finding purpose in infinite reality
In a soccer match, even if a team is getting whacked 6-0, the losing team don't storm off the pitch. They keep playing, keep trying their best, until the final whistle. Life is like that too. (more…)
Many people feel that happiness somehow eludes them. Whatever they do, whichever new directions they take they cannot reach that most fundamental goal of human existence. Is happiness a gift granted only to some? Or is it within everyone's grasp, if only they knew how to find it.
Happiness isn't a place, time or certain configuration of external circumstances. It isn't a destination reached after a long and arduous journey. Happiness is a state whose potential is always there, here and now included, but one which too often we fail to realize. This article examines why, in the hope that more people may be happy more often. (more…)
2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, author of On the Origin of Species and creator of the theory of evolution by natural selection. Although the scientific theories of relativity and quantum physics suggest the underlying nature of reality is very different than what we perceive through our senses, and thus have immense philosophical significance, they actually have virtually no impact upon our daily lives. In contrast, Darwin's widely accepted, but highly controversial, theory of evolution by natural selection has far reaching implications upon human society. (more…)
One of the hardest words in the language to say is "no". Why should these two letters be so difficult to utter?
Perhaps it's the conditioning of our youth when we were told to always be nice to others? Maybe it's fear of making an "enemy" of the scorned individual, or inviting the adverse judgment of our peers or creator? Or could it be the deep knowledge that at essence we are all one and to reject another's need is to ultimately harm ourselves? (more…)
How organized are you? Does your life run like clockwork, adhering rigidly to some pre-determined optimal schedule? Or is it relatively chaotic, following whim rather than plan? The former is usually considered more virtuous, but there may be advantages in allowing a little randomness into your lifestyle. (more…)
On Feb 23rd 2009 the UK Daily Mail carried an article by Michael Hanlon stating that Simon Cowell, an abrasive British talent show judge and music executive, is planning to have his body frozen, with a view to being revived when medical science has advanced sufficiently to cure whatever it was that killed him.
If/when such a procedure becomes possible it raises a number of Spiritual and philosophical questions about whether a resurrected body would necessarily contain the memories, personality and soul that originally occupied it? (more…)
Inside every tiny seed, perfectly encoded, is a detailed blueprint of the adult plant. At the time of the big bang, some 14 billion years ago so the scientists say, the entire universe was contained within a single, infinitesimally small, point. And, like the seed, that tiny point held the master plan of everything we experience and witness, and the very much more that escapes our attention. (more…)
A Guide to Happiness
Why are we born into this world of many problems, that also offers many potential pleasures? Is it merely to collect as many fleeting moments of happiness as we can amass during our equally fleeting lifetime? Or is there some deeper purpose we ought to be pursuing to make the most of our incarnate time? Looking across the varied spectrum of humankind the answers to these questions are many and varied. (more…)
Life is inherently unpredictable. We can, and instinctively do, project forwards to obtain some kind of expected outcome, but because the journey of life consists of numerous branching points the actuality is often far from the expectation.
The abundance literature says sustained visualization of the future that is both precise and made with the belief of certainty tends to bring the visualization into reality. However, the danger in being too precise in our goals is that we may close our minds to evolving alternative opportunities and lack the flexibility to respond to the unexpected. (more…)
There is no doubt the global financial crisis will make 2009 a hard year for many. Yet, despite all this, perhaps the downturn may cause us to reflect on more meaningful matters.
This crisis, we are told, was caused by irresponsible lending by banks on an enormous scale. When the inevitable happened, and borrowers defaulted, the banks were left with humongous losses. The result, no money available for would-be homeowners and genuine businesses, and the taxpayer (ie you and me) left to pick up the (substantial) bill. But even this highly compacted summary may be reduced even further to two words -Â sheer greed! (more…)
