Things you want to do and things you have to do. It would be ideal if your to-dos can fit into both. Our present society makes it a fact of life that you have to put aside things you want to do for things that you have to do.
Lucky are those who managed to find a large intersection between things they want to do and things they have to do. Blessed are those who find satisfaction and reconciliation with themselves for doing things they have to do instead of things they want to do. These people will find less frustration in life each time they look at the clock at night.
Are these people in better control of their time? Could they possibly have more time to spend? Do these people simply require less to feel content and satisfied? Perhaps the things they want to do are quickly accomplished? Or do they simply have less things they want to do? Perhaps it is a measure of selfishness. To be selfish is to want more for yourself. To be unselfish is to want less for yourself. A person is satisfied by getting what one wants. In that light, a selfish person is harder to satisfy, simply because it takes more to satisfy them. It is rather ironic that unselfish people are satisfied because they want others to have more. But are they really satisfied by the thought of others getting more? Or are they satisfied because their feelings of want are more easily quelled?
How do you make yourself want less? How do you make yourself happy by wanting less? The proper answer is that you should not want in the first place; and to be happy of what you have, not envious of what you don't. Sound advice indeed, but I cannot help asking: Are you happy because, deep down, you already have what you want and want what you already have?
Showing posts with label philosophy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label philosophy. Show all posts
God's Debris
on Friday, 24 March 2006
I just read a rather thought-provoking book by Scott Adams, the author of Dilbert. There's a banner on that comic page that links to a page offering the free download of God's Debris. It's apparently a really big success story.
Why is it a good read? Precisely because it's rather controversial and thought-provoking. It's like a cross between fiction and philosophy, where ideas are presented via a simple story. I find it a very interesting read and opens up my mind to several perspectives I haven't thought of. Although some of it might sound far-fetched, but for some reason, they just seem to click and sound reasonable. Go figure.
A word of warning though, DO NOT read if you're narrow-minded and easily offended by views and ideas that do not subscribe to the norm. The story is presented as a dialogue and the discussions touch upon religion, evolution, human nature, relationships, and reality. The best way to enjoy the read is to be open and neither accept nor reject the views, but to simply ponder... and argue (if anyone wants to argue the points, I'd be happy to oblige, I like to argue ^-^).
There's apparently a sequel, called the Religion War, that was hinted at near the end of God's Debris. My curiosity is definitely piqued. Unfortunately, the price at Amazon means it'll probably cost at least RM60 around here, if the government even approves of it... Oh well.
Why is it a good read? Precisely because it's rather controversial and thought-provoking. It's like a cross between fiction and philosophy, where ideas are presented via a simple story. I find it a very interesting read and opens up my mind to several perspectives I haven't thought of. Although some of it might sound far-fetched, but for some reason, they just seem to click and sound reasonable. Go figure.
A word of warning though, DO NOT read if you're narrow-minded and easily offended by views and ideas that do not subscribe to the norm. The story is presented as a dialogue and the discussions touch upon religion, evolution, human nature, relationships, and reality. The best way to enjoy the read is to be open and neither accept nor reject the views, but to simply ponder... and argue (if anyone wants to argue the points, I'd be happy to oblige, I like to argue ^-^).
There's apparently a sequel, called the Religion War, that was hinted at near the end of God's Debris. My curiosity is definitely piqued. Unfortunately, the price at Amazon means it'll probably cost at least RM60 around here, if the government even approves of it... Oh well.
Flawed Creations
on Tuesday, 1 June 2004
I've been meaning to ask someone about this but never did get around to it. Just last night, while having a dinner with colleagues, one of them mentioned an event that happened last weekend. My colleague, quite well-versed with Buddhist teachings, was approached by Christians attempting to get him to join a talk or gathering. One of the questions those Christians could not satisfactorily answer was why humans are flawed. I share my colleagues question.
If God created everything and He is Almighty, why did He create flawed products? Jesus gave his life for the people's sins. Yes, that's noble and all (if true), but why do people sin in the first place? Why did God create humans who could and would sin?
I've heard answers that it's because God gave us free will, where we could make decisions for ourselves. But why are we flawed in the sense that we give in to temptations easily? Could God not have created a race of people resistant to temptations? And where is the free will when rules exist as to how to conduct ourselves?
The world has not always been so. Adam and Eve lived in paradise, but Eve fell prey to the evil serpent's temptations to taste the forbidden fruit. Even the very first woman God created was flawed. Why did God create a flawed woman who would doom all Man to forever bear the burden of work and toil, and all Woman to the pains of labour and child birth? Why did God create a serpent that was evil? Why did He allow the serpent to do evil? And why did He create the forbidden fruit in the first place if He did not want Adam or Eve to eat it?
Indecipherable actions with infinitely deep meaning of an incomprehensible God? Or a greater truth that no religious person would dare ponder...?
If God created everything and He is Almighty, why did He create flawed products? Jesus gave his life for the people's sins. Yes, that's noble and all (if true), but why do people sin in the first place? Why did God create humans who could and would sin?
I've heard answers that it's because God gave us free will, where we could make decisions for ourselves. But why are we flawed in the sense that we give in to temptations easily? Could God not have created a race of people resistant to temptations? And where is the free will when rules exist as to how to conduct ourselves?
The world has not always been so. Adam and Eve lived in paradise, but Eve fell prey to the evil serpent's temptations to taste the forbidden fruit. Even the very first woman God created was flawed. Why did God create a flawed woman who would doom all Man to forever bear the burden of work and toil, and all Woman to the pains of labour and child birth? Why did God create a serpent that was evil? Why did He allow the serpent to do evil? And why did He create the forbidden fruit in the first place if He did not want Adam or Eve to eat it?
Indecipherable actions with infinitely deep meaning of an incomprehensible God? Or a greater truth that no religious person would dare ponder...?
The Belief System
on Wednesday, 9 July 2003
Jas directed to me some atheists' sites in response to my previous entry on religion (July 2). I'm not a free-thinker. Definitely not one. I guess it's the fact that while I don't believe in the "rightness" of religions, I do believe in divinity. Somehow, I do get the feeling that there is a God somewhere out there, but it's just He/She/It is much more passive and doesn't care about how what we do. It's just like watching ants go about their business. How long would your attention span last if I told you to keep an eye on those ants crawling on your wall about their business? I'd more often than not smash my fingers into them! Muah-hah-hah-ha!!!
Ahem... Dead Serious Warning! Following paragraphs would be considered blasphemous by MOST if not ALL religions!
And just a little pondering: Did God create the world? If so, who created God? How did God exist in the first place? There's an alternate answer: Evolution created the world, WE created God. Wait, wait, before you all start screaming curses (again!) let me explain my thoughts. First off though, if anyone has at least more than passing knowledge of the world of Dungeons & Dragons (it's an RPG) and/or read Raymond E. Feist's fantasy novels. Anyway, since most people would be inclined to agree that our minds are incredily complex, and some believe that we are capable of extraordinary feats such as ESP, telekinesis, precognition and such. There's also this phrase: "If we put our minds to it, we could accomplish anything."
What's the whole point? Well, I'm just offering some reference to my thought: that because we humans have believed in the divinity for so long, divinity simply came into existence!! Incredible? Unbelievable? Think my basis is simply too baseless? Remember X-files? Or rather specifically one episode (I don't remember which season) about killer cockroaches. It deals with something call mass hysteria. That's just scratching the surface on the science behind our minds and our belief systems. Did you know that you can't always trust your mind? Sadly, I don't have links and no more time to search. It's said that our minds are horribly logical things, it simply has to interpreted in a manner in which it can be stored. If you encounter something that defies explanation, somehow, your mind will put it in focus and you'll "understand" it. This is actually one of the explanations given to (vague) reports of UFO sightings and ghosts. Because we simply couldn't explain it logically, our mind simply attributes it to the next best thing. And the problem is, the moment our mind conmes to a conclusion, it's so ingrained as a truth it's extremely difficult to debunk or disprove. But I'm digressing.
Still think there's no basis for my idea? How about this: I'm sure we've all heard of doctors who claim that some patients who were not expected to recover, miraculously recovered. Act of God or his angels? Before we go in that direction, how about: Belief? and Will? The patient (and maybe family/friends) so desperately wanted to recover that his body responded supernaturally. What about those yoga masters who undergo isolation, sensory deprivation and starvation? Mind over matter. Our mind is infinitely powerful, as long as one knows how to use it.
Still not accepting even the slightest possibility that our belief through the millenias could have brought divinity into existence by the mere power of thought? Well how about... oh heck, nothing more to add. I better stop typing. You may not accept it, but it's still a logical thought, right? I welcome arguments.
Ahem... Dead Serious Warning! Following paragraphs would be considered blasphemous by MOST if not ALL religions!
And just a little pondering: Did God create the world? If so, who created God? How did God exist in the first place? There's an alternate answer: Evolution created the world, WE created God. Wait, wait, before you all start screaming curses (again!) let me explain my thoughts. First off though, if anyone has at least more than passing knowledge of the world of Dungeons & Dragons (it's an RPG) and/or read Raymond E. Feist's fantasy novels. Anyway, since most people would be inclined to agree that our minds are incredily complex, and some believe that we are capable of extraordinary feats such as ESP, telekinesis, precognition and such. There's also this phrase: "If we put our minds to it, we could accomplish anything."
What's the whole point? Well, I'm just offering some reference to my thought: that because we humans have believed in the divinity for so long, divinity simply came into existence!! Incredible? Unbelievable? Think my basis is simply too baseless? Remember X-files? Or rather specifically one episode (I don't remember which season) about killer cockroaches. It deals with something call mass hysteria. That's just scratching the surface on the science behind our minds and our belief systems. Did you know that you can't always trust your mind? Sadly, I don't have links and no more time to search. It's said that our minds are horribly logical things, it simply has to interpreted in a manner in which it can be stored. If you encounter something that defies explanation, somehow, your mind will put it in focus and you'll "understand" it. This is actually one of the explanations given to (vague) reports of UFO sightings and ghosts. Because we simply couldn't explain it logically, our mind simply attributes it to the next best thing. And the problem is, the moment our mind conmes to a conclusion, it's so ingrained as a truth it's extremely difficult to debunk or disprove. But I'm digressing.
Still think there's no basis for my idea? How about this: I'm sure we've all heard of doctors who claim that some patients who were not expected to recover, miraculously recovered. Act of God or his angels? Before we go in that direction, how about: Belief? and Will? The patient (and maybe family/friends) so desperately wanted to recover that his body responded supernaturally. What about those yoga masters who undergo isolation, sensory deprivation and starvation? Mind over matter. Our mind is infinitely powerful, as long as one knows how to use it.
Still not accepting even the slightest possibility that our belief through the millenias could have brought divinity into existence by the mere power of thought? Well how about... oh heck, nothing more to add. I better stop typing. You may not accept it, but it's still a logical thought, right? I welcome arguments.
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