NorthOfNorth wrote on Nov 1^st, 2012 at 10:33pm:





We can't answer the why, [imo] because, we [mankind, no matter how 'full of' our own conceptual capabilities we are], do not have the conceptual capability to understand,    ....many of the 'whys' which we are going to encounter.

We can't answer the why, because [at this time] the why is [clearly] beyond our ken.



For me, the ['religious'] explanation is that, that entity which created us is in the process of reproducing himself [for his own purpose].

If that is true, and if there is such an entity [i speak as an infidel!     ], then that merely leads us [our human 'intellect'] to more unanswerable why's [and how's].

e.g.
How & why does that entity exist ?

And how & why did that entity come into existence ?




Deep breath.......

Q.
Why 'knock ourselves out', why beat ourselves up, intellectually, trying to hypothesise about something which is clearly beyond our [present]capabilities to know ?

And what purpose would it serve to know to hypothesise, besides satisfying our intellectual vanity [concerning our human intellectual 'conceptual expansiveness'] ?




+++

Solomon offered us some thoughts on the matter, and some advice;

Speaking on, the days of men's lives......

Ecclesiastes 3:10
I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
11  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
12  I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.


Ecclesiastes 3:14
I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.


Ecclesiastes 12:13
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.


Q.
The Why.
Does it all come back to the question about;
Is the primary purpose of mans existence on earth, for man to learn, to distinguish between 'black and white', between what is good and what is not good, between what is true and what is false ?

Because to me, the apparent consequences of all of the choices which every individual makes, daily, seem infinitely more important than seeking an intellectual capacity to understand the 'state' of a single photon or the 'state' of a single electron.

i.e.
Is the [answer of the] why, about 'becoming' [who we will be] [and, will it be determined by our own choices] ?

I honestly believe that our human choices have a more significant reality, in this universe, than that of photons and electrons and quarks.

And i honestly believe that we are meant to come to that knowledge.

i.e.
Except by reason-ing, excluding this present moment, nothing is certain, provable.
Q.
What is, reality?
What is 'real', in this present world???
Our choices, are REAL [i believe] !!



????




http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1227360886/6#6
Quote:





+++

And then there is.....

Time.

The human concept or understanding, of the passage of time.......

What 'time' >> is <<<, that is something that intrigues me.

Time seems [to me] to be 'malleable', if not actually transverse-able.

For myself, i suspect that time is just another 'construct', just as this space and matter which we experience and inhabit, is a 'construct' [imo].

And, can time, 'end' ?

I have a 'suspicion' that time [as we humans understand it] can end [.....which seems possible, if time is indeed a 'construct'].

Yadda wrote on Nov 2^nd, 2012 at 12:11am:




" pray to the law of gravity "  - very funny.

Yes. Actually I think that it's one of the more useful philosophies to advise any young person starting off in life. If you're absolutely certain that you've done everything possible, concentrate on those things that are within your sphere of influence.

Too many people agonise about matters that are totally outside their control. Agonising about those things can't do anything to change them or to make them clearer. All it does is to produce stress and impede your progress with things you should be doing.

That's exactly what the young want and should not be given - simple answers.

muso wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2012 at 11:41pm:




The real cop out, is to always shoot the messenger [.....when the message 'does not suit'].

The real cop out, is to always turn away, when we hear inconvenient truths.

The real cop out, is to fail to discriminate between what is vile, and what is holy [or 'clean'].





iPsalms 15:1
LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
2  He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.
3  He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
4  In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

The Zen master's answer to every question by the pupil is essentially the same as the Irishman's answer to the traveller who was asking the way to Dublin: "If I wanted to go to Dublin, I wouldn't start from here".

Come to think of it, that is the essence of all answers given to every pupil by the enlightened in any religion - you are not where you should be.

NorthOfNorth wrote on Nov 4^th, 2012 at 9:34am:



We are all walking upon our own path.

Even though from time to time we may stop momentarily, and seek guidance and direction, we must walk the path.




And the path that we walk, is the path that we have chosen.

Otherwise, we would be walking a different path.

Yadda wrote on Nov 4^th, 2012 at 1:02pm:


Not necessarily. We might have forgotten to take our portable GPS and have ended up getting lost, taken the wrong path and been ripped to shreds with thorns trying to get off the mountain. (That was me 3 weeks ago. It was still fun though. At least I remembered the first aid kit)