Foundationism is a fictional futuristic religion that was invented by jms. It was boosted by the discovery of intelligent alien life and their religious systems.

“The idea behind the foundation is that get back to the root, all the earth religions has the doctrine core, each belief system find out what they have in common, they get a lot more in common than you think. Just when politics and money and nationalism get in the way that things get a little messed up.”
“The more you try to define God, the further away you get from really explaining him.”
Stephen Franklin

This is similar perhaps to Émile Durkheim and his “underlying interest to understand the existence of religion in the absence of belief in any religion’s actual tenets.” Wikipedia

Walkabout

Walkabout seems to be based more on pop culture rather than aboriginal spiritual beliefs but its fairly significant in Babylon 5.

“The theory is: if you are separated from yourself, you start walking and you keep walking until you meet yourself. Then you sit down and have a long talk.” “And then, if you are lucky, you look up and there’s just you, and you can go home.” Stephen Franklin

I am all out of analysis at the moment. Suggestions please? :)

The idea of Walkabout seems to have originated in western settlers biased observations of aboriginal life. If we are very charitable to the writers, perhaps Aboriginal beliefs included this by the year 2260? ok perhaps not.

The English equivalent of an expressive word which describes the nomadic habits of the large number of tribes inhabiting the drier parts of Australia. It was not a compulsive urge but dire necessity which forced them to spend the dry season wandering from one waterhole to another in search of game, vegetable, food, and water. Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aboriginal Life

jms is NOT the messiah

JMS developed the foundationist religion from his imagination but was reluctant to release information because he did not want to create another science fiction related cult (similar to George Lucas or L. Ron Hubbard. This was a very responsible attitude to have as people will almost believe anything – see the book Join Me for a detailed example. Join Me’s leader originally was secretive about his movements goals – because he had not the faintness idea what it should be! (Join Me has since been dedicated to altruism.)

> Careful you don’t get elroned.
>
> Rob

Which is one of the reasons I’ve debated this for so long (and the debate is still continuing).

jms

An Offhand Comment regarding Karma

Separate from Foundationism, the following comment was made:

“You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn’t it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe.” – Marcus Cole

This is a jibe at Karma and especially Western interpretation of Karma. “Kardecist and Western New Age reinterpretations of karma frequently cast it as a sort of luck associated with virtue: if one does good or spiritually valuable acts, one deserves and can expect good luck; conversely, if one does harmful things, one can expect bad luck or unfortunate happenings.” Wikipedia.

One difficulty in determining the fairness or unfairness of the universe is Confirmation bias. If we expect an unfair universe, we will generally find it so and visa versa. Another view is to opt of the chances the universe throws our way e.g. Buddism’s Noble Eightfold Path. Nietzsche would argue the opposite – bad things happening are necessary to understand the world: “slowly it leads us back from side roads and wrong roads; it prepares single qualities and fitnesses that will one day prove to be indispensable as means toward a whole” (Ecce Homo II:9).

Anti Citizen One