Worries

Worry has a purpose, but the purpose isn’t found in worry by itself.  Worry by itself does nothing except to provide an illusion of control.   Instead of continuing to worry, let the worry be a signal that something is wrong.  See if there is something you can do in relation to the worry.  If so, do it.  If not, see if you can accept that not all things are under your control.  Whether you leave it to God, chance or fate you will feel and be healthier if you can just let it be.

Bits and pieces -- a bit more confusing than usual

If there is only one thing that you learn from reading this book, I hope it is this: there is a light within you.  This light – if you follow it carefully – will lead you to everything that you need to know to be happy and successful.  Please note that I did not say that it would tell you what you need to know.  There is a lot of work involved, both in developing the skill to recognize the light and in following its lead.  If you follow the light it will lead you to do things that are good for you, but they won’t always be easy or things that make you comfortable.  It’s a process.  A process that I will explain in more detail in the chapters to come.

                

Trust the light and trust yourself.  It sound deep and mysterious, but it’s also practical.  Nobody is perfect, but it’s better to believe in yourself and fix your mistakes while knowing your decisions were your decisions than to turn over your power to choose to someone else.

One of the purposes of this book is to establish a possible, reasonable way of living that will lead you to happiness whether or not you are religious and/or spiritual.  I don’t think that a good person who believes in God should be acting any different that a good atheist.  True, the religionist will pray more, but (and this is despite the fact that I believe in prayer) I believe that prayer is not nearly as important as being a good person.

I believe in the freedom to choose, whatever I choose, so long as my freedom doesn’t restrict another person’s freedom.  Add to this the belief that all  people should live by the same code of ethics and you get one my main perspectives in life.   Live in a way as to increase freedom for as many people as possible.

Many philosophers do not believe in real freedom of choice.  That is, although they concede we make choices, we don’t really have a true choice – it’s an error to think that we could have made another choice under the same circumstances.  One argument for this is quite simple – everything is caused by something else.  You ate because you were hungry, you were hungry because brain was monitoring your stomach and told it to growl…and so forth.  Even if my sequence is somewhat inaccurate, you get the idea.

I believe that we have the freedom to choose, but my argument is based on observation.  An argument like this is called a defeasible argument.

Be detached, but not disconnected.  Be a star, but be the kind of star that makes all the players in your show better.  Don’t be a diva.

“Spiritual Atheist” is not an oxymoron.

Spiritual refers to a connection with your inner light.
Atheist refers to a belief that God does not exist.

The first is in the heart; the second is in the head.  Thus, there is no contradiction.

Agency

The greatest gift that humans have is agency.  The fact that other humans will inevitably make choices you do not agree with does not change this truth.

Apologies

Apologies to anyone who might actually be reading this regularly.  I completed a new outline for the book (in a notebook) and got some pretty cool insights, but nothing I can post yet.  The work continues; I hope to have a real post soon!

Relax

Today's spiritual lesson (for myself) has been about relaxation.  I thought I was good at relaxation, but the problem I have is that I need to relax like a sprinter relaxes.  The sprinter is working hard but goes fastest when his muscles are relaxed.  Makes sense, right?  A muscle that is relaxed can move faster than one that is tense.  So, you can work hard and be relaxed.  Nice theory, huh?  Like I said, the lesson is for me.  I'm trying to learn it more than teach it.

Because it's about spirituality, but not a well-formed thought, I'm going to put it in both blogs.

Choose your feelings.

I don’t blame myself for your feelings about me, nor can I take credit.  If you like me, I appreciate it.  If you hate me, I accept it.  In neither case do I blame/credit myself for how you feel because your feelings are *yours*.  Perhaps your feelings about me are right, perhaps they are wrong.  But they are yours.  You choose how you feel about me and you choose what to do about it.

The same goes for me.  I choose how I feel about you and I choose what to do about it.

Some will respond “I don’t choose my feelings”.  Perhaps not, at least right now.  But choosing your feelings is a skill.  As humans we have the ability to be aware of our feelings.  From there we can increase our skill (learning, understanding, creativity etc.) until we develop the ability to choose our feelings.

I want to understand life itself.  And by life, I mean what it means to be human.  Can we be self-directing?  Is this the same thing as free will?  Do we have a purpose?  How should we live our lives? If there such a thing as ultimate truth?  If so, how can we know it?  Is there a God?  How do we know?

These questions obsess me.  The good news is that although these questions may not be answerable, I have come up with answers that I am comfortable with.  My book is an attempt to put these ideas in words, with the hope that the answers I present will be of help to others.