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To Be or Not To Be

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luna-tic | 23:10 Sat 22nd Mar 2008 | Religion & Spirituality
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How do we (Humans) know we are real, Only through memory and the senses or something else?
What if our memory goes completely?
What use is faith or belief for the individual without being able to remember it's purpose?
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To ask a question is to validate the existence of the questioner. One cannot ask a question without existing.
"I think - therefore I am"

Heard that in Star Trek once!
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Good answer Tax but some people get confused or lose their previous thoughts so to them the question may of been asked but by whom?
Who wrote the ten commandments?
The biblical existence of such a being is debatable.
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Sorry! "may have" (been asked but by whom).
Hello dear Luny, well I know you're real because, apart from anything else, you sing to us!

Joking aside, perhaps it's not so much the memory that counts, but rather the inner being - the soul for want of a better word. With day to day life, and all the things we think we need in our lives, sometimes the mind can become confused, and even forget, but if we can put our conscious minds to one side for a moment and search our inner soul, then we can, and do, find true reality.

And congratulations on the correction. Well done!!
Luna, couldn't you have asked a simpler question?
Like, "Hey Theland, why don't you have a telly anymore?"

But you didn't, so to this one I say :-

If our mind begins to play tricks, and we lose sight of the fact that faith has a purpose, then we are left with faith, that is, trust and hope, in something better and greater than ourselves, but may lose the, "self," aspect of the equation, and focus entirely and completely on the, "other," and this translates into our experience as wonder and awe!
For me, this is God and His creation, for others the magnificence of the universe, nature, and the pursuit of knowledge, and the search for human dignity amidst the chaos of human existence.
What ulimately gives faith a value, is not the strength or quality of the faith, but in who or what that faith is placed.
For example, I would have no faith whatsoever in Wizard ever returning my telly, but complete faith in the knowledge that it is Saturday, and that Wizard will be loading up in the off licence, and after several cans, will don his pointed hat, and have another cosmic moment, and a packet of cheese and onion!
A philosopher (Obviously this is me so I forget who) once said we are nothing other than that which we are to other people. Now while I don't go along with that trail of thought entirely there is something to it. Our existence and our reality is often percieved through the eyes of others.
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Lovely answer Naomi. I think some people would rather forget my singing.
Theland, I think I have faith but not in the biblical sense. That took quite a lot to say that because I have been very confused about identity and usefulness on the planet.
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China, Is it our personality only that makes an impression on others?
Luna, How useful we make ourselves on this planet is up to us. We can choose to help others, or we can choose not to. You do help others, and you have a lot to offer, so your usefulness on this planet shouldn't be in question.

We all feel lost at times, so you are not unique in that. I don't go along with China's philosopher who said 'we are nothing other than that which we are to other people.' Nothing could be further from the truth. Others can, and often do, perceive us in a way that is completely at odds with reality. Let's face it, at one time I thought you were a girl, so that proves just how wrong people can be! Who are other people anyway? Judge and jury? Why should we try to change the way we are to suit others, or because we think they would like us more? For that to work we'd be trying to change our personality to suit whoever we were with at any given moment, and in doing so we would be completely undermining our own sense of self-worth. None of us can be all things to all people. It's impossible. I've come to the conclusion that if people like me, fine - and if they don't, then that's fine too. I really don't mind either way. We have to be strong enough to be true to ourselves, and as long as we don't deliberately do anything to hurt anyone else, then that's all we should expect of ourselves. It's not worth beating ourselves up in an effort to please others - it really isn't. People may have their misconceptions about us, but if you take a good, hard, look, you'll very often find that they aren't quite what you thought they were either.
Luna, Why not rake a trip to Tescos this morning? They have some great offers on Easter Eggs, and chocolate's so good for cheering people up - that's if you need an excuse to eat chocolate! Happy Easter, Luna - and everyone else too.
Luna, Naomi took the words right out of my chocolate laden mouth. My grandson stayed over, so the Easter Bunny visited my house as well to leave his Easter eggs, so we are having a choccy breakfast!
Yep, take Naomis' advice and go and treat yourself to a few eggs, and nibble on them throughout the day!
Luna - "Identity and usefulness ..... ?"
It's no good wearing a mask, and trying live up to an image that you think is more acceptable to others. Just look at how insecure many celebs are, despite all of their wealth, as they try to play up to the media? How many of them crack up because they fail to live up to their image?
How many of them become ridiculous because they honestly believe in their own myth?
Be true to yourself, and say, "What you see is what you get!"
And music? Oh yes, that is a part of your raison d'etre, and it's about time you got with it in the band!
I'm coming back in here, I've just been answering questions on bugs. I HATE BUGS!!! I'm something of a bug geek but it's only cause I believe in knowing your damn enemy! Creepy, little plus four legged monster alien type things! Is it only me that sees when we die out that these wee bar stewards will tak e over the world? Probably ants as the dominat species if I were to lay my money on anything actually but who knows... too close to call and termites generally outnumber them.

Anyway... I feel I may have digressed slightly there. I said I didn't agree completely but the idea has some merit, yes, the perception of us by friends and family is very important in proving ours and their existence. Who else would feel the love we give, who else would concieve of us being very brave at what we percieve to be our lowest and weakest times? I'm sure both yourself and Theland understand my point there.

Of course it's not just personality, it's actioins too. This goes back to my 'religion' (read 'belief') in that we have effects on this world all the time without our knowledge.My standard example is walking/digging up a small piece of garden/field/general greenery, it doesn't make much of a difference to us but you've probably just altered the universe of several of THE ENEMY (bugs) below irrecovably.

They both sort of work together. Does a tree make a noise when it falls in the woods if no one is there to hear it? Of course it does but without someone to hear it, said tree could begin to doubt its own importance.
I do see what you mean, China - but this bug thing is really bugging you, isn't it. :o)

It has been said, that the last things to live on the Earth when everything else has died out, will be **********, Kieth Richards and Ozzy Osbourne.
That starred word was, co ckroaches.

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