What Are Your Worldviews?

[oddbird1963]

 

<snip>

 

Love is never wrong; the simple act of helping another person, showing empathy, comfort, and sharing joy is never wrong. That's why my cat is currently shoving his head under my armpit as I try to type this post. It's a feeding gimmick, but it works. He already knows all the secrets of the universe.

 

The little shit.

 

peace

 

GREAT post Franko47!!! Very well written.

[Vigile]

Where do you find hope? How do you find hope?

 

Hope for what? Health? In doctors. If they can't offer me hope then what should I do? Pretend someone out there cares and is going to make things alright? It doesn't mesh with reality so why bother so I face reality. For my financial future? I have only me and my wife to ensure that one so we work.

 

Where do you find peace, and what do you find peace in?

 

I didn't have peace as a believer. I do now. As a believer I was constantly worried about the fact I couldn't live up to the demands the bible held me to. I worried about hell, I worried about my friends going to hell. I worried I might screw up and go to hell. Absence of these pressures gives me peace.

 

 

I felt alone and there seemed to be emptiness in my life.

 

This doesn't seem very healthy to me. Perhaps you have other issues that you are simply using your faith crutch to cover up. Pardon me for being frank, but if you are merrily just hiding behind ambiguous reassurances then you probably aren't really healed of this affliction, but have simply numbed it and put it on a shelf.

 

Let me ask you this. Does faith take away your natural sexual desires? Does faith make you behave better or worse than those without it? Does faith permanently remove guilt about bad thoughts, misspoken words, unrequited desires?

[nightflight]

Where do you find hope? How do you find hope?

 

I don't.

 

Where do you find peace, and what do you find peace in?

 

There is no peace. However, I have to say that Xianity for sure gave me no peace; just a lot of fear.

[ColorMixer]

I have to go with the other posters here. Hope in what exactly? Peace? How do you define being at peace?

 

I am who I am. I strive to learn and improve my life.

 

How does this god provide hope and peace exactly? What was missing in your life without god? I think we need to be as specific as possible, otherwise we don't really know what we're talking about.

[Phanta]

Kathlene's question is what fuels you to vitality each day of life. The gist of the inquiry is what gets you up in the morning and motivated to move forward, to do your day. Hope for something motivates many.

 

A person (child, spouse, parent). A destination (career path, etc). Promises of a faith tradition (i.e. Heaven). Happy times.

 

Other possible motivations: Revenge. Spite. Biological aversion to suicide combined with a compulsion to breathe. Etc.

 

Phanta

[Petrel]

I value myself very highly, and since there is no measure to say that I am better than others, I should also value others similarly.

 

This is profound. It is the nuts and bolts of empathy, and it is now clear to me that it arises from a sense of equality and humility.

 

Thank you for that.

Thanks. It's not as though I achieve this, though, but it's an ideal.

[Midnight-mindwanderings]

From The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake 1789-1790 Emphasis mine

THE VOICE OF THE DEVIL

 

All Bibles or sacred codes, have been the causes of the following Errors.

1. That Man has two real existing principles Viz: a Body & a Soul.

2. That Energy, call'd Evil, is alone from the Body, & that Reason, call'd Good, is alone from the Soul.

3. That God will torment Man in Eternity for following his Energies.

 

But the following Contraries to these are True.

1. Man has no Body distinct from his Soul; for that call'd Body is a portion of Soul discern'd by the five Senses, the chief inlets of Soul in this age.

2. Energy is the only life and is from the Body and Reason is the bound or outward circumference of Energy.

3. Energy is Eternal Delight.

Choosing forms of worship from poetic tales.

And a length they pronounc'd that the Gods had order'd such things.

Thus men forgot that All deities reside in the human breast.

Some will say, Is not God alone the Prolific? I answer, God only Acts & Is, in existing beings or Men.

 

I have a deep love for Romanticism of the late 18th/ early 19th century. This particular work expresses the need for both sides of dualities. It speaks about Hell as a source of unrepressed energy and heaven as a place of stoic order. Physical sensations and sexuality is revered rather than repressed. Emotions, intuition and reason are all held as parts of our humanity we should embrace. We are complex creatures in a complex universe and limiting either is a shame.

 

I do not see things as either good or bad - good and bad all depend on perspective and if you back up far enough into the BIG picture it all becomes irrelevant. But I understand that I have this one perspective through life so I strive to experience as much as I can even if its painful, sorrowful or frightening. I like seeing how my life and experiences fit into those of others.

 

I hope I can live long enough to experience life fully. I have peace when I see how my life fits into the web of humanity and this planet. I hope to help others through their suffering and share in their joys. I feel peace when I think about eternity and I am content with my small part in it. I feel hope when I observe the creativity of humanity - the arts, literature, cinema, music, dance. I am at peace with who I am.

 

I hope this makes some sense.

[Shyone]

I value myself very highly, and since there is no measure to say that I am better than others, I should also value others similarly.

 

This is profound. It is the nuts and bolts of empathy, and it is now clear to me that it arises from a sense of equality and humility.

 

Thank you for that.

Thanks. It's not as though I achieve this, though, but it's an ideal.

Yes, of course! What an admirable ideal! I have tried to do something like this, but this wording is so different from what I have seen before.

 

It makes the golden rule look a little rusty.

[Shyone]

From The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake 1789-1790 Emphasis mine

THE VOICE OF THE DEVIL

 

I hope I can live long enough to experience life fully. I have peace when I see how my life fits into the web of humanity and this planet. I hope to help others through their suffering and share in their joys. I feel peace when I think about eternity and I am content with my small part in it. I feel hope when I observe the creativity of humanity - the arts, literature, cinema, music, dance. I am at peace with who I am.

 

I hope this makes some sense.

I didn't realize that Blake's writing was so "atheistic." I'm impressed!

 

As for experiencing life fully, there are always loose ends. Live every day as if it were your last, and whenever you die you will have experienced life fully.

[Vigile]

Kathlene's question is what fuels you to vitality each day of life. The gist of the inquiry is what gets you up in the morning and motivated to move forward, to do your day. Hope for something motivates many.

 

A person (child, spouse, parent). A destination (career path, etc). Promises of a faith tradition (i.e. Heaven). Happy times.

 

Other possible motivations: Revenge. Spite. Biological aversion to suicide combined with a compulsion to breathe. Etc.

 

Phanta

 

How about just being an adult and not relying on mind games to get you through your day? Maybe people like me are just wired differently and have trouble empathizing with what you are trying to get across here, I dunno. But I just don't even understand the question 'get me through the day.' What is there about the day that I need to get through?

[Phanta]

Kathlene's question is what fuels you to vitality each day of life. The gist of the inquiry is what gets you up in the morning and motivated to move forward, to do your day. Hope for something motivates many.

 

A person (child, spouse, parent). A destination (career path, etc). Promises of a faith tradition (i.e. Heaven). Happy times.

 

Other possible motivations: Revenge. Spite. Biological aversion to suicide combined with a compulsion to breathe. Etc.

 

Phanta

 

How about just being an adult and not relying on mind games to get you through your day? Maybe people like me are just wired differently and have trouble empathizing with what you are trying to get across here, I dunno. But I just don't even understand the question 'get me through the day.' What is there about the day that I need to get through?

 

This is what it's like for me:

 

I have always sought meaning for what I do, even as a little girl. Maybe, probably, a reaction to misery and chaos. For me, intentions were and are really important for some reason...not just ends. Something about the integrity of the whole became central to my operation really young. There was certainly structure in integrity. Sister sought her structure with the Fundamentalists. For me...that didn't work despite my efforts and immersion, so I built my structure inside. Of course, since I'm not a perfect, logical being and am always growing and changing, that internal structure gets pretty shaky and twisted a lot, even fails, has to be rebuilt. Why? Security is really important to me, Vigile. Really, really important. Without a core sense of security and purpose, my inner world turns pretty despairing.

 

During those despairing times, when baseline existence is on the miserable side day after day, how many times I have woken up and felt the weight of every motion of the day ahead of me. Something has to get me out of bed. Responsibility? To whom? For what? Am I a machine? Can I be happy being a machine this morning? What's the point, if it's just going to be more of this stress and angst and suffering tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow? The first answer always is, of course, to sustain my life. Survival mode. But that isn't a way to live, in the long run, like a desperate animal. So the point that follows always is, if life, at it's baseline, is experienced as crap, that's a hard pill to swallow. I can do it, and I do, but there is a cold emptiness to it. A living deadness.

 

So what is my motivation for getting up in the morning, even on those really bad, painful mornings?

 

Hope that it's not all for nought. If I go to Heaven, if I go to Hell, if I get recycled into the creature collective as a slug, if every ounce of "me"in t turns to ashes and dust, I just keep trying to inject love into the places where my kind of love is wanted and minimize the damage I cause. And tolerate the ever-present angst of "Why?".

 

Here's another story.

 

I know a very depressed man. He has no Faith, hates his career, has a trail of broken marriages. His speech is constantly turned toward anger. Angst keeps him sleepless at night. One day, in a swell of the endless rant that is this man's life, I, in frustration and despair, asked him, "What is it that keeps you from offing yourself, Daddy?" He replied, "You guys, I guess. My family. I don't want to hurt you." We are what gets him up in the morning.

 

There are two examples. Even if you don't experience any of this yourself-- which is very much wonderful!-- maybe these two examples will form for you an intellectual model.

 

I don't really get, exactly, what you mean by "just be an adult". What does that look like? Why do it? I have my own ideas about what being an adult looks like. I don't know if they're the same as yours... For me, it's to just be a part of the system, contribute, minimize damage, etc. How that plays out for me is likely different than for you. But even so, I ask, at least sometimes, "What's the point?"

 

You don't? Again, if you're not driven toward that, I think that is really wonderful. Hard for me to really understand personally, but I can understand it intellectually and accept it as true for you...and even envy it. Envy it a whole lot.

 

Phanta

[Vixentrox]

Thankyou all for the replies so far. There were some that went a little over my head, and others with pure simplicity that was profound.

 

Franko thanks for the good belly laugh about your cat. I often think cats have all the answers to life, lol.

 

I am also looking forward to the replies from the people who are working on it.

 

Here are just a couple of questions, because someone asked for more specific things rather than just the general term worldview.

 

I am also trying my hardest not to come across as pretentious, or difficult or offending. I genuinely seek these answers for my own understanding and growth. So here goes...

 

Where do you find hope? How do you find hope?

Where do you find peace, and what do you find peace in?

 

I think for me, when I deconverted was how scary my world became without God, and I could not for the life of me accept or find comfort in my world without god in it. I felt alone and there seemed to be emptiness in my life. I found complete peace in turning back to Him, and I found hope again. yeah yeah, I know how you all feel about that. My point is, how and where do you find your peace and hope without god? I really want to understand it. Thanks.

How about finding hope within yourself. Weak minded people have to invent an imaginary friend to be their pal. Peace? I live my life and it's basically peaceful. What wasn't peaceful is have a butchering, evil being looking over my shoulder promising hellfire.

[Phanta]

How about finding hope within yourself.

 

Is that what you do? How do you do it?

 

Phanta

[Vigile]

I don't really get, exactly, what you mean by "just be an adult". What does that look like?

 

Well, I'm pretty realistic. I don't think there is any real meaning in life, whatever that might mean. The reality is, 100 years after I'm dead, and probably 50, no one is going to remember that I even walked this planet. So being an adult means facing up to this reality. We all know it's true. Some need to create a legacy to give themselves a sense of purpose. They write books, start foundations, have kids. That's fine, but one out of ten million will be remembered. Heck, even someone like Johnny Carson is going to be completely forgotten in another 25 or so odd years. I say "so what?". Even if someone does remember you, you won't know they do because you'll be dead. I have my life now so all I can do is enjoy it.

 

If you don't like your job, then work to do something else. That's what I did. If you don't like your life, then change it. Maybe it's easier for some to play games with themselves and tell themselves that they will keep on living after they die and that their suffering now will be repaid with joy later on but IMO that just keeps them from doing something about their problems and causes them to strive to endure their suffering. Isn't it better to do everything you can to find happiness now than to dull your senses with meaningless hope? This is what I mean by being an adult. Face up to reality and work to fix what isn't working for one's self.

[Phanta]

I think for me, when I deconverted was how scary my world became without God, and I could not for the life of me accept or find comfort in my world without god in it. I felt alone and there seemed to be emptiness in my life. I found complete peace in turning back to Him, and I found hope again. yeah yeah, I know how you all feel about that. My point is, how and where do you find your peace and hope without god? I really want to understand it. Thanks.

 

I get the question, because the world has been scary to me, Kath, pretty much my whole life. I see how a God-concept fills that fear and emptiness in for some people. It would for me, could I believe.

 

So, for me, my "higher power" is clearly the group. My community. Human support network. Exchange of giving love and receiving love. Giving aid and receiving aid. I especially find meaning and hope when I'm supporting the kids, who tend to be very drawn to me. When they are gone from my life for long periods of time, my days and my whole sense of self gets very empty. Other community-type stuff fills my up to a lesser degree...things that improve my community. Also, creating things (I craft) and giving them to people, in love, who appreciate them is something.

 

Mostly, loving people gives me hope and peace...the way I see, with some people, that I help lift them up and make their lives better.

 

When I'm not in a place to do that, it's usually a very dark time.

 

Phanta

[Vixentrox]

How about finding hope within yourself.

 

Is that what you do? How do you do it?

 

Phanta

I picture people worse off than me. No matter how bad my life may suck and how bad the pain gets (and it gets bad enough where suicide looks good), it helps me to remember that, "Hey, I am not horribly disfigured from burning" or "I'm in a ton of pain now...but it'll ease up and I'll still have a nice house where some kid in Africa lives in a cardboard shack if they lucky."

[Kathlene]

I think for me, when I deconverted was how scary my world became without God, and I could not for the life of me accept or find comfort in my world without god in it. I felt alone and there seemed to be emptiness in my life. I found complete peace in turning back to Him, and I found hope again. yeah yeah, I know how you all feel about that. My point is, how and where do you find your peace and hope without god? I really want to understand it. Thanks.

 

I get the question, because the world has been scary to me, Kath, pretty much my whole life. I see how a God-concept fills that fear and emptiness in for some people. It would for me, could I believe.

 

So, for me, my "higher power" is clearly the group. My community. Human support network. Exchange of giving love and receiving love. Giving aid and receiving aid. I especially find meaning and hope when I'm supporting the kids, who tend to be very drawn to me. When they are gone from my life for long periods of time, my days and my whole sense of self gets very empty. Other community-type stuff fills my up to a lesser degree...things that improve my community. Also, creating things (I craft) and giving them to people, in love, who appreciate them is something.

 

Mostly, loving people gives me hope and peace...the way I see, with some people, that I help lift them up and make their lives better.

 

When I'm not in a place to do that, it's usually a very dark time.

 

Phanta

 

Phanta, this is beautiful. It puts me to shame actually. I rarely have contact with people due to shyness, fear and of course my hiding from the world, which you know why. I love my job, that fills me, I have contact with family and love them, but always reserve just that bit of me that I dont share with anyone. I wish I knew how to connect to people more like you do and love them. I would love to meet you in real life, to me you are a walking analogy of love compassion and warmth.

[Ouroboros]

Worldview?

 

To live and let live. To improve and help improving. To be happy, and to make happy.

 

Where do you find hope? How do you find hope?

Hope for what exactly?

 

Hope for a continued existence of our planet?

 

Hope for humanity?

 

Hope for my family? Health? Financial stability? Happiness? Harmony?

 

Hope for me? In what area?

 

Where do you find peace, and what do you find peace in?

To listen to techno/trans music. Some of the music puts me into a different level of consciousness and things become clear. Currently I'm listening to DJ Addison.

 

I also find peace in sitting with my family, watching a good movie.

 

I think for me, when I deconverted was how scary my world became without God, and I could not for the life of me accept or find comfort in my world without god in it. I felt alone and there seemed to be emptiness in my life. I found complete peace in turning back to Him, and I found hope again.

I can totally see that.

 

It was scary at first. But I found peace in accepting that things are the way they are, and that I can only influence and change small things around me. Magical thinking only put me inside a box where things had to be accepted without clear support or reason.

 

Put it this way, if I get injured, I prefer to suffer the pain instead of taking strong pain killers. I want to feel the truth. I want to see the truth. I don't back down because I want to feel good. I take on problems head on, facing the dragons.

 

yeah yeah, I know how you all feel about that. My point is, how and where do you find your peace and hope without god? I really want to understand it. Thanks.

I find it within myself. The same place as you do. You think you get it from God, but honestly, I think it's ultimately our own power to find these things. The "God" symbol is only a handle for you to get a grip of your own inner being and find that peace and hope within you. I don't need a proxy symbol to find it, since I know I have it inside.

 

You have to understand, my family went through Hell. We suffered a terrible accident many years ago, and for many years I had to find peace and hope, but God didn't give it to me. When I finally realized I didn't believe, it was terrifying, but I couldn't find any peace in a false belief. I grew as a person and found hope and peace within. And that's where I am now.

[godlessgrrl]

What are my world views? Well...

 

The universe exists. It behaves in accordance with patterns we observe and call "laws" of nature. How it got here, I don't know. Maybe it was always around, in one form or another. The universe in its current state "began" somewhere around 14 billion years ago.

 

I exist. I am a product of the universe and I am subject to the same patterns or "laws". I live on a certain planet in a certain small part of the universe, orbiting around a very ordinary little yellow sun, which planet and sun are also products of this universe (more specifically, are the result of lengthy processes of development, guided by the aforementioned "laws").

 

I am very small and of very little meaning in this universe on a grand scale, though I might have great meaning to a handful of other beings like myself.

 

I was born X number of years ago and I will die in Y years. Life is short, but at the same time, on the atomic level, nothing ever really dies.

 

Since life is short, make it as good as possible. Reduce suffering where possible, live well where possible, help others when and where you can. Try not to be an asshole, but remember nobody's perfect.

 

Nothing is absolutely certain.

 

That doesn't really sum it up but that's a sampling.

 

Where do you find hope? How do you find hope?

 

Hope in what? Hope for what?

 

If you're wondering where I find hope for an afterlife, well - I don't. There is no good evidence that human consciousness survives death; in fact human consciousness is a product of the human brain. Affect the brain, you affect consciousness. Destroy the brain, you destroy consciousness. At the end of my life I expect my awareness to snuff out and return to the same state of nonexistence it was in before I was born.

 

But if you're asking about some other sort of hope, well that depends. Mostly I find it by reminding myself that I'm more capable and resourceful than I think I am, and if I'm in a situation that seems hopeless, I'm probably creative enough to figure out how to deal with it. Then I get up and deal (after a lot of bitching about it).

 

Where do you find peace, and what do you find peace in?

 

I'm assuming you're talking about inner peace here, not world peace.

 

I don't find inner peace that useful, frankly. To me it represents a state of apathy and stagnation. I'd rather have some struggle in life, because that enables me to stretch my boundaries and use the big fat brain with which Nature has seen fit to endow me.

 

But on regular occasions I will find a few days of relaxation here and there, and travel to a beach or something and drink lots of foofy drinks, or have a bonfire with friends, or do something fun. That's my peace.

[Deva]

Kathlene, I am not sure of your motive for raising the question, but have decided to contribute anyway after thinking about it for a few days.

 

I decided a couple years ago that my worldview most closely coincided with the Buddhist view. The Buddha taught that this world “samsara” is unsatisfactory to human beings. The word he used is “dukkha” which has a few different meanings but can be defined as a basic dissatisfaction and also as suffering. I very much concur with this view – to me it is spot on. Life is most unsatisfactory because everything is temporary and changing. Our minds do not accept it, we want the “good” changes but we resist the “bad” ones. This creates a lot of suffering. This view of the Buddha has far -reaching implications. It means that even the happy events in our lives are not really so.

 

We are locked into a narrow view of ourselves as individuals separate from others. Buddha taught that the “I” does not really exist. I concur with this, although admittedly find it hard to realize. We have structured a view of our “self” formed by our interactions with others and over years it solidifies into a reality which we must protect. I believe it is probably a survival technique built into our brains but in some way isn’t real. Buddha taught interdependent origination. We are only here because certain causes and conditions came together and we are here, now. These causes and conditions will change and then we will not be here in the same way.

 

The Diamond Sutra teaches that this world is like a dream. What we see is not as it really is. This is actually true. Our senses filter out an enormous amount of information so we can make sense of what we see. Sometimes I think how different other animals must perceive the world. Some see ultraviolet light and some operate by a kind of radar in total darkness. What kind of world does a bat or an owl see?

 

While realizing that death is natural, I simply cannot conceive of there being nothing afterward. As a child I thought heaven was a possibility but was never certain. How can one be certain? I thought death would be some kind of adventure. Here one day, just ashes in an urn the next – that is just crazy. I don’t understand it. If matter can be conscious and aware once, it can be again. I think since ” I “am here now there is at least a very good possibility that after death I can be here again in some different form. Nietzsche wrote of the eternal re- occurrence. That is also a possibility, given billions of years. I accept reincarnation; although I admit it is not something that can be proven scientifically. I found the work of Dr. Ian Stevenson very interesting. I read his books many years ago and found his cases of young children who remembered their past lives to be intriguing. It is the only type of evidence we have that reincarnation or something like it actually exists.

 

Even though I accept reincarnation, I am persuaded that this life is most valuable. At the end of the day it is what we do now that is most important. Life itself has an intrinsic value. Buddhists talk of "this precious human life". Just being here and having all my senses intact IS precious. Christians would have us believe that life only has a value if you accept Christ. I will have none of that - there are no conditions.

 

One thing of crucial importance to me is that I keep my own thought life in order. That is observing thoughts and letting them go. To me, that is meditation and it is every day, all day and not sitting on a cushion cross legged. If your mind is in order, then you have something no one and no circumstances can take away from you.

 

Aesthetics is very closely aligned with religion. Religion covers a lot of territory and is certainly not all negative to me. Art, religion, and relationships give our lives meaning. It is a fact that religion does give hope and has enabled people to survive under horrible circumstances.

 

Living IS relationship. Not just with people, but with everything. How do you see, how do you relate to your surroundings on a day to day basis? This is the central concern.

 

Since life can be VERY TOUGH, art and religion serve a useful function. I am a pragmatist. At one time in my life I thought there was really nothing more worthwhile or important than art. My response to this question about 20 years ago would be very much in line with what Valkyrie has posted.

 

Whether a god or gods exist is an open question. I like it to remain an open question, so I don’t consider myself atheist.

 

What gives me hope and what gives me peace? This is from the inside - it can only be a do it yourself project. In general it helps me to know that all circumstances are temporary. Also I remind myself that no matter how bad my circumstances are, someone else has it worse.

 

Peace is inner peace and it centers upon the knowledge of oneself. I can tell you in another equally long essay what things do not give me peace and recognizing that is of as much importance, or more, than finding out what does.

 

One thing that surely does not give me peace is the Christian worldview. Some of the things Christians say! Such as "God has a perfect plan for you." My brain goes crazy.

[oddbird1963]

I don't think I'll try to tackle the "What is your worldview?" aspect of this thread in any detail. The most I can say about that in any coherent way is "non-theist." My worldview is not completely and formally worked out since I de-converted. I do believe that you can never prove that a god does not exist, but the evidence we have for the existence of a god makes the probability very low that a god exists.

 

 

The question of "Where do you get your hope?" is, I think, the real question of this thread. I don't think hope is necessarily a positive feeling of happiness and anticipation. I think those emotions come and go with hope, but hope still remains no matter how fluffy and fuzzy are the emotions you feel. Hope is merely the drive inside you that keeps you going despite the conditions, feelings and circumstances that tell you to "STOP!"

 

I think hope is actually a function of genetics and personal psychology. People have varying degrees of capacity for anticipating a future with positive outcomes. We each have varying degrees of resiliency and tolerance for physical and emotional pain. Some people through social conditioning, the influence of strong role models , and even the influence of religion are able to maintain an internal dialogue of encouragement and self-motivation. All of these factors, and probably more than I have thought to list, provide that quality of hope about which this thread inquires.

 

I don't think any single religion is responsible for the hopefulness people have. I don't feel that I have any more or any less "hope" than before I was a believer or while I was a Christian. I think religion gets better press for providing hope, when in fact, hope comes from within the individual and it is fanned into flame by the voice of an encouraging presence, no matter what the worldview or what the philosophy or theology behind that encouraging presence.

[J.W.]

Hey all,

 

I am starting this thread to continue from the one I started in the Big Bang One to have a discussion thread, not a debate, on sharing worldviews. I am very interested in hearing what you believe now, if you do, or what makes up your worldview now. This is not a debating thread, rather a thread of coming together and discussing if you wish to do so what gives you hope now, or what form of belief do you walk with now, or what is the thing that gets you through today, tomorrow and next week? They are just a sample of the questions. I am sure I will think of more as posts come in.

 

Please, this is a serious thread. I am not seeking a chance to evangelise or carry on at you. This is a time for me to hear with open ears your side of the story and where you stand now. Thankyou. Cheers.

 

 

World view:

 

our money system sucks

 

everytime you hear the word inflation you are being robbed

 

your life is set up to be a profit slave to the rich elite

 

its like that everywhere... the end

[lunaticheathen]

Just found this, so, here goes my first attempt.

 

I'd call myself a mystic. As my boyfriend says, "reality is subjective, and always changing." That's a large part of how I approach the world. Little is concrete. There is what works and what doesn't. Christianity ceased to work for me, therefore, it's not a part of my worldview anymore.

I'm animist. I'm a bit of a hedonist. I strive to have compassion for others, no matter where they come from, or what they think. I think the whole universe is connected and my actions have consequences, whether I see them or not. I believe in souls. I believe in other kinds of spirits, what one might call "gods" or "demi-gods" - I think the idea of "lwa" fits them better though - a piece of the Whole, and we're all pieces, as are rocks, trees, rivers, fish, bears, birds, rabbits, and especially kittens. Everything, really. I dig the "oneness" philosophies as well. I believe in reincarnation. I believe in good food, good friends, and shaking my ass. I believe in Love.

I might change tomorrow. I likely will change in some way.

 

EDIT: I also found a great little quote from one of my favorite writers, Sera Beak, on the subject of spirituality. From The Red Book,

Remember, every concept, every belief has a ceiling, a limit. And we all know that divinity likes to go topless.

[Antlerman]

Just found this, so, here goes my first attempt.

 

I'd call myself a mystic. As my boyfriend says, "reality is subjective, and always changing." That's a large part of how I approach the world. Little is concrete. There is what works and what doesn't. Christianity ceased to work for me, therefore, it's not a part of my worldview anymore.

I'm animist. I'm a bit of a hedonist. I strive to have compassion for others, no matter where they come from, or what they think. I think the whole universe is connected and my actions have consequences, whether I see them or not. I believe in souls. I believe in other kinds of spirits, what one might call "gods" or "demi-gods" - I think the idea of "lwa" fits them better though - a piece of the Whole, and we're all pieces, as are rocks, trees, rivers, fish, bears, birds, rabbits, and especially kittens. Everything, really. I dig the "oneness" philosophies as well. I believe in reincarnation. I believe in good food, good friends, and shaking my ass. I believe in Love.

I might change tomorrow. I likely will change in some way.

 

EDIT: I also found a great little quote from one of my favorite writers, Sera Beak, on the subject of spirituality. From The Red Book,

Remember, every concept, every belief has a ceiling, a limit. And we all know that divinity likes to go topless.

Hey, you know something. I promised Kathleen ages ago I would post my worldview to this thread and never did. In reading yours, I'd say it largely expresses mine, with some points of difference, such as ghosts and demi-gods. The key points that aligns with mine are:

"I'd call myself a mystic."

 

"Little is concrete. There is what works and what doesn't. Christianity ceased to work for me, therefore, it's not a part of my worldview anymore."

 

"I strive to have compassion for others, no matter where they come from, or what they think."

 

"I think the whole universe is connected and my actions have consequences, whether I see them or not."

 

"I dig the "oneness" philosophies as well."

 

And in particular this quote,

Remember, every concept, every belief has a ceiling, a limit. And we all know that divinity likes to go topless.

 

That in particular, I like a great deal and it very much reflects how I see the world.

[lunaticheathen]

Remember, every concept, every belief has a ceiling, a limit. And we all know that divinity likes to go topless.

[/indent]

 

That in particular, I like a great deal and it very much reflects how I see the world.

 

I heart Sera Beak. She's an awesome lady, a true spiritual cowgirl, and every mystic minded person should check her out, imo.