Dream About Material Things; If You Have A Conscience, You'll Never Shake Thi
- Thread starter ByLoSellHi
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Because as Vhehn stated, it cannot be explained, at least with any sense of rhyme or reason.
I believe in a spiritual power greater than myself, but I don't have an f'n clue what the "big picture" plan is, which is why I rarely engage in these type debates. There are times when I clearly see the grace of a Higher Power, and yet there are times I believe this creator should be tried for crimes against humanity. I have given up on trying to figure it all out, but I'll damn sure have some questions for the big guy/gal when/should the opportunity present itself. I suspect when hearing the response to my question(s) my answer will be...no shit, I didn't think of that.
The self-reflecting, iterative process that is experimentation and peer-review is a necessary part of the scientific worldview, but not of all other worldviews, apparently. Yet, the truth or falsity of a hypothesis is still declared by Man, based on the pre-accepted premises that include "5 senses" evidence and repeatability.
Still, religious delusion often does get modified or eliminated, by other means. I'm thinking of the judgement of religious VIPs, again, Man, through the centuries, of the changes necessitated by cultural evolution (language, artifacts), and also of simple extinctions for lack of hosts. I feel certain that countless tinfoil-hat delusions have disappeared with their sole believers.
Hell of a go-round this life. Some things are just incomprehendable ...transcendent.
Yes, that baby did not try hard enough, so god punish him. So kind and with love that god.
Quote from ByLoSellHi:
1994 Sudanese child with a vulture by Kevin Carter
This Pulitzer Prize-winning picture of a vulture waiting to feed on a dying toddler in Sudan summed up the cruelty of the famine in Sudan. It also, famously, highlighted the plight of the photographer; within three months of gaining recognition for this photograph, Kevin Carter committed suicide.
The picture did invoke emotions and get the prestigious award. However, the truth behind the same is somewhat different. Please read below (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Carter):
Thanks for posting that. There are differing accounts of the context (IMO, that child looks close to dying - and no one can dispute that she's staving to death based on presentation).
Either way, the visual impact of that small child's physical state, as captured by the lens, makes a statement that words can't possibly make (at least in my experience).
We are acclimated in the west, and especially the U.S., to think of what we don't yet have but that which we want, rather than normalized to think of what we have that others lack.
In reality, material things are perfectly fine to want, but want can become an obsession, and material things can't alone serve as the basis for happiness, and we are all too often dismissive of the incredible luxuries, such as clean drinking water on demand, that we have and that much of the world can only dream of.
One final note - How can we stave off human misery such in the most efficient manner possible?
Whichever God is the Real God, allows the rape, abuse and torture of children. That God allows the untold ravages of war, hundreds-of-millions dead, murder, rape, starvation, crushing illness and loss.
Those are just the facts.
The Bible implores us to Fear God, for that reason.
If God loves that child no more than He loves you - or me - BEWARE. We tread in the Presence of something Fearful, beyond human understanding.
Who can say the Universe, Earth or Life -- in all its majesty, complexity, and Goodness -- comes from an Evil hand?
And yet, we see what God allows in our own lives, and the lives of others. Like in that photo.
That forces me to conclude that God is beyond the simplistic and romanticized notions of benevolent, "all-loving" Creator. I wish it were true. Who wants a RIGHTEOUS GOD condemning humanity by His Own Perfect Measure?
But we are traders. We profit from truth. We fool ourselves, and lose. It is, what it is.
God is, who He is. And He allows, what He allows.
Still, I am not a righteous person. I am a Christian, btw.