posted April 16, 2014 08:44 PM            

quote:

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Had many questions for years about certain things in this world.

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Curiosity is good.

Ask and you shall recieve.
Seek and you shall find.
Knock and it shall be opened unto you.

posted April 16, 2014 10:53 PM            

Well seeking it is the meaning of life for me, yet being present with the mystery is just as fulfilling.

posted April 17, 2014 08:18 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by libraschoice77:
If you had the chance to know about all the answers to the questions you had in life including what our whole purpose is... would you give up everything you have just to find out? Why if yes or no?

Almost like that movie the Matrix, and the character Neo where he has the chance to take the red pill or the blue pill. Would you want to find out how far the rabbit hole goes?

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Btw, I think your question (and the replies) could've been more interesting (and braver) if you had added, "Did Eve do the right thing by answering 'yes' to this question in the Garden of Eden?"

As it is, your question practically begs for a "yes" answer (and if Neo would've chosen the blue pill then he'd have never wound up needing to make a choice anyway, the only purpose of Morpheus asking, IMO, is so Neo couldn't blame him for not liking the answers the way Cypher did), and I'd like to see some deeper thought applied to it.

Also interesting, what if you don't like the answer? Would you remain true to your purpose or would you rewrite that purpose to your liking? Would knowing liberate you or enslave you? What if it ruined an experiment? Why would someone offer this opportunity to you and what if the purpose is less than honorable...or even honest? These are things worth pondering if someone offered you the deal.

posted April 17, 2014 08:43 AM            

What would be the fun of taking the matrix pill? You can achieve that very well by dying. After all, when you are dead, you will know won't you? If you retain some level of consciousness you will see what is on the other side, if you do not... Well I guess the atheists were right.

I think most people acknowledge that the haze of not truly knowing is necessary. It allows us faith (which is believing when you do not truly know), and it gives our souls the perfect setting to grow. Though according to Dr. M. Newton, there is a rising awareness (in life) that stems from people's wish for living more harmonious lives.

posted April 17, 2014 12:36 PM            

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Originally posted by Sibyl:
when you are dead, you will know won't you? If you retain some level of consciousness you will see what is on the other side

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Interesting assumption. But what you describe wouldn't necessarily give us any particular understanding of existence, not even of our own.

But I knew someone (OL friend, met her face to face once) who committed suicide...and though I don't know what exactly motivated it as she had a lot of issues I do recall her talking about how she wondered if death could give her the answers she sought. Perhaps her suicide was an attempt to take the Red Pill.

quote:

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Originally posted by Sibyl:
I think most people acknowledge that the haze of not truly knowing is necessary. It allows us faith (which is believing when you do not truly know), and it gives our souls the perfect setting to grow

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So it's for our own good?

Personally, I think the more likely theory is that the archons (whom we tend to call gods as they lie to us about being that) need our faith, which is stronger than knowing, because it's food to them. Therefore it's to the benefit of the gods and powers we have faith in rather than our own and we're just farm animals being harvested. Naturally, we would remain limited outside our bodies if it benefits the archons (and assuming they can manage it).

posted April 17, 2014 12:46 PM            

All I'm saying is that because we are not omniscient, we will necessarily always be imperfect and at odds with each other, which allows us to grow.

posted April 17, 2014 01:55 PM            

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Originally posted by Sibyl:
^
I am not referring to faith in terms of humoring any God or in reference to any religion. I'm not even saying it is a virtue.

All I'm saying is that because we are not omniscient, we will necessarily always be imperfect and at odds with each other, which allows us to grow.

That is what I believe. I do not wish for a perfect, harmonious world as I do not see the point in it. For me, the purpose of life (on earth) is to grow. It is what makes the most sense to me. If there is sense at all in suffering, would it not be overcoming it? That is if we assume that there IS a meaning of life.

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Being omniscient doesn't make you perfect. The more you know - as a human, the more you're aware of so called imperfections. Perfection and imperfection - is part of humanity (of human understanding and way of looking at things). Not just God, but other entities - or other celestial beings might see perfection where human see imperfection, or more like - they wouldn't acknowledge any existential being or non-being as imperfect.

Snowflakes close-up:

posted April 17, 2014 02:10 PM            

Beautiful pictures

posted April 17, 2014 02:27 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Sibyl:
^

Beautiful pictures

I just believe that if we had perfect presence of mind we would also be able to make perfect choices. Why should we not, after all? Who would willfully take a wrong turn? In perfect knowledge there is also perfect clarity, and I would think - perfect logic.

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An actor would. And, aren't we all just actors - playing our role? Ofc - we are.
But, what if there is no right or wrong turn?
What if they're just ways of experiencing a certain kind of state of existence - compared to others?
Perfection is an illusion.

posted April 17, 2014 03:00 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by 7thGuardian:
An actor would. And, aren't we all just actors - playing our role? Ofc - we are.
But, what if there is no right or wrong turn?
What if they're just ways of experiencing a certain kind of state of existence - compared to others?
Perfection is an illusion.

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I don't disagree with this

I think there are many different roads to take and they all have a purpose. I also believe that we have to experience ourselves as different aspects of who we are, so it is necessary to make some mistakes. This is why I do not believe in omniscience, but rather relish the "not knowing" absolutely everything. It leaves more room for personal development and originality I think.

posted April 18, 2014 12:37 PM            

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Originally posted by PixieJane:
Btw, I think your question (and the replies) could've been more interesting (and braver) if you had added, "Did Eve do the right thing by answering 'yes' to this question in the Garden of Eden?"

As it is, your question practically begs for a "yes" answer (and if Neo would've chosen the blue pill then he'd have never wound up needing to make a choice anyway, the only purpose of Morpheus asking, IMO, is so Neo couldn't blame him for not liking the answers the way Cypher did), and I'd like to see some deeper thought applied to it.

Also interesting, what if you don't like the answer? Would you remain true to your purpose or would you rewrite that purpose to your liking? Would knowing liberate you or enslave you? What if it ruined an experiment? Why would someone offer this opportunity to you and what if the purpose is less than honorable...or even honest? These are things worth pondering if someone offered you the deal.

Btw, some psychedelic shamans believe you can learn all through certain illegal drugs right now (and also see what Steve Kubby said about manna from heaven). Many of them believe it. Would you take the pills they offer you?

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Good of you to join the thread Pixie, you do have a point there with how many creative ways this question could have been asked, but then again there probably infinite answers to it as well. This question is so open ended, heck I guess I could have just stuck the cliche questions such as 'Which came first the chicken or the egg' or 'When a tree falls in forest and no one hears it, did it really fall?' lol.

Thing is I have been there read that with Theology classes and the like, also have an extremely religious mother who does love to constantly remind me to keep my faith in check. For me though keeping an open mind to all the possibilities of what could be in this universe just makes more sense in my eyes and for my experiences within life. Do I ever expect to wake up one morning completely enlightened to the workings of this world? Probably not, that's just asking for way too much, at least for this lifetime.

posted April 18, 2014 01:31 PM            

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Originally posted by CatMote:
i dont want to know everything and personally i dont care to know everything. ignorance is bliss, any truly intelligent person would not want to torture themselves to know things and just to not be able to act upon them anyways...
what good is knowledge if you are going to keep it to yourself and not better the world?

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There is nothing wrong with a person who chooses to look deeper than what's at face value and challenge what they already know. Personally I think that's the best way to grow and accumulate knowledge as a human being... by questioning, seeking, going beyond. Its in our nature to be curious.

Then again everyone has a choice if they want to go after more complicated answers or just stay as is. I respect your views CatMote, but don't agree with them.

posted April 18, 2014 07:45 PM            

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Originally posted by libraschoice77:
By the way I have met a Shaman when I was living back in Arizona. Very informative man who could see things easily in people. He could immediately identify what your achilles heel was in one meeting. Though I don't recall him offering me any hallucinogens during our visit, mabe one has to ask for it lol.

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There's usually a difference between regular shamans and psychedelic shamans...at least in these modern times. Generally speaking, think of psychedelic shamans as hippies who want to expand your consciousness (but with so many other choices than LSD today). I'm not sure about the shamans in South America (they seem to me to be just selling drug experiences under the cover of religion, at least going by what I've heard from those who had gone). Some traditional shamans still use psychoactive substances but they generally don't serve the public, and even when they do they usually advise strict caution when using such drugs whereas psychedelic shamans generally don't (other than safety procedures to minimize risks).