Mono-thesists, what is your purpose of life?

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iamnotaparakeet
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01 Apr 2011, 7:53 am

aghogday wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Aghogday, occasionally people do learn to appreciate things, such as when they break down. Nobody appreciates air conditioning more than someone who has had their air conditioner stop working. People learn to appreciate how quickly their microwaves cook food after their microwave stops working. Etc. Most people don't respect or value what they have until it's malfunctioning.


I'm suggesting the psychological pitfall of having too much instant gratification in life. The research in psychology is not new in this area. Not everyone lives life to excess but the potential is there now, more than ever. Gratification can have the same destructive cumulative impact on our brain chemistry and general health as stress we see in a negative context.

A person might not see the effects as a teenager, 20's, or 30's, but in general it is a cumulative process that some tolerate more than others.


Even before it may affect a person individually though, it affects everyone around them. Consider how such people who are expectant of instant gratification treat workers at fast food restaurants or department stores. They seem to completely lack any understanding of basically anything, simply because of their expectations. One customer at a McDonald's once was extremely demanding of "Fresh Fries!" and said they didn't want any "Heat Lamp Fries!", so an employee put down some fresh fries into the deep fryer and let the customer know that it would be about 3 minutes to cook, at which the customer got even more upset than before at the notion of having to wait for their "Fresh Fries!" and stomped off in a tantrum like a child that didn't get their way.



aghogday
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01 Apr 2011, 12:20 pm

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
aghogday wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Aghogday, occasionally people do learn to appreciate things, such as when they break down. Nobody appreciates air conditioning more than someone who has had their air conditioner stop working. People learn to appreciate how quickly their microwaves cook food after their microwave stops working. Etc. Most people don't respect or value what they have until it's malfunctioning.


I'm suggesting the psychological pitfall of having too much instant gratification in life. The research in psychology is not new in this area. Not everyone lives life to excess but the potential is there now, more than ever. Gratification can have the same destructive cumulative impact on our brain chemistry and general health as stress we see in a negative context.

A person might not see the effects as a teenager, 20's, or 30's, but in general it is a cumulative process that some tolerate more than others.


Even before it may affect a person individually though, it affects everyone around them. Consider how such people who are expectant of instant gratification treat workers at fast food restaurants or department stores. They seem to completely lack any understanding of basically anything, simply because of their expectations. One customer at a McDonald's once was extremely demanding of "Fresh Fries!" and said they didn't want any "Heat Lamp Fries!", so an employee put down some fresh fries into the deep fryer and let the customer know that it would be about 3 minutes to cook, at which the customer got even more upset than before at the notion of having to wait for their "Fresh Fries!" and stomped off in a tantrum like a child that didn't get their way.


I agree, through the years I've observed how our culture continues to become more complex and move faster and faster. For me it was also evident how, in general, peoples actions and reactions changed accordingly. I think patience is an indication of overall wellbeing. Normally, it is said a person loses it with advancing age, but I noticed many older people with more patience than middle age people these days.

To me a good example is internet access speed. 28.8K seemed so much faster that 14.4K modem speed. Along, with the older computers and the ever present hour glass and patience required for the next operation. It all moves so much faster now, but it doesn't seem faster until one goes back in time and experiences how slow it used to be.

The key difference I think is in expectation and reward. The next stimulation to our brain is expected faster, so we no longer can tolerate the time that used to be required in anticipation of the next stimulation. The same applies to so much in life. Your fresh fries example is an excellent one, in how pervasive the effect, is now.

I can't help but to think that many problems that people have with ADD, ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, etc. are greatly influenced by this, or even the cause. There is some research being done on it; but it seems to remain somewhat controversial, even though, to me and others, the effect seems to be obvious. Maybe some have really never experienced the patience, that was required in the past for many activities, and have no real reference point to gauge it with.



MCalavera
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02 Apr 2011, 9:29 am

Does deism count as monotheism?

I personally don't believe there's an ultimate purpose for my life other than the fact that the Creator allowed me the chance to exist in this creation of His.



iamnotaparakeet
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02 Apr 2011, 9:36 am

MCalavera wrote:
Does deism count as monotheism?

I personally don't believe there's an ultimate purpose for my life other than the fact that the Creator allowed me the chance to exist in this creation of His.


On the basis of the components of the word mono-theism, if you believe there is only one Creator then by default yes. Even some Greeks had the notion of an unmoved prime mover who they considered to be aloof. I see God more as a King who does as He chooses to do rather than whatever the whims of random populace would have dictated.



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02 Apr 2011, 10:12 am

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
MCalavera wrote:
Does deism count as monotheism?

I personally don't believe there's an ultimate purpose for my life other than the fact that the Creator allowed me the chance to exist in this creation of His.


On the basis of the components of the word mono-theism, if you believe there is only one Creator then by default yes. Even some Greeks had the notion of an unmoved prime mover who they considered to be aloof. I see God more as a King who does as He chooses to do rather than whatever the whims of random populace would have dictated.


To me, this reality could only point to a Creator that simply doesn't care about our affairs. That's why there's suffering and death. It doesn't point to a superhuman with human emotions that chooses this and that to happen.



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02 Apr 2011, 10:32 am

MCalavera wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
MCalavera wrote:
Does deism count as monotheism?

I personally don't believe there's an ultimate purpose for my life other than the fact that the Creator allowed me the chance to exist in this creation of His.


On the basis of the components of the word mono-theism, if you believe there is only one Creator then by default yes. Even some Greeks had the notion of an unmoved prime mover who they considered to be aloof. I see God more as a King who does as He chooses to do rather than whatever the whims of random populace would have dictated.


To me, this reality could only point to a Creator that simply doesn't care about our affairs. That's why there's suffering and death. It doesn't point to a superhuman with human emotions that chooses this and that to happen.


For me, the explanation that we failed our Creator's test suits me well enough as to why there is suffering and death here. But you are as entitled to your opinion as I am to mine.



Subotai
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02 Apr 2011, 10:34 am

MCalavera wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
MCalavera wrote:
Does deism count as monotheism?

I personally don't believe there's an ultimate purpose for my life other than the fact that the Creator allowed me the chance to exist in this creation of His.


On the basis of the components of the word mono-theism, if you believe there is only one Creator then by default yes. Even some Greeks had the notion of an unmoved prime mover who they considered to be aloof. I see God more as a King who does as He chooses to do rather than whatever the whims of random populace would have dictated.


To me, this reality could only point to a Creator that simply doesn't care about our affairs. That's why there's suffering and death. It doesn't point to a superhuman with human emotions that chooses this and that to happen.


If there is a god or creator I believe it cannot be personified, cannot be classified as an "individual"

For Allah in His Glory is beyond comprehension.



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02 Apr 2011, 11:57 am

Subotai wrote:

If there is a god or creator I believe it cannot be personified, cannot be classified as an "individual"


Agreed. We, as humans, have a tendency to measure things in relation to ourselves. I do not think a higher being would be even remotely like us, nor do I believe we can actually understand god as we are now.

This is the main reason why I'm dubious of anyone that claims to know god.


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iamnotaparakeet
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02 Apr 2011, 12:01 pm

TeaEarlGreyHot wrote:
Subotai wrote:

If there is a god or creator I believe it cannot be personified, cannot be classified as an "individual"


Agreed. We, as humans, have a tendency to measure things in relation to ourselves. I do not think a higher being would be even remotely like us, nor do I believe we can actually understand god as we are now.

This is the main reason why I'm dubious of anyone that claims to know god.


And if the Creator were to reveal their identity to their creation, what is to stop the Creator of the universe from doing so? Our notions about personally being unable to determine the identity of the Creator? Or a desire not to know the identity of the Creator? What would actually be able to prevent God from revealing himself? Nothing. However the secular doctrines about doubting everything and mocking and scoffing go a fair ways with individually blinding oneself.



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02 Apr 2011, 12:06 pm

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
TeaEarlGreyHot wrote:
Subotai wrote:

If there is a god or creator I believe it cannot be personified, cannot be classified as an "individual"


Agreed. We, as humans, have a tendency to measure things in relation to ourselves. I do not think a higher being would be even remotely like us, nor do I believe we can actually understand god as we are now.

This is the main reason why I'm dubious of anyone that claims to know god.


And if the Creator were to reveal their identity to their creation, what is to stop the Creator of the universe from doing so? Our notions about personally being unable to determine the identity of the Creator? Or a desire not to know the identity of the Creator? What would actually be able to prevent God from revealing himself? Nothing. However the secular doctrines about doubting everything and mocking and scoffing go a fair ways with individually blinding oneself.


Who said there's a desire not to know? Honestly, I take the fact that god hasn't revealed him/her/itself as evidence that they don't give a crap what we do here on Earth.


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02 Apr 2011, 12:14 pm

TeaEarlGreyHot wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
TeaEarlGreyHot wrote:
Subotai wrote:

If there is a god or creator I believe it cannot be personified, cannot be classified as an "individual"


Agreed. We, as humans, have a tendency to measure things in relation to ourselves. I do not think a higher being would be even remotely like us, nor do I believe we can actually understand god as we are now.

This is the main reason why I'm dubious of anyone that claims to know god.


And if the Creator were to reveal their identity to their creation, what is to stop the Creator of the universe from doing so? Our notions about personally being unable to determine the identity of the Creator? Or a desire not to know the identity of the Creator? What would actually be able to prevent God from revealing himself? Nothing. However the secular doctrines about doubting everything and mocking and scoffing go a fair ways with individually blinding oneself.


Who said there's a desire not to know? Honestly, I take the fact that god hasn't revealed him/her/itself as evidence that they don't give a crap what we do here on Earth.


What if God has revealed himself previously and most of humanity is unwilling to recognize that revelation?



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02 Apr 2011, 12:18 pm

iamnotaparakeet wrote:

What if God has revealed himself previously and most of humanity is unwilling to recognize that revelation?


Irrelevant. If god has previously revealed him/her/itself, then I still say they don't give a crap based on the fact that most have no idea it happened. If god 8really* cared, then god would be sure to do it in such a way that everyone knew without a doubt he/she/it was there.


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02 Apr 2011, 12:25 pm

TeaEarlGreyHot wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:

What if God has revealed himself previously and most of humanity is unwilling to recognize that revelation?


Irrelevant. If god has previously revealed him/her/itself, then I still say they don't give a crap based on the fact that most have no idea it happened. If god 8really* cared, then god would be sure to do it in such a way that everyone knew without a doubt he/she/it was there.


Ah so the Creator of the universe would need to cater to everybody. Yeah, that makes perfect sense.



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02 Apr 2011, 12:29 pm

Wrong. If the creator cared about us, he wouldn't have revealed himself only to a small portion of people so we could fight and murder each other over whether he/she/it exists or not.

Seems like a pretty cruel thing to do, actually.


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iamnotaparakeet
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02 Apr 2011, 12:32 pm

TeaEarlGreyHot wrote:
Wrong. If the creator cared about us, he wouldn't have revealed himself only to a small portion of people so we could fight and murder each other over whether he/she/it exists or not.

Seems like a pretty cruel thing to do, actually.


If such were done with that intent, then that would certainly sound as if it were the case. Of course, that is more a matter of the phrasing of words than of the actual matter.



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02 Apr 2011, 12:34 pm

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
TeaEarlGreyHot wrote:
Wrong. If the creator cared about us, he wouldn't have revealed himself only to a small portion of people so we could fight and murder each other over whether he/she/it exists or not.

Seems like a pretty cruel thing to do, actually.


If such were done with that intent, then that would certainly sound as if it were the case. Of course, that is more a matter of the phrasing of words than of the actual matter.


I'd say it's a matter of perspective than anything. I'm a cynic, so I see it with cynic eyes.


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