I knw its hard to imagine that one day you wont exist anymore. May be it wont matter to the rest of the creation but obviously it matters to you. Thats why one way(afterlife in heaven) or the other(incarnation) you tend to believe that you will live forever...
But why your existence is so important? Why do you need to exist for eternity? You didnt exist before your birth (applies to abrahamic religious followers) & IT DIDNT MATTER!!! Then why must u exist after your death? May be it wont matter either!
In the birth life continuum, it may look like this:
1)Before life-------2)Birth --------3)Death-------4)After life
You didnt have (1) then whats the guarantee or necessity that you will be given (4).
If you are a believer in reincarnation, then I must say you dont remember (1), then why care for (4) which u r not going to feel or remember either!
I disagree.
@Rishy Rich,
Yes, truth hurts. That is why acceptance of truth is the hardest part of living life. People rather live their life believing a lie than simply accepting that their life is truly limited to a specific duration.
If more people finally learned acceptance, then life would have more value and the time they spent living would be better spent making their life better.
I agree.
Just like Buddha said, "We need to understand the positive aspects of non-existence first"...may be only then we can understand the true meaning of living!
The only positive aspect of non-existence is that we are no longer a burden to others in any manner. Understanding living is all about learning to love ourselves, so we can love others. The compassion that we have for those who do not know any better is what gives meaning and purpose to our life. So, with that said, the duration we each have should be spent in the service to others, to build on the meaning and purpose we have for our life while we live.
Love can be selfish sometimes! Given the current human form, love cannot be distributed to everyone equally. A selfish love again might look for an eternal duration. On the other hand, our emotions are impermanent...Just like everything else. In past few thousands years, our understanding of love, relationships & emotion has changed & evolved significantly...& it will continue to change & evolve in the coming years. Thus, before emphasizing so much on love, it would be necessary for you to settle on the current & future nature of 'Love' in the first hand.
Interesting you say that. But, I'll agree to disagree and leave it at that.
Well Cags explination is certainly dreary, What with the burden on others and everything
I think life is too short to finish learning and experiencing everything there is and so we go on to learn more then is possible in a mortal life.
There was nothing dreary about it. At one time or another, someone is a burden on someone else. If you deny that, then you're not grasping the larger picture known as life.
I see your point however...and I can only speak for my family, One is not a burden on their loved ones unless the loved ones consider them so.
Shakes Cags
Does a parent consider their child a burden or a joy?
Does a child consider and aging parent a burden?
If you answer yes to these questions...I'm sorry for you.
What a forlorn childhood you must've had.
My childhood has nothing to do with my understanding of life itself. As for answering your questions- the best answer is BOTH to both.
Children are a financial burden and Parents in their later years are also a financial burden. Some parents are a physical burden to their children as they age. So please...
Besides, your family isn't only burdened by the members of the family, but burdened by other members of society. Like I said, you apparently are not grasping the larger picture.
Please what...please agree that family is a physical and financial burden.
Well that just stupid or pitifule to consider family in terms of money or physical effort...God! Where are you?
Screw people who consider poorer or unfortunates a burden.
What you fail to grasp is the simple fact that other people are in fact a burden. Otherwise, as you say, burdens don't exist. Which would be completely and utter nonsense.
I'm only judging words, not heart I don't believe he really feels that way.
Unless he was abandoned by his family or something.
If you weren't burdened by others, then you couldn't be able to establish compassion for others who do not know better. Kind of like I have compassion for you, for which, you burden those around by your limited vision/scope/view, yet do not realize it.
If I didn't have compassion for you, and recognize your inability to understand, then I would not be having this conversation with you.
As for being abandoned by my family- No. And in case you are wondering, my family consists of one person, my mother, because the other portion of my family(my father) has been dead for 20+ years now.
That is ridiculous you can't establish compassion for others unless you were burdened by someone...you should right a book.
I don't understand nonsense who could.
Sorry bout your dad...I really wasn't wondering, only about the negative energy.
Very good point Cagsil, as usual, but this is cool, thanks,
Emotions are against reason...thats what keep pondering over my mind when I think of love.
One way or the other? I don't believe in either.
Rishy, You post the hardest questions! Certainly ones that are very thought provoking!! Stop
I truly believe now in time, rather than many years, that my existence is not important, I suppose the hardest part of this is the loneliness and a true sense or knowledge of not having a purpose or being needed. I want to think we come back so badly. I have no ideas of a Heaven and want my ashes scattered wherever, this too unimportant!
I know no family or friends today and for a long time, by choice, not looking for sympathy here. Simply tired of such an enormous amount of work to keep up a social circle, aside from the many meanings I should just have post that my existence or terminating that existence, does not matter whatsoever.
Selfishly, with that also eliminates obvious responsibilities
enough, thanks, out.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
I will take it as a compliment & eventually I will stop one day...Just like everyone else
Thanks for sharing ur view honey. You are too cool.
I have absolutely no interest in living forever in any of its many variations. I also find that the reincarnation thing is grossly misunderstand. It's about a recycling of "immature conscious energy." No individual being's essence is preserved as a whole, and as such, there are no memories to be had. People get way too attached to this "I" and "me" thing.
There is no before life.
There is no after life.
There is just life.
In a non-linear time line beginnings and endings are irrelevant.
I am quite looking forward to oblivion. If I die and wake up somewhere else, I'm going to be really disappointed lol.
Dont get me wrong but you are saying this as if u already regret being alive
Hypothesis Alert : If knowing 1) becomes possible, time travel is possible.
This reminds me of movie : Shutter Island.
"You didnt exist b4 ur birth...did it matter?"
So that one day before my birth when my mother was miserably pregnant I didn't really exist at all?
Good point. I need to add the pregnancy period from next time
Misha does that mean I don't know?
ps- did you get my comment to you on you tube?
It was so fun seeing you in real life!
I loved it and your accent is fantastic
I shall drive safer now-nice job!
I cannot remember anything before my conception. Memories are selective from then until now. On the whole my existence has had very little impact and that impact has been on very few people. We consider ourselves to be significant when in fact we are insignificant. Considering that we might be important enough to continue an existence after death is just being arrogant. We are conceived, we are born, we live a life of indeterminate length, and then we die. We may pass on our imperfect genes to fulfil their destiny but beyond that our existence terminates. It would perhaps be nice to know that what we had learned during our period aboard the good ship earth would not be lost forever but I am afraid that so few of us add to the total knowledge of the human race that this too need not be dwelt upon. Sad as it might seem death is the end of it. Just get over it and get on with what little time you have left. Ponder too long on the meaning of life or death and the latter will catch up with you before you have enjoyed the former.
anyone who considers children a burden, financial or otherwise, shouldn't have them. and parents are only a 'burden' to their children if they don't plan ahead. responsibility doesn't equal burden.
i intend to take care of myself well into old age. even then, i didn't have my son so i would have someone to take care of me someday, although he would want to, as he loves his parents very much, but neither of us would do that to him.
and you don't learn compassion by being burdended. you either are or you aren't compassionate. how on God's Green Earth is it being judgmental to say that people who consider their loved ones a burden are wrong?
to answer the OP, i think we exist before we are born, up there in the stars somewhere. not in a corporeal sense necessarily...we are born into this life and then we pass into another life when we 'die' so our essence must exist somewhere in some manner so yes it matters to some degree.
Thanks for ur point of view cosette. But again, u dont remember ur experiences before birth & definitely it doesnt mean anything to u. Then why care wats going to happen after death. May be u r not going to remember or feel anything then either!
It is time humanity got over its unbelievable arrogance - we are animals no more or less than any other, the only difference is that we are aware that we exist, although some other animals also seem to have some recognition of self. Because we are aware of ourselves does not make that awareness a thing that can live on after the body is dead, the body is aware of itself and so the awareness goes with the rest. Naturally we have a drive to live and protect ourselves and all our actions start with these drivers in our heads, just because we naturally have this primary driver AND we are aware of our self leads to these childrens stories. FFSake grow up !
I appreciate what u said here & I agree with this. Thanks.
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