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Saturday, April 18, 2009

The Search for Boundary

The older I get, the more I don't understand the need of most of my fellow humans to understand where we came from and where we will end up. For one thing, it really has no affect on where any of us are here and now. Knowing how it all began will not put food on the table nor ensure my hair is combed in the proper direction. Far more importantly, it is something that is unknowable in that such knowledge is beyond the scope of human comprehension.

So why dwell on it? Why create all these schemes (religion, science or extraterrestrial influences) to attempt to explain what we each know going in can't adequately be explained? We sprung forth from whatever it was and we will end up wherever it is. There's nothing we can do to change this ultimate reality.

Of course, most people want explanations! But every one of our human-constructed explanations doesn't truly provide an answer but more questions.

Take religion, in general, and Judeo-Christianity, in specific. We're taught that "God" existed in the void and created life (in seven days no less!). But this always begs the question in inquiring minds: Where did God come from?

Religious sorts have a quick answer for this. God is eternal; he always was and always will be. It sounds like a semi-plausible explanation until we consider it within the realms of human experience.

To be human is to understand that everything has a beginning (birth) and an ending (death). We know that each of us was born and will one day die. We know that, in time, all things die -- trees, butterflies, rocks, automobiles, cake pans and civilizations. So, it's hard for us to wrap our heads around the idea of an eternal being and it begs the question: What caused the eternal being to be? There is no sufficient answer to the question.

Science will tell us that life began with the Big Bang or some other theory. Our reality began as particles, atoms, molecules, DNA or some other very small element. These teeny things came to here from distant planets and, through their inherent nature, began to interact with each other to form the basis of what we call life. This, of course, begs the obvious question: Where did all these elements initially come from? There is no sufficient answer to this question either.

Believers in extraterrestrial influences will inform us that humans and the various life forms on earth were seeded by an advanced civilization beyond our solar system. They visited this orb millions of years ago to plant a garden -- us. As with the previous two examples, this begs the question: But where did they ultimately come from? And there is no sufficient answer for this question.

So, if we can't provide an adequate answer to this ultimate question, why do we keep asking it? Each time we come up with a different way to pose the query, we're left with the same non-answer answer -- We don't really know.

And we never will.

6 comments:

  1. To recognize and react to things with attachment is why they recurr. As one chooses to notice and permit discomfot to occur in the physical, this is a reminder a lesson has not yet been fully learned and internalized. The classic example is patience. When a person believes he knows patience, that he has already learned that lesson, that is when additional lessons continue to present. The universe is sending the receiver a message. He continues to receive this energy until he gets is.

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  2. The problem with believing in the afterlife is that this life stops making sense.

    The other life is said to be so beautiful that it makes this one look like something to be suffered and endured. What a horrible way to live! Thinking that this is mockery and that reality is yet to be seen. But, hey, that's what people have been brainwashed to believe.

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  3. I had an interesting thought reading this blog. Lorena says: those that believe in the afterlife as beautiful are meaning that this life is "something to be suffed and endured." AND Trey says religious sorts that believe God is eternal should consider the realms of human experience. Well, as a believer in Christ and in the afterlife, I say that the christian belief DOES consider human experiences. Between birth and death, humans experience many sufferings as well as blessings. This is a biblical teaching--Good AND bad things happen in this life. For instance, Trey recently received his disability but also his car broke down...and then he was able to get another car. Now, those of us who believe in an afterlife, believe that NO bad thing happens in heaven NOT that this world is full of bad as Lorena suggested. Finally,living in this world I understand (somewhat)the human experience. But unless you have the Holy Ghost and have spoke in tongues you have a very limited spiritual experience. I have the HG and speak in tongues...no I have not been brainwashed nor am I crazy. I have a supernatural experience that will only get better in the afterlife.

    Also, I am so thankful God did create the heavens and the earth...but Trey, God did it in 6 days not 7.

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  4. I believe that the previous comment was left by one of my dear nieces who has different beliefs than her uncle.

    I'm a bit confused by her comments because they rambled a bit and I'm unsure of the point she's attempting to make. For example, she mentioned that some positive and negative things have occurred in my life recently, but this offers no reason at all to believe (or not believe) in God. A person can be an absolute atheist and have good and bad things happen.

    Regardless of our differences in beliefs, Della & I still love you. :)

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  5. I like the first part of the post most, a good post in all.

    I love to push these questions even further as well you may in quiet time, to a point where language ceases to be of any use - of course it's not so suited to a blog - so nice summary ;)

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  6. Have you read Ted Hughes "Crow"? I'm sure you would appreciate it.

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