Re: The Quote Thread

[monetgo]

Hi Sens, thought we could move The Simpsons here, easier for me :lol: .....so here's one....

"How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive?" ~ Homer J

[monetgo]

Oh no not again, looks like mother nature strikes again at southwest china...tsk...tsk...tsk....

“We learn geology the morning after the earthquake”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“If they'd lower the taxes and get rid of the smog and clean up the traffic mess, I really believe I'd settle here until the next earthquake” ~Groucho Marx

“It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.” ~ Frederick Douglass

“An earthquake achieves what the law promises but does not in practice maintain - the equality of all men”
~Ignazio Silon

“Nature chose for a tool, not the earthquake or lightning to rend and split asunder, not the stormy torrent or eroding rain, but the tender snow-flowers noiselessly falling through unnumbered centuries.” ~John Muir

[sensor]

I don't know what's happening with our world at the moment - it's soul-destroying...

Firstly, the horror of Myanmar; then the tornadoes in America; then this horrendous earthquake in China and the aftershock, which was almost as bad as the earthquake itself... you just want to weep for all those people...

It's not who is right, but what is right, that is of importance. ~ Thomas Huxley.

[monetgo]

" Not what we like but what is right " (maybe the same author but my mum used to have this message for me when i let her sign my slumbook when i was in high school). She also wrote: "Love is less talk more action".

Northern Myanmar (Bay of Bengal - Indian Ocean) and Southwest china is right next to each other.....what gives?

"....Calamities are also caused by the destruction of the environment and the indiscriminate exploitation of subterranean resources such as coal, oil and water. One of the greatest causes of environmental destruction is deforestation. Due to deforestation, the rain clouds coming from the Bay of Bengal travel all the way across India and rain on the Arabian Sea. That is, clouds which once rained on Magadh now rain on the Arabian Sea. Consequently, the water level in the Arabian Sea is gradually rising and the Bay of Bengal is becoming more salty. The result is that the water level around the coast of India is rising, the land area of the Indian subcontinent is decreasing and soil erosion is increasing. Approximately two-thirds of the surface of the globe is water and one-third is land, but due to deforestation the water portion is increasing and the land portion is decreasing.

Another cause of environmental destruction is the exploitation of subterranean resources. Deep cavities have been formed in the earth after extracting subterranean resources, and these cavities should be properly filled. In some countries it is the practice to use sand to fill the cavities created by mining underground coal. If these cavities are left unfilled, the surrounding regions are more likely to experience earthquakes than other areas. Moreover, the unfilled cavities can severely weaken the surface structure of the earth, causing whole regions to collapse..." ~ P.R. Sarkar

[sensor]

Such interesting information monetgo. Who is PR Sarkar? (My scientific knowledge is crapulent.)

When the world becomes a frightening place, I like to escape by looking at babies. Sounds mad I know, but they give me a sense of new beginnings and the promise of a better future...

It is a pleasant thing to reflect upon, and furnishes a complete answer to those who contend for the gradual degeneration of the human species, that every baby born into the world is a finer one than the last.
~ Charles Dickens

[monetgo]

[quote="sensor"]Such interesting information monetgo. Who is PR Sarkar? (My scientific knowledge is crapulent.)

Prout - the Progressive Utilization Theory
Prout is the socio-economics of all-round liberation. Formulated in 1959 by Indian socio-spiritual activist thinker P.R. Sarkar, it advocates economic liberation for all, not economic liberalism. As a socio-economic theory, Prout is not concerned solely with economics but encompasses the whole of human individual and collective existence - physical, educational, social, political, mental, cultural and spiritual - within the paradigm of integrated growth. The cardinal values of Prout are those of neo-humanism, which takes into consideration the good and happiness of all living beings; plants, animals and humans.

5 fundamental principles

11 social and socio-economic principles

EXISTENCE

ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY

"STATE VS. PRIVATE"

DEMOCRACY

LEADERSHIP

NEO-HUMANISM

100 FAQs

Copyright ProutWorld 1999-2004 Write to ProutWorld

[sensor]

Does this mean if I eat a carrot, it will cry?? And I loved carrots too... ;)

Sarkar sounds like a most thoughtful man - but perhaps a bit too spiritual for a heathen such as me. :lol:

Thanks for the info on him though - good to know where he fits in and what his general philosophy is...

[Angeo]

I caught the end of a doco being reviewed on the Movie Show last night. It showed horrific images of live sharks having their fins hacked off and being thrown still alive back in the sea. I was aware of this barbaric practice but seeing it made me feel physically ill. There was a close up shot of a small shark's eyes bulging and darting about in terror and pain as it was being butchered whilst the butcher demonstrating for the camera laughed at its suffering not bothering to put it out of it misery. Then shocking footage taken underwater of a butchered shark struggling to swim but just helplessly sinking down to the ocean bed. These images are stuck with me forever. It's actually difficult to describe this in words it's so horrible. It would require a hard stomach to view the entire movie. 90% of the world's shark population has declined so that people can eat a pointless (and apparently tasteless) delicacy. It is also drastically affecting the balance of our ecosystem. If you internet search on 'shark fin' most of the results are restaurants advertising their shark fin soup. There was one I came across calling for a ban it's at http://www.thailandlife.com/sharkfinsoup.html

A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
- Albert Einstein

And Sensor, heathens, athiests, sceptics can all be spiritual. I've been told because I'm atheist and a sceptic that I'm not spiritual but if I can empathise with Einstein's thoughts on humanity then I think I must be in some way spiritual.

[monetgo]

Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Atheist Spirituality

Sphere: Related Content

Labels: Atheism

Can an atheist be a spiritual person, and if so, in what sense? Is it meaningful to talk of atheist spirituality, or should the term be reserved for religious believers? This post may end up generating more questions than answers, but that seems fitting for a discussion of spirituality.

Let me get my bias out of the way at the beginning because it probably colors what I am about to say on the topic. I do not care for the word "spirituality" when referring to atheists. I have trouble getting past the "spirit" part of the word because I do not believe in spirits, souls, ghosts, demons, or anything else that is not part of the natural world. However, I recognize that my naturalism is not entailed by atheism and that other atheists are free to accept the reality of the supernatural.

What is spirituality?

From what I have read on the psychology of religion, I have learned that experts in this field lack consensus on the meaning of spirituality but generally agree on what it is not. Spirituality is not the same thing as religion, or even religious belief. One can be deeply spiritual while simultaneously rejecting anything recognizable as religious belief of religious practices. Moreover, not all religious believers are necessarily spiritual.

Many components of spirituality have been posited, and while consensus remains elusive, some of the more popular include vitality, connectedness, transcendence, and meaningfulness. One of the most commonly described experiences of spirituality involves a sense of one's interconnectedness to others and a dissolving of self-other boundaries.

Can an atheist be a spiritual person?

Absolutely. If we think of something like trait spirituality as ranging on a continuum from low to high, atheists can score at any point along the continuum just like anyone else. High scores would indicate someone who seeks spiritual experiences or who experiences the various components of spirituality, depending on how the measure functions.

Practically, we might see a spiritual atheist as highly empathic, aware of his or her connection to others, concerned with equality and social justice, regularly awed by the beauty of nature, etc. Such descriptors apply in varying degrees to all persons, theist and atheist alike.

Take something simpler, such as the need for meaning, and think about some of your friends. Some are probably deeper than others in the sense that they enjoy thought-provoking questions even more than the answers. They are about the journey and find great pleasure in learning, debate, and self-exploration. Others are more concrete, less concerned with inner exploration about more concerned with action. They have little interest in reflection and want answers on which they can rely. They may have little tolerance for ambiguity or uncertainty.

Do atheists need spirituality?

I think this question needs to be reframed in order to be meaningful. Think of it this way: atheists (like everyone else) vary in terms of their need for spirituality. Spirituality is vital to some atheists, and we could appropriately label such persons as needing spirituality. For others, the need for spirituality may be low enough that it would be hard to recognize it as such.

In all honesty, I am not sure where I would fall along this continuum. I tend not to think of myself as "spiritual," but I certainly find great meaning and purpose in experiences that others describe as spiritual. I have had many intense spiritual experiences in which I experienced connectedness, transcendence, and the like, and not all were drug-induced. I suppose I am a fairly spiritual person in many ways, but one who prefers to think of himself in terms of components such as empathy, meaning, and connection rather than "spirituality." Does that make any sense?

Should the secular community increase our focus on spirituality?

Probably. I suspect that very little is known about the importance and role of spirituality among nonbelievers, and the scientist in me thinks that improved understanding might be beneficial. To neglect something we do not understand well simply because we lack understanding makes little sense. We know that spirituality is important to a great many people regardless of their religious belief, and I think there is a large potential benefit from better understanding its role in our community. Discussing and potentially embracing an explicitly secular form of spirituality could make it easier for believers to imagine life without belief and could make our community more attractive for those who have come to doubt their faith.

Tags: atheist spirituality, atheist, atheism, spirituality, religion, psychology of religion, secular, religious belief

Posted by vjack at 5:43 AM

[monetgo]

God (aka Jesus Christ), Buddha, Confucius, Tao, Mohammed, Zen Buddha, Atheist God (is there one?) etc, etc, are all there probably drinking Carlton and enjoyably chatting The Rise, they are all good....it's all good.....are we?

[Angeo]

ATHEIST PRAYER
Our Powers are within,
Whatever be their name.
What they have done, what still may come,
This Earth can yet be as Heaven.
Live then this day, and without dread,
And forgive your own trespasses
As you forgive those who trespass against you.
And be not led into temptation,
But flee away from evil,
For Time is the Healer,
With power to restore me,
Forever and ever,
Amen.
-Richard Packham

© 1998 Richard Packham Permission granted to reproduce for non-commercial purposes, provided text is not changed and this copyright notice is included

He writes an article on atheist spirituality which, I think, very elegantly and closely describes some of my own feelings of spirituality. Have a look: http://home.teleport.com/~packham/atheist2.htm

[monetgo]

When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind.
~Jiddu Krishnamurti

In the final analysis, the hope of every person is simply peace of mind.
~Dalai Lama

[monetgo]

Are peoples' diamonds came from some of these holes?

http://www.reformersandpuritans.com/2008/04/04/the-eight-deepest-holes-in-the-world/

Are some of these holes causing catastrophe, calamities and other world imbalances?

"....Another cause of environmental destruction is the exploitation of subterranean resources. Deep cavities have been formed in the earth after extracting subterranean resources, and these cavities should be properly filled. In some countries it is the practice to use sand to fill the cavities created by mining underground coal. If these cavities are left unfilled, the surrounding regions are more likely to experience earthquakes than other areas. Moreover, the unfilled cavities can severely weaken the surface structure of the earth, causing whole regions to collapse..." ~ P.R. Sarkar

[sensor]

Part of a poem which is very special to me:

Thanks to the human heart by which we live
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,
To me, the meanest flower that blows, can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.

~ William Wordsworth

[the8thark]

From Billy Joel. Something I try to live my life by.

"A lot of us think what we want in our life is happiness. Well, happiness is an extreme. We have to learn how to recognize contentment. Sometimes you gotta look around and go, 'Hey, everything is OK."

[Angeo]

I think I've heard that one before quite recently 8thArk - I wonder if someone already posted it here. Anyway wherever I saw it I remember thinking 'how true, how true'

[Altair]

From Billy Joel. Something I try to live my life by.

"A lot of us think what we want in our life is happiness. Well, happiness is an extreme. We have to learn how to recognize contentment. Sometimes you gotta look around and go, 'Hey, everything is OK."

yep, love that one.

[monetgo]

I'll share some thought provoking lines from that book here from time to time just for the purpose of sharing what i find a good read of all time.

Reduce the Clutter in Your Life by Elaine St. James

A giant step on the road to simplicity is to eliminate the odds and ends that clutter up your home, your car, your office, and your life. As you start your program to reduce the clutter, the guideline is easy: If you haven't used it in a year or more, get rid of it.
Getting rid of it can mean any number of things: give it to a friend, give it to Goodwill, take it to a consignment shop, sell it at a garage sale, or put it on a Dumpster.
Start with your clothes closets and branch out from there. Clean out every closet, every drawer, every shelf, in every room of your house, including the kitchen. Do you really need a full-sized Cuisinart and a mini-Cuisinart and a handheld chopper and a mixer? Don't forget the front hall closet, the linen closet, tool chests, and the medicine cabinets. Remember the laundry room, the garage, the attic, the basement, your office, your car, and any storage space you maybe renting or borrowing.
When I started to simplify, I went through this exercise and were amazed at the amount of 'stuff' I had accumulated that I simply didn't use anymore. Getting rid of it all was a tremendously liberating experience.
Soon after that, I came to the realization that i really had far more living space than i actually needed or even wanted, so I moved from my house to a small condominium. In the process of moving, I went through a second uncluttering exercise, and managed to free myself from another load of things I would no longer have room for.
I've found, as i've refined my simplification program over the past couple of years, that i'm getting better and better at letting go of the things i know i'll never use again. You may not be ready to get rid of everything in your closets on the first uncluttering round or two, but i promise that once you begin to experience the exhilaration and the sense of freedom such an exercise generates, uncluttering will become easier and easier.

Remember, the idea is not to deny yourself the things you want, but to free yourself from the things you don't want.

[Kris]

Cat Stevens ~ If you want to sing out, sing out, and if you want to be free, be free, cause there’s a million ways to be, you know that there are…

[monetgo]

I spend my life tryin' not to be careless. Women and children can be careless but not men.

~ Don Vito Corleone

Oh...how the world of mafia spoil their women and children.

[Altair]

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. ~ Robert A. Heinlein

[sensor]

What a quote alty.
How true...

Alty, I remembered how much Goldie loved one of your quotes, which was the beautiful Robert Frost poem about making time to talk. She thought the world would be a better place if we all took the time to say hello to those around us and to recognise them...


Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars. ~ Henry van Dyke

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on.
~ Robert Frost

[Altair]

Yes, that was another time Goldie surprised me with a post! I thought it might be nice to post the quote again:

When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don't stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven't hoed,
And shout from where I am, What is it?
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.

~ Robert Frost

I actually sent this to someone the other day - to let them know my time was theirs for as long as they needed it.

[monetgo]

"You don't play the blues to make yourself feel better...you play the blues to make other people feel worse_ "Bleedin' Gums" Murphy"
--Lisa Simpson

[monetgo]

I believe most of us already received this message from G. Carlin before, i did, and am glad somebody sent it again to me today for a reminder.....

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.


George Carlin

[sensor]

My goodness, what a commentary.

Loved the last part, where he reminded us to cherish those closest to us.

And from one comedian/political commentator to another:

Remember, trying is the first step towards failure. ~ Homer Simpson

[Altair]

I can't help myself

Try not. Do or do not, there is no try. ~ Yoda

[sensor]

Ha!! Homer's always right!
You mean all that money I spent on cooking classes was a waste?? Cause I'm still no domestic goddess - competent, yes, but Nigella-sultry-while-whipping-cream-in-a-bowl-Lawson, no...

I've tried, honest I have!!

Oops!!
I think I should just "do not" and eat out. Solves the entire issue!!





Mmmmmm. Yoda and Homer - two of the great philosophers of our time...

[Altair]

I think I should just "do not" and eat out. Solves the entire issue!!

[monetgo]

" But I never - I never wanted this for you. I work my whole life, I don't apologize to take care of my family - and I refused - to be a fool - dancing on a string held by all those - big shots. I don't apologize, that's my life but I thought that when it was your time, that - that you would be the one to hold the strings. " ~ Don Vito Corleone

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