If I feel that Life is the fulfillment of well made plans and calculations made before Time was invented, am I also just living Life on but another of Life's rigid planes? Certainly, the science Humanity has come up with to explain things could indicate that some blueprint was at least consulted before the Big Bang or the 6 day fabrication by God. There is just too much logic and math in the physical construction of what we call Existence for me to believe that what we have here is an accidental confluence of atomic collisions.
Who is right?
Over the years I have considered various takes on Existence, Humanity and the Cosmos. As a child I was indoctrinated with the comfortable and accepted explanations of the Judaeo-Christian world I was born into. Fantasies were constructed to fill me with shock and awe about vengeful Gods, and where I would end up if I dared to cross them. I soon realized that what was wanted of me was to believe myths as truth and turn me into an obedient servant of the culture that surrounded me. Enlightenment was possibly a perk, but not the first order of business.
I wanted to believe in God. An all caring and forgiving God. The more I became aware of the events unfolding around me, both near and far, it seemed that God was not all that caring. Forgiveness was not even part of their plan. We were left to our own devices and how we existed would only matter to us and not God. "I planted the garden. Now you are on your own". And Creator moved on to the next project on the to do list.
I tried to embrace the idea of Atheism and just could not do it. They have their points, but again I feel there is just too much order in the nuts and bolts of the Universe to dismiss it all as an accident. Atheists are like fundamental religion folks. Their narrow focus on a Universe larger than our imaginations dismisses too many potentialities and possibilities. I came to the conclusion sometime in my 20's that because there were so many what if's available to my meager mind, conventional organized religion and current Atheistic slants were only a few of the infinite number of possible explanations for Existence.
I sought and am still seeking my own explanation for the reason we even exist. Some days I wonder if it is not part of some grand plan. Other days I am sure we are the result of doodling on a page far out in the Cosmos and then tossed in the recycle bin awaiting shredding. But most days, I don't give Existence a thought. I rely on Descartes to dismiss and apologize my shallow thinking....
....... I think, therefore I am. The rest is all Bullshit.
My apologies to Rene and anyone else for reading between his lines.
Keep it 'tween the ditches ............................................
13 comments:
This is really, really good.
There does seem to me to be a fundamental divide between the "Everything happens for a reason" crowd and... well, everybody else. I think people tend to want to assert that meaning on all that happens, and maybe a plan or connection between everything, even if it's just Jung's synchronicity or Hindiusm's Indra's web.
But on a day-to-day basis, the exact mechanics of how that would work are pretty vague.
Good stuff!
I made up my own religion..I do believe in the Goddess as she was here first.. but I think she made us up for her own amusement..and when we start being funny, she's kicking our ass off the planet and starting all over again..works for me.
stop being funny..duh
I am beginning to feel stupid, hanging out with all you smart fuckers! Great post....
The Buddha is attributed to having said that he looked with clear vision and could not find any fixed or eternal atman or soul. When asked about the existence of a god he said that speculation about that question was not conducive to awakening.
Paraphrased from Awakening the Buddha within by Surya Das.
There is too much chaos in nature and science to have any outcome predictable.
the Ol'Buzzard
Nasreen Iqbal - Thanks. I often write in order to figure something out. Somehow reading my own words will bring understanding. The understanding coming in small bites with each new paragraph. Sometimes it works. Most days it doesn't. Unfortunately, the answer I am seeking about Existence and why still eludes me. I fall back on the idea that some things will never be known. This may be one of them.
JACKIESUE - I think your take has as good a chance as any other. But I am thinking that if indeed there is a supreme being, something as trivial as gender would not be part of their make up. Matter of fact, would they even need to take on a physical form?
mohaverat - Had you said "Smart ASS fuckers", I might agree.
Ol'Buzzard - And that Chaos is why I cannot comfortably embrace any current philosophical or scientific take on our reason for existing. But I also see too much symmetry in the physical make up to not entertain the thought that this is all created.
I find the Big Bang Theory almost as incomprehensible as religion. When you stop to consider that everything in the Universe supposedly was compressed to the size of a pencil point and then exploded to form all the stars, planets, moons, etc...
And I can't comprehend the supreme being creating everything. Intelligent design can be debunked with two words, EXTERNAL TESTICLES!!
I have a vague memory of a story or show about how god was a little kid who created all this stuff and then was pulled away by his parents. Kinda like "Q" on Star Trek the Next Generation.
Kulkiri - Incomprehensible is what I feel also. The wild speculations that have swirled around the who, what and why of our place in this space just tell me we are not even close to true enlightenment.
I do believe the story with the kid was a Twilight Zone episode.
And well, I dunno about external testicles. They do seem to come in handy for gender reinforcement. What would guys do if they did not have a set to tug on now and then.
Flying spaghetti Monster. Hell, I don't know if it is, what it is, but I'm not sure it even matters. Not going to get my shorts in a knot over it.
there was a time when i pondered these questions and even might have lost a little sleep trying to make sense of it all. finally i said, why look a gift horse in the mouth?
the sky is blue, the grass is green, my belly is full and i'm not in jail. life is good.
Interesting topic. I'm not religious in any conventional sense. I was brought up as an Episcopalian; that pretty much fell off my radar as soon as I left home. But I also don't think people/animals/the universe are just a coincidence; a meaningless happenstance.
I saw an article a long time ago about a mathematician and an astronomer who calculated that the odds of this life/universe/reality being completely random were the number ten with 100 zeroes after it -- to one. I don't remember any names from that article, and when I've tried to Google it, nothing comes up. Who knows.
And I agree that atheists can be every bit as overbearing and insufferable as any Old Testament fire-and-brimstoner.
I have no issue with life being an accident.
There is just too much logic and math in the physical construction of what we call Existence for me to believe that what we have here is an accidental confluence of atomic collisions.
Agree 100% also with not losing any sleep over the details.
As to external testicles, sperm needs to be kept cooler than deep body temperature in most mammals. In hot weather they hang low, in cold, tucked up tight. Wearing tight pants lowers fertility in males. Kilts are better.
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