God
I have been planning this article for a while, and finally felt inclined to write it...so here we go. Once again, the normal "Fox Rules" apply; everything is written stream of consciousness style, there will be no editing and no proof reading. Before we begin, let me just say that throughout this article I refer to the "higher being" that created us all as God, I am sorry if I offend anyone through it's use. That being said, let's go:
God, Jehovah, Allah, Yahweh, G-D, The alpha and omega, "I am who am"; All names for one being, the big man, the guy upstairs...GOD. Whether you believe or not, you must acknowledge the amazing power religion has. It can start wars, build bridges, give hope, and save lives. Most modern governemtns can't do all that. But a question that most people come to sometime in their lives must be answered: does God exist? The question is one that you can ask yourself every day, and every day have a new answer for. I, myself, believe. To me beleiving just makes sense (and those who know me best, know that I am nothing if not logical).
Our world is one of unquestioned beauty, a beauty that is often overlooked. The brilliant simplicity of much of nature is enough to make a grown man cry, should he take the time to notice it. Unfortunately, as I said, much of the beauty goes unnoticed. People accept it as fact, just as those same people accept the existance of God. I am not saying that they should attempt to destroy their own faith, but instead strengthen their faith by giving themselves a basis on which to beleive. Understandably so, this is not for everyone, it can often be a very painful, arduous, and long journey. One that can take you into the deepest depths of yourself, but should you make it out for faith will be strengthened for it.
If there is ever a point where people, consistantly, stop beleiving, it is the same place many naive republicans become blindly driven democrats: college. This world of free thought and knowledge coerces you into beleiving that your opinion is justified simply becuase you "read it in a book," or a famous dead guy said it, or even becuase your favorite professor just drilled the beleif into your head. Whatever the case may be this is never the way to go, becuase this is not teaching you how to think, but instead what to think; socialism of the mind (everyone gets an equal beleif regardless of all other factors). Please take this with you if you are in college, or soon will be: college teaches you how to take college tests, not think...please realize this.
Anyway back to the point: examine your world, examine your life...and find moments of wonder, moments of bliss, moments of shock, and moments where you felt at peace, despite harsh conditions. It is in these moments that you can find the presence of God. I can still remember the morning (more like early afternoon) I woke up to a dream where my mother, while driving her Durango in the rain, hit a wall on the side of the road and flipped onto her roof. I was started awake, the horrible clarity with which I can still view it is what has kept it with me...that and what came after. The dream stayed with me fora bit that morning, until finally I decided to call my mother to check up on her. I call, and an unfamiliar voice answers the phone, "Linda Fusco's phone!" The voice is quickly replaced with the reassuring sound of my mother's voice, satisfied that she was fine I felt it would be better not to worry her with mention of the dream. What you must understand is that my mother and I are very emotionally close, so my concern would have bled out onto her. Well as I came to understand later; my mother HAD flipped her Durango...exactly as I saw it, the unfamilar voice I heard was an EMT, and one of the strangest parts: my dream coincided with the exact time the accident occured. My mother was told that her life was saved becuase she was the height she was...should she have been just one or two inches taller I wouldn't be speaking so hopefully about her accident now.
I have many more moments in my life similar to that, but that is one of the strongest moments I could think of in my life where I felt like there had to be more...there had to be a reason why she lived in the same situation many others have already died, there had to be a reason why I saw the accident, despite the fact that I was nowhere near the area, there had to be a reason why...just why. Even after I saw her, with all of her "battle damage" I was ovetaken by a great feeling of calm...it was not a feeling of "Oh my God, I almost lost my mother." Instead it was a great feeling of complacency...even if that isn't the right word, I'm sure you get the point.
Next, think about the big brain taxing question of an afterlife...is there one. I beleive that anyone who legitamately believes that there is absolutely no form of consciousness after death, has never actually thought about it. Try this: clear your mind of all thought. If you can't you can skip this step...but if you did succeed, did you notice that you were aware of the passage of 'time' that you could feel an existance. That is the simplest mode of thought for a human: none at all...and even that does not approach what some people would have you believe the afterlife is like. A little hard to beleive, now, isn't it? Ofcourse I must define my concepts of the afterlife on my experience...and since all I have experienced is being, then all I ever expect to experience is being...whereas the other people just have no basis.(to my knowledge)
Also even if you aren't a person of faith, why not believe...just to be safe. If you beleive and are generally a 'good person' leading a just and moral life, then, should there be an afterlife then you shall be rewarded with the full benefits of it. If there is infact nothing, you won't realize that you beelived in something that didn't exist. If you don't believe...and there IS and afterlife: welp, you aren't getting the preferential treatment (in most religions last time I checked). Which sound like a better choice...All or nothing, or Nothing or nothing.
One of my teachers once told me that there are only three times in life when it is approriate to say "Fuck"...one of those times is to say "Fuck God" when you realize that you have been believing in the wrong 'thing', wrong 'God.' I'm just not so sure that one of three times you can say the F word would be thrown away on something that doesn't exist...To me it all just seems too illogical.
Well, I don't have a real conclusion to this other than: think, question, love, examine, and hope that someday you will be rewarded for having taken the time to do all of that.
^-^foxy~>
PS: If anyone feels I didn't address soemthing...or has their own opinions to share, please feel free to do so.
God, Jehovah, Allah, Yahweh, G-D, The alpha and omega, "I am who am"; All names for one being, the big man, the guy upstairs...GOD. Whether you believe or not, you must acknowledge the amazing power religion has. It can start wars, build bridges, give hope, and save lives. Most modern governemtns can't do all that. But a question that most people come to sometime in their lives must be answered: does God exist? The question is one that you can ask yourself every day, and every day have a new answer for. I, myself, believe. To me beleiving just makes sense (and those who know me best, know that I am nothing if not logical).
Our world is one of unquestioned beauty, a beauty that is often overlooked. The brilliant simplicity of much of nature is enough to make a grown man cry, should he take the time to notice it. Unfortunately, as I said, much of the beauty goes unnoticed. People accept it as fact, just as those same people accept the existance of God. I am not saying that they should attempt to destroy their own faith, but instead strengthen their faith by giving themselves a basis on which to beleive. Understandably so, this is not for everyone, it can often be a very painful, arduous, and long journey. One that can take you into the deepest depths of yourself, but should you make it out for faith will be strengthened for it.
If there is ever a point where people, consistantly, stop beleiving, it is the same place many naive republicans become blindly driven democrats: college. This world of free thought and knowledge coerces you into beleiving that your opinion is justified simply becuase you "read it in a book," or a famous dead guy said it, or even becuase your favorite professor just drilled the beleif into your head. Whatever the case may be this is never the way to go, becuase this is not teaching you how to think, but instead what to think; socialism of the mind (everyone gets an equal beleif regardless of all other factors). Please take this with you if you are in college, or soon will be: college teaches you how to take college tests, not think...please realize this.
Anyway back to the point: examine your world, examine your life...and find moments of wonder, moments of bliss, moments of shock, and moments where you felt at peace, despite harsh conditions. It is in these moments that you can find the presence of God. I can still remember the morning (more like early afternoon) I woke up to a dream where my mother, while driving her Durango in the rain, hit a wall on the side of the road and flipped onto her roof. I was started awake, the horrible clarity with which I can still view it is what has kept it with me...that and what came after. The dream stayed with me fora bit that morning, until finally I decided to call my mother to check up on her. I call, and an unfamiliar voice answers the phone, "Linda Fusco's phone!" The voice is quickly replaced with the reassuring sound of my mother's voice, satisfied that she was fine I felt it would be better not to worry her with mention of the dream. What you must understand is that my mother and I are very emotionally close, so my concern would have bled out onto her. Well as I came to understand later; my mother HAD flipped her Durango...exactly as I saw it, the unfamilar voice I heard was an EMT, and one of the strangest parts: my dream coincided with the exact time the accident occured. My mother was told that her life was saved becuase she was the height she was...should she have been just one or two inches taller I wouldn't be speaking so hopefully about her accident now.
I have many more moments in my life similar to that, but that is one of the strongest moments I could think of in my life where I felt like there had to be more...there had to be a reason why she lived in the same situation many others have already died, there had to be a reason why I saw the accident, despite the fact that I was nowhere near the area, there had to be a reason why...just why. Even after I saw her, with all of her "battle damage" I was ovetaken by a great feeling of calm...it was not a feeling of "Oh my God, I almost lost my mother." Instead it was a great feeling of complacency...even if that isn't the right word, I'm sure you get the point.
Next, think about the big brain taxing question of an afterlife...is there one. I beleive that anyone who legitamately believes that there is absolutely no form of consciousness after death, has never actually thought about it. Try this: clear your mind of all thought. If you can't you can skip this step...but if you did succeed, did you notice that you were aware of the passage of 'time' that you could feel an existance. That is the simplest mode of thought for a human: none at all...and even that does not approach what some people would have you believe the afterlife is like. A little hard to beleive, now, isn't it? Ofcourse I must define my concepts of the afterlife on my experience...and since all I have experienced is being, then all I ever expect to experience is being...whereas the other people just have no basis.(to my knowledge)
Also even if you aren't a person of faith, why not believe...just to be safe. If you beleive and are generally a 'good person' leading a just and moral life, then, should there be an afterlife then you shall be rewarded with the full benefits of it. If there is infact nothing, you won't realize that you beelived in something that didn't exist. If you don't believe...and there IS and afterlife: welp, you aren't getting the preferential treatment (in most religions last time I checked). Which sound like a better choice...All or nothing, or Nothing or nothing.
One of my teachers once told me that there are only three times in life when it is approriate to say "Fuck"...one of those times is to say "Fuck God" when you realize that you have been believing in the wrong 'thing', wrong 'God.' I'm just not so sure that one of three times you can say the F word would be thrown away on something that doesn't exist...To me it all just seems too illogical.
Well, I don't have a real conclusion to this other than: think, question, love, examine, and hope that someday you will be rewarded for having taken the time to do all of that.
^-^foxy~>
PS: If anyone feels I didn't address soemthing...or has their own opinions to share, please feel free to do so.