Language
I hate writing words which already have a dogma, stigma, or idea attached to them which expresses your thoughts differently because of the widespread acceptance for the idea. Not that words without them exist. Which is why I never say anything.
Example of a word which floods your mind with things? God, with a capital G. The thoughts and feelings that come to you are the result of your upbringing ,culture, and personal reflections. Most people bring to mind, the Bible, Jesus, trinity, blood, guts, and Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, usually in the reverse order. I use several words for a possible creator if their is one, in this article, the problem I see with the words is the ideas that flood your mind when you read them. I say Great creator and suddenly, you see, indians doing rain dances with totem poles. I say Allah and you see planes running into the world trade center, or Bedhouin of the Sahara with those scary curved swords. Basically, sometimes the creator is called the unnameable, and sometimes I feel that might be best, because the words and our experience with them might actually limit our idea of what he/she/it/ actually is.
Ideas
Are these my thoughts? I don’t know. I might have overheard them on a bus in China and stole them, and as I wrote them was filled with glee. I find it fascinating how many things the human race thinks, which have already been thought of before. Is it possible all this has already been thought? Every waking moment merely a shadow of the past? And that, in turn a shadow?
Many times, in discussions with people I’ll describe thoughts and come to find it already has a word, a philosophy has already been “invented”, a religion already been given birth, an invention already created, a program already crafted. It’s as if we spend a lot of our lives rehashing the past.
In a way I guess that’s comforting to me to think there is nothing I have to go through which has not been passed through by somebody before me. It’s actually exciting to me to think about moving forward in “living” and join one eternal round in the rhythm of life. It’s likely no extent of creations suffering or happiness is new. Of course there is the idea of people undergoing transplants, stem cell therapy, and so called “new” diseases caused by the possibility of the modern world and modern living. There are also the ideas of “space travel”, implants, the computer (a little box that glows…ohhhh), TV, radio, and on and on and on. I don’t propose those aren’t new, although I think it’s also interesting to think they aren’t. No I’m not proposing the highly advanced lost city of Atlantis, but there is no knowing what secrets the Earth has swallowed up in her eons, or what other creatures on other planets are working on. Yes, it’s only a matter of time before the mothership lands, ours or theirs. It’s a lot of space for a master scientist, God, or madman to waste, to think there is no other life form in the infinite, yes I said infinite, universe.
Empathy
In line with these thoughts I realized something about empathy. I’ve probably been taught it before, but usually lessons hit you hardest, and I believe, actually become part of you when you independently arrive at them, or couple things with experience. It’s as if they no longer our thoughts, but part of your being, personality, or just general swagger. What I realized about empathy, and perhaps why people find strength in support groups and such, is supposedly somebody is being empathetic when they say “I understand”, or “I’m sorry”, or other such phrases which express feeling. True empathy seems to only be given by those who can and have gone through what you have. Of course nobody is ever another person we are ourselves (felt like reminding you), so nobody knows the experience like yourself, but it seems our emotions are limited in range, and thoughts on our experiences generally already arrived at. There is somebody out there that can truly empathize with you, human, or not so (haha). Buddha said there were many buddhas before him and there would be many after him. It is interesting to note, in the Mormon religion they teach that Jesus through his life and more so toward the end of his life in Gethsemane and on the cross, experienced everything. Don’t worry you atheist out there, this is not the course I’m taking…exactly.
Attributes
I actually do not believe Jesus is saving me from my sins, and there is nothing to forgive. It’s interesting to think by observation, rather than by religious book, if there is a creator, what might be a few common qualities. The most obvious thing that comes to mind is infinity. Everything we look at seems to point that way, of course we’ll never know until we find the end (yeah think about that) if that is a true quality of the universe. Fractals, shapes, sizes, animals, plants, quarks, charms (I think god would be laugh at our words), strings, the cosmos itself, all show evidence for infinity.
A very interesting idea is the ability we have to be content with a finite knowledge of our surroundings which may be infinite. Our minds are finite, while we sit amongst the infinite, yet from the poorest depths of the favelas of Brazil to the ritziest houses in Hollywood, from the most uneducated to the most educated you will find happy people. And yes, you will also find unhappy people. Lesson to learn, it’s not knowledge which will make you happy. Wisdom and self-analysis might, but humanities general constructs probably will not. But, then again, is that knowledge or wisdom I speak?
Another attribute which is interesting to think about is love. In order to receive love you must give it right? I do believe we feel better when we love, and in turn are open to receiving it. That said, I know the bible identifies God in a humanistic form, but I don’t think that is the case. Each of his creations experiences are simply, well, different. We are human and experience supposed “higher thought”, tool building, emotions and other things which might differentiate us. Science is probably discovering that’s all up in the air too, because anybody who has had a dog, knows they are capable of love, happiness, smile, and if they had hands, most likely tool building. I wonder about ants and how they “feel” for each other, Do the drones have “feelings” for the queen or are they mindless “drones” which science says they are. If so, I would say love would be an extendable attribute to a supposed God, god, or creator. It’s interesting as we come into this world we are prone to love so much those that take care of us, and often become more thoughtful as we age too. It’s that in-between time in our lives on subways, sidewalks, and traffic jams we become so unpleasant. We feel best when loving, and giving love, if it’s a general characteristic throughout the animal kingdom, even if it’s manifested as insectish devotion to his queen, it seems like God would also prefer to manifest that, and feel best that way. Of course because our experiences are all different in the animal kingdom, to think about the “love” of the creator, or Great Spirit, as some might say, might be a much purer, more experiential thing. Perhaps it ranges from the insectish determinism and devotion, to the closest moments between a man and woman. In short, I’m talking about the breakdown of our supposed five senses we have been given to filter our experience of the world and experiencing “being” in the fullest sense of the word. As Anne Dillard points out in her book “A pilgrim at Tinker Creek”, which I highly recommend (thanks Anne), it’s an interesting philosophical point of view to think the creature which experiences the world most and to the fullest extent is a unicellular organism.
Another interesting idea is that of humility. Those who love most are usually the most humble. Is it possible God is the Almighty Zeus with an iron fist and thunderbolts, or more akin to a gentle breeze? Would he be happiest governing us from a throne and controlling you, or happier with us, among us? Looking at nature itself, it is a very freeing thing. You are free to go and choose and do as you please. There is danger involved in that, especially if you go against the laws of nature (falling off a cliff for example), but for the most part, the only ones that control things are ourselves, those which are in most discontent with ourselves and those around us.
I suppose that’s all for now, but remember these are all ideas of somebody I overheard on a bus in China surrounded by Chickens and toothless peasants, so I’ve got a big TM (trademark) with a circle around it, a little R (registered), also with a circle around it, and patent number 5 gazzillion 45 (stamp) to prove it. There his, mine, ours, all ours, ideas, and you can’t touch them.
It’s almost like we’re afraid we’ll never have another thought. That said, this stuff is all copyrighted with a big C and a circle around it 
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Anybody else think that is just ridiculus?
