Sometimes, life takes you in the most unexpected of directions. You think that you have everything figured out, and in a matter of seconds nothing seems right anymore. The people you hang out with. The ones you love. Everything is different, and you have no fucking idea why. I guess that’s why they call it an epiphany. You realize something you didn’t before, and as quickly as it was to come to terms with it, nothing is the same. I guess people change without realizing they are different, and that’s why the future is so magically uncertain. For better or worse. I have been thinking about god lately. Not so much whether an afterlife exists, but why we even need it in the first place. Sure, life and death is scary. I get that, trust me. But do we really need to believe that everything is set in stone, biblically. Where is the fun in that? What is the point of doing anything, taking risks, making love, living in general, if someone out there has control of it all. And the same can be said for science. Progression is a beautiful thing, and the search for truth and knowledge is righteous by all means. But if we lose sight of how magical the world is, did we really even gain anything in the end? To put things into perspective, it is as though a part of the world has jumped the gun. I mean, we are going down such a linear road to ruin that we seem to forget the most crucial aspects of being a human. To love, and to be loved. And those small six words should be easy to grasp at, and yet so much hate consumes us all. Jealousy, betrayal, suffering, poverty, disease, war, murder, and the list goes on, forever in the wrong direction. And we all have felt these words in reality, we all know that such injustice should not exist, that these words only hold such great relevance in our lives because we allow them to, but we do nothing to change it. In a world where greed is more profitable than peace, what can a single person do to change it, aside from stating the fact that it is happening. Daily. As it has been since the dawn of man. Maybe im just being petty though. I mean to say that any of this makes sense would be to say that that I have lost all hope in humanity. And maybe that's true, but I like to think there is a silver lining in all of this bullshit, and I just have yet to find it. Yeah, that would be the best thing to say I guess. Just keep trying to be a better person, try to change those around you to be better, and maybe it can reach everyone in the world someday. A better world for all. The kid without any family. The kid who has no food for dinner. The mother who struggles to make ends meet. And the father who just wants to make life bearable for those he cares about. These people deserve a better world, and we can give them that. Someday. Hopefully. But for now, im just a teenager going through college, worrying about my future. And you are just another person amongst billions. Reading.
That a vast majority of people agree with you is the silver lining you're looking for. It's just a case of mobilising them. And let's not kid ourselves, a world without any of the injustices you listed is impossible. The most we can do is keep beating back the tide, and that's a tricky sell when we all have real, tangible things to be getting on with; who would work, possibly to their personal detriment, for a distant and nebulous reward when they can sing to their own hymn-sheet and see the results first-hand? To anyone who wants to achieve this, the young are the only demographic that might take up that challenge en masse, and the young grow old and become tied down with mortgages and Family Fortunes. Even if you achieve a victory, they'll grow apathetic, the rot will seep in, and the cycle repeats itself.
Life is pointless and in the end, nothing will exist, not even the universe we're in. So we should stop taking it so seriously and relax. Take the pressure off, be nice to people and enjoy the moment.
Well, @Selbbin, we may as well throw some make up on you, dye your hair green, and call Batman to come get you. Not including your last sentence, you'd almost have a decent Joker line. @Andrew D'Agostini , Don't you just love when these thoughts fill your head. You sit still for too long, spend a little too much time alone in your head, and Wham! They hit you, and you can't tell exactly what to make of life. You want to fix things, but you're not quite sure how or if it's possible. All the while, you realize that those thoughts have to take the backseat to the issue of the present, the things that affect you immediately. I suppose that's my way of saying I hear, you kid. (I say kid because I'm 20 and I like the way it feels. ) I'm a college student myself, trying to work out a way to finish paying off this year so I can get on into the next. I'm living on campus, out of state, and when I'm done here, I'm going home to California. Trouble is, with the exception of my aunts and great-grandma, my family has moved Colorado. Now I don't know where I want to go or where I'll be able to go. I'm not obligated to go to one or the other, but I have certain desires and certain expectations to fulfill, and on top of that, I'm still learning to navigate this world like a functioning adult. All the while, when I have time alone I think, "How can we fix this world?" Then a part of me realizes, it's not broken, just corrupted, It's operating exactly as it's been redesigned to. The super-rich gain footholds over everything, while the hopeless, overworked, and impoverished, as stuck with dreams of collecting the scraps that the fall from the elite's table. How do we fix that? All we do is chase the dollar right? What's the point of anything we do if we aren't loving, though? Here's the deal. We can change the world simply by becoming self-enablers. Become skilled at doing the things you love and become as healthy and self-reliant as you can. Don't just chase your dreams of becoming wealthy with a family, a house, a pet and no more worries; find your purpose by following your passion. Love freely and widely. Teach the kids around you to value happiness over money and of the importance of ideals like sharing and community and love. If we stop buying into the b.s. system we're living in, where anything and everything is competition and success always comes at the expense of others, then we don't have to see the world so negatively. What's the point of life? Life is the point. Whether you believe in souls or not, on thing is certain, we live in order to live. Life should be about serving each other and helping each other, about thinking positive and creating happiness, about spreading unbiased love in action. If you can do that in your immediate sphere, then believe you've made a difference. Even if you can't see it, simply by being that positive force, you make a difference if you believe it. There is more to living than what we see everyday. Heck, I'll make my claim and say there's more to life than what we see on this Earth. We may not know what it is or how it functions but I think it's there. Some say it's God. Others say it's gods. Many will say it's just the Universe. I don't know or Care as long as their belief in it compels them to go good to others. There may be an afterlife, there may not be. We have no physical proof of nonphysical existence, but that doesn't mean that the non physical things such as emotions, ideas, values--all abstract concepts, don't matter. Life depends entirely on how you choose to view it. You can change the lenses whenever you want. Either there's purpose or there's not. But we can rest assured that the point of living is living itself,gaining experience, seeing things, laughing, loving, and helping each other. If we aren't doing that, then I posit that we aren't really living.
My theory is that the concept of god was needed not only to explain what we couldn't understand but also to level the playing field between the weak and the strong. There's nothing in nature to prevent the strong from overpowering and imposing their will on the weak. So a supernatural entity that had power over all men was needed. For me, the world becomes more beautiful the more I learn about and understand it. As for the rest of the stuff, just remember that you can't have love without hate, or happiness without sadness, or comfort without discomfort. They're two sides of the same coin.
This happened to me recently. My mom was always my best friend growing up, but I was never close to the rest of my family -- my dad, stepmom, sister, and two stepsisters. I tried. God knows I tried. But sometimes, people just don't mesh. And we were those people. I didn't enjoy the things they did and vice verse. So after a while, all we had to talk about was the weather. I found a boyfriend who cared about me, who took care of me. I thought I was happy. But really, I was just settling. I felt like if I couldn't make it work with that man, I couldn't make it work with anyone. Because he was a decent guy. He didn't treat me perfectly, but he didn't treat me badly either. And how many relationships are perfect anyway? We got engaged. Had a pregnancy scare. My mom, my best friend, moved across the country. My sister moved overseas. And suddenly, I felt so completely alone. I was stuck in my stupid home town with people that don't care about me and a fiance that I was with basically for the security. I had a friend that I met in an online chatroom when I was 12. We've been close for 14 years. One day, we got to talking about how much we regret never meeting. And after days upon days of reminiscing, we realized that no one in the world mattered more than we mattered to each other. So in December, I left my fiance. And in January, I moved across the country to be with my best friend that I had never met before in 14 years. It's only been two months that we've been together. But it's been the best two months of my life. I'm going to marry that kid. It's funny how scared we are of taking risks. People try to talk you out of it. "Well what if this happens? What if that happens?" We're so afraid of what ifs. If no one did anything because of the what ifs that surrounded it, no one would ever accomplish anything. I'd rather regret something I did than something I didn't do. I've thought your same thoughts many times. People can be so selfish. People are too busy worrying about their own problems. It breaks my heart. It's been my dream since I was 15 to open a homeless shelter someday. And not just a shelter where people come in to sleep and then leave. I want to make a difference. I want to help the people that want to be helped and get them back on their feet to start their lives. So much poverty has plagued our world, and instead of trying to fix it, we wage wars against other countries -- we wage wars against ourselves. We could do so much good in this world if we spent half as much time trying to help as we spend fighting each other.
I also agree with thirdwind, religion is a form of oppression of the weak, but it is also a justice system imposed by the weak. God doesn't value the strong, the ruthless, the free-willed man who he believes himself to be strong to call himself a god. But God values the meek, the merciful, the obedient, the men who turn the other cheek, etc; all characteristics of the weaker class at the time. It also gives supernatural justice system that makes the oppressed class feel that the who have made them endure suffering will face justice in the afterlife. So in a sense, "someone having control of it all", gave those who had no control some sort of justice. And I guess that in turn made them feel like they had some of control; if they lead "righteous lives" they will receive justice for their actions while those who lead "unrighteous lives"(and get away with it), will be punished in the afterlife. Personally, I think the pursuit of knowledge and truth is a magical thing as well. To see things without knowing it is truly seeing things on a superficial. I mean, some people see the tidal waves as is unexplainable thing caused by god(s). But in fact it's due to the gravitational battle of the moon and earth. I find the later to be more magical, but that's just my opinion. Humans are flawed creatures indeed. But you have to take the good with the bad, I guess. I mean, it's in our nature to see the bad things in our world, to find problems to solve; it's what has helped us survive and prosper as a species. It's easy to ignore the little things that happen, for example a young man like you who desires to make the world better for others, things like this generally gets swept under the rug. I guess I'm trying to say that the world isn't that bad once we try and look for the good things in life, the everyday things that seem commonplace; the person who holds the door for another; the person who donates blood, money, or organs; the person who volunteers at a shelter; etc. These are things we generally just brush under the rug because we deem it's not relevant enough to something bad. I guess I'm just rambling now. What I'm saying is, it's easy to see the bad things in life that makes you lose hope in people, but there is hope in humanity, you just have to look for it.
@Andrew D'Agostini What is the point of doing anything, taking risks, making love, living in general, if someone out there has control of it all. .[/quote] Pretty sure most people would still see a point in doing at least one of those things, regardless of who controls what.
Have we not seen the justice systems of the strong before in history? The dictatorships? The death fields and the totalitarian lifestyles? Strength is not just about dominating or standing above the others. AS for the meek, it was said like that because they were the helpless. The strong could look after themselves and protect their own. Im not overly religious and I accept that the world have a bountiful amount of views for and against.
Who says that's the crucial aspects of being human? Who is to say the poets and writers and philosophers are right?
@Andrew D'Agostini I understand how you feel but if you continue with this thinking, you are going to make yourself crazy. You need to try and be happy, that is literally the meaning to life. We all only get this one shot (even if reincarnation were real, we would not know of our previous existence), so do not be unhappy with it. Be happy, do things that make you happy as long as they do not hurt others. Enjoy the sunshine, take pictures of flowers, love hard even if it hurts in the end. Every experience is worth going through, no matter how hard and do not try to change those around you, lead by example and be the better man you want to be, inspire them to change. Inspiration is a beautiful thing, be the change you want to see.
One thing I'd like to point out, @Andrew D'Agostini, is that we are all subject to badnewsitis. I mean, the media reports everything wrong with the world - all the murders, rapes, abuses, crimes, betrayals, corruptions, injustices, hatreds, stupidities, insanities, general gawdawfulnesses and shit. The reason they report that stuff - the reason it's newsworthy - is that it's actually quite rare. Most people are good, decent folk who help each other along through life. They're not newsworthy, but their lives are, for the most part, exemplary. Sometimes it's healing to read the obituary pages. You'll see capsule biographies of people who loved and were loved. The world isn't as bad as it looks on TV.
I think "impose" was too strong of a word, adopted would be better. And "weak" was also the wrong word, poor class is generally who I'm referring to and weak isn't generally synonymous with poor class. I certainly agree with you on the "justice systems of the strong", which is why I think religion became very useful for those you did not engage in high class circles in the old days. It gave those who were oppressed or wronged, that did not receive any justice from their society, a reason to believe that justice will be served in the next life. Of course there are many reasons, perhaps many unbeknownst to me, but I just think that this and the reason to want to explain our physical world are some of the relevant reasons that modern religion came about.
I can't remember who said it (surprisingly enough, a jazz musician), but I think it applies to life as well: "If it's perfect, it's not jazz." So often it feels like I'm trying to make something of myself, be a good person, but life keeps pissing in my face every step of the way. Sometimes it's maddening until I remember to be thankful of the strength that overcoming all that adversity has given me. And all the adventures, too. I know it's cheesy as hell, but I think Love makes the world go round. It was always my ultimate goal, and whenever I remember that everything I do, I do for love, all the bullshit doesn't matter anymore. I'm happy to lug 50lbs of shopping home after spending an hour in a packed grocery store, being rammed with shopping carts driven by cranky old ladies, listening to babies cry their lungs out, because I do it so that I can spare the Mrs. the trouble and that she can relax and enjoy the weekend when she gets off work. I know, I'm a hopeless romantic and proud of it.
