Existentialism?!

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Permalink Reply by Valtiel on September 18, 2007 at 9:45pm

Thats just the thing.. Even conventional truth is still enveloped in this "reality". Its all part of the system. But I understand what you mean about Christ redeeming us for our sins. If God was on the outside, he made this whole "reality" for us to ponder and question, Or he made it out of our heads. Maybe thats why most people cant fathom an image or complete understanding of God, where he came from, etc. See what I mean? Or maybe its a little too late and Im a little to tired to put my thoughts into comprehendable words...

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Permalink Reply by Zadi on September 18, 2007 at 2:05pm

This is a really interesting thread.

I do believe that life is what you "believe" it to be -- what you make it. Not to the extent that you can make someone/something physically appear or disappear... but its relevance to your life can make it appear/disappear in your mind. IE: not realizing someone is upset/ not finding your car keys when they are right in front of you/ creating or destroying the notion of a god /feeling sick to your stomach because of something you saw or heard.

To me life is about interpretation. Two people can see exactly the same thing and interpret it differently based on past input related to that thing. So a piece of toast with an image on it may seem like the Virgin Mary and a calling to one person while to another it's a curious pattern and a further look into the wiring of a toaster.

Not sure that I agree that people with schizophrenia are lucky -- but that's my interpretation because I love interacting with people, and the thought of losing my relationship with others is a terrifying one. To another person, the notion of schizophrenia may be freeing, because it means something completely different.

All in all, I think everything we encounter is an interpretation of our mind... How do I know you see the same shade of blue I see? I don't, but in our relationship with one another I can at least know that we have a point of discussion and connection. To me that connection point is more important than my interpretation or the actual thing I am interpreting. To me, that connection point is what's real and what life is about.

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Permalink Reply by Valtiel on September 18, 2007 at 9:54pm

To us, interacting with people is a joy because, like you said, we try to interpret these people and interact with them. To someone with schizophrenia, they are doing the exact same thing, only in their own world. I didnt mean to freak everyone out with that statement of feeling like their lucky... Its just an observation. They are happy in their own world and time, and here we have to deal with terrorism, violence, poverty, disease, all the things that make this world a bad place. On the other end, however we also have everything that makes this world a great place, the simple wonderful things like new life, love, beauty *coughzadicough* (JK) and everything else that stimulates pleasure in our minds. In that way, I guess a person with shcizophrenia kind of takes the easy way out. Just like suicide.. Only the person with schizophrenia isnt suffering eternally thereafter.

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Permalink Reply by john yang on September 18, 2007 at 4:50pm

well on the note of existentialism, logically, it makes sense because the only way we know things is how we perceive them.

as to my opinion.. well, living life to one's full potential isn't always possible in every case. because we only know reality and life as something perceived, it can be distorted and twisted and sad and even though it isnt impossible, it may seem that way, and if all we know is what we see, well.. there ya go =\

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Permalink Reply by Valtiel on September 22, 2007 at 1:04am

Ide love to live life to the full potential.. As if it were my last day. But that would probably involve me doing a lot of bad things to a lot of bad people.

What does everyone think happens at the point of death and thereafter?

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Permalink Reply by June Kim on September 23, 2007 at 5:28pm

This is philosophy 101 and discussed in the first movie of MATRIX. Real is what exists (you and I might exist but it's impossible to prove it) and stuff that has a purpose. In my mind, whatever does not have a purpose does not exist - physically and mentally. Ultimately, philosophy of this sort ends up in a hollow theory without any real results. I'd rather be playing Avalanche than to be thinking about this. ^^

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Permalink Reply by Valtiel on September 27, 2007 at 2:33pm

Yeah, thinking about this just makes me want to smash my own head in with bricks. Then again, so does Avalanche after a while.

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Permalink Reply by TonyBtheEG on September 24, 2007 at 9:19pm

seeing is believing to me

god = fiction

believe in yourself and stop living for someone else. do you not seek answers and just give up?

im not getting into my 0982378927389532 thoughts on this subject of human beings giving up for a fictional character

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Permalink Reply by Valtiel on September 27, 2007 at 2:34pm

To me, I would rather believe in Him to die and find out that he wasnt real than to not believe in Him and die to find out that he was.

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Permalink Reply by benjamin on September 27, 2007 at 3:13am

the whole ''Your mind is what makes everything exist'' thing is true in many ways, but you have to remember that its not only just your mind soley. take into consideration that if we have our own mind to make life with, you still need to take into fact that there are other people's minds to help you colour in what you believe in and from time to time, sway your beliefs from left to right, even only slightly. and that creates an individual opininon of your own and makes you question things every day. some people believe in god, some people dont. personally, i dont believe in god. but that doesn't give me the right to bitch at religious people just because they believe in god, but at the same time, im allowed my personal opinion on the subject. and this is what helps to colour the whole spectrum of the human race.
so as much as my own mind makes this world and my life, remember that other people live and breathe and think like you, they may not think of the same things as you, but they still think.
thats why people with schizoprhenia have a certain disability because they have many voices telling them what is real and telling them the next minute that its not. its a disadvantage in many ways. imagine sitting in a room with a group of people telling you all different things about what is right and what is wrong constantly and loudly and angrily all at the same time.... doesn't sound like much fun to me.

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Permalink Reply by Mattia F on September 28, 2007 at 3:23am

"The reason why I refuse to take existentialism as just another French fashion or historical curiosity is that I think it has something very important to offer us for the new century. I'm afraid we're losing the real virtues of living life passionately, sense of taking responsibility for who you are, the ability to make something of yourself and feeling good about life. Existentialism is often discussed as if it's a philosophy of despair. But I think the truth is just the opposite. Sartre once interviewed said he never really felt a day of despair in his life. But one thing that comes out from reading these guys is not a sense of anguish about life so much as a real kind of exuberance of feeling on top of it. It's like your life is yours to create. I've read the postmodernists with some interest, even admiration. But when I read them, I always have this awful nagging feeling that something absolutely essential is getting left out. The more that you talk about a person as a social construction or as a confluence of forces or as fragmented or marginalized, what you do is you open up a whole new world of excuses. And when Sartre talks about responsibility, he's not talking about something abstract. He's not talking about the kind of self or soul that theologians would argue about. It's something very concrete. It's you and me talking. Making decisions. Doing things and taking the consequences. It might be true that there are six billion people in the world and counting. Nevertheless, what you do makes a difference. It makes a difference, first of all, in material terms. Makes a difference to other people and it sets an example. In short, I think the message here is that we should never simply write ourselves off and see ourselves as the victim of various forces. It's always our decision who we are."

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Permalink Reply by Christian on September 28, 2007 at 9:43am

How the Mind Affects Your Happiness at Happiness

.. .

Understanding the Mind

As humans we live in two worlds. There is the external physical world of work, family and friends that we travel in. Then there is the world of our mind and imagination. It is a virtual reality that can appear and feel just as real. When it comes to your emotions the virtual world of your mind can be more real.

If you are seeking to create greater fulfillment and happiness in your life most sources will point to making changes in your external world. However it is changes in the virtual reality of your mind that will make a lasting impact on your happiness and fulfillment.

Those suggestions to find what you love, do what you are passionate about, and achieve your goals will lead you towards happiness. However without addressing how the virtual reality of the mind affects your emotions you can still end up disillusioned and empty. The importance of addressing the role of the mind in your happiness may be difficult to grasp because even the opinions in your mind will point to changing your external world in order to be happy.

.. .

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