dagblog - Comments for "Does knowing you die affect how you live?"

Thanks for the vote of

miguelitoh2o — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:53:11 +0000

In reply to Does knowing you die affect how you live?

Thanks for the vote of confidence Q. It's nice to know you're not alone, although I've never quite known what to make of the concept of 'God' ala the process theologians or any other theologian. My own inclinations include some Zen Buddhism, Vipassana meditations, a bunch of stuff I've figured out over time, and some other stuff I made up.

I'm with ya! I certainly

Frizzletoad — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:26:10 +0000

In reply to Does knowing you die affect how you live?

I'm with ya! I certainly don't mean that people should give up the good fight, even if the odds are against them. I know my life has certainly been changed more drastically by the words of one than by the beliefs of millions. On the environment, however, I just don't think there is enough urgency, and I don't think there will be until a major catastrophe happens (and I know there are already terrible things happening, but I mean something harder to ignore), and by then it may be too late.

But I would certainly LOVE to be proven wrong, and I'll still keep doing what I can to help.

Hear, Hear! Well done,

TheraP — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:20:08 +0000

In reply to Does knowing you die affect how you live?

Hear, Hear! Well done, oleeb!

Good points. Personally, I

oleeb — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:01:53 +0000

In reply to Does knowing you die affect how you live?

Good points.

Personally, I think the problem is not religion or religionists per se. Gandhi and King were both deeply religious and they continue to inspire the whole world. Neither of them were dogmatic in their beliefs and they didn't insist on dogma for others. Mao, on the other hand, was not religious yet in some ways became a dogma himself. He was (among many other things both good and bad) responsible for a great deal of horror, suffering and death.

There are as many good as bad in every category. The kind of problems you mention that are often associated with religion, in my view, are the product of dogma and dogmatic belief systems that are rigid, and do not allow for adjustments, adaptation or change as circumstances change and/or knowledge increases. They all seem to share a resistance to modernity as well. They do a lot of denying. I think it is because they are fearful. Their dogma provides them comfort and unity in a rapidly changing, confusing and complicated world.

My view is that whenever dogmatic belief takes hold whether in religion, politics, business, or any other realm you see problems associated with it. Often those problems stemming from dogmatic rigidity become massive. I can understand why people condemn so many of the religious people of the kind you describe. Their behavior is often maddeningly ignorant, overbearing, childish, boorish, authoritarian and utterly unnecessary. Throughout history, we know that all those that cling to religious beliefs that are clearly either scientifically disproven or that fly in the face of common sense and the world as we know it eventually wane and disappear.

I think there are plenty of people out there who have beliefs that are simply shared, universal ideals that do not require a dogmatic approach. Anyway one gets there is okay with me.

This is all very noble; one

NickthePick — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:18:48 +0000

In reply to Does knowing you die affect how you live?

This is all very noble; one would have to be churlish to disagree with it.

The underlying question, not addressed, has to do with the self-righteous “values” crowd who have been doing their best to inflict Sharia-Lite on the rest of us. If you are a child of the Enlightenment, you know that you, in fact, are going to die. If you believe that you’ll keep on trucking at the feet of Jesus, then you behave differently. As one of the chose, you’ve been given a pass. Good to read James Hogg’s classic The Memoir and Diary of a Justified sinner, published in the early 19th century.

Christmas is upon us and the Evangelicals are going through the ritual of giving to the poor and the rest of it. When Christmas is finished they’ll pat themselves on the back and continue as before.

I say that the admonition to do onto others as they would do unto you is entirely logical, not divine, and it is found, phrased differently, in almost every religion on the planet. Ask yourself this question: Over the long haul, has more good and less evil been done by humanists or by religionists? I say humanists, hands down.

I just reread this for at

TheraP — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:13:41 +0000

In reply to Does knowing you die affect how you live?

I just reread this for at least the fourth time. This time I read aloud to Mr. TheraP. It gets better every time! This is the kind of thing youngsters used to memorize and declaim for prizes back in the day. I would put it in a textbook for every child to read and discuss. I would put it on a monument. This is a comment for the ages.

I understand you are humbled. Perhaps more so after these comments of mine.

At the same time you are ennobling our efforts here. I truly believe it is possible to tune into the wisdom of a moment. To capture its meaning. To do that eloquently. Allowing that wisdom to flow through you. I think each of us has that capacity at times. We help bring out the best in each other. That synergy makes a difference.

What beautiful thing it is to reach for the highest or the deepest in our humanity. And share that with others.

I deeply honor that.

I'd like to say thank you to

oleeb — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:42:34 +0000

In reply to Does knowing you die affect how you live?

I'd like to say thank you to each of you for your very kind sentiments. It's quite humbling.

I second TheraP's

oleeb — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:40:37 +0000

In reply to Does knowing you die affect how you live?

I second TheraP's sentiments.

Frankly, if all of us who would like to see a better world did not believe that a handful or even one person can make a critical difference, I think life would be unbearable in many ways. What hope then eh? If this belief and faith really, in humanity, had no basis in reality it would be one thing, but there are inumerable instances where we know that a handful of people or an individual, with tenacity and conviction not only beat the odds but helped advance human progress.

Not crazy Miguel. There's a

quinn esq — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 04:56:05 +0000

In reply to Does knowing you die affect how you live?

Not crazy Miguel.

There's a large school of theologians who're right there with you. Process theology, if you know it. A lot of it came out of Whitehead. John Cobb, David Griffin, Charles Hartshorne and my fave, DD Williams. Also, obviously, Teilhard had a lot of this juice.

And I'm sure there're lots who think/believe the same within other faiths, as well as non-"religious" schools.

Frizzletoad, more than one

TheraP — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 03:09:55 +0000

In reply to Does knowing you die affect how you live?

Frizzletoad, more than one spiritual tradition believes that the fate of the world is in the hands of only ten good people.

So, even if the selfishness of many is winning out, it may take only the good of some to make a difference, if not to even turn things around. For that reason it behooves those of us who "hear the call" to do what we can - in every way we can, small as those efforts may seem at the time.

Who would have believed, one year ago, that Obama would win?

Let's believe: Yes. We. Can.