Excellent post Turq, very Camus of you! I also sing the praises of a non-teleological universe. Human freedom is so precious. Despite the influences of our past choices and thought patterns influencing my decisions, I do try to break out of old patterns when I can be conscious enough to do so. Sometimes just putting myself in a completely new situation can stimulate new choices. But here I am preaching to the choir since you seem ready to uproot your whole life to another country to accomplish this. High five for that man! Here I do it by going to places dominated by people of other cultures. I love the influence or random weirdness that comes up when interacting with other cultures in their own settings.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Good thread, Curtis. I'm keeping your (I think) > retitling of the original thread above, because > it ties in well to the rap it inspired in me. > > I honestly think that a lot of the bottom line > of why some people prefer to believe in a God > and some don't is their level of comfort with > the idea that someone or something IS "in charge" > of life and its machinations. The believers in > God (or even in "Nature" as a designing force > in the universe) is founded on -- in my opinion, > and all that it *is* is opinion -- the desire > to believe that there is a Plan. > > For whatever reason -- consider it a failing on > my part if you want, or a strength if you want -- > I really don't find any need to believe that > there is a Plan. I'm completely comfortable with > a random universe, in which there is no Plan > whatsoever. I'm comfortable with every "pattern" > or "design" or "Grand Plan" that humans perceive > in the universe around them -- including my own -- > having been *projected* there, out of a desire > to believe that things *aren't* random. > > I don't have any problem with life being random. > I don't have any problem with it having some kind > of Plan behind it. I will never know for sure, > either way. > > But as far as I can tell, a *lot* of people are > *not* comfortable with the notion that life just > might be random. They want to believe that their > lives have "meaning," that they are an integral > part of some Grand Plan that they might not fully > understand, but which is in place and proceeding... > uh...according to Plan. > > Cool, I guess. It just doesn't get me off to > believe that. My life may have no "meaning" what- > soever, and that's just fine with me. That *frees* > me to assign my *own* "meaning" to it, even if > that "meaning" is as puny a thing as trying to > bring my best to each of my interactions with > other beings I encounter randomly during the > course of each day. > > That -- how you choose to live each day -- is to > me a far greater concern than whether there is > some Grand Plan for the universe and what it is > supposed to "become." What it may "become" is, > in my estimation, a *distraction*, a way of > "selling futures" or believing in a "preferable" > future, and thus avoiding full immersion in and > embracing of what really IS, here and now. A > *dissatisfaction* with what IS, here and now, > a belief that it doesn't fully represent the > "Plan," seems to me to be kinda missing the point. > > But others find a comfort in believing that there > is a Plan for all of this, and that their lives > are an integral part of that Plan. Good on them. > May that belief allow them to enjoy life and to > grow as compassionate human beings. > > Me, I'm gonna stick with "Plan Agnosticism" as a > way of life. I don't know whether there is a Plan > or not, and it doesn't matter to me one way or > another. If there isn't, then I have to invent > my own. If there is, I *still* have to invent > my own. > > I do not hold *any* "scripture" or guideline for > how to live life as authoritative or The Truth. > *None* of them. They were all -- in my opinion -- > speculative works of fiction created by well- > meaning human beings who were projecting their > desire or need for a Plan onto a random universe. > > I was born into this software/hardware construct > we call Life without a User's Manual. And, being > a hacker by nature, I don't feel badly about not > having one. Heck, I probably wouldn't have RTFM'd > if I *had* been presented with one. > > I'm content with just pressing keys here and there > and seeing what happens, and learning from my own > experience. If pressing F8 tends to have the same > effect over and over, and I find the effect to be > a good thing, then I might adopt pressing F8 as > some kind of "spiritual practice" in my life. But > if someday I press F8 and the *opposite* happens, > I'm not terribly attached to pressing F8 as a way > of life. I can drop it like a hot potato and do > something else. > > Pressing F8 is not part of some Grand Plan for me; > it's just something I figured out on my own that > seems to work most of the time. If it stops work- > ing, I try to figure out something else. I'm > flexible. > > And that last word brings up another reason why > I think that some people like to believe in a Plan. > They're *not* flexible. Something in them is > *offended* by the idea that doing the same thing > they've been doing for a long time might *not* > cause the results they're expecting. They like to > believe that the thing they're doing is part of > some inviolable, eternal Plan, and should always > work the same way. > > Cool, I guess, if that's what gets these folks off. > May they continue through life pressing the same > keys they've been pressing in them so far, secure > in the knowledge that pressing those keys is part > of some Grand Plan. May they continue on their path, > secure in the knowledge *that* pressing these same > keys will someday result in the "fulfillment" of > that Grand Plan, for themselves and for the universe. > Whatever floats your boat. > > Me, I'll keep pressing keys at random, just to see > what happens. Doing this has gotten me here and now, > and I have *no problem* with who and what I am, > here and now. It's been a fine life, even if it > has been a random one. I fully expect it to continue > being a fine life, even if it *is* random. >
