Some people seem to think it is "who" created the Universe. Others want to know if there is life after death, never mind that that is a contradiction in terms, but they are still allowed to ask the question. And others want to know the meaning of life as if it will provide them with purpose.

Of course there are plenty of people who will tell you they know the answer, or at least where to find it.  None of this is important to me. I don't actually dwell in the same frame of mind.

To me, the Big Question is: "Can humanity save itself from itself." Our exponential increase seems to be against it. But there are those who don't believe our survival matters, as long as we do what god has directed us to do through ancient scripture. I find that view as cynical as the dystopian future portrayed in every futuristic movie since 1984 which came out in 1956.

Of course, Hollywood will use the excuse that such movies are a warning, but they say that about guns and violence in the cinema too. I don't believe them. I think they know ghoulishness sell. And when God Freaks are almost ecstatic about an apocalypse, they share much with the rich liberal celebrities cashing in on the same basic idea. I'll bet none of them are quite as much a student of irony as I.

Can we save ourselves from ourselves? That's my Big Question. I am not interested in platitudes, but I know some fruitcake will say only Jesus can save us my son. As I said, I am not interested in any of that, and its because I am continual confronted with visions of paradise.

I didn't need a philosophy or a religion to see it. And I supposed I am blessed to see it, although that term is too often associated with a deity. Its how I have always seen things, only my experience has refined and focused the view. I have often said that I am the luckiest man in the world, but that is because of how the world appears to me.

I think the one thing we could change, that would have an effect on the Big Question, is to cut the cynicism we allow our children to absorb from the media. That is unless we wish to write a self-fulfilling prophecy.

IMO, no. [in answer to the Q.]





Quote:

John Connor: We're not gonna make it, are we? People, I mean. The Terminator: It's in your nature to destroy yourselves. John Connor: Yeah. Major drag, huh?

We are too selfish and self absorbed, and way, way, too irrational.

e.g.
Even when it is clearly 'laid out' before us,        that the consequences of a poor choice will likely be 'regrettable',
we still choose, to make the poor/selfish choice.

And, me too, too often!




Requisite scripture from Yadda....       :)

Romans 7:18
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.



.




Yadda said....
http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1293669294/0#0

Quote:

A simple definition of SANITY/INSANITY. Typically, an unrestrained sane person will act in ways which are harmless to others, and in ways which are creative, and productive [for himself, others, and society]. And typically, and conversely, an unrestrained INSANE person will act in ways which are harmful and destructive to himself, and, or, others around him.

I will be glad, when my time here is finished.

It is, and has been, interesting [to witness].

But there is so much wickedness here.

I hate it, and i hate my own [moral] weakness.

The meek will inherit the Earth

.... and those who comply with the Feast and Famine Variable

Bias_2012 wrote on Oct 12^th, 2017 at 1:06am:

The meek will inherit the Earth

Those persons like.....

Numbers 12:3
(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)



Who woulda thunk it !

Moses, was a very meek man.

....according to scripture [God] !




Psalms 37:11
......the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.


I guess, it all depends upon what God's definition of 'meek' is then.

Scripture records, that Moses usually, deferred to what God wanted.


Dictionary;
defer = = submit humbly to



An example, of the behaviour, of the meek man, Moses, when confronted by the proud man.....


Numbers 16:1
Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:
2  And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
3  And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?
4  And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:
5  And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.


"......the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him:
even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him."



'Salvation', isn't for everyone.

Humility, and meekness, before God, isn't for everyone.





Psalms 34:18
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.


Psalms 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.


Q.
What does the word 'contrite' mean ?

Look it up.



Contrite,        is what Jesus told us, to be, before our God.

Issuevoter - No, I don't think humanity can save itself from itself. 
  We are destroying the earth at an increasing rate. We make illogical decisions. There are too many of us and we are increasing in numbers.

Bias_2012 wrote on Oct 12^th, 2017 at 1:06am:

The meek will inherit the Earth

Fat lot of good it'll do 'em.

issuevoter wrote on Oct 12^th, 2017 at 11:32am:

Bias_2012 wrote on Oct 12th, 2017 at 1:06am: The meek will inherit the Earth Fat lot of good it'll do 'em.

We, men, can only 'conceive', and 'understand',     of things which we have seen, and know, and have touched.

I have wonderful dreams.

But they are not real.         ;)             :D



issue,

Is it always mistaken, or always foolish, to trust in a promise ?

e.g.
If a good and reliable friend of yours, made a promise to you,
would you, and should you, have confidence in the sincerity and honesty of your friend ?

Q.
If we can't believe a trusted friend, then who can we believe ?




Isaiah 65:17
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.


Isaiah 66:2
For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.


2 Peter 3:13
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.


Revelation 21:1
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.






Matthew 19:26
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them,....with God all things are possible.

Yadda wrote on Oct 12^th, 2017 at 3:21pm:

issuevoter wrote on Oct 12th, 2017 at 11:32am: Bias_2012 wrote on Oct 12th, 2017 at 1:06am: The meek will inherit the Earth Fat lot of good it'll do 'em. We, men, can only 'conceive', and 'understand',     of things which we have seen, and know, and have touched. I have wonderful dreams. But they are not real.         ;)             :D issue, Is it always mistaken, or always foolish, to trust in a promise ? e.g. If a good and reliable friend of yours, made a promise to you, would you, and should you, have confidence in the sincerity and honesty of your friend ? Q. If we can't believe a trusted friend, then who can we believe ?

This is as far as I went with your post. I will not be preached at.

1: Your first line is much like atheist doctrine. I am not an atheist, I cannot comment on that.

2: Foolishness trusting. Depends on the case, so not "always."

3: Would I, should I. Perhaps. Not necessarily. Some of my friends are pretty loopy. Can they trust me is more important.

4: Who can we trust if not our friends? Start with yourself. In my view, no human will ever have a greater understanding of the nature of reality than any other. That means all inquiry is up to the individual. That crap about the meek inheriting the earth is just someone blathering about something they picked up without any verification. I mentioned that attitude in my opening post. I knew one of you pathetic nut jobs was going to come along and tell me the answer to my big question was somehow related to Jesus. And I clearly stated I was not interested in such drivel.

issuevoter wrote on Oct 12^th, 2017 at 9:49pm:

4: Who can we trust if not our friends? Start with yourself. In my view, no human will ever have a greater understanding of the nature of reality than any other. That means all inquiry is up to the individual.

issue,

We [mankind] do not understand what our real circumstances are.

We do not have enough information about our place in the universe, or even a secure understanding about 'what' the 'universe' actually is or even how big it is!

No one can claim to know what is 'real', or what 'reality' is, or even what human consciousness [i.e. self-awareness] is [or what it really 'represents'].




'Life', is a search for meaning ?

....and truth ?

Yadda wrote on Oct 12^th, 2017 at 10:26pm:

issuevoter wrote on Oct 12th, 2017 at 9:49pm: 4: Who can we trust if not our friends? Start with yourself. In my view, no human will ever have a greater understanding of the nature of reality than any other. That means all inquiry is up to the individual. issue, We [mankind] do not understand what our real circumstances are. We do not have enough information about our place in the universe, or even a secure understanding about 'what' the 'universe' actually is or even how big it is! No one can claim to know what is 'real', or what 'reality' is, or even what human consciousness [i.e. self-awareness] is [or what it really 'represents']. 'Life', is a search for meaning ? ....and truth ?

I would not be prepared to state that Life is a search for anything. I suppose it could be, if that's what interests a person. As I have said in the OP, I am already struck by visions of paradise. I am not searching for meaning. I think of "meaning" as a human concept not necessarily of any relevance to the Universe.

issuevoter wrote on Oct 13^th, 2017 at 6:36am:

I would       not      be prepared to state that Life is a search for anything. You show no reticence, in being critical of the 'disclosure' of the explorations of others - even in a place which is formally dedicated to 'disclosure' and self expression and 'exploration'. ....and yet, you yourself, often seem averse to participating in relevatory disclosure. assessment; He doesn't display a very confident persona. Perhaps his own assessment of his 'surroundings' and his 'circumstances' leaves him somewhat unnerved. issue, You are an adult.     Correct ? I suppose it could be, if that's what interests a person. Men and women all seem to display myriad inclinations to explore differing interests in the course of their lives. Many people, imo, exhibit a personas akin to a vessel aimlessly adrift, upon an open ocean. Aimless. As I have said in the OP, I am already struck by visions of paradise. Lucky you. "I am not an atheist, I cannot comment on that." I am not searching for meaning. I pity you.      ....but i'm not sure that i entirely believe that statement is accurate. I think of "meaning" as a human concept not necessarily of any relevance to the Universe. Speaking for the rest of us,        we seem to be creatures imbued with a prodigious amount of curiosity about our 'circumstance', here. I relish the opportunity to explore the 'meaning' of my own self-awareness. I don't fight against any opportunity to 'stretch' myself further.

disclosure;
I don't use 'recreational' or illicit drugs.

A=42

Life is a search for meaning.

Perhaps.



A 'discovery' which has been disclosed by some;

"Life's a b!tch, and then you die!"



Not here.
- Yadda

Oh, pity the poor Issuevoter as he wanders aimlessly through life, without the guidance of Abraham, Marx, or the Wall Street Journal. He must be such a lonely fellow without an allegiance to one of our clubs. This is a sure sign of a person without any self-confidence.

"....As I said, I am not interested in any of that ['that' = = platitudes, or 'Jesus' or 'religious fervour'],
and its because I am continual confronted with visions of paradise."
- issue, in the OP



"......To me, the Big Question is: "Can humanity save itself from itself."
.....Can we save ourselves from ourselves? That's my Big Question."
- issue, in the OP



issue, the person on OzPol, who is,
1/ continually confronted with 'visions of paradise', but,
2/ is also obviously deeply perturbed and troubled, about whether humanity will survive another day.

Yadda wrote on Oct 13^th, 2017 at 10:36pm:

"....As I said, I am not interested in any of that ['that' = = platitudes, or 'Jesus' or 'religious fervour'], and its because I am continual confronted with visions of paradise." - issue, in the OP "......To me, the Big Question is: "Can humanity save itself from itself." .....Can we save ourselves from ourselves? That's my Big Question." - issue, in the OP issue, the person on OzPol, who is, 1/ continually confronted with 'visions of paradise', but, 2/ is also obviously deeply perturbed and troubled, about whether humanity will survive another day.

The highlighted words are yours, not mine.

And your point is?

issuevoter wrote on Oct 14^th, 2017 at 2:44am:

Yadda wrote on Oct 13th, 2017 at 10:36pm: "....As I said, I am not interested in any of that ['that' = = platitudes, or 'Jesus' or 'religious fervour'], and its because I am continual confronted with visions of paradise." - issue, in the OP "......To me, the Big Question is: "Can humanity save itself from itself." .....Can we save ourselves from ourselves? That's my Big Question." - issue, in the OP issue, the person on OzPol, who is, 1/ continually confronted with 'visions of paradise', but, 2/ is also obviously deeply perturbed and troubled, about whether humanity will survive another day. The highlighted words are yours, not mine.

Then why not put, in your own words, what your own feeling are, about the imminent threats, facing the future existence of mankind on this planet.

After all, this is a public forum.

This public forum exists, for the purpose of people expressing ideas and hypotheses,
and for presenting arguments in support of those ideas and hypotheses.

And, for expressing their reasonable fears, on any particular issue.






issuevoter wrote on Oct 14^th, 2017 at 2:44am:

And your point is?

[for all persons who believe in the theory of evolution...]
Extinction events [whatever their 'source' my be] are something which must be faced [confronted, accepted?], by all species on this planet, as simply one of the many natural, evolutionary processes, that will occur.

And though it would be very 'inconvenient' if such an event were to 'impact' specifically upon mankind's existence, why should mankind feel that he has the right to rail against such an occurrence ?

And as 'not an atheist' yourself, why are you, at all, concerned [or not] about the possible imminent demise of humanity on this planet ?

'Do you want to live forever!'






I must not fear.
Fear is the mind killer.
The little death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to passover me and through me.
And when it has gone passed, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
- DUNE

Read the OP. You have gone off along vague tangents. The OP contains my perspective, which is not the "fear" or "feelings," of yours. Stop making assumptions about what I believe or how I see life. If you have a specific question, I will endeavour to answer it. But if you are trying to prove something, you are in the wrong thread.