Thoughts, Words and Photos (Fifteen)
Unlike the cat and depending on what you believe, we only have one life. I find it interesting when people peddle the unknowable as something they know and I find it even more interesting when so many people believe and trust that now they know. Personally, I am from the camp that assumes that once my eyes close for the final time, they will not reopen but if they do, I will be ready anyway.
It is pretty simple in my opinion to play both sides of the equation and hedge bets as all that I need do is my best as often as I can possibly manage it. Some may argue that I am right or wrong in my approach but, I can only assume that they have not thought too deeply about their own experience and beliefs for I am yet to meet any two people who absolutely adhere to the same set of rules without exception.
What this indicates to me is that even if their set of beliefs is correct and they are following 100 percent to the letter, others are not as their actions are slightly removed which means, if there is a heaven that requires absolute adherence to gain access, only one person (if that) is likely to qualify. If there is leeway to allow for error, that means that the boundaries of the leeway itself are unknowable. Essentially, the only way into heaven is to be lucky you happened to follow the precise set or, didn't cross an unknown disqualifying boundary. This doesn't sound like a system designed by a God in my opinion, it sounds like a system designed to hack the insecurities of the masses by making conditions of success unknowable.
I may not have the nine lives of a cat but, I can build flexibility in an attempt to land on my feet no matter the circumstance, which when it comes to an afterlife is quite simple, do the best I can and if there is a God like so many seem to believe, it will understand and evaluate my life on doing my best and if there isn't, I would have led a personally rewarding life. Win/win considering both situations are so open to interpretation and error that attempting to commit to knowing 'the way' would be quite risky.
I don't really judge people much for their belief systems as for the most part, they had nothing to do with their development and once held, can be very hard to shift. This goes for religious beliefs or political and the like as the environment one grows up with has a lot of influential power. I don't mind discussing belief systems with people however as I find that there is a lot of value in all sides of the argument that can help me be a little better tomorrow. Dismissing all information because of some poor information is not helpful for my development as it means that evolution of thought ceases as there is always error and static in the communication itself.
Anyway, me doing my best need not interfere with you doing your best and if it does, then it isn't the best which means I have failed. And, if your adherence to gain access to an afterlife requires harming others, what kind of afterlife do you expect is waiting for you? Oh well, such is life and death.
Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]
Well there are a million things to believe!! Some believe in hell heaven, some believe its all here on earth, not anywhere else, some believe we might take birth on another planet after this(or may be its just me who thinks this!! 😛) but whatever it may be there is one thing for sure that it won’t end when you close your eyes.
Because that is obvious that we were born for a reason and that reason cant just finish when we die.
Because if thats true, then our birth would be proven illogical. And god wont do things without any reason. Of course, there is a purpose if there are logics to this universe.
True or not, at this point it is unknowable
This is not obvious but we want it to be true as the concept of random consciousness is too big for us to understand
This requires a God.
Something can be logical without purpose.
It is unknowable but i am sure that something continues. Because yes, there is no point of random consciousness to exist.
Either there is a purpose and a logic or there is not. I wonder how one can exist without the other.
You sucked me in with this one for sure Taraz!
For many years I felt like you and could have, in fact, written something similar in tone.
Today, I am not in the business of trying to convert anyone ~ each of us is on a unique journey and free to choose their way without judgement upon them from others.
Still, since having a spiritual (not and never religious) epiphany about 18 months ago, I now know that each of us has many, many more lives than 9!
We are conscious energy, spirit/soul, having a physical experience. Death does not exist as we are told. Energy cannot be destroyed and our essence diddles around in the ether until it reincarnates or moves onwards/upwards.
(You talk of proof) ~ I have been shown proof of this time and again in the last 18 months; but here is the kicker, those pesky spirits respect freewill and will only ever reveal themselves to folks that are ready and open for their presence.
Meanwhile your ethos of living well and doing the best that you can is spot on!
Happy doings.
xox
:)
Great photography! I followed for more!
haha
My philosophy is simple: do whatever you want, but don't come knocking on my door with your beliefs. (but we can discust them ofc)
Thanks :)
There is a lot of value in the discussion I find until people get upset at the questions.
because it challenges beliefs and as you know, most people hold beliefs without reasons :P (I think, haha, I'm shooting myself here :D)
I believe in God, I believe in the afterlife, but I love your take on having a win-win situation. Now that I think about it, it seems to be the best option one can take, if the person didn't already believe strongly in something. Nevertheless, your philosophy is enough to make a believer sway.
I think every believer should always be in a 'state of sway' as it makes the belief sensitive rather than habitual. Just in case.
Makes sense. Now that you mention it, I out see that where I'm from, most people's beliefs are habitual.
i like to believe that until we die, we are blind… We can't see the hurt, the damage we do… We can't see the love and help we give… We can't see ourselves.
When our eyes close for the last time, they are opened to a multiverse of truth and possibilities. We see ourselves often for the first time… Of course i can't remember the last time i died… but i seem to look forward to the next great adventure.
Heaven and hell have been placed into our conditioning… We can only believe or disbelieve in that which is shown or told. We are taught to see a difference, we are told what is good and bad… Our religions divide us, yet the at the centre of them all is love...
i think the way to go is, be authentic, be honest to yourself and others… Help others… Make no difference… For the difference is in those who make it. Follow your heart and trust your intuition and instincts… Be yourself, not the self that has been created through a world of lies and confusion… and conditioning.
Think for the self with others in mind… May every action be good for all.
Really enjoyed your post, thank you… Please if you have time drop by my blog… i'm publishing a book i wrote many years ago about contradiction and about uniting the human with the divine… i would love to have you comment on my work.
Thank you… Love the cat pictures… Namaste.
This is very profound and speaks to our sense of uncertainty and helplessness in the vast workings of the universe. When it comes down to it, regardless of what we choose to believe, there is no way to know until our time comes, and there is nothing we can do to prevent the fact that we will all die some day.
Love the cat photos!
Monotheism has it's limitations and sadly is a dominant world view. I am an atheist but if I had to pick a view of "god" I'd be far more comfortable with polytheism which posits "small gods" that resonate with different aspects of existence. I see religion as a means of social control but as to the larger questions, I quote NOGOOD BOYO from Under Milk Wood "I don't know who's up there and I don't care." ~Dylan Thomas
I'll find out when I get there. In the meantime, it's never a bad thing to treat others as you would wish to be treated
Pretty much all religions have the same concept near the core, as said, it isn't all bad.
You've posed the eternal question here Taraz. I once read in the closing of Plato’s’ Apology where the philosopher records the musings of Socrates on death and the afterlife just as you have here. He records that Socrates, having been tried and found guilty by the men of Athens and sentenced to death, he opined that there were two possibilities after death, both being seen by him as a blessing. First, he considers the possibility that “the dead are nothing and have no perception of anything”, “like a dreamless sleep.” Second, he considers whether death is, “as we are told, a relocation of the soul to another place”. This place, the eponymously named Hades, is where the eternal soul finds its abode in the underworld. Socrates considers both possibilities preferable to life in Athens, whether it be the eternally sound and dreamless sleep, or going on to the next world to be with those “true jurymen who are said to sit in judgment there.” Socrates provokes his accusers and those who voted with them in a guilty verdict by contrasting the “true jurymen” in Hades with “those who call themselves jurymen here,” here being Athens, in the land of the living. For Socrates, Hades posed a welcome escape from the “petty” men of Athens, preferring death and the possibility it brought with it, of conversing with great souls of the past. He specifically mentions, among others, Hesiod and Homer. The Christian concept of Heaven was not a part of Socrates’ theology, yet to discourse for eternity with stimulating minds, having no need of food or rest, would be heavenly for a soul like his. I myself take Socrates' (and your) position, that we can't be certain about what happens after death, but we can be certain about what we observe here in "Athens," and the nature of men.
I believe in God as the highest technology ever and whatever they taught us is not all true. The most of it serves politics and other humans and not a high consciousness. They want to control us with the name of religion :(
Is that your cat? Looks cute and that look in the last photo :)
If there is a God, then we are too small to be able to understand it but, it doesn't mean we can't work towards understanding. This means there is failure along the way and, nobody can know the destination.
It is a random cat in Brugge, Brussels. I like cats and they like me it seems :)
Hhhh yes animals can sense the energy of person and know who loves them and who not :)
This is a deep statement which often crosses my mind when I ponder on the issue.
You're right, there's good in each of any belief, and maybe we can just focus on these good things rather than looking at the differences.
Religion, politics and any other belief are the most complext topic to delve into, but we just need to be open about the ideas so as not to constrain us.
By the way, awesome photography as usual. I'm assumming you used a prime lens? 50mm?
Perhaps the trick is to continually discuss and distill ideas old and new until we find a pathway that is obvious.
A crappy 18-55 kit lens by the looks.
This cat was my last week model i loved how it looks don't care about world problems and don't care about human just relaxing.
