It is a long way to making the case for a context of an ultimate dimension of reality, but I believe that it can be done. It is strange to watch the two predominating worldviews of humanism and naturalism as they clash with one another.
I have come to realize something sort of strange and also romantic about philosophers. They also seem so reluctant to fully give themselves to any idea, yet all they can do with the ideas that they hold most dear is to defend them from any attacking or competing theories. For instance, I am a humanist at heart, but I have more success at discrediting ideas such as naturalism and utilitarianism for their flawed internal logic structure than in coming up with really good evidence for humanism. Likewise, I have yet to meet a naturalist yet who can produce any good sound evidence that reality is a meaningless cluster of particles just accidentally spawning astronomical coincidences that take forms like civilization and culture.
It is a wearying job to do all this thinking. Some of the times I feel best is right after I have finished reading or pondering or working through some sort of logical discourse, and I just turn everything off. I just turn off the thoughts and experience the world. Normally it isn't long before all of the thoughts return of love and neediness, of chasing success and staying afloat and achieving something greater than what I have already achieved.
It is difficult for me to remedy feelings of stagnation, and a desire to escape to somewhere else, somewhere where I feel as if I can have a fresh beginning. But is that novelty only a compulsion, an illusion that will tarnish in time as well? And then what? Do I move again? Is that the way to live, running from place to place, ironically searching for peace? I don't want to stay, and I don't want things to stay the way they are for me, but I don't know if I can change it, if I can change myself so that I might love to live here, where I am, in patience and in peace. Patience and peace are my bread, but a man can't live by bread alone.
I have come to realize something sort of strange and also romantic about philosophers. They also seem so reluctant to fully give themselves to any idea, yet all they can do with the ideas that they hold most dear is to defend them from any attacking or competing theories. For instance, I am a humanist at heart, but I have more success at discrediting ideas such as naturalism and utilitarianism for their flawed internal logic structure than in coming up with really good evidence for humanism. Likewise, I have yet to meet a naturalist yet who can produce any good sound evidence that reality is a meaningless cluster of particles just accidentally spawning astronomical coincidences that take forms like civilization and culture.
It is a wearying job to do all this thinking. Some of the times I feel best is right after I have finished reading or pondering or working through some sort of logical discourse, and I just turn everything off. I just turn off the thoughts and experience the world. Normally it isn't long before all of the thoughts return of love and neediness, of chasing success and staying afloat and achieving something greater than what I have already achieved.
It is difficult for me to remedy feelings of stagnation, and a desire to escape to somewhere else, somewhere where I feel as if I can have a fresh beginning. But is that novelty only a compulsion, an illusion that will tarnish in time as well? And then what? Do I move again? Is that the way to live, running from place to place, ironically searching for peace? I don't want to stay, and I don't want things to stay the way they are for me, but I don't know if I can change it, if I can change myself so that I might love to live here, where I am, in patience and in peace. Patience and peace are my bread, but a man can't live by bread alone.
kundalini:
I say pursue change. Life is so short. You can have peace and patience, or you can have fresh beginnings and feed your compulsions. Perhaps peace will be more easily attained in your next existence.
holy_mountain:
Part of me is so cynical and sometimes really think that reality is just a meaningless cluster of particles. But at the same time I think I'm a humanist at heart too. Even if you think you can't change things you should try anyways if you are not satisfied with were you are at presently.