Origen22 (imported) wrote: Sun Jun 20, 2021 3:33 am As a believer I have pretty standard Christian outlook, but I think that your world, your network of friends, experiences material possessions are unique and die with you

Thanks for your reply, Origen22. I identified with the Christian worldview for the first 18 years of my life, so it is one that is familiar to me. But no matter what one’s worldview may be, it seems to me there is one belief we all have in common. Christians and other Western religions would likely call it some variation of “God.” Eastern religions might call it “Samsara” or “the Tao.” Some folks might call it “nature.” Materialists would most likely refer to it as something along the lines of “the laws of physics.”

Regardless of the name given, we all seem to share this belief in something that transcends oneself, some governing principle or process that is responsible for the entirety of reality (even if that principle or process is blind and purposeless as materialists would of course assert). And what seems clear, to me at least, is that this process will go on “creating” lives long after this single life that I happen to possess is extinguished, just as it created lives long before mine ever began.

The way I like to put it is I don’t necessarily believe there is anything beyond this life (“this life” being used in the same “natural world only” sense most folks use it when questioning whether there is anything beyond this life), but I think it very probable there is more than this life (this time pointing to myself when saying “this life”).

Just as I did, each new life will emerge from the void of nothingness believing that the beginning of existence coincided with his or her birth (or first memory), and many (probably most, even among those who are religious) will have at least a persistent fear that existence will be snuffed out with their death. But nevertheless, additional lives will keep coming, and each of them will feel just as alive as I do right now.

So, why be afraid?

Quite some time ago, I posted similar thoughts on another online community (the autism community mentioned earlier in this thread) and was told that I was “jumbling big picture thinking with individual consciousness.” But perhaps that is precisely the problem, recognizing only the individual parts while failing to see the big picture.

plix (imported) wrote: Fri Jul 02, 2021 3:08 pm Thanks for your reply, Origen22. I identified with the Christian worldview for the first 18 years of my life, so it is one that is familiar to me. But no matter what one’s worldview may be, it seems to me there is one belief we all have in common. Christians and other Western religions would likely call it some variation of “God.” Eastern religions might call it “Samsara” or “the Tao.” Some folks might call it “nature.” Materialists would most likely refer to it as something along the lines of “the laws of physics.”

Regardless of the name given, we all seem to share this belief in something that transcends oneself, some governing principle or process that is responsible for the entirety of reality (even if that principle or process is blind and purposeless as materialists would of course assert). And what seems clear, to me at least, is that this process will go on “creating” lives long after this single life that I happen to possess is extinguished, just as it created lives long before mine ever began.

The way I like to put it is I don’t necessarily believe there is anything beyond this life (“this life” being used in the same “natural world only” sense most folks use it when questioning whether there is anything beyond this life), but I think it very probable there is more than this life (this time pointing to myself when saying “this life”).

Just as I did, each new life will emerge from the void of nothingness believing that the beginning of existence coincided with his or her birth (or first memory), and many (probably most, even among those who are religious) will have at least a persistent fear that existence will be snuffed out with their death. But nevertheless, additional lives will keep coming, and each of them will feel just as alive as I do right now.

So, why be afraid?

Quite some time ago, I posted similar thoughts on another online community (the autism community mentioned earlier in this thread) and was told that I was “jumbling big picture thinking with individual consciousness.” But perhaps that is precisely the problem, recognizing only the individual parts while failing to see the big picture.

What do you think of the theory of existence of the multi-Universes? Lifetime of our Universe about 13.8 billion years. But this period of time is not enough that such live molecule as, for example, our DNA absolutely was in a random way formed. I do not think that monism is possible, and I tend to philosophical dualism and even to pluralism.

Famed scientist Oliver Wendell Jones from Bloom County gives his opinion:

click: 6-24-21 : BloomCounty (reddit.com) (https://www.reddit.com/r/BloomCounty/co ... xn1/62421/)

Paolo wrote: Fri Jul 02, 2021 6:16 pm Famed scientist Oliver Wendell Jones from Bloom County gives his opinion:

click: 6-24-21 : BloomCounty (reddit.com) (https://www.reddit.com/r/BloomCounty/co ... xn1/62421/)

Thank You! Very visually and funny!

Valery_V (imported) wrote: Fri Jul 02, 2021 5:46 pm What do you think of the theory of existence of the multi-Universes? Lifetime of our Universe about 13.8 billion years. But this period of time is not enough that such live molecule as, for example, our DNA absolutely was in a random way formed. I do not think that monism is possible, and I tend to philosophical dualism and even to pluralism.

I see no reason that multiple universes could not exist.

13.8 billion years is indeed a long time, but I remain unconvinced that time is real, at least in the way it is traditionally conceived. Wasn’t it Albert Einstein who said, ”The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion?“ I would agree that the odds of life or anything else with structure and order developing by blind, purposeless chance seem prohibitively infinitesimal.

As far as “-isms” go, I tend to avoid committing to them as much as possible. While I must admit a fondness for picking on materialism, that doesn’t mean that I identify with any one “-ism” over any other. I think this is for a couple different reasons:

1. I think there is far more that we don’t know about reality than there is that we do. So, to point to an “-ism” (or any other kind of idea or theory that purports to explain all of reality) as being the answer that leaves no further questions seems rather naïve to me.

2. I’ve always had a hard time with the many “this versus that” questions that we come across in life. This is especially true if it is suggested that “this” is right while “that” is wrong or even that “this” is superior while “that” is inferior. I’ve always thought that when it comes to those sorts of questions, both “this” and “that” are likely to blend together to comprise a sort of “whole truth.”

3. When it comes down to it, all “-isms” are really nothing more than human ideas that may not at all capture the true nature of reality, if there is such a thing. I would agree with these well-known words: “The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao.”

However, if I absolutely must pick an ”-ism,” then given what I wrote in reason number two, it shouldn't be surprising that I would probably choose to merge monism and pluralism - many different

Paolo wrote: Fri Jul 02, 2021 6:16 pm parts but all essentially being of the same whole.

Famed scientist Oliver Wendell Jones from Bloom County gives his opinion:

click: 6-24-21 : BloomCounty (reddit.com) (http

s://www.reddit.com/r/BloomCounty/comments/o7dxn1/62421/)

Well folks, I’m getting the itch to wander again. Travel has always been part of my life, so this should not come as too much of a surprise. I’ve always enjoyed the thrill of exploring someplace new, that way of looking at a place with the eyes you can only have when seeing it for the first time. I recall that at the conclusion of each family vacation we took when I was growing up, I would cry myself to sleep the night we returned home. The knowledge that I was returning to normal, everyday life always caused me to feel dejected.

As an adult, I tried to travel as much as possible, and I have lived in several states, all of the moves being entirely by choice (though the first one may have been somewhat necessary for financial reasons). Five summers ago, I walked across the state of Ohio. Early the next year, I spent about two months traveling the southeast portion of the United States. I spent another three weeks traveling a large portion of the country a couple of years ago, and I again spent a little over a month traveling last year (my ex-girlfriend and I planned to spend a couple of years traveling the whole country, but it was just as the pandemic was heating up, and, with the uncertainty, we decided it was best to settle here in Tucson).

While those traveling experiences mostly focused on cities and towns, I’ve come to think over the years that what I really want to do is spend time in nature. See our beautiful national parks and that sort of thing. I’m not quite sure why I enjoy being in nature so much, but it has always filled me with an incredible sense of tranquility. I feel most connected to “ultimate reality” (or whatever you prefer to call it) when in a natural environment. I suppose that an objective of this type of travel would also be seeing if it does anything to relieve the frequent contemplation of suicide that has been part of my life for the last several years. I anticipate that spending time away from the chaotic modern world could be very good for my health.

After my previous traveling experiences, I think I’ve learned that, while I would like to travel much as possible, I would ideally also maintain a “home base,” as long-term travelers often call it. And, for various reasons (my medical care, my vocational rehabilitation services, the desire to continue working my weekday job, and others), it will likely be necessary. I continue to explore possible options for having a sort of home base, even if renting a permanent, fixed residence while also traveling as frequently as I desire may not be financially feasible.

I just returned home a few days ago from a vacation to California. This one was courtesy of my dad, who contacted me out of the blue a few months ago, and we’ve been speaking regularly since then. Prior to that, I hadn’t heard from him in about 10 years and hadn’t seen him in 15 years. Highlights of the trip included visiting my beloved Disneyland and multiple excursions to Los Angeles.

My dad is a conservative Christian and has no awareness of my gender issues, my sexuality issues, or my castration. It’s just not something I can bring myself to tell him. Given what I know about him, I don’t think he’d take it well. He also made a disparaging comment regarding trans people in one of our phone calls.

I did, however, finally tell him about my “religious” status while out in California. Before then, he had been operating under the assumption that I am still Christian. I finally let it out of the bag that I find the Eastern worldview more palatable.

(With some exceptions - currently, the salient discrepancy is my doubts regarding whether there is actually any “escaping” or “overcoming” the cycle of life as the Eastern religions generally teach. Among other things,

plix (imported) wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2013 8:01 am I suppose the answer to that question

might indicate whether the focus of one’s life ought to be following restrictive rules and engaging in arduous practices in an effort to attain “spiritual progress” or whether one ought to instead simply enjoy everything this particular human existence has to offer as much is possible, so the question is an important one. However, I digress.)

He took it better than I expected, though I don’t think he was thrilled about it. He made comments like “God is going to strike you down” and “Satan is making you read those books,” but I think they were (mostly) in jest. He also said, “As long as you are getting something out of it, that’s what’s important.”

I’m hopeful that our relationship will continue to rekindle, but I’m doubtful I will ever tell him about my eunuch status. Since I take T and always present as male, I’m thinking there is probably no need.

The main concern, if I decide to travel again, will be the need for an income, especially because I don’t have the savings available I did for my previous travels. Fortunately, there are many options in today’s world that eradicate the need for a traditional job in a fixed location. One of the options at the top of my list is teaching English as a second language online. My employment plan through vocational rehabilitation includes obtaining a remote job (and the intent was to enable travel). Also, my weekday job will apparently have some remote positions available, which would be nice.

I would have to leave my weekend job in order to travel extensively, but believe me when I say this will be no major loss.

Nothing has been decided for certain, but I do need to make a decision within the next week since I have to give a 60-day notice at my current apartment. However, I’ve been saying that toward the end of every month for the last few months now. Hopefully, that is enough to prove this is no impulsive decision and something I’ve been considering for some time.

The traditional way, of course, is to wait until retirement to travel. But the way I look at it, life is short, and no one knows what life will come next (and there is always that very slim possibility – slim if our senses, observations, and a bit of intuitive knowledge that each new life we see will have the same experience of “waking up” and finding itself alive as we did - that it will somehow be eternal nothingness, which would be even more reason to take a “carpe diem” approach to life). Since not even a single day of the future in this existence is guaranteed, it might be best to do this now rather than wait for some retirement that might never come or that, even if it does, might involve me finding that my health is not suitable for travel and spending time in the outdoors.

Every now and then, I think about starting a YouTube channel. It seems like everyone is making money on YouTube these days. While it would likely be a while before my channel would make any money (if it ever did), I suppose that everyone who is making money with it had to start somewhere.

Previously, I started a couple of blogs with eventual monetization in mind. However, I think in today’s age that videos are much better for drawing interest.

The most important question would be the topic or topics that the channel would cover. Given my lack of expertise on any one topic that I haven’t had personal experience with (as well as my extreme discomfort with limiting myself to one topic), the best route would likely be a channel focusing on various aspects of my own experiences and thoughts. From what I can see on YouTube, these types of channels are not uncommon at all.

But especially if the goal were to potentially make money rather than mere personal expression, I would need to make the content useful for others. This is because it seems pretty clear (and understandably so) that most folks are disinclined to show much interest in the average person’s experiences or thoughts unless they find the information shared useful or something they can relate to.

Some possible ideas for topics include:

1. Any future traveling or outdoor experiences that I have

2. My autism and the way it has impacted my life

3. My experiences with gender, sexuality, and hormones (including castration and the eunuch life)

4. My philosophy/worldview/thoughts on life

5. My experiences with various “side hustles” and other alternative ways of making a living as well as my experiences with my more traditional jobs

The biggest drawback is that none of these topics are new to YouTube. Plus, all of them are very competitive. However, it is possible that there is something unique about my own perspective that none of the others would be able to share.

As much as I might enjoy discussing topic number three, it would be very risky given my weekday job. I would not use my full real name for the channel (though it is so common I don’t think it would matter if I did), but my face will be visible, and someone who knows me professionally could stumble across my videos. I work in a very conservative profession, so it could be a problem. I would basically be outing myself to the world as a eunuch and trans person. There would be no hiding behind a veil of anonymity like there is here.

I’m also concerned about, since I always present as male, the possibility that speaking of myself as a trans person could lead to confusion and maybe even hostility. But I suppose the goal would be to help others understand that everyone’s experience is unique, and there is no one right way to be trans.

Topic number two might also be risky for the same professional reasons mentioned above. However, it is a disability, so it would likely be understood as something beyond my control. But I recall that a friend of mine strongly discouraged me from coming out as autistic even on Facebook, which resulted in me posting in a cryptic manner for my Facebook friends "in the know." Does that friend's advice mean there is something unwise about revealing oneself as autistic to the world? Or could it be that the more of us who are willing to share who we are, the more the general public will come to understand that we are people too just like anyone else?

Despite the risks, the desire to start the channel remains. And while I would have to go into this with full knowledge that it may only be a hobby or form of personal expression rather than ever bringing me a cent of income, I suppose it is one of those “you never know until you try” sort of things.

Over the years, it’

plix (imported) wrote: Tue May 18, 2021 8:39 am s become apparent to me that when most folks ponder the question

“is there anything after death?”

plix (imported) wrote: Tue May 18, 2021 8:39 am The question they are really asking is,

“Is there anything after death… for me?”

I do not believe in any God, and I think I understand why people need all these Gods they have invented, there is no reason to believe there is anything for me after I die. Modern brain science confirm my thoughts. It is our brain structure that make us feel and behave. Plus collected life experience, that changes our plastic brain structures. Most of our feelings and desires that are extremely important to us, come from old animal brain affection neurological pathways. It is our neocortex that sits on top of the animal brain that can monitor our feelings and tries to intervene in our behaviour (mostly unsuccessfully) if we have some socially unacepted desires.

So, the spirit we think we have, is our unique brain structure. If our brain gets damaged, the spirit we have, gets damaged as well.

But I understand how deeply it is so unacceptable for us to just disappear. Stop feeling, stop thinking and nothing. The desire to live is so deeply encoded into our brain. It has helped us to survive to this day.

So, what is it like to die? If that moment arrives it depends how your brain will die. If your brain will be blasted into small pieces in less than a millisecond by a bullet, there is nothing that your conciousness could register, as it requires at least partially functioning brain as a complete structure. If your brain dies out of oxygen deprivation, it might take up to few minutes of some conciousness. Like when your heart stops, you drown etc.

You will feel all the pain up to some point. But as brain gradually looses function, pain will be gone, but you are still aware of your existance. Last of the senses from outer world is hearing to disappear. Then spiritual feelings starts people often times describe after being clinically dead. I for example felt nice warmth around me, despite it was cold, pain was replaced by surrounding softness and I felt falling into darkness, light disappearing above me. After that great nothingness. Nothing. It felt like sleep while awake. Still some very basic conciousness there. And that was the last thing I remembered.

So yea, there is nothing for us after death. No brain structure, no thoughts, no emotions, no spirit. But I have accepted that, although it is hard to accept. Belief in God gives that false expectation of happy afterlife you will gladly embrace. Which is generally good for mental health.

Some of my favorite quotes on the topic, by Robert A. Heinlein, most from "Time Enough for Love" one of my favorite authors... (Personally I don't know or care who is cranking the universe over, I'm just glad he, she, it, or they don't stop....)

“There is no conclusive evidence of life after death, but there is no evidence of any sort against it. Soon enough you will know, so why fret about it?”

"The most ridiculous concept ever perpetrated by Homo Sapiens is that the Lord God of Creation, Shaper and Ruler of the Universes, wants the saccharine adoration of his creations, that he can be persuaded by their prayers, and becomes petulant if he does not receive this flattery. Yet this ridiculous notion, without one real shred of evidence to bolster it, has gone on to found one of the oldest, largest and least productive industries in history."

"Sin lies only in hurting others unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense."

"The profession of shaman has many advantages. It offers high status with a safe livelihood free of work in the dreary, sweaty sense. In most societies it offers legal privileges and immunities not granted to other men. But it is hard to see how a man who has been given a mandate from on High to spread tidings of joy to all mankind can be seriously interested in taking up a collection to pay his salary; it causes one to suspect that the shaman is on the moral level of any other con man. But it is a lovely work if you can stomach it."

"History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it."

WheelyCurious