical practice to quantify the subjective symptoms of BPH and monitor therapies.
Part II in this series will cover annual examination of the prostate, blood testing, prostate cancer. It will also cover prevention and treatment of prostate cancer.
Reference:
http://www.prostatehealth.com
Lowe, FC. Et al, Phytotherapy in treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a critical review. Urology 48:12-19, 1996
Dreikorn, K. et al, Stellenwert von Phytotherapeutica dei der Behandulng der benighnen Prostatahyperplasia. Urologe (A)34:119-129, 1995
Fitzpatrick, J.M. et al, Phytotherapeutic Agents in Management of Symptomatic Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Urological Clinics of North America. 22:407-412, 1995
Wilt T, Ishani A, Mac Donald R.. Serenoa repens for benign prostatic hyperplasia. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2002, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD001423. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001423.
[Research by Sagalowski and Wilson, 1998]
© 2005
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Whenever we read the great tales of ghosts and goblins, of gods and their helpers, of priests, lore, and magic, we are always struck with the idea that these spirits have emotions, that they are suffering from human frailties, and that they have a will power. The origin of the idea of the soul, of the spirits and the gods, all comes from the most human desire: immortality, freedom from fear of death. As it so happens to be natural, humans desire to avoid pain, suffering, misery, and death. The idea that death or the end of life is not really the end of life, and that a misery-less future awaits those who die, this idea is a relatively attractive one. With an afterlife, there is no death, so it is easy to see why one might enjoy such a theory, regardless of the lack of any evidence whatsoever. Since this idea in an afterlife flourishes considerably, there is are other popular ideas about spirits, souls, and other items that exist in this afterlife theory.
Our memories, our experiences, our thoughts, ideas, notions, character, attitude, and feelings are all stored within the mind. Science, or at least all honest investigative studies, would tell us that our mind is located within the physical brain of the body. So far, no other theory has come up with any verifiable evidence to the contrary. Another theory, with much less evidence, does exist. It is the idea that the mind is a part of the soul -- that when the body dies, the mind leaves the body with the soul. Some individuals have offered evidence on behalf of such a trite idea. They have argued that since it is a part of the spiritual realm, one which tools and devices and technology cannot reach nor see, that it is out of their jurisdiction of judgment. An interesting idea, I admit. One might as well claim that they have invented, discovered, or uncovered something that is wonderful and beautiful, but that is completely unsensible by human senses. (i.e. we might have a tourist trap with the holy grail, only to find a plaque "If you have sinned, you cannot see or feel it, but you must believe it is there.")
One might be so educated and thoughtful enough to feel that the theory of a soul is so discredited, that it needs no further examination; it becomes a moot point. However, there are some things in this field that might want to be considered, just in a hypothetical point of view at most. So it indeed happens that every folk story and every old religion regards spirits as vibrant and powerful beings. In Greek mythology, the gods often came down from their clouds, to mate with earthlings, or kill them, or have dealings with them. In the stories of these gods, they all seem to have the exact same characteristics of any human being. They have desires, wants, fears, hopes, beliefs. They react to their environment. When they are informed that their plans have failed, they react with disappointment, and maybe rage or violence. When they are informed that their plans have succeeded, they react with happiness, and maybe feasting or gloating. The gods are essentially the most human of any theoretical being, and this is no surprise when we think of their creator.
I cannot, for the life of me, suppose any idea or theory as to why any of the gods are endowed with desires or wants anyway. When I think of the origin of such psychological phenomena in humans, or any other organism, my question is immediately answered. Humans are endowed with a complex brain because it is necessary towards survival. The same can be argued for any other living creature. Desire motivates, it creates movement. When a predator, either a crocodile or a lion or any other for that matter, is hungry, it hunts to satisfy its desire. In this situation, the component of the brain that creates desire and want, especially for satisfying hunger, this component is essential. Those predators that were born without this capability could not hunt or eat as effectively, and could not fight for breeding rights very well either, since they could not want them. And, so, it would die, leaving no offspring, leaving no other organisms on this planet with their DNA -- DNA which contains a lack of desire. We can apply this to other organisms, too. Prey that is born without a desire to flee its natural predator, for example, will not live long enough to reproduce. The same can be said of prey that does not want to eat to satisfy its hunger, either. It will waste away to weakness and then be taken by its predator.
Desire definitely plays a strong and important role in the psyche of all consciousness-endowed organisms. However, it is not the only important part of consciousness. For example, there is also pain, the physical affliction, or misery, the mental affliction. An animal can suffer, and it is this suffering that they will forever be afraid of. Their fear and their suffering gives them something to desire: happiness and security. Without pain, an organism will not react negatively to another trying to kill it -- at least, if instincts were gone as well. Without happiness, an animal would not know whether it was doing something right or wrong. The social instinct, to be in a collective of like organisms, is natural to almost every mammal. When wolves hunt in packs, they are more effective killers. When humans band together to form societies and civilizations, the fruit of their labor increases. When zebras feed and mate in packs, all of their stripes form a natural defense, by disallowing predators from knowing where one zebra starts and another ends. The social instinct has given each organism a strong advantage in survival. And, when organisms survive, they can reproduce, and more organisms like themselves, with the same emotions and mental faculties, will be produced.
Let us not forget the importance of the mating instinct. The sexual arrousal caused by flirting or foreplay plays a significant role in the mating act. The orgasm itself and the sexual drive to achieve are important to every creature. It seems that in every group of thoughtful organisms, there is not competition for the right to reproduce, some how or some way. Often, it is the male competing for the female, but this is not the only case. In some cases, there is polygamy, and in others, there is polyandry. Every rule of behavior that we can think of for other organisms will always have exceptions to it. The underlying fact that sex plays an important role in the mental faculties of conscious organisms is important to my thesis. The mind is full of complexities and faculties that make it conscious. All of these emotions, these feelings, play a strong sense in the conscious organism.
Now that I have covered a great deal on the complexities of conscious organisms, one might be curious as to why I brought up this subject in the discussion of spirits. First of all, all of the components of the mind that I mentioned above -- desire, fear, social instinct, sex -- all of these components have a reason for existence. By this, I mean that they all exist because of the natural and perpetual struggle that goes on in the natural world. Without desire or fear or sexual impulses, an organism would not reproduce, and therefore, no other organisms with that mentality would be created, except by chance of reversion, which is very unlikely. My question is this: why is it that spirits and souls are endowed with these psychological aspects?
In all of the stories I have read of the gods, I have uncovered all of these impulses. I have encountered the sexual urge of the gods of Greece and Rome. I have discovered the ability to desire and feel accomplishment or disappointment in the gods and spirits of Animist cultures. It seems that there is no god, excepting the god of Deism, that has no interest in being involved with the people who believe in him. The Christians believe their god will save them. The Hindus believe their god will reincarnate them. The Jews believe that their god has smashed societies and cultures for the tiniest of reasons. Every religion remains identical in this fact.
Okay, so, we have spirits, souls, and gods, many of them endowed with human mentality. I am quite curious, though. Why is it that no playwright in ancient Greece ever described one of the gods as rubbing his belly and hungry? Why have I seen no spirits that get hungry? Some cultures feed their spirits, but that's even more absurd. They leave only enough food for a few days or a weeks. And why leave any food at all? Will the spirits decompose and go to the state of the after-afterlife? The sexual urge that seems so prevalent in so many religions, from the god of Christianity violating a virgin meant to be married to the Greek gods that committed such fornication on a regular basis -- just why does the sexual urge prevail? Of what use is it? Are the gods going to mate and then produce spiritual offspring?
What seems a thousand times more odd is that the gods are lacking those parts that make sexual activity useful, for procreation or recreation. The penis and the vagina, these two parts that are responsible for producing the pleasure of sex, are non-existent on ghosts. If a human loses such a part, it is impossible to engage in sexual activity. And, it seems that these ghosts have lost all their bodies. Yet, the urge to have sex is prevalent, while their sex organs are not prevalent. One may argue with me, "But the gods and ghosts have physical bodies that they can use!" If this is true, then it shouldn't be even slightly difficult to get evidence of god. Whenever pressed for evidence, the religionist usually claims, "But they are noncorporal entities -- they are not physical, they are spiritual." No thoughtful spiritualist will claim their god is actually physical, because in doing so, they have opened the doors to dispelling their beliefs in a heartbeat.
The need to eat is as absurd as the desire to have sex for the gods. Other things, such as the social instinct and any desire at all, seem to also be quite absurd. Why animals and other conscious organisms are equipped with desires and the social instinct is easy to understand. With regard to the social instinct, it has helped organisms to survive against the natural elements, or predators, or aided in obtaining their prey. When organisms had a social instinct, they were more effective at survival, and that means they were more effective at reproducing. When organisms had no social instinct, they died rather quickly -- not able to reproduce something like themselves, leaving the world destitute of such types of species. (And while there may be exceptions to this rule of the social instinct, the previous description is how Evolution works: those unfit, do not survive.) Why would the gods ever be needing of the social instinct? Why ever should the gods band together with other gods? In all honesty, I am bankrupt of any answer. The gods cannot die, they cannot suffer afflictions caused by natural disasters, they cannot be wounded. Everything that makes the social instinct desirable and useful is nonexistent with the gods. Banding together does nothing for them. One might argue "It cures loneliness," but loneliness may in fact just be that instinct to band together unsatisfied.
Then there is the idea of desire. In all my studying of literature, I must say that the mythology of Greece, Egypt, and the entire Fertile Crescent is full of gods with more desires and wants than any sane man. Since it seems very easy to believe that the gods are simply an image of mankind, exaggerrated in many aspects, so it seems that these gods are endowed with many supernatural wants, needs, impulses, desires. Sometimes the drowning of an entire civilization in blood is not enough to quell the heart of the least dominant deity. I am also curious here... Why is it that the gods have been endowed with this ability of desiring? To what use is it really, when one is a god? It has no use. For, if god, or the gods, are capable of doing anything, then they would not desire, but simply have. I can see the use of the desire ability in organisms and animals on our own planet. When there is hunger, or sexual lust, or gaining security in society, all of these desires push and motivate the organism to do what is necessary to live and to reproduce. And, once reproduction has occured, the cycle can happen all over again. When an animal is not fit enough to reproduce, or cannot live to that stage, then the genes that cursed it to a sexless life will not be found again, exception in the rare instances of reversion perhaps.
Many of the Freethinkers and philosophes of earlier years, and even our own day, have attacked the idea of religion. God created man in his own image was a questioned idea, and we reversed it: man created god in his own image. This would seem to be the more credulous case of the matter. We find gods in each civilization, taking the race and species of its people. This has varied in some cases, where gods take on the forms of reptiles, mammals, and birds. However, there is one thing in the nature of gods, spirits, and souls that seems to be consistent in every religion we investigate: they have wants, desires, lust, hunger, and needs. Where every human being -- no, where every living creature is the same, in having a consciousness, we find that same consciousness in a rather inplausible place: in a god, or a soul, or a spirit. It is clearly understood, then, that these gods and spirits are based on human ideas, that they come from the minds of men, that they spread by our mouths. And, it must also be clearly understood, that the gods are nothing more than an imperfect creation by the hands of man.
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A phobia is defined as an irrational fear. There are hundreds of them.
Arachnophobia – fear of spiders
Arachibutyrophobia – fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth
Caligynephobia – fear of beautiful women
Hippopotomonstrosesquippeddaliophobia – fear of long words
Ithyphallophobia – fear of seeing an erect penis
Placophobia – fear of tombstones
Trichopathophobia – fear of hair
Triskadekaphobia – fear of the number thirteen
Xerophobia – fear of dryness
Zemmiphobia – fear of the great mole rat
…to pick out just a handful of mostly little known phobias.
Phobias keep you safe. That's an odd claim to make. Anyone who suffers from a phobia of something they can't avoid knows how disabling phobias are. And experiencing a terror of an object or circumstance that others don't have any problem with is likely to make life uncomfortable at the very least. But let's have a look at this whole phobia issue.
Snakes, spiders, and needles are very common phobias. Even chimpanzees suffer from snake phobia. It keeps them safe. Snakes can be lethal. But chimpanzees even go ape at a piece of hosepipe that looks like a snake lying on the ground. So being frightened of snakes makes more sense than not being frightened of snakes. Spiders too can be poisonous, so it makes sense to give them a wide berth too. Needles hurt so why not want to avoid having someone stick one in you and either suck blood out, or pump something in.
Fear of the dark. Well you can't see if there's any danger in the dark and in the dark danger (bear, wolf, lion, hyena, plague infested rat) has a better chance of getting up close to you. So it makes sense to want to keep a light on (have a fire burning) all night.
So you can see already that some phobias might have origins in our evolutionary past. And panicking or screaming or generally making a fuss would be of benefit to the whole tribal group alerting them of danger in much the way that one or two individuals in a flock or a herd will give an alarm call when they spot a predator on the prowl.
The only problem is that with a phobia, the reaction has gotten a little out of hand. The scale of it has gone beyond what is necessary, that's all.
But then there are the agoraphobics and social phobics. Phobias like these actually make a person's world very small and very frightening. But if you feel uncertain of yourself and have low self-esteem then the phobia provides a legitimate reason to avoid being out and having to interact with others. So the phobia, uncomfortable though it is, actually has some benefits.
The problem is, benefits or not, that when you are confronted with the thing that terrifies you, when you have to go on holiday and spend several hours trapped in an aeroplane convinced you are going to die, and then spend a fortnight looking forward to the terror of the return, you experience a very real Hell. Whatever the phobia is, when it happens, all sense goes out of the window and life becomes something that you'd readily give up rather than face that thing that frightens you.
This is a serious problem. Anything that debilitating, anything that has that much power to destroy the rational intelligence of a healthy mind is something to be treated with respect and with all seriousness.
So what's the difference between a phobia and a fear. I've handled snakes and enjoyed it, they are amazing creatures. But hand me a cobra and I'd back away with some trepidation. I don't have a problem with harmless spiders crawling on me, but I'd be seriously panicked if a black widow was crawling up my arm. This is a normal healthy, sensible reaction. Panicking because you are told there is a snake in a bag in the next room isn't. Panicking because you bring an image of a spider into your mind is abnormal.
A phobia fills your mind and there is nothing there but a desire to be away from the source of the phobia. Thinking about the object of the phobia brings on symptoms almost identical to their actual physical presence. Often when phobias are treated the sufferer is asked to score the severity on a scale of 1 to 10, where ten is the highest level of terror they can imagine and 1 is feeling just ever so slightly uncomfortable. If the score isn't 8 or above, then there is a strong likelihood that there is no phobia. That doesn't mean there isn't a problem, but it does mean the treatment could be different. Most people can handle fears up to level 7, above that it takes over the mind completely.
But it is all in the mind.
That's why a phobia is one of the easiest problems for a hypnotherapist to fix. I'll tell you quickly one of the 'tricks' we use to scramble up a phobic image. It's generally known as the five-minute phobia cure. Let's say arachnophobia, a fear of spiders, is the problem. The sufferer is asked to picture a spider in their mind and then put a funny hat on it, say a clown's hat with a big bobble on the top. Then you could put bright yellow Wellington boots on each of its eight legs, and maybe give it a big red nose. And you play around with the image until you see a smile or a laugh. It's just a question of finding the right elements that trigger a humorous response. You can't laugh and be frightened simultaneously.
What this does is interfere with the thought pathways that lead to a fear response when an image of a spider is encountered (imagined or real), so the neurons that used to fire so readily on presentation of that image can't do so, or can't do so without other neurons also firing that lead to a relaxation response. The more scrambled and the more humorous you can make the image, the more powerful the 'cure'.
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Whenever we read the great tales of ghosts and goblins, of gods and their helpers, of priests, lore, and magic, we are always struck with the idea that these spirits have emotions, that they are suffering from human frailties, and that they have a will power. The origin of the idea of the soul, of the spirits and the gods, all comes from the most human desire: immortality, freedom from fear of death. As it so happens to be natural, humans desire to avoid pain, suffering, misery, and death. The idea that death or the end of life is not really the end of life, and that a misery-less future awaits those who die, this idea is a relatively attractive one. With an afterlife, there is no death, so it is easy to see why one might enjoy such a theory, regardless of the lack of any evidence whatsoever. Since this idea in an afterlife flourishes considerably, there is are other popular ideas about spirits, souls, and other items that exist in this afterlife theory.
Our memories, our experiences, our thoughts, ideas, notions, character, attitude, and feelings are all stored within the mind. Science, or at least all honest investigative studies, would tell us that our mind is located within the physical brain of the body. So far, no other theory has come up with any verifiable evidence to the contrary. Another theory, with much less evidence, does exist. It is the idea that the mind is a part of the soul -- that when the body dies, the mind leaves the body with the soul. Some individuals have offered evidence on behalf of such a trite idea. They have argued that since it is a part of the spiritual realm, one which tools and devices and technology cannot reach nor see, that it is out of their jurisdiction of judgment. An interesting idea, I admit. One might as well claim that they have invented, discovered, or uncovered something that is wonderful and beautiful, but that is completely unsensible by human senses. (i.e. we might have a tourist trap with the holy grail, only to find a plaque "If you have sinned, you cannot see or feel it, but you must believe it is there.")
One might be so educated and thoughtful enough to feel that the theory of a soul is so discredited, that it needs no further examination; it becomes a moot point. However, there are some things in this field that might want to be considered, just in a hypothetical point of view at most. So it indeed happens that every folk story and every old religion regards spirits as vibrant and powerful beings. In Greek mythology, the gods often came down from their clouds, to mate with earthlings, or kill them, or have dealings with them. In the stories of these gods, they all seem to have the exact same characteristics of any human being. They have desires, wants, fears, hopes, beliefs. They react to their environment. When they are informed that their plans have failed, they react with disappointment, and maybe rage or violence. When they are informed that their plans have succeeded, they react with happiness, and maybe feasting or gloating. The gods are essentially the most human of any theoretical being, and this is no surprise when we think of their creator.
I cannot, for the life of me, suppose any idea or theory as to why any of the gods are endowed with desires or wants anyway. When I think of the origin of such psychological phenomena in humans, or any other organism, my question is immediately answered. Humans are endowed with a complex brain because it is necessary towards survival. The same can be argued for any other living creature. Desire motivates, it creates movement. When a predator, either a crocodile or a lion or any other for that matter, is hungry, it hunts to satisfy its desire. In this situation, the component of the brain that creates desire and want, especially for satisfying hunger, this component is essential. Those predators that were born without this capability could not hunt or eat as effectively, and could not fight for breeding rights very well either, since they could not want them. And, so, it would die, leaving no offspring, leaving no other organisms on this planet with their DNA -- DNA which contains a lack of desire. We can apply this to other organisms, too. Prey that is born without a desire to flee its natural predator, for example, will not live long enough to reproduce. The same can be said of prey that does not want to eat to satisfy its hunger, either. It will waste away to weakness and then be taken by its predator.
Desire definitely plays a strong and important role in the psyche of all consciousness-endowed organisms. However, it is not the only important part of consciousness. For example, there is also pain, the physical affliction, or misery, the mental affliction. An animal can suffer, and it is this suffering that they will forever be afraid of. Their fear and their suffering gives them something to desire: happiness and security. Without pain, an organism will not react negatively to another trying to kill it -- at least, if instincts were gone as well. Without happiness, an animal would not know whether it was doing something right or wrong. The social instinct, to be in a collective of like organisms, is natural to almost every mammal. When wolves hunt in packs, they are more effective killers. When humans band together to form societies and civilizations, the fruit of their labor increases. When zebras feed and mate in packs, all of their stripes form a natural defense, by disallowing predators from knowing where one zebra starts and another ends. The social instinct has given each organism a strong advantage in survival. And, when organisms survive, they can reproduce, and more organisms like themselves, with the same emotions and mental faculties, will be produced.
Let us not forget the importance of the mating instinct. The sexual arrousal caused by flirting or foreplay plays a significant role in the mating act. The orgasm itself and the sexual drive to achieve are important to every creature. It seems that in every group of thoughtful organisms, there is not competition for the right to reproduce, some how or some way. Often, it is the male competing for the female, but this is not the only case. In some cases, there is polygamy, and in others, there is polyandry. Every rule of behavior that we can think of for other organisms will always have exceptions to it. The underlying fact that sex plays an important role in the mental faculties of conscious organisms is important to my thesis. The mind is full of complexities and faculties that make it conscious. All of these emotions, these feelings, play a strong sense in the conscious organism.
Now that I have covered a great deal on the complexities of conscious organisms, one might be curious as to why I brought up this subject in the discussion of spirits. First of all, all of the components of the mind that I mentioned above -- desire, fear, social instinct, sex -- all of these components have a reason for existence. By this, I mean that they all exist because of the natural and perpetual struggle that goes on in the natural world. Without desire or fear or sexual impulses, an organism would not reproduce, and therefore, no other organisms with that mentality would be created, except by chance of reversion, which is very unlikely. My question is this: why is it that spirits and souls are endowed with these psychological aspects?
In all of the stories I have read of the gods, I have uncovered all of these impulses. I have encountered the sexual urge of the gods of Greece and Rome. I have discovered the ability to desire and feel accomplishment or disappointment in the gods and spirits of Animist cultures. It seems that there is no god, excepting the god of Deism, that has no interest in being involved with the people who believe in him. The Christians believe their god will save them. The Hindus believe their god will reincarnate them. The Jews believe that their god has smashed societies and cultures for the tiniest of reasons. Every religion remains identical in this fact.
Okay, so, we have spirits, souls, and gods, many of them endowed with human mentality. I am quite curious, though. Why is it that no playwright in ancient Greece ever described one of the gods as rubbing his belly and hungry? Why have I seen no spirits that get hungry? Some cultures feed their spirits, but that's even more absurd. They leave only enough food for a few days or a weeks. And why leave any food at all? Will the spirits decompose and go to the state of the after-afterlife? The sexual urge that seems so prevalent in so many religions, from the god of Christianity violating a virgin meant to be married to the Greek gods that committed such fornication on a regular basis -- just why does the sexual urge prevail? Of what use is it? Are the gods going to mate and then produce spiritual offspring?
What seems a thousand times more odd is that the gods are lacking those parts that make sexual activity useful, for procreation or recreation. The penis and the vagina, these two parts that are responsible for producing the pleasure of sex, are non-existent on ghosts. If a human loses such a part, it is impossible to engage in sexual activity. And, it seems that these ghosts have lost all their bodies. Yet, the urge to have sex is prevalent, while their sex organs are not prevalent. One may argue with me, "But the gods and ghosts have physical bodies that they can use!" If this is true, then it shouldn't be even slightly difficult to get evidence of god. Whenever pressed for evidence, the religionist usually claims, "But they are noncorporal entities -- they are not physical, they are spiritual." No thoughtful spiritualist will claim their god is actually physical, because in doing so, they have opened the doors to dispelling their beliefs in a heartbeat.
The need to eat is as absurd as the desire to have sex for the gods. Other things, such as the social instinct and any desire at all, seem to also be quite absurd. Why animals and other conscious organisms are equipped with desires and the social instinct is easy to understand. With regard to the social instinct, it has helped organisms to survive against the natural elements, or predators, or aided in obtaining their prey. When organisms had a social instinct, they were more effective at survival, and that means they were more effective at reproducing. When organisms had no social instinct, they died rather quickly -- not able to reproduce something like themselves, leaving the world destitute of such types of species. (And while there may be exceptions to this rule of the social instinct, the previous description is how Evolution works: those unfit, do not survive.) Why would the gods ever be needing of the social instinct? Why ever should the gods band together with other gods? In all honesty, I am bankrupt of any answer. The gods cannot die, they cannot suffer afflictions caused by natural disasters, they cannot be wounded. Everything that makes the social instinct desirable and useful is nonexistent with the gods. Banding together does nothing for them. One might argue "It cures loneliness," but loneliness may in fact just be that instinct to band together unsatisfied.
Then there is the idea of desire. In all my studying of literature, I must say that the mythology of Greece, Egypt, and the entire Fertile Crescent is full of gods with more desires and wants than any sane man. Since it seems very easy to believe that the gods are simply an image of mankind, exaggerrated in many aspects, so it seems that these gods are endowed with many supernatural wants, needs, impulses, desires. Sometimes the drowning of an entire civilization in blood is not enough to quell the heart of the least dominant deity. I am also curious here... Why is it that the gods have been endowed with this ability of desiring? To what use is it really, when one is a god? It has no use. For, if god, or the gods, are capable of doing anything, then they would not desire, but simply have. I can see the use of the desire ability in organisms and animals on our own planet. When there is hunger, or sexual lust, or gaining security in society, all of these desires push and motivate the organism to do what is necessary to live and to reproduce. And, once reproduction has occured, the cycle can happen all over again. When an animal is not fit enough to reproduce, or cannot live to that stage, then the genes that cursed it to a sexless life will not be found again, exception in the rare instances of reversion perhaps.
Many of the Freethinkers and philosophes of earlier years, and even our own day, have attacked the idea of religion. God created man in his own image was a questioned idea, and we reversed it: man created god in his own image. This would seem to be the more credulous case of the matter. We find gods in each civilization, taking the race and species of its people. This has varied in some cases, where gods take on the forms of reptiles, mammals, and birds. However, there is one thing in the nature of gods, spirits, and souls that seems to be consistent in every religion we investigate: they have wants, desires, lust, hunger, and needs. Where every human being -- no, where every living creature is the same, in having a consciousness, we find that same consciousness in a rather inplausible place: in a god, or a soul, or a spirit. It is clearly understood, then, that these gods and spirits are based on human ideas, that they come from the minds of men, that they spread by our mouths. And, it must also be clearly understood, that the gods are nothing more than an imperfect creation by the hands of man.
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