Whether there is any meaning to life is a question that concerns many people at some stage in their lives. If there is no meaning, then there can seem to be no reason to persist with a troublesome life. From this point of view, suicide can appear to be the most realistic option. The concept that all is divine expression implies that there is reason behind these challenges and can change the experience of the events of life.
The many doubters point to a lack of scientific proof. However, science is a powerful instrument for investigation, but its limitations were acknowledged from its beginnings. To investigate the sort of questions posed by this view of life is not its intent, although the newest discoveries are beginning to nibble at the edges. Science should be objective, but many of the experiences are subjective and difficult to record and measure because of their fleeting nature. This doesn't make them any less real.
Perhaps this view is just a perception of one of these realities which is beyond the roach of the conscious mind, but available to the subconscious. Other animals are able to perceive phenomena which are beyond the normal limits of humans, but they nevertheless exist. In fact, science can prove the existence of much which cannot consciously be perceived by living creatures.
Science has demonstrated the extreme sensitivity of all life to very delicate physical phenomena. And perhaps the common quest for a meaning to life is a result of some of those phenomena. Human experiences have produced the different beliefs of spiritual organizations, which perhaps facilitate attuning with these influences. These social groups have frequently helped people come to terms with their problems and be happier as a result, so their must be some real basis underlying their beliefs.
What can be said is that it is quite true that humans have many instinctive behaviors which need to be used with discretion. One of these is distrust of strangers, which makes sense in that strangers are an unknown quantity and may be dangerous. But this sort of distrust can lead to racism and xenophobia, and ultimately the horrors of the Holocaust.
These instincts are useful to a point, but cannot be relied on absolutely under all circumstances. The ability for mindless, automatic action, while frequently being necessary to cope with many daily challenges, should be overridden when necessary: instincts are meant to be friends, not the deadly enemies of the race. Failure to control our instincts can result in counterproductive behavior.
It is fortunate that we have the ability to choose how we perceive incidents. Judging things to be either good or bad depends on criteria often set in earliest childhood, when judgement is very suspect, at best. In any case, this judgement is usually based on the immediate perceived impact. The reality is that even events which can seem disastrous at the time often prove to ultimately have good results.
This perception of being part of a divine expression encourages people to take a look a their actions from a wider perspective, and this must be a good thing. Human beings need not be mere instinctive automatons: they can choose. Ultimately, good choices on the part of many can create greater world harmony and balance.
The many doubters point to a lack of scientific proof. However, science is a powerful instrument for investigation, but its limitations were acknowledged from its beginnings. To investigate the sort of questions posed by this view of life is not its intent, although the newest discoveries are beginning to nibble at the edges. Science should be objective, but many of the experiences are subjective and difficult to record and measure because of their fleeting nature. This doesn't make them any less real.
Perhaps this view is just a perception of one of these realities which is beyond the roach of the conscious mind, but available to the subconscious. Other animals are able to perceive phenomena which are beyond the normal limits of humans, but they nevertheless exist. In fact, science can prove the existence of much which cannot consciously be perceived by living creatures.
Science has demonstrated the extreme sensitivity of all life to very delicate physical phenomena. And perhaps the common quest for a meaning to life is a result of some of those phenomena. Human experiences have produced the different beliefs of spiritual organizations, which perhaps facilitate attuning with these influences. These social groups have frequently helped people come to terms with their problems and be happier as a result, so their must be some real basis underlying their beliefs.
What can be said is that it is quite true that humans have many instinctive behaviors which need to be used with discretion. One of these is distrust of strangers, which makes sense in that strangers are an unknown quantity and may be dangerous. But this sort of distrust can lead to racism and xenophobia, and ultimately the horrors of the Holocaust.
These instincts are useful to a point, but cannot be relied on absolutely under all circumstances. The ability for mindless, automatic action, while frequently being necessary to cope with many daily challenges, should be overridden when necessary: instincts are meant to be friends, not the deadly enemies of the race. Failure to control our instincts can result in counterproductive behavior.
It is fortunate that we have the ability to choose how we perceive incidents. Judging things to be either good or bad depends on criteria often set in earliest childhood, when judgement is very suspect, at best. In any case, this judgement is usually based on the immediate perceived impact. The reality is that even events which can seem disastrous at the time often prove to ultimately have good results.
This perception of being part of a divine expression encourages people to take a look a their actions from a wider perspective, and this must be a good thing. Human beings need not be mere instinctive automatons: they can choose. Ultimately, good choices on the part of many can create greater world harmony and balance.
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