i like you more and more each day, TL!!
what a wonderful book, eh?!!! one of my favourites!
spirituality is also an evolutionary process amongst the open-minded.
i attach no "theological dictates" to this or anything else. TRUE spiritual investigation also "accommodates potential for future understanding as we learn more";
as i said before, the dark, unsettling dimensions of true "spiritual" investigation or "other" realms (as i understand it), is a journey without certain destination. (the term "spirituality" has been widely taken out of context of course. for me it doesn't concern a "religious" or "organised" view).
everything is open. i personally buy into no doctrines or dogma. i just think it's important that theres a balance.
and my pleasure regarding the vid; i' think you'll enjoy it. it's fascinating to me. not sure where i stand on the matter, if i'm honest. still formulating an opinion.
I have read it, Jonapi, how do you think I learned how wise Pooh is? :)
absolutely TL!!!!
if you haven't already, you MUST read The Tao Of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. and so must your children and your children's children and their friends!!!
it's simply DELIGHTFUL!!!
Oh how I love it when those wacky Creationists try to dismiss evolution as "just a theory." Guess what? Gravity is "just a theory," too. What they seem to be missing is that in a scientific context, a fully vetted Theory consists of (wait for it...) a Rebuttable Presumption, Factual Evidence in support of said presumption, and Independent Corroboration. The term Theory is used instead of loaded terms like "Law" or "Rule" because it specifically accommodates potential for future understanding as we learn more. Unlike Theological dictates which usually dress themselves up as be-all and end-all arrogances that often end up having to be absurdly defended once proven to be wrong, Science views its understanding as an evolutionary process. The longer we keep at it, the more we will eventually come to know. A Theory is merely a cumulation of what we have been able to prove to date.
Thanks for the vid post, jonapi. When I have a spare hour, I'll be back to watch it.
“Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.”~ Winnie the Pooh
fair enough.
although i never said it precludes anything, just interesting your "acceptance" of certain words.
dare i say "weight" could equal "faith" here?
Relying on the provable as guiding principles in life hardly precludes being open to other perspectives. In fact, exploration of the unknown requires acceptance of the potential validity of the as-yet unproven. You can only learn what you don't already know. It's merely just of question of what weight you give to the concepts you encounter in your journey. I tend to give greater weight to the readily demonstrable.
and yes, absolutely ME; all investigation in whatever field one sees fit, will only ever provide more questions, not answers.
the beauty of existence and consciousness!
Location
I don't call myself an atheist, but then I wouldn't call myself a realist either. Push me, and I'll say that I'm a Groucho Marxist; I would never join an organization that would have someone like me as a member. But reliance only on things proven doesn't sit well with my experience of the world. There's much of life that can't be explained or proven, such as love and hope, that I rely on at least as much as matters more easily shown.
Heck. We don't even know for sure if we're 3D or not:
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=200303