We can imagine everything but truth, for the truth is too obvious to be it, and too simple to accept. With the curtain drawn we have now built a story to validate humanity as something less spectacular than the sum of its parts—which is ridiculous considering.
Occasionally one gets a peek behind the curtain. When that takes place a couple of things can happen if you are not prepared—they may walk off the set, self destruct, or go off the chain. This is why no master will ever teach you without a discipline to go along with it.
Another thing that often happens is a rise of self importance; I am god—The Jehovah Effect© I and the father are one—now you must listen to what I say and do what I tell you to do. What I know is the way, the truth, and you have to go through me (to get back to where you have no choice but to be) History is scattered with these types. Jesus at least spoke in parables to not give away the game. It is essential to the longevity of it all, that mankind doesn’t cut the act short by knowing the secret while we’re here—that there is no secret. This is the usefulness of religion—never answering the question, and unable to—constantly searching beyond the simplicity of it all.
Part of the problem is Christianity’s beginnings, where Christ sought out his disciples. Disciples who were not seeking enlightenment nor prepared for the experience (jesus couldn’t wait to share his newfound knowledge) They never did understand him while he was alive, then took it upon themselves to be zealots when he was dead. If you want to wake up then do so, find it, see it, but be prepared; all there is left to do from then on is watch and smile at the game.
Knowledge is simply the absence of delusion—The you who is not the one you see in the mirror, but the you that defines who you really are beyond that (personality, consciousness) is not the ego you’ve been told. Perceiving the essence of yourself in our natural existence is similar to scale of a fish achieving awareness of itself, that could never comprehend the head of the fish—so it is with the universe. We are merely a function, the eyes and ears and perceptions, a nerve ending on the whole living organism.
Our nature, whether here or there has not changed but the slightest. We seek to be entertained, to be engaged in emotions, to laugh, to cry, to feel fear or to feel exhilarated by the fantasy. To seek out endless ways to relieve the boredom and stay busy even after an idle day or two.
We are merely participants in a play, breaking away from the doldrums of everyday immortality to see the show (or be in the show) while others act out the mystery and sometimes misery for a role in the drama. Either way, life here means nothing but a respite from the mundane existence of infinite living. Simply not knowing the outcome is the most masterful, simple game in the universe. And like a fish jumping out of the water, for a moment, getting a brilliant glimpse backstage that there is no more to life than the existence we are living.
Monotheism is especially proud of its level of tail-chasing distractions—a necessary player to reduce enlightenment and retain players in the game.
TheCommonAtheist 
you are saying Jesus suffered a great delusion
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Is that a statement or a question? You have three options. 1. Believe the story, 2. It was a delusion. 3. Or it was a real experience misinterpreted. Let’s assume for a while there is more to this life than atheism and go number 3.
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A statement. Me got no questions
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“Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world” Deluded, or real? He assumes he could have all these things if he wanted them. Delusions of grandeur, is likely
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I think the story teller was high on some substance we no longer have
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Your line about “rise of self importance” is very appropriate, I think. People have this need to feel they are admired, trusted, that they have control, that they have power, and religion gives that to them. The TBs think that, to paraphrase Mark Twain, that the deity sits up nights admiring them. When it comes down to it, religion is a whole system of psychological manipulation that feeds on a person’s need to feel important, their fears, and to believe they have some control over something, even if it is some imaginary world after they die.
It’s really, really scary to see how easy it is to manipulate people.
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I liked Bens post awhile back about how you see yourself vs how you appear to others. Religion is great at purveying a false sense of self.
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“Knowledge is simply the absence of delusion”
👍
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It’s pretty simple. If you are forced to belief to reconcile your thoughts… that’s where we are today.
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Ah, the grand illusion of self-importance. Yes, I can see how religion feeds that. Well, even the religios will die in the end. We all end up in the same place regardless of how much crap we allow other people to convince us to believe.
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The neat trick with religion is to keep you searching, distracted, and worried about something no one can do anything about. When did religion become so serious? Every child knows life is a game, until we conform them to mediocrity, medicate them until they can behave like everyone else that is too serious.
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I had never considered the implications of Jesus seeking out the disciples. One would automatically consider that, as Yahweh in human form, they would be made aware of his presence and be drawn to him …. sorry, Him.
Under normal circumstances, I’d imagine the average Galilean fisherman / peasant would have told Our Yeshua in no short order to ”Piss off!”
Another reason to suspect that the character Jesus of Nazareth is the ”Man Who Never Was”.
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Agreed. At the very least he never was the depiction we’ve been given by the writers anyway. It too, is perhaps written for a stage.
And the real teachers never come to you, only the phonies
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Every time a new angle of Jesus of Nazareth is explored less rather than more evidence of historicity is uncovered.
I wonder if this aspect you raised in the post has been explored by other scholars? I’ve never seen it before, that’s for sure.
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I’ve never seen it before either. You know this already, but the biblical sayings of Jesus, if read by a Hindu or Zen master would see it aligns closely with their meditations on existence and “being one”. That got me to thinking (dangerous, I know) that the words are similar, but the approach was like a kid that found his dads pistol. The disciplined masters give nothing to those who aren’t sincerely seeking. They don’t wave it around
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Re “The utility of religion …” for practitioners is debatable. The purpose of religion is obedience. Obey or suffer the consequences. Rarely is anything significant asked for so that people can consider themselves “obedient” and since the consequences, good and bad, don’t show up until you are dead, you are good to go. The utility of religion is that it is a mechanism to coerce the labor of the masses to serve the interests of the religious and secular elites. For that purpose it is highly effective. We are told that suffering now will result in payment later, so just bear up. The religious elites get social prestige and freedom from taxation. The secular elites make scads and scads of money and give small piles of that to churches.
We get the extra labor and false hopes.
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You don’t play very well, do you? The utility of belief is in its futility. Busy, searching minds won’t discover the truth. And in the case of this post, the truth can set you at ease, but also could disrupt the game we play with ourselves
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The hats can be nice.
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Oh do explain John Sir. Tin foil or mitres?
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Those black orthodox mushrooms rock!
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there is a lovely, potent saying in zen “no one passes through the gateless gate”. which means, as long as there is a sense of separate ‘me’, awakening cannot happen. enlightenment doesn’t happen to a ‘person’. it can only occur when the person is no longer. only when the ‘perceiver’ has disappeared, can reality shine in its fullness. until then…it’s just thoughts about reality.
so, one must become ‘no-one’. a sense of separate identity is the ONLY thing that keeps one away from the ‘whole’ (from god)
Jesus was not deluded, he was a living buddha, but his words are interpreted from the mind-perspective. enlightenment cannot be put into words. ever. it is completely beyond the experience of mind. Jesus had fully realized his oneness with all. he called it ‘the father’ which has numerous unfortunate connotations associated with it, but in the end, it’s just a word. buddhists call it ‘nothing’. potatoe, potato.
and religion… well, is it not all mind/belief-based? how could they know?
follow ‘no-one’ 😜
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great post. a lot of truth here. why i follow you!
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Jim….this is excellent! Copied and kept it in my file of thought provoking themes and ideas. Thanks.
I have mulled the idea of dying ..then waking up and it’s all been a play you had a part in and then comes the time for a new play with rehearsals, new players and some old and new parts for us all…a time of excitement.
Also makes me think how utterly completely boring Heaven would be if it were to exist….no plays and none of the things we either enjoy or the emotions, good and bad, we like to feel, as that is what makes us feel alive, regardless of circumstances.
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Really the only thing to possibly tolerate infinite living is to participate in an unknown. It is also without contradiction and solves the problem of evil. In our normal existence we would know, no matter where you go in life it’s all a contest of endurance. A game of chance and will.
We all already know what it’s like to die. Just think of a harrowing near-miss where you barely survived, or were frightened nearly to death but came out unscathed. The relief you experience to survive is exactly what it’s like to die—break on through to the other side. What a rush! The game would get you every time.
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And if there isn’t an “other side” … ???
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Then so what? It’s funny that we atheist want to see the world, to live life to the fullest because that’s all we’ve got. If that’s true, so what would that matter? But it matters to us. It’s part of the game.
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I guess I don’t follow you (you do tend to get a bit esoteric at times). So are you saying you think there might be more? That this life, or a similar form of, continues on somewhere? Not reincarnation but, well, “life” … ??
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Oh hell I don’t know, but if you don’t discount nearly everyone’s feelings there is more, and combine that with what the meditative arts tell us, and realizing you can never, not be which would violate the laws of energy, sure, I’m open to the idea. Life is what happens in between death. This is but a spilt second of geologic time, and if there is more, that is our normal state. But this is just a part of it. Dying is like a skin cell falling off your body. Part of a much bigger organism.
Atheism may not me the last stop on the tracks, but it certainly is an eye opener. But I’m in no hurry to believe. That just ruins things. It is by belief that we see things that are not there.
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OK. This — realizing you can never, not be which would violate the laws of energy makes it a bit clearer where you’re coming from. And, to a point, it does make sense. But is our “being” really a continuation of us as a person — or is it simply the energy part of us that never dies?
See? I can get esoteric too! 😄
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I emailed you
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I would say there is no death but a continuation. And identity is the illusion we live here. Like a fish scale claiming independence from the fish.
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Not sure I go along with your thinking, but it’s worth mulling over. (Got the email & responded.)
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Oh, and thank you. This is a thought exercise I have been working on for quite a while. My goal is to develop a complete idea that is without contradiction. It is extremely hard to convey in 500 words, but any criticism is welcome.
I do have to assume there is more than atheism. I am convinced that the term “god” as we know it today is not it. We are. All of us. All of it working seamlessly like an amoeba, with all its functioning parts unaware of the obvious.
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Humanity is a marvelous thing to feel, whether good, bad or in between..all the emotions, whatever experiences one has.
And you’re right, knowing it all would ruin it. It would end the game.
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That is what happens to many that experience that level of connection and awareness. They see that nothing matters. Christianity is a key player in withholding that awareness. Leading everyone down the wrong trails of non answered questions and contradiction.
Another interesting piece of this puzzle, this process is not by belief. It is by unbelief that the mind is cleared to reset, to awaken requires none of it. It is a process all can have if they choose, but belief is the stumbling block. It may very well be necessary restraint to insure the game continues. It has ended before. We know of 5 prior hominid races. Makes ya wonder how these mass extinctions took place.
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But if unbelief led to total awareness, wouldn’t that go back to your earlier premise of total awareness then making life boring?
It’s the quest or the journey, not the end result.
I would think the 5 prior hominids ended due to climate, disease, violence, as their brains were not as capable of introspection as ours.
Also I would think that is where religious beliefs began in the first place and the one hominid that survived, ultimately passed it on, probably in their genes, to the future.
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Total awareness would (and does) ruin it. That is why the Yogis and Guru types require a discipline. Something you are good at and can share and have joy in. There is a lot of problems with the undisciplined that reach enlightenment. Usually though they just go into seclusion til it’s over.
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Hey Jim… re that blog, man… ahhhh and uhhhh… (leaving aside the repetitive beating up on religion which I seldom entertain any longer, too much like discussing hockey not having played or watched it for over 40 years, i.e., why bother since it doesn’t interest me?) there’s a few “fiats” there I could take issue with. But it’s late (again) and I’m too tired to be totally coherent, so I’ll only mention this one: “We are merely a function.” That is a belief I have been challenging for many decades, first for myself, then with others also seeking to be more than they believe themselves to be. To say we are merely functions is no different, Jim, than to say, “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” It’s to say that we are utterly powerless and meaningless on our own; nothing more than appendages, machines; androids; artificial intelligence, and with obviously not much intelligence attached to that. It means that we are NOT ALLOWED by fiat to be more than what we are; that we must never think we could ever develop a personal purpose, especially one that could take us beyond this physical life. That, Jim, is worse than anything I’ve encountered in my religious days. It’s the ultimate condemnation to death by annihilation; to being born but to remain a worthless, meaningless NOTHING. I’ve lived my entire life contradicting that belief which in my view is a false belief.
Did I misread something there???
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Thanks. So which is it to disagree with ShaTara? “ It’s to say that we are utterly powerless and meaningless on our own; nothing more than appendages” or is it your previous statements that said in spite of all we learn we continue right back where we started. We are programmed viruses that continue to believe we are more than we think we are? We are not utterly powerless and meaningless on our own. On the contrary. Can you separate yourself from the universe? Are you not part of something much bigger than your own nerve endings and perceptions, like, you can see around the corners and into the voids without the relay of information from other outposts? We are not hopeless, but we are very dutiful in our watch, serving our purpose of the whole organism whether we like it or not. Have you not repeatedly confirmed my points here (though you may not like it) but you continue yourself to do what you do, in spite of the disdain. You are very good at reporting the problems you see from your vantage point. Good work. You may not like this premise (and I am not done in it either) All I am ideating is a picture of the world and it’s functions without contradiction. We can “believe” whatever we want yet the machine cogs on. You seem on one hand, very astute, and on the other, in denial based on personal preference. But you are doing what you have been commissioned to do.
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This could be a very long reply, Jim. I can, of course, answer your questions but I have to try to put them in a context that has a modicum chance of being understood. I don’t do my reasoning within the social box for that is where the programming intervenes and changes any non-conforming meaning. So… can I clarify, I wonder?
Questions: So which is it to disagree with ShaTara? “ It’s to say that we are utterly powerless and meaningless on our own; nothing more than appendages” or is it your previous statements that said in spite of all we learn we continue right back where we started. We are programmed viruses that continue to believe we are more than we think we are? We are not utterly powerless and meaningless on our own. On the contrary. Can you separate yourself from the universe?
Answers: I would never say we, as ISSA beings, are powerless and meaningless on our own unless that is what the entity chooses to believe about itself. It is what is implied when you say that we are functions and I was responding to that. A function needs no mind. It is designed to fulfill a role and it cannot deviate from that. A roller bearing in a brace has no choice but to be that. If it is lubed properly, it will last a long time. If not, it will wear out and cause serious failure in the machine.
Question: “We are programmed viruses that continue to believe we are more than we think we are?”
Seriously Jim, in context: the programming I refer to is done via implant (again, stay outside the box for a minute) which every Earthian receives between conception and birth, rarely after. As I have explained many times, that implant (called by religion ‘the soul’) can be removed or neutralized. Man has the wherewithal to deal with it but most CHOOSE not to. Some believe it’s their link to God; some deny its existence. These individuals are functions until such time as they disconnect from the “Matrix” and become self empowered.
We do not believe we are more than we think we are, Jim, but the opposite: we believe and I think your response demonstrates this belief, that we are much less than we are. We gain our legitimate ascendancy and empowerment when we break free of the programming. That is a choice though a difficult one. This is the point where “atheism” fails completely. Having denigrated religion, not without some valid reasoning, it fails completely to give more to the ex-religious than s/he has lost. Hence atheism leads to mental degeneracy. Unpleasant to read for anyone claiming to be an atheist but it’s how it is. If an atheist wants to grow in wisdom and understanding; if s/he wants to practice the higher life (by virtue) then it’s back to borrowing from their rejected religious base. Atheism is throwing out the baby with the bathwater. I’ve been there and I found it unreal and untenable. It makes it impossible to rise into a higher state of humanity and what doesn’t rise, falls. It’s like abandoning undergrad studies and plunging down to preschool for one who has achieved some degree of skills in living the spiritual life – without institutionalism.
Can I separate myself from the universe? Hello? Can I separate myself from my service vehicle? From my house? From my friends and family? That’s no problem. My physical body may be temporarily “stuck” into a Matrix-like universe but I am not. Though I am my own witness, I can say I have travelled outside this particular universe. I have been on worlds much different than this one. I have been into the Nexus, beyond universes, endless worlds, infinite space but non-worlds, non-space in the sense used ‘here’. These are the hidden realms. So yes, I most certainly can separate myself from this universe. I’ve done it many times and for people like me, it’s no big trick because we are free beings because we believe all things are possible; because we can no longer be entrapped in any belief systems, even those that pretend not to be such.
Questions: “Are you not part of something much bigger than your own nerve endings and perceptions, like, you can see around the corners and into the voids without the relay of information from other outposts? We are not hopeless, but we are very dutiful in our watch, serving our purpose of the whole organism whether we like it or not. ”
Answers: One can develop a sense of beingness that allows for choice between being part of something, or not being part of it. Your questions here indicate how much of your old time religion you still rely on to form your philosophy, sorry to say. When I was a BA Christian, and before that, Catholic, and studied to be a religious, I was indoctrinated into the “being a part of something much bigger than myself” – that is an essential part of the faith. All information was to be dutifully received from the Holy Spirit and had to be trusted, even when it came from the most abysmally ignorant “preachers” you could ever be tortured verbally by.
Now here’s the point: “we are not hopeless but dutiful in our watch, serving our purpose of the whole whether we like it or not.” That’s pure theology. That is how we are to live our life in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Church. Duty… duty… duty… like it or not. No choice once you give yourself to that “higher purpose”. Only problem is Jim, the actual purpose remains undefined. There is no purpose until “I” choose to give myself one. When challenged by the Teachers for possible entry into service as an avatar, I had to choose a purpose for myself. I chose compassion. I would study it, learn it, practice it, meditate on it, become as familiar with it as possible (nothing is impossible!) until, after my training in my next life, on my next world -Altaria – I would become compassion. I would morph into my chosen purpose. Choice. I am a self empowered being. The “universe” which you seem to present here as some sort of overriding deity has no claim on me and no power over me. My choice of purpose will eventually be helpful to “the universe” or rather to life in this universe, but it will be independent of how the universe feels about it, assuming the universe is a sort of living entity/deity and it has feelings about stuff. To me, the universe is just as silent as God, so I ignore them both and carry on.
Questions: Have you not repeatedly confirmed my points here (though you may not like it) but you continue yourself to do what you do, in spite of the disdain. You are very good at reporting the problems you see from your vantage point. Good work. You may not like this premise (and I am not done in it either) All I am ideating is a picture of the world and its functions without contradiction. We can “believe” whatever we want yet the machine cogs on. You seem on one hand, very astute, and on the other, in denial based on personal preference. But you are doing what you have been commissioned to do.
Answers: I’m pretty sure I have not been “confirming” anybody’s points unless my statements/answers are taken out of the context they are bred into. Remember, I don’t reason within Earth’s Matrix box of “right-wrong” answers. I know right from wrong, I don’t need “boxed” philosophies to teach me that. For example, in these responses, my main focus was to remain neutral, trying not to ruffle feathers or worse, cause emotional hurt. I don’t get off on stuff like that. Sorry about the bit on atheism but if you seriously look into it… you may see that it needed saying. Yes, I am good at “reporting” problems from my vantage point. It’s what an avatar does; a prophet does; a compassionate and empathetic being does. People need to hear/read that life gives them incredible choices on how to live it. The code to the soul can be cracked; the Matrix can be disempowered. Life is more than anything physical or material. Life is mind and it is spirit. Life is not designed to be enslaved to “dutiful service like it or not.” That’s the Matrix talking. Finally if my personal preferences – which I make no apologies for because they serve me well – seem to indicate that I live in denial, then I’d like to know what it is I am in denial of since the “believe all things, believe in nothing” person is automatically immune from denial. Denial indicates fear or pride. I have no use for either though if my responses are filtered within the Earthian box, pride will seem like an overriding factor. Stay outside the box and pride will not show up.
Thanks Jim. I did warn you: long response.
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Well, for me Atheism is merely a clean slate. Now I just watch the madness in the comfort of my own independence—from the cheap seats of course. I see very clearly the wrongness of both sides. Atheism is an awakening, not the final destination. But a god up there, out there? Nope. It’s way more interesting than that. Thanks friend for taking the time to clarify.
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I think assuming Jesus even existed(as depicted in the Gospels) is untenable. Someone back then was getting high on their own delusional self importance though, that is for sure. Christians today often act like this. I have seen plenty of them that think that they are a little Yahweh or Jesus. Get one of the more delusional ones, and they might even try to exorcise the “demons of unbelief” out of you while shouting on a corner. One of the most memorable I can think of was this ex-cop that was so obnoxious that no one in the department could stand him. He ended up being a street preacher after he got fired, and got some attention from people. Not because anyone was interested in his preaching(or raving), it was more like seeing a monkey with a hat dancing or doing a trick. Sometimes I wonder if some of these people aren’t possessed themselves.
Something you might interested. “The Unreality of Time” by JME McTaggart. It and another book he wrote (the Nature of Existence) might fit in with some of your beliefs or speculations. He was an atheist too, but unusual for a Western type of atheist.
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We have a guy been standing in the divider with balloons and an over-the-head poster board “Jesus Saves”. He’s been there every time I’ve gone by for five years. He was hit at that intersection several years ago and after a long recovery and brain injury, he says Jesus saved him. His whole set up looks kind a carnival. Your friend and he could stand there doing shift work.
Sounds like an interesting book. So far I’ve been expert free since my atheism (don’t want to be unduly influenced to bias), but that sounds like one I’d enjoy.
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Dear Jim. This message that you spread on your blog, you are the author. You share what you find important. Believers are portrayed in a very negative way. Suggesting that the sum of a whole group falls short in comparison to you. That you have risen above their low ways. You anoint yourself as their teacher of right and wrong. Done in a manner many would interpret as overbearing (&self-boasting). Some would decipher this as; self importance.
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Does this have something to do with the post or just a friendly personal attack? I merely write ideas I have and accept all forms of criticism of such ideas. Certainly I share what crosses my mind, what ideas I wake up with in the morning, and so forth. Do I have to hide behind a sheet of guile to present mere thoughts for discussion, or just lay it out for the world to analyze?
Several months ago I had mentioned that a regular person could reason out a contradictory free scenario that incorporates all the feelings, all the science, all the alleged morality from god in a concise statement. The challenger quit day one because of beliefs. He couldn’t seem to connect a dot outside his preconceived biases.
If you can disprove any of my statements at all, knock yourself out. But in doing so you will have to contradict your own beliefs to do it.
As a matter of record, I have malice for no man or woman on the planet. I just love everybody. I am not better, but do have a knack for connecting seemingly disparate ideas. Should I suppress my ideas simply because they challenge the status quo? “No one is as dumb as all of us“
If the whole group is actually smarter than me, why, with a near monopoly for over 1000 years, has the religion you practice not met a single objective. That same faith has however, had quite the untoward effect. Essentially turning thought into a monochrome stupor based on a faulty premise—faith. Your “good news” still continues to ruin indigenous cultures around the world. Another example of unintended consequences of Christianity. Soon, we will all be the same. The ethnosphere is dying because faith is misdirected to virtue status.
Certainly Christianity serves an obvious purpose. Without it men would seek a reality that might jeopardize the game.
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It is not meant as a personal attack. Just sharing ways that one could interpret your message. In communication there are usually room for interpretation and therefore misunderstanding. I would love for this not to be the case, but it is. This is a general abstract concept that we all should be aware of. So, that the evidence of love is found in the way express ourselves. I try to communicate in a good and just way every day, but I also fail every day. The goal is to write and speak bulletproof, but of course it never works out as there are endless subjective ways to decode the message.
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I get that. One of my pet bothers is, I constantly run into people that ignore content or intent and attack the writing or speech style.
I speak with a bit of authority I suppose since my ideas are just my own, expert free observations. Whittling away the psychology and conundrum of faith has become
a masterpiece of solid reason and science. We will never climb out of this mess until we surpass belief mode.
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We are bound to disagree. Genetics, adolescence and environment make us unique. From what we have learned about the world and ourselves we draw subjective conclusions. Memories are like this; “we may be through with the past, but the past is not through with us”. From the book Magnolia
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Clearing away the bias is one of the things I appreciate about atheism. It’s a fresh start with a clean slate. Believing nothing is a wide open vantage point. Belief itself is the culprit curse on human awareness. Everything is seen relative to that belief, which is merely thoughts and ideas without evidence. How did that become a virtue? That was rhetorical, I already know the answer. Belief is inherently developed as a temporary waypoint to prove a premise. Christianity has made it a virtue. Belief was never intended as a destination, but now simply believing is the gold standard of being. Faith gives man the ability to accept mediocrity and present it as the pinnacle of life, creating the monotheistic stall.
Faith before knowledge is the key. Why do you think the writers immediately appealed to faith, even with the supposed Jesus standing right there in front of them? This is the trap, the faith trap that has humanity spinning its wheels in constant distraction. It even prompts people to write books to prove that the bondage of belief can be very likable.
There is one type of belief that needs to be promoted; that is belief in doubt. Belief that everything we have been doing is wrong. Eventually we will transcend belief mode and it’s crippling, divisive effects.
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Jim … this is sooo true in today’s world — believing is the gold standard of being. IOW, if one doesn’t “believe,” they are on the wrong side of life.
In my WordWeb program, belief is defined as (1) Any cognitive content held as true, and (2) A vague idea in which some confidence is placed. Pretty general definitions, wouldn’t you say? Yet so many want to attach a religious bent to the word. However, IMO, taking the definitions as they stand identifies with what you have put forth.
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Having any belief, no matter how absurd is considered a virtue favored over unbelief. It’s really astounding that belief, thoughts and ideas without evidence is the pinnacle of existence. Whenever evidence is actually gathered, there is no room for faith. It was imperative that the story have no evidence for the stupor of faith to enslave the human mind. Almost like somebody knew that.
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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So, if the intent of your comment was to be misunderstood, the intent was to deceive, not to show how interpretation can be faulty based on perception. You cannot stage this type of thing and get the result you want. To prove a point with a fake survey is deception, not misunderstanding
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If we want to write a message/letter to someone, we should put ourselves at the recipient and then read through it once more. Maybe all of us fail to do this and miss taking on such a perspective on a regular basis. None of us can observe each other’s thoughts and intentions, and all of the events that got us to there. This leads to misunderstanding, blame, shame, hurt and a whole lot of suffering.
I am not afraid to admit defeat, take on guilt and own up to my mistakes. I do it every day because I am faced with my own truth every day. There are no humans without err and shortcoming. There are no humans without err and shortcoming. We all fight our battles in the arena:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Theodore Roesevelt
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“If you don’t define yourself, then you will be crushed into other people’s fantasies of you and eaten alive.” – Audre Lorde.
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I was actually planning on only following your poetry blog, and only left a comment because you sent me the link. Not a wise decision. There is no point of discussing our opposing standpoints any more. It will just lead to poor communication and I hate that. I am in pain when people are unhappy, hurt and everything is a downwards spiral. You and I can agree to disagree and leave it at that.
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No worries. Have a terrific day!!❤️
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Thanks, the same to you ❤
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Isabella, this place is a place for bloggers, a place for writers. If someone feels that something is right, then they say “This is how it is.” A person wouldn’t be seen as a good writer if they said, “Well, I think maybe, possibly, it might be..” So I don’t see this piece as self-importance. The writer gets to say it as he sees it.
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Jim is a really great guy, and I do not think he would intentionally write in such a way that could be interpreted as self-important or all-knowing. We all have freedom to express ourselves, the only problem is that everybody interprets our message differently. It becomes subjective. So, if somebody feels wounded by something expressed by me, but I never ever intended to hurt that person who holds the truth? We are then faced with two truths. The offended’s truth that I hurt him/her, and my truth is I never intended to do so. Does anyone’s personal truth trump over another?
Other people’s thoughts and intentions are hidden and unexposed to us. Therefore, I believe in no judging. Even though I disagree with Jim on his atheism, does not mean I know anything about his underlying thoughts, intentions and feelings. I know he has many wonderful qualities to his personality. I do find his ways of communicating his atheism a bit negative, but that is my subjective truth. All of us are misunderstood in this subjective perspective world.
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Isabella don’t be afraid of a different point of view. If your beliefs are solid and resonate with you then you would have no need to defend them. Open your mind to the possibility of other facets of reality.
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Thank you for your concern. Thankfully I am light years away from being afraid. I have layed down my diamond sword with all its facets, and found my place of peace.
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Well written! Thank you!
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Many lines stuck out to me but certainly “there is no more to life than the existence we are living.” got to me. There is beauty in the simplicity of it all. I’m always surprised when people say “What’s the point if there is no afterlife/god?” There’s so much to see and do! Even if the time is short.
Thanks for sharing this post with me.
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This post is an attempt to say what really can’t be said. It is very apparent that the universe is a single happening we are so fundamentally ingrained in, you can never see it. Those schooled in the meditative arts, when they finally are at one, they just laugh. There is no meaning, there is no agenda, there is no mystery, there is no “I” in the sense of muscular strain, as we have been taught to believe by good mommy’s and daddy’s and ministers. It is all of us and every thing as one. There is no god in charge of it, unless you want to say the whole universe is a god, is included. You could no more separate yourself from it than than water could no longer be H2O.
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I actually like tat, but I think this is the one I actually meant to send you. https://jimoeba.wordpress.com/2019/10/26/more-than-atheism/
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