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fontduroy · 11-27-2006, 04:51 PM

I was sitting at my in-law’s Mac the other day when the screen saver came on, displaying various planets, galaxies, and other cosmic objects. As I was spacing out at the time (pun intended), my attention was turned to the majesties of the universe and our small, insignificant place in it. I thought of all of the things that we don’t know, all of the things that we do know, and all of the things that we believe. It was then that I had a nice realization.

We don’t have to be a part of one consciousness or multiple consciousnesses. We don’t need to think that there is something “smarter”, more compassionate, or “greater” than ourselves out there in the form of a deity. We can look at each other and smile in the realization that regardless of what might be “out there” or inside us, we can all be individuals appreciating the wonderment of this existence.

I struggled for years to rid myself of the indoctrinated dogma of the religion that I was brought up in. Afterwards, I had to try to come to terms with the idea of no afterlife or god, of anyone looking after or over me, and of being completely responsible for my actions. My ability to successfully live these ideas was tenuous at best.

This realization was the first time that I felt completely comfortable with any of this. It’s okay to believe that humans are the most advanced life form that we’ve discovered so far. It’s okay to live without gods or the idea of a higher consciousness. It’s okay to believe that, as of right now, we are the highest consciousness that has been attained so far in this universe. In that moment, I ceased believing that these were self-destructive, self-centered thoughts and began seeing them as the beautiful things that they are. Each one of us can be the center of our own universe, but that doesn’t have to mean it is at the detriment of everyone else. We can maintain our separateness while being with each other.

It’s okay to not feel connected to someone or the rest of humanity, because while we may not be connected, we are all related by simply being human. Every time I think of this, tears come to my eyes. To realize that I and everyone else on this planet are the pinnacle of existence so far is a very humbling yet empowering idea.

11-27-2006, 04:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
fontduroy Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 28	An Interesting Realization I was sitting at my in-law’s Mac the other day when the screen saver came on, displaying various planets, galaxies, and other cosmic objects. As I was spacing out at the time (pun intended), my attention was turned to the majesties of the universe and our small, insignificant place in it. I thought of all of the things that we don’t know, all of the things that we do know, and all of the things that we believe. It was then that I had a nice realization. We don’t have to be a part of one consciousness or multiple consciousnesses. We don’t need to think that there is something “smarter”, more compassionate, or “greater” than ourselves out there in the form of a deity. We can look at each other and smile in the realization that regardless of what might be “out there” or inside us, we can all be individuals appreciating the wonderment of this existence. I struggled for years to rid myself of the indoctrinated dogma of the religion that I was brought up in. Afterwards, I had to try to come to terms with the idea of no afterlife or god, of anyone looking after or over me, and of being completely responsible for my actions. My ability to successfully live these ideas was tenuous at best. This realization was the first time that I felt completely comfortable with any of this. It’s okay to believe that humans are the most advanced life form that we’ve discovered so far. It’s okay to live without gods or the idea of a higher consciousness. It’s okay to believe that, as of right now, we are the highest consciousness that has been attained so far in this universe. In that moment, I ceased believing that these were self-destructive, self-centered thoughts and began seeing them as the beautiful things that they are. Each one of us can be the center of our own universe, but that doesn’t have to mean it is at the detriment of everyone else. We can maintain our separateness while being with each other. It’s okay to not feel connected to someone or the rest of humanity, because while we may not be connected, we are all related by simply being human. Every time I think of this, tears come to my eyes. To realize that I and everyone else on this planet are the pinnacle of existence so far is a very humbling yet empowering idea.