Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Chui  I have much to look forward to. I work in the hopes that the world will be a better place in a couple thousand years, as a result of what I do. My participation on this forum is a small part of that work.
I am not bothered that I will be dead within a thousand years, my name likely forgotten, my children and all the people I could have known also dead; I am just one and not a terribly important one, and I don't have enough ego to be concerned about my memory: just my legacy.
How long would your life need to be for it to not seem pointless? A hundred years? A thousand? A trillion?
The first time I asked you about scale, you said, "Not particularly." But then you went and delivered the same sentiment from a different angle: that something external has to give you purpose and meaning for you to have purpose and meaning. Is this what you believe?
Non-existence isn't something we aspire for, no. If it were, then the human race ought to lie themselves down and die now, or to never have arisen in the first place. Why bother ourselves with existence when we seek its opposite?
So why exist? Why do you exist? Why do you live? The essence of conscious living begins with a confrontation with death. Why not death? Why shouldn't you kill yourself now? Because society says you shouldn't? Because it would be sorrowful and inconvenient to your family and friends? Or because you want to live?
Not that you like to live: you seem to like living mostly because it means you're not dead. That's not choosing to live; that's choosing not to die. It is a vague, lethargic decision.
What, Betrade, is your raison d'etre? Do you have a joie de vivre? What makes you conscious and aware? What do you see around you? What wisdom do you grasp? What is your passion? |
When I said "not particularly, I meant ti. OTOH, I'm just sayin' that I would PREFER; if given the choice, that life have more meaning than just the infintessimally small sliver of time we get on this Earth compared to the magnificent, huge and incomprehensible fullness of time.
In other words, what "is to be" is fine, but if I had my druther's, I'd druther live forever as an individual and not have my existence snuffed out in one moment, like, being here one second and then gone the next; but I have no choice either way and I'l have to take whatever comes again;(as if I have a choice), so it's not something that I dwell on.
I don't spend any time worrying about the things I have no control over. I didn't create myself, I wasn't always here, and I was just as fine when I didn't exist as I am when I do exist (maybe even better; who knows??), but now that I do exist; I kinda' like it a whole lot to say the least; so I'm not in any hurry whatsoever for that existence to end, despite the fact that it may and that if it does, it will be ebyond my control.
I also don't particularly want to lose the relationships I have with the people I love; especially my kids. Before they came along, as much as I had loved (and BOY have I loved!!); I never fully realized what true; unconditional love was; and now that I understand; and really love having that love in my life, I would prefer that it be eternal rather than temporary.
I mean, I love lots of people and always have, as well as having those who love me, but those kids showed me a whole new dimension/level of what love really is. I'm not obsessed with my kids or anything like that, but I would lay down my life in a moment for any of them, even if it meant losing my existence. OTOH, I would prefer that the relationship never end IF I had a choice in the matter.
Only Time will tell; or should I say, eternity will; but either way, I'll accept whatever comes with no regrets and be grateful for the time and the love that I have been given no matter what happens; not to mentions all of the experiences; both good and "bad" that have made me who I am and taught me the lessons I have learned so far.
That's another point. I like the idea of continuing to learn. There are lots of unanswered questions about the mysteries of existence that I would really like to ask God; and receive answers to; if indeed God indeed exists (which I DO believe; not because I have been taught to believe; but almost instinctually; if that makes any sense) and I get the opportunity to sit down and have a two way heart to heart with God for a gazillion years or so.
I have lots of questions; some deep; some not so deep like; "What's up with that trunk thing on elephants and how did you ever come up with a Platypus"; among about a million others. Think about it. there are so many "whys" that we couldn't possibly learn in one little lifetime. It's just not long enough; even if we didn't have to sleep away a third of our lives it wouldn't be enough time to know all of the things that can be known.
I think we all have questions that we would like answered and who wouldn't want to sit down with the greatest mind in existence and pick that brain?? That alone could take an eternity; and I can only imagine how cool all of those answers would be.
Does that make sense??