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Topic Originator: onandupthepars
Date: Sat 2 May 13:25
in response to the 'Where is God to help us?' thread:
I can get the idea of a religion being comforting. It doesn't mean the religion's doctrines and holy book and rituals and trans-substantiation and all that stuff is true. That's the problem for me. All that stuff !
Religions are everywhere. So are mythologies. So are stories based on imagination. It's what human minds do. I think what is really profound in life is not religion or ideas of God, I think much more profound things in life are e.g.:
a) nature
b) life
c) consciousness
d) minds
These are all mysterious and marvellous.
I'd like to discuss those things without reference to religion or God.
What d'you make of it, being here on planet earth? Isn't it incredible?
I've got three courgette seedlings in pots on the window-sill, erupting from the soil. They're fantastic! Only took six days from when I planted them. I feel like they're little buddies. I said to my wife I think I'll give them names. She suggested Bill and Ben. Yeh, and Weed, I said.
Simple things. It's great getting joy out of - almost nothing.
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Topic Originator: onandupthepars
Date: Sun 3 May 12:07
Topic: Nature
WARNING: DON'T READ THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT SOME OF THE BAD STUFF. THE CONCLUSION IS POSITIVE IF YOU WANT TO SKIP TO IT.
I need the natural world. But not just landscapes, wild places and trees. Animal life even more than them.
I think of animals as individuals, they have differences of character - some are bullies, some aren't. Some eat their own siblings alive. I've seen it on telly - a barn owl chick turned to its bro or sis who was sitting beside it minding its own business - opened its gob and gobbled it up. No killing first.
I think most folk believe animals kill things quick before they eat them. I've read (and I believe it) that most things are eaten alive. nevertheless I don't just think of nature as a complete b**tard. I think, animals are individuals, some are cannibals, some not, even within species.
Mind you I can hardly excuse some whole species. take badgers: merciless shockers, eat anything alive. I won't go into it.
The worst thing I saw was film of a monkey stealing a baby monkey from a nest and as it ran away, it took a bite out of the wriggling screaming infant.
How I wish nature wasn't like that. But it is.
When I go out wildlife watching, if I saw stuff like that I'd probably give up.
CONCLUSION
Like Humanity, nature contains a lot of terrible stuff, but I still appreciate the wonder and beauty enough to overcome the horror and sadness and disappointments.
Mostly, I see and feel the good in nature.
It still picks me up.
Post Edited (Sun 03 May 13:48)
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Topic Originator: onandupthepars
Date: Sun 3 May 14:06
Topic: Mind
I was watching a woman on TV (Catchphrase contestant) and I thought, what is it that makes her attractive to me? And more than anything it was her teeth ! I thought how weird - that a person could be drawn to another, even get married, spend their lives together, have kids, all on the basis of the attraction of a person's teeth.
Strange how visual appearances - shapes of things - small physical details - can have such effects on us. A small difference can be enough to make someone drool over one and not the other.
A fine set o' gnashers can turn a man (or woman) to jelly!
Post Edited (Sun 03 May 14:13)
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