There is no evidence for any of the thousands of gods that human beings have created and worshipped.
Human beings are just another species. They are not "made" to anything.
So, leave out the nonsense, myth and assumption and what you are saying has some logic, even if not actual reality.
I look in the mirror and know what I am. It is a human being with a pointless life which become increasingly pointless each day as humanity's insanity draws us closer and closer to collective suicide and probably destruction of the planet and all other species, too.
This sort of overly sentimental pseudo-science serves no purpose but to contribute to the ignorance and selfishness of human beings such that they almost invariably take rather than give.
I suggest that if there is any worth in your study and qualifications, you use both to illuminate for others what an irredeemable mess humanity has made of the planter and of itself.
There once was a sage that was noted for his wisdom and compassion. People traveled great distances to hear his wisdom and seek his counsel. A young warrior heard of the sage and grew jealous of his fame. He thought that if he could prove the sage wrong he would become famous. The warrior traveled to where the sage lived. He trapped a small bird and held it behind his back. His plan was to ask the sage if the thing he was holding was alive or dead. If the sage said dead, the warrior would move his hand to his front and release the bird. It would fly away. If the sage answered that the thing the warrior held was alive, the warrior would crush the bird in his hand and drop it at the feet of the sage. The warrior asked the sage if what he was holding behind his back was alive or dead. The sage smiled and said, "It is what you want it to be. It is in your hands."
"collective suicide?" That's a choice, not an inevitability. "Probably" has no reality. Having "a pointless life," is also a choice. Debra made no claim that what she said was "science."
You seem to be the type of person who could benefit from what she said.
Humanity didn't make an "irredeemable mess," individuals make messes and we can either join them or go in a different direction.
I don't know who you know, but the people that I know give much more than they take.
I hope that one day, you turn your light on and you dispel the darkness that you've surrounded yourself with.
But atheism has nothing to do with the self-loathing that sees, not the beauty of Michelangelo, of Beethoven, of Gustav Mahler, but like a moth whirling around a fire the self-loather sees the dark side, with MAD -- mutually assured destruction.
Humanity has produced Goering and Himmler.
But it also produces Lev Tolstoy, Marc Chagall, Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev.
The beautiful fact of nature is the infinite variety.
Mother Nature is infinitely productive in new forms.
The tiger wreaks destruction but for its own carnivorous needs. The tiger in herself is beautiful and she nurtures a tender family life for her cubs.
Humanity can be self-giving.
All the medical progress of humanity.
All the progress in astrophysics that evidence, what our National Bard, Walt Whitman so joyfully pronounced: "There are billions of suns left."
I have not met any scientifically involved atheist who would not find great truth and beauty in Walt Whitman or Emily Dickinson.
So, a man, a woman lives but once and after death is a wisp of air.
So?
Mother Nature is so rich as to nurture a new beauty, a new joy in life, a new hope, a new potential for great artistry or science in each new little person.
Stripped of heaven or hell need not, must not create despair.
Dr. Deborah Hall: This poem states such fundamental truths.
The happy partnership/marriage is where each partner is whole.
A sound loving relationship cannot thrive on one party digging deep to shovel a high enough platform to support the other's needy and hungry but empty heart.
On a national level, I see that with a needy head of state who nurtures those who abuse him -- like our Foes, Russia and North Korea -- but who keeps demanding that ones who love us keep giving, and giving, and giving, and giving, because, well, the head of state has a needy and hungry but empty heart.
I only thought of the dilemma of the head of state after having written the last paragraph but one, above.
But your parsing this relationship out in poetry, and in the mirror, is a very effective communication of human relationships.
This is a poem that needs to be read over and again.
We've discussed before the necessity of accepting oneself as one is before one can embark on the journey of discovery that leads to friendship and this is no less true of becoming one's own best friend than it is of making friends with other people. Your presentation today was both moving and beautiful and, regardless of how anyone views the supreme power that governs the universe, and no matter how many dimensions and possibilities one recognizes, achieving joy in life must begin with becoming happy with the reality that each of us lives in ourselves.
I looked in the mirror. I saw an old guy who needs a haircut and to trim his beard. I took care of the beard. The haircut will have to wait until my wife gets over a bout of Covid. I have trusted her with my head for almost 30 years - only her. And by head, I mean more than hair.
And I remind the guy looking back at me that despite the monstrous events of each day, he has a lot to be grateful for. The dog, the wife, the life.
I don't like the idea of serving a "god". But I sure do like serving dinner to the dog and my wife. If the bowl and the plate are cleaned, I celebrate success.
And the IDEA of service is special. Serving the community, serving our country, serving humanity. Service is at the core of being something other than being a selfish rabid beast. Examples of the latter abound in our newsfeeds.
So tonight, I will serve myself my Friday night Plymouth gin dry martini (one a week). Stirred gently (no shaking - no slush, please) poured into a frozen glass. I will toast my wife, my dog and someone who needs some good will vibes - like a son in law who just had shoulder surgery.
And I will wake up tomorrow grateful that guy in the mirror is still there - with a smile and still some hair left.
As someone who occasionally sees a useless old wreck in the mirror, I appreciate your reminder to nurture the inner glow, instead. Quite often, the old guy in the mirror shrugs, smiles, and says "Go live."
Thank you.
"You were made
to live a joyful life
serving God."
There is no evidence for any of the thousands of gods that human beings have created and worshipped.
Human beings are just another species. They are not "made" to anything.
So, leave out the nonsense, myth and assumption and what you are saying has some logic, even if not actual reality.
I look in the mirror and know what I am. It is a human being with a pointless life which become increasingly pointless each day as humanity's insanity draws us closer and closer to collective suicide and probably destruction of the planet and all other species, too.
This sort of overly sentimental pseudo-science serves no purpose but to contribute to the ignorance and selfishness of human beings such that they almost invariably take rather than give.
I suggest that if there is any worth in your study and qualifications, you use both to illuminate for others what an irredeemable mess humanity has made of the planter and of itself.
There once was a sage that was noted for his wisdom and compassion. People traveled great distances to hear his wisdom and seek his counsel. A young warrior heard of the sage and grew jealous of his fame. He thought that if he could prove the sage wrong he would become famous. The warrior traveled to where the sage lived. He trapped a small bird and held it behind his back. His plan was to ask the sage if the thing he was holding was alive or dead. If the sage said dead, the warrior would move his hand to his front and release the bird. It would fly away. If the sage answered that the thing the warrior held was alive, the warrior would crush the bird in his hand and drop it at the feet of the sage. The warrior asked the sage if what he was holding behind his back was alive or dead. The sage smiled and said, "It is what you want it to be. It is in your hands."
"collective suicide?" That's a choice, not an inevitability. "Probably" has no reality. Having "a pointless life," is also a choice. Debra made no claim that what she said was "science."
You seem to be the type of person who could benefit from what she said.
Humanity didn't make an "irredeemable mess," individuals make messes and we can either join them or go in a different direction.
I don't know who you know, but the people that I know give much more than they take.
I hope that one day, you turn your light on and you dispel the darkness that you've surrounded yourself with.
Roger Hawcroft: God is a poetic image.
That is all.
But atheism has nothing to do with the self-loathing that sees, not the beauty of Michelangelo, of Beethoven, of Gustav Mahler, but like a moth whirling around a fire the self-loather sees the dark side, with MAD -- mutually assured destruction.
Humanity has produced Goering and Himmler.
But it also produces Lev Tolstoy, Marc Chagall, Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev.
The beautiful fact of nature is the infinite variety.
Mother Nature is infinitely productive in new forms.
Evolution brings changeable, kaleidoscopic beauty.
The tiger wreaks destruction but for its own carnivorous needs. The tiger in herself is beautiful and she nurtures a tender family life for her cubs.
Humanity can be self-giving.
All the medical progress of humanity.
All the progress in astrophysics that evidence, what our National Bard, Walt Whitman so joyfully pronounced: "There are billions of suns left."
I have not met any scientifically involved atheist who would not find great truth and beauty in Walt Whitman or Emily Dickinson.
So, a man, a woman lives but once and after death is a wisp of air.
So?
Mother Nature is so rich as to nurture a new beauty, a new joy in life, a new hope, a new potential for great artistry or science in each new little person.
Stripped of heaven or hell need not, must not create despair.
I have to agree with Fred Basset, below,
And also with George Neidorf: Look within!
Really well said and an excellent answer to Roger's comments.
ELDERS IN LOVE
We are in love.
Not with the passion of youth.
Neither with the
decrepitude of age.
A love that’s steady.
A love that will not die.
We share a hotel room,
But sleep in separate beds.
In the morning and the evening
we lie next to each other
and hold each other close.
In our ninth decade
we give each other comfort,
we give each other love,
we give each other —
LIFE!
That was beautiful, thank you for sharing Deborah.
Profound message this week. It hits close to home. Thank you.
As long as we know that we have a choice, and there's always a choice, there is hope.
Dr. Deborah Hall: This poem states such fundamental truths.
The happy partnership/marriage is where each partner is whole.
A sound loving relationship cannot thrive on one party digging deep to shovel a high enough platform to support the other's needy and hungry but empty heart.
On a national level, I see that with a needy head of state who nurtures those who abuse him -- like our Foes, Russia and North Korea -- but who keeps demanding that ones who love us keep giving, and giving, and giving, and giving, because, well, the head of state has a needy and hungry but empty heart.
I only thought of the dilemma of the head of state after having written the last paragraph but one, above.
But your parsing this relationship out in poetry, and in the mirror, is a very effective communication of human relationships.
This is a poem that needs to be read over and again.
Thank you so very much.
We've discussed before the necessity of accepting oneself as one is before one can embark on the journey of discovery that leads to friendship and this is no less true of becoming one's own best friend than it is of making friends with other people. Your presentation today was both moving and beautiful and, regardless of how anyone views the supreme power that governs the universe, and no matter how many dimensions and possibilities one recognizes, achieving joy in life must begin with becoming happy with the reality that each of us lives in ourselves.
I looked in the mirror. I saw an old guy who needs a haircut and to trim his beard. I took care of the beard. The haircut will have to wait until my wife gets over a bout of Covid. I have trusted her with my head for almost 30 years - only her. And by head, I mean more than hair.
And I remind the guy looking back at me that despite the monstrous events of each day, he has a lot to be grateful for. The dog, the wife, the life.
I don't like the idea of serving a "god". But I sure do like serving dinner to the dog and my wife. If the bowl and the plate are cleaned, I celebrate success.
And the IDEA of service is special. Serving the community, serving our country, serving humanity. Service is at the core of being something other than being a selfish rabid beast. Examples of the latter abound in our newsfeeds.
So tonight, I will serve myself my Friday night Plymouth gin dry martini (one a week). Stirred gently (no shaking - no slush, please) poured into a frozen glass. I will toast my wife, my dog and someone who needs some good will vibes - like a son in law who just had shoulder surgery.
And I will wake up tomorrow grateful that guy in the mirror is still there - with a smile and still some hair left.
As someone who occasionally sees a useless old wreck in the mirror, I appreciate your reminder to nurture the inner glow, instead. Quite often, the old guy in the mirror shrugs, smiles, and says "Go live."