Spirituality and what does that mean?????

[Alive42]

I read Seat of the Soul also, but it's been a few years ago - I need to refresh.

Do you ever wonder why we strive for relief - most days I can let the questions go that have no answer, but there are days I wonder "WHY THE HELL I AM HERE". It seems like a waste to rattle around doing all these mundane things (even climbing mnt everest) waiting to die - I hope you can understand what I am trying to stay. I am not suicidel. This just seems odd to be a being put here with no directions - isthere a god/creator or are we the TV to soemthing bigger with a wierd sense of humor. I don't know - I am babbling again, but sometimes these bigger questions drive me

Oh yes i know exactly what you mean. I used to think about this ALL the time. it drove me nuts. And then one day i realized i was miserable and that it didnt matter. what matter was that i wasnt going to kill myself and i didnt want to be miserable. so i stopped thinking about things that made me miserable and started applying myself to things that helped.

The catch is the cosmic irony of my effort. I read the best quote about the cosmic irony of life, though. it was in my film appreciation book:

"Irony pictures every situation as possessing two equal sides, or truths, that cancel each other out or at least work against each other, the overall effect of ironic expression is to show the ridiculous complexity and uncertainty of human experience. Life is seen as a continuous series of paradoxes and contradictions, characterized by ambiguities and discrepancies, and no truth is ever absolute. Such irony implies that life is a game in which the players are aware of the impossibility of winning and the absurdity of the game even while they continue to play. Although irony usually has a humorous effect, the humor of cosmic irony bites deep. it can bring a laugh but not of the usual kind. it will be not a belly laugh but a sudden outward gasp of air, almost a cough, that catches in the throat between the heart and mind. we laugh perhaps because it hurts too much to cry."​

I love the part where the author describes life as an absurd game. that's exactly what i feel like. I mean really, who would want a game that had a zillion rules, a zillion pieces, but didnt clarify which rules were the 'right' ones, had no defined path, and the end of the game was you DYING. No reward, no million bucks. you suffer, work your ass off, maybe have some joy sprinkled here and there, and maybe, just maybe when you start to get it, you die. who would want to play??? but we do play. how absurd. the catch is, you only have two choices, play the game or die. and if you decide to play you dont want to be miserable so you have to try. its ludicrous.

Oh my god - I think you hit the nail on the head - I love it - why not play the game or die - and if you play the game hard and die in the process oh well - or maybe you win - who knows.

 

[heretostay]

Oh my god - I think you hit the nail on the head - I love it - why not play the game or die - and if you play the game hard and die in the process oh well - or maybe you win - who knows.

ya play the game or die. that's exactly it. its your choice. if you want to focus on how miserable you are, and the irony of it all, and stay miserable, well, its your game. you choose to play. and to an extent, you make the rules.

what ive come to realize is how unbelievably simple life is. that's what gets me now. its so stupid simple its insane. I used to have these monumentous theories of god, right vs wrong, evil vs. good, ethics, and perspectives. blah. what a red-herring that all is. you mentioned the little mundane tasks. that's all life is. there are no great answers or monumentous discoveries. its simple day to day things that mean nothing, except when it comes to your happiness. you do the mundane because you dont want to be miserable. that's all there is to it. the complexities of life's greatest mysteries all boil down to: can you find what brings you even the slightest pleasure, and do you have sense enough to cling to those things.

So when you go about your day, and you see something, and it sparks even the smallest amusement in you, do you cling to it? and do you search out more of its kind? Or do you find yourself clinging to things that make you miserable? Do thoughts of the irony of life's absurdities make you miserable? then why would you keep thinking about it? It is unbelievably that simple.

 

[Unacceptance]

I don't believe in anything. Facts over faith.

Well certainly you believe in something. even believing in nothing is believing in something.

I have principles and scruples and whatnot, but I don't actually trust in anything that is dogmatic. As in, I don't actually have things I necessarily "believe" in, I'd rather know or logically reason out my world vi than just put blind assumptions as a way to live my life.

Then logic and knowing is what you believe in. But what you have to ask yourself is who's logic and knowing are you believing in? There are just things in this world. Any truth, or fact, assigned to a thing requires a belief, or faith, first in whomever is assigning the dogma to the thing. Objects do not reveal truth, people assign truth to things first through their predisposed believes, or faith, in a certain system. So who's believes do you believe in?

If you believe in logic and knowledge, its people you believe in. Do you know who you believe in? There are observations made by people who assign believes to the observed. If you believe in facts, you believe in what people think about objects.

Believing always predisposes a so-called fact. Faith is discredited through religious nuts, but it is really a signature type of knowledge that if one is not aware of, then one is lead blindly to follow 'facts' that are simply another's beliefs. And when you dont know who you're following, that's when you are following with blind faith.

Not quite. A truth is a truth regardless of whether a person figured it out or not. I don't have to make the supposition that a person "invented" the idea of a triangle, it was there regardless of a person's intervention. Hence the idea of an objective truth.

If someone makes an observation, they don't create the truth, they only notice it. The fact more than one person observes the same truth doesn't make it a lie built on the first person's assignment of it, it's not coincidence, it's just the fact that that truth is universal and therefore not dependent on one's assigning to it.

Pretty simple really, a triangle is a triangle whether I say it is, or you say it's not.

 

[PieBeNice]

The triangle is a lie.

 

[Lonesome Crow]

Oki...doki

The truth is you don't have eyes in the back of your fucken head.
Others see that truth more so often than you do...lmao

Even if you try to look at the top or back of your head with a mirrow..you'll see it
in fucken reverse and have the wrong or reverse perception of what that truth is.

Heck even your own eyes or brain lies to you.
Every humans have blinde spots at the conner of each eye balls from the nerves vessels.
Your brain create images to fill in those blinde spots so it can function.
Perhaps your brain also create other delusions in your thinking or thoughts so it can function
in the triangle of what your brain created.lol

There's no such thing as a perfect circle or triangle...so the triangle actually dosn't really exsist.lol
The word triangle is merely a form of commnication or identification of what you assigned as a triangle
in you mind.

When i ask...do you know what a trianle looks like ?
when you answer .."yes"...or even thought of trying to answer my question.
The truth is...you let me controlled your mind already....lmao
Poeple have been controlling your mind from the day you were born....
You know what a triangle looks like don't ya ?.....
That's faith ...man. You accepted and belive in the triangle...lmao

If i ask you...How are you feeling today ?
I'm speaking of your spirit...
You can't see your feelings...but you know it exist.
You can't capture your feelings and put it in a jar or even come up with proof
that you feel a certain way.
But you know...you know your feelings exist and they are real.
You feel what you feel and that's the truth.
Are you in good spirit or you're in low spirit ?
You'll try to attach an image or thoughts to your feelings or maybe you won't.

I might even ask...
What's on your mind ?....What troubling you ?
Perhaps most of your troubles are in your mind...lol

If i simply rephrase the question....
How is your spirit today ?
How would you process that ?

 

[take_a_stand]

I'll be brief. In my book, spirituality is the relationship between God and I. I believe in Jesus Christ, and that he was the son of God, that he is absolute, righteous, and the only way to heaven.
Luke 14:26-27: "If anyone comes to me, and doesn't hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brother, and sisters, yes and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever doesn't bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."

 

[heretostay]

I'll be brief. In my book, spirituality is the relationship between God and I. I believe in Jesus Christ, and that he was the son of God, that he is absolute, righteous, and the only way to heaven.
Luke 14:26-27: "If anyone comes to me, and doesn't hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brother, and sisters, yes and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever doesn't bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."

You're mormon?

 

[heretostay]

Not quite. A truth is a truth regardless of whether a person figured it out or not. I don't have to make the supposition that a person "invented" the idea of a triangle, it was there regardless of a person's intervention. Hence the idea of an objective truth.

If someone makes an observation, they don't create the truth, they only notice it. The fact more than one person observes the same truth doesn't make it a lie built on the first person's assignment of it, it's not coincidence, it's just the fact that that truth is universal and therefore not dependent on one's assigning to it.

Pretty simple really, a triangle is a triangle whether I say it is, or you say it's not.

I understand what you are saying. But there's a deeper meaning then what a thing is called, or observed to be. There's the question, "what does it mean?" that's deeper then anything one can simply observe.

 

[take_a_stand]

You're mormon?

Christian.

 

[heretostay]

hey take-a-stand, ive always been curious of the paradox of the scripture you quoted about hating ones family. what do you think it means? there's also scriptures that tell one to love and honor ones family, so do you think the scriptures contradict each other? Ive have no opinion on it myself, just curious why you think we are instructed to hate our family, and what exactly it means when it says to 'hate'?

 

[take_a_stand]

@ heretostay
I know what you mean. Tough stuff. Personally, I believe that this verse is saying that if you are unable to drop everything and follow him, in any situation, than you cannot be a Christian. That every person has a sin nature and if you value them over God, than you worship in vain. To put God before EVERYTHING in your life. A martyr, if you will. But the bible also says that we aren't capable of this behavior (within the boundaries of righteousness) on our own. That we need to have faith that God will provide the faith and the ability to love & trust him. That's hardest thing for me as a Christian, to let God take the reigns of my life and "provide" for me. It's all very satisfying stuff. God's addicting once you drop the waffle of organized religion. Did that answer your question?

 

[heretostay]

@ heretostay
I know what you mean. Tough stuff. Personally, I believe that this verse is saying that if you are unable to drop everything and follow him, in any situation, than you cannot be a Christian. That every person has a sin nature and if you value them over God, than you worship in vain.

Ya I understand what you mean. I think it means the same thing, too. I think it means that one should be able to leave ones family and follow christ if he asks. I've been wanting to get to that section of the bible and see what the literal translation from greek is. Hate is just such an interesting word to use, and i often wonder if its even close to the real expression used.

 

[take_a_stand]

I wouldn't know. I've only been a Christian for about 2 years. Plus I'm sixteen, and go to public school. What's your interest in all this stuff? Curiosity? What about you? What are your views on Religion?

 

[heretostay]

I suppose im interested in this stuff because its like a treasure box. My views on religion. Well, I believe that everything has its equal and opposite and neither is correct but out of the struggle between two opposing forces comes the harmony of one existence. I believe religion is a force of life. Atheists are the opposing force. Neither is correct, but the struggle in the mind between these two forces creates life itself.

I get my views from studying biology. Life is possible because of the struggle for equilibrium in the body. But if that equilibrium is ever actually reached, life would end for the body. So it is with mind, who's life i feel is spirituality. There will always be the struggle to reach an equilibrium of spiritual nature. And consciousness is the product of the spiritual struggle. If pure equilibrium is reached in the mind of a spiritual nature, consciousness would cease, and the mind would die.