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Post by Magnet Man on Jan 28, 2008 11:54:27 GMT -5
We have days set aside to honor most everythin, but none to honor ourselves.
How about it?
A day set aside just to experience and cotemplate the meaning of one's own existence?
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Post by rainshine87 on Feb 7, 2008 14:26:10 GMT -5
I do this every day, as, presumably, does any serious philosopher. Anyone who doesn't already do it probably doesn't care too much, therefore making an official day for it would be pointless, because people would just ignore it.
I hope that didn't sound overly violent, apparently I have a harsh way of speaking. I don't mean to, I'm just very direct.
Some people might equally consider it a day for ego-massage, which would be a bad thing, seeing as how ego is, I believe, the root of all evil.
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nickelfire
Global Steward
slighted and scorned
Posts: 142
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Post by nickelfire on Feb 9, 2008 12:31:14 GMT -5
Some people might equally consider it a day for ego-massage, which would be a bad thing, seeing as how ego is, I believe, the root of all evil. This is where I disagree with you (I’m not egotistical!  ). I strongly believe that I am my ego, ego rules me and that most creative expression is derived from ego. The glorious and beautiful creations of man are done for what reason usually? Attention. People love and need attention, and we all know that attention is very stimulating to the ego. I’m not saying that the ego is the antonym of evil, indeed it is a potentially destructive force within everyone’s nature but it is very capable of both beautiful and ugly. Ego is what separates us from each other, now this may be viewed as a bad thing but if you look at it objectively, if we were always together, we’d not have individual identities and we would all be the same. I think we’re headed toward unification and the mass removal of the ego though. However, right now, I’m positive we would not have the rich and character building history (both good and bad) that we have, without our ego which alone is what makes us human. |
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Post by notman on Feb 9, 2008 14:02:44 GMT -5
I strongly believe that I am my ego, ego rules me and that most creative expression is derived from ego. . Some people might equally consider it a day for ego-massage, which would be a bad thing, seeing as how ego is, I believe, the root of all evil. Celebrating my day, agreeing with MagnetMan and "Rain". Truly, "Nickel", can see in his saying that, " I am my ego", that he is saying that he is; and that he is a thought describing him self, -ego, which by any logic is impossible. Subject and object cannot be the same thing. -Which is a good meditation for me today. Thanks to all here! |
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Post by Magnet Man on Feb 9, 2008 14:59:38 GMT -5
he is saying that he is; and that he is a thought describing him self, -ego, which by any logic is impossible. Subject and object cannot be the same thing. -Which is a good meditation for me today. Thanks to all here! Though necessary for the existential reasons described by nick, separation is an illusion. The observer is the observed. There is only One Consciousness in the Cosmos.  |
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Post by Jupiter on Feb 9, 2008 20:22:03 GMT -5
Celebrating my day, agreeing with MagnetMan and "Rain". Truly, "Nickel", can see in his saying that, " I am my ego", that he is saying that he is; and that he is a thought describing him self, -ego, which by any logic is impossible. Subject and object cannot be the same thing. -Which is a good meditation for me today. Thanks to all here! Man that took me a while to figure out but when I got it .......like your'e saying are we the reflection in the mirror ...... there's a difference in the guy looking at his reflection and the reflection  |
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Post by rainshine87 on Feb 9, 2008 22:11:13 GMT -5
I’m not saying that the ego is the antonym of evil, indeed it is a potentially destructive force within everyone’s nature but it is very capable of both beautiful and ugly. It seems to me that the majority of evil comes about through selfishness, which is due to a man's idea that he is better than someone else - this can only come about through the idea that he is other than someone else. Why are people starving in Africa? Because we don't feed them, because we care more about ourselves. Why do people murder other people? Because they consider them other than themselves! I share the philosophy of the mystics in desiring to completely empty myself so that God's will can be expressed through me without any of my self-will colouring it. Men are like windows, their individual desires and persona being like dirt on the window. When the light comes through such windows, it is darkened and tinted. If you clean the window as much as possible, then the light comes through much more clearly. As for what you guys are talking about with object and subject, If I'm not mistaken, you're saying the same thing Plotinus says here: "…In the assertion "I am this particular thing," either the "particular thing" is distinct from the assertor - and there is a false statement - or it is included within it, and, at once, multiplicity is asserted: otherwise the assertion is "I am what I am," or "I am I." If it be no more than a simple duality able to say "I and that other phase," there is already multiplicity, for there is distinction and ground of distinction, there is number with all its train of separate things." I tried to express this on another philosophy forum and was met with scorn. But it makes total sense to me. If I can say "I am rainshine87" the true 'I' must be distinct from rainshine87. In fact, self-awareness itself indicates that we are not truly that self which we observe. I might be talking nonsense, I'm a little tired. |
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nickelfire
Global Steward
slighted and scorned
Posts: 142
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Post by nickelfire on Feb 11, 2008 13:09:49 GMT -5
It seems to me that the majority of evil comes about through selfishness, which is due to a man's idea that he is better than someone else - this can only come about through the idea that he is other than someone else. Why are people starving in Africa? Because we don't feed them, because we care more about ourselves. Why do people murder other people? Because they consider them other than themselves! No disagreement there, I just don't agree that this is all Ego produces. This I would have a little trouble with. To be a conduit of goodness is something all should aspire to, but to have no say in that role would be forgetting yourself, and forgetting your humanity. Balance must be in place. If you can't be yourself, you can't find god, this is what I think anyways. I've no problem with this, this is where classical science comes up really short, and metaphysics is necessary. Contrary to notman's statement, I believe as Quantum Mechanics explains that the Observer is not separate from the Observed, we are all the same atoms and our consciousness is shared. What I'm saying is that even though this is true, our individual identities emerged anyways, and they are not all the same. Each is different and I may be so bold as to say that they could well be god expressing himself in different ways. This ‘ego’ emerged in each of us and I don't label it as evil, I would say it was and is a necessary part of our evolution. Where we go from here is still unwritten. |
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Post by rainshine87 on Feb 29, 2008 13:10:57 GMT -5
What I'm saying is that even though this is true, our individual identities emerged anyways, and they are not all the same. Each is different and I may be so bold as to say that they could well be god expressing himself in different ways. This ‘ego’ emerged in each of us and I don't label it as evil, I would say it was and is a necessary part of our evolution. Where we go from here is still unwritten. You're right, I painted things a little black and white. I didn't mean that ego is in itself evil, rather evil is born from it. In fact, I've realized that I was incorrect. It is not the ego which is the cause of evil, but subjectivity. The ego is just a subjective form. 'Wrong' happens because we don't know 'right'. This is because we are subjective. If we all knew absolute truth, we could not fall into error. |
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nickelfire
Global Steward
slighted and scorned
Posts: 142
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Post by nickelfire on Mar 5, 2008 21:30:15 GMT -5
You're right, I painted things a little black and white. I didn't mean that ego is in itself evil, rather evil is born from it. In fact, I've realized that I was incorrect. It is not the ego which is the cause of evil, but subjectivity. The ego is just a subjective form. 'Wrong' happens because we don't know 'right'. This is because we are subjective. If we all knew absolute truth, we could not fall into error. Amen, Amen, Amen, Exaltations! |
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Post by lavender1 on Oct 3, 2009 21:08:20 GMT -5
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Post by lavender1 on Jun 13, 2010 13:30:43 GMT -5
 the day my self got composed
between a protestant work ethics
and a baroque catholicism
aside from indoctrination there
had to be travel
to find more subtle memories |
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Post by lavender1 on Jun 15, 2010 10:59:26 GMT -5
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Post by lavender1 on Jun 17, 2010 16:28:05 GMT -5
all the happiness never gone into the baggage of the past all the burdens put on my back representative of good and better all suggestions of any unknown heralding in real virtual death the doors we can keep open... can they be seen for what they mean? "as the crow flies.. ?"  \!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg2CtjC7GYw&feature=related |
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Post by lavender1 on Jul 1, 2010 12:58:59 GMT -5
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