Does belief create reality?

[Wapsie B]

Does your attitude affect your success? Can you think your way to a better life? That idea by William James has been latched onto by the self-help industry as one of it's cornerstone principles.

I know there are limitations to this idea. Try as I might I'm not going to play 2nd base for the Twins, or lineman for the Vikings. Nor is some Hollywood starlett gonna show up at my doorstep in a thong asking me to run away with her.

But beyond these exaggerations, if I think hard enough and long enough that I can accomplish something or get something will I succeed?

[Ron Green]

1. I believe that, as Wayne Dyer suggests, we can align ourselves with the

source of all energy and thereby attract to us what we need. The deal is, as I understand it, if you really align yourself with the truth, your needs will not be greedy or frivolous ones. Therefore, you change as your will changes.

[whirlygigspin]

2. I don't beleive so

does that make me unreal?

[Ron Green]

4. How could it make you unreal? All I'm saying is that we have the choice

to line up with the true source of energy (love), or remain cut off from it (in fear). We spend our lives with both love and fear as choices, and we choose plenty of fear. But the truth, as I understand it, is love. And that's the true reality. That's where we connect with others, and with our true selves, and with God.

[TahitiNut]

16. Yup. Either live in "Scare City" or do the "a bun dance."

:silly: (It's true.)

[Wapsie B]

7. Yeah, that gives me

so much hope. At times that's all I've got going; thoughts of making things better for myself.

[amazona]

48. yeah in other words

...you DON'T get what you wanted. Can't really see another interpretation for "your needs will not be greedy or frivolous ones." Anything beyond survival, someone out there thinks is greedy or frivolous, even just having a car beyond a bicycle!

The best con men believe their own con, and I put Mr. Dyer squarely in that category.

As a veteran of many years in the New Age community, one day I had to wake up and accept that I was watching too many lives being destroyed by the notion that "thoughts are things."

[Cadence]

73. If you're not your thoughts, what are you?

[TahitiNut]

78. Great question.

Buddha said "All that we are is a result of what we have thought."
Lily Tomlin said "Sometimes I feel like a figment of my own imagination." :silly:

We create ourselves by our very thoughts. I've discovered this to be a Truth - for me. YMMV, of course.

[rwenos]

3. Yes, It's Possible

I fight depression -- I get down, discouraged. I've read all the self-help literature, and didn't know it originated with James. Thanks for that.

But I think it helps to keep a positive mental outlook. Usually it will turn a down mood or depression around. If it doesn't work, there's rock and roll, Beethoven and strong coffee!

[Wapsie B]

6. I fight it too.

I know Brian Tracey quotes James in one of his books and I've read another local author who expounds on this same theme. Somedays this thought is all that keeps me going. I mean if I'm totally powerless to change and improve myself, what's the point of being?

[Baja Margie]

5. I don't know you guys,

Weren't we all alligned with the truth over the last election?

I'm beginning to think that shit happens, deal with it.

[jeff30997]

8. Amen to that.

[Wapsie B]

10. I don't know if this

is supposed to work on anything other than an individual scale. Yeah, shit happens is right. There's no accounting for treachery in the world.

[Ron Green]

11. Well sure, we were (just not quite enough of us, LOL)...

but I think there's a greater truth than politics. Even if the RW hijacks our country and screws the world, we've still got to find ways to love each other.

[Baja Margie]

12. Well Ron

It will defiantly be us against them. I cannot love them. They are a blight on all collective consciousness, which starts with the individual. I don't mean to be so dramatic, but sometimes it seems like good against evil, man Vs. man.

[Ron Green]

15. I hear ya. And it truly DOES seem like us against them. I have never

been so disgusted in my life as I am at the lying sack of shit who occupies the WH. I left Texas when he became governor. However, my higher self knows that I am called upon to somehow love him, and his ilk, even as I hate what they are doing to my country and the world. I'm probably lots older than you (prob'ly), but I'm finally figuring out that I have to forgive myself and forgive the world: it's one and the same. And so far, I'm not doing so great at it. But it's the thing to do.

[TahitiNut]

18. Amen and namasté!

:thumbsup:

[Baja Margie]

23. Ron

You mean forgive and not forget? Forgiveness really does empower you, it's hard for me to do though. It takes alot of strength, no?

[Ron Green]

34. Yeah, and it takes a lot of time to get it right (or at least it does for

me). Maybe that's why we're given 70 or 90 years to work on it, if we're blessed with a long life.

[neweurope]

40. I agree :)

The idea came to me after I plastered my car with pictures of Iraqi children and the Bushistas. I happened to read something written by the Dalai Lama afterwards and understood that I should have left off the Bushista-pictures. 1) because that gives them power and 2) because the thing to do is love the victims, not hate the offenders.

But I find it very hard :)

[Ron Green]

44. Yes, it is very hard, isn't it? It's just like diplomacy is much harder

than war. Which is why the Bushistas are doing the easy thing: appeal to the lowest selves of as many people as possible, rather than doing the really hard work of leadership.

[neweurope]

52. Appealing to the basest instincts of men always works.

And I find it very hard not to hate those that do it and not to despair but continue and have hope. That's why this place - DU - is so great. People give each other a lot of support. And that creates a light in the darkness :)and that may well be what keeps the scale from tipping altogether.

:grouphug:

[redqueen]

50. I love you

:loveya:

[Ron Green]

56. I love you, too.

And all the good people on this board who are fighting the good fight, and taking care of each other. Thanks for your post - it made me cry a little bit.

:loveya:

[redqueen]

58. I'm sorry!

It's fairly rare to see that kind of sentiment. It's sometimes scary to choose love over hate -- I admire your courage.

:hug:

[TahitiNut]

65. We're often far tougher on ourselves than anyone else could be.

We tend to deny ourselves our birthright: that we're each lovable and capable. (We were born that way. We can't lose it. It's inalienable.) We almost reactively make choices in our behavior and thoughts that give us opportunities to evidence-collect - to 'prove' we don't deserve love and respect. We're often much like the reactive child who takes on the 'unfair' world. You'd think we'd learn. Eventually we do, I think, sooner or later.

---

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, and fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us. It is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear our presence automatically liberates others."
— Marianne Williamson, A Return To Love (HarperCollins, 1993)
(used by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 Inaugural Speech)

[Ron Green]

67. And you needn't be sorry, Redqueen, 'cause my sadness is also

my joy.

[progmom]

9. sometimes

[anitar1]

13. Reality

I think we create our own reality. We are creators. One tool that has served me well is "Observe and Detach". When we can observe our own reactions and realize what we create from that observation, it makes a big difference in our lives. We always have a part in what happens to us.

[Wapsie B]

20. We make choices everyday

that affect our lives one way or the other. Whether it be who we date, who we marry, what job we go after and on and on.

Belated Welcome to DU!

[Baja Margie]

25. Wow.

Okay, I need to digest that.

[TahitiNut]

28. Yes, I'm a member of "Control Freaks Anonymous"

:silly:

[progmom]

53. Yes - exactly!

I have had a lot of experience with that lately.

[TahitiNut]

14. Ever been in "the zone"??

Ever played a game or sport and had that "zen" feeling where everything went right? Well, there's a state of being that's the same for your day-to-day experiences. It's hard to describe and easy to fall out of and back into old habits of thinking and reacting.

If I went into detail about my own experience, it'd really sound bizarre. In one sense it's about seeing what's 'right' about everything you encounter - framing the experience. In another sense it's about noticing the events about you that you might otherwise ignore. It's not some internal delusion, either. When other people, some you might not know but just encounter during normal life activities, stop you and make some voluntarily positive remark about how remarkably 'comfortable' they feel around you ... or people you've worked with for awhile look at you and say "I don't know what you've been drinking, but I want some!" (And they're serious) ... all without any attempt on your part to proselytize or evangelize or brag about how you feel ... well, it's a "zone" that's not really possible to hide.

Just one LITTLE example. Once, during a series of days in the 'zone,' I did something I'd been doing (fruitlessly) for over 15 years. I'd heard an album of music by Carl Orff ("Street Songs") back in the 70's. I loved it. My friend let me record it for myself. After a few years, I'd lost the recording. I went on a search. Every time I went into a music store I asked about it, checked the Schaums catalog, and did everything I could to find a recording of this music. Always for naught. Well, on this day I'd arrived about an hour early to meet some friends in another town. We were to meet next to this music store. So I went in and described my search to the owner. He told me he didn't have such a recording, but his colleague who ran the music store across the street might be able to help me since he was the 'local expert' on classical recordings. So, I went across the street and somewhat diffidently described this fruitless search I'd been on for 15 years. The gentleman there not only knew what I was talking about, but he'd also been a lover of that album. He apologized that the only recording of the music he'd ever been able to find was a fairly expensive multi-CD set that was only sold in Europe. I asked how much it was. He said $75 ... and that he had one set. I was sorta amazed and sorta 'of course' ... and bought it. To this day, I treasure the collection ... far richer and extensive than "Street Songs" it gives me even greater pleasure to listen to it. You see, the first music shop was hectic and busy, but the owner took the time to listen, understand, and send me to a competitor ... who was about to close the shop when I arrived but sensed something that gave him patience. Hard to describe, like I said. My friends showed up on time and we had a terrific time that day.

[Ron Green]

19. Yes. I enjoyed reading your example. I think "the zone" is love, and our

normal state of (non) awareness is fear. And to the extent we can "detach and observe," as the previous poster wrote, we can live in that awareness that allows things to be attracted to us. And yet it will never be perfect, as long as we are time- and space-bound on this earth. We have to allow ourselves to move in and out of the Zone and trust that we will do it again.

[TahitiNut]

22. Ahhh... you DO know.

Yes, it's mostly about giving ourselves (loving) permission to be "at home" (or, as some call it, "at source").

"There's no place like home."
Funny thing is that we've all been able to get there ... just by clicking our heels.
Isn't it strange that we all go on that search ... only to find that we had it all along?

(If I told you about the animals, you'd think I was channeling St. Francis of Assisi.) :silly:

[Digit]

70. I have been in that "zone" on several occasions...

...and it causes me almost fits of giggles as things open up to me automatically.
When within the "zone" I have been able to create green lights at will, create parking spots at entrances to busy malls, plus had accompanying music to my mood on my radio that fit what was going on.

At the moment, I am in the anti-zone. I tend to pick the slowest lane in traffic, get caught at every red light, and get the short end of every stick I choose. I have had to laugh knowing that somehow I am creating the opposite. At the meat counter at the grocery store, I lately ask someone else to pick out a foil covered ham, knowing I will pick the worst one if left to my own devices. I also ask my daughter which lane to go into in traffic.
Go figure.

[Wapsie B]

21. I have without really knowing it.

Things just flow together. I'd love to know how to be in this zone by choice rather than having it just happen.
Great post!

[TahitiNut]

24. Well, you have everything it takes. (That's an article of faith for me.)

We all do. It's our birthright. I think each person finds their way "home" by different paths. I don't think they're long paths, but sometimes we just don't let ourselves go there for some reason.

I personally did a lot of exploring during my lifetime. (Monasteries, retreats, meditation, etc.) It was just curiosity -- not an obsession or anything. By the time I was about 50, I found myself almost inexplicably attending a weekend "seminar" that I'd probably have to have been dragged kicking and screaming at some other time. Well, I chose to make the most of the time -- for myself. It didn't really make much difference to me how others chose to attend. I did my own thing. It worked for me. That was over 10 years ago - and it's still the best thing I've ever done for myself. Different strokes for different folks.

It was nothing cultish or religious - nothing really all that strange.

[Baja Margie]

27. Okay

The zone sounds great, but you really think we attract things to our selfs? I mean, what if a person is really doing his or her best, doing good things in life, not hurting anyone, clearly honest - and yet falls prey to some kind of outside negative force, not of their choosing? What does that mean?

[TahitiNut]

29. Well, in a (Tahiti)Nutshell ...

"What we resist controls us." :evilgrin:

I get a great deal of amusement every time I remember this aphorism - and realize anew how amazingly true it is.

[Guaranteed]

17. It goes both ways. Your reality can become want you want to believe,

but, on the other hand, that has it's limits, and experience ultimately reflects TRUE belief.

[TahitiNut]

26. Sometimes the 'reality' that we discover ...

... is far, far better than any we'd ineptly invent. :hippie:

[Baja Margie]

30. Is this like

a Martin Buber thing? I don't get it, sorry for being thick, but we must actively resist evil. And, that still doesn't answer my question about the negativity. And, doesn't experiencing all facets, including negativity, make us more whole, less judgemental and more tolerant?

[TahitiNut]

32. (Hmmm...) Well, the point being originally addressed ...

... had to do with our own inner experience and how we (for lack of a better description) attain a 'zen' or 'centered' state of being. It had less to do with how we affect the world about us - except insofar as changing the world by starting with ourselves.

"Detachment" isn't about not caring. It's about not throwing one's self on the rocks. Sometimes 'evil' is best fought by merely creating the alternative. After all, isn't 'evil' just 'live' backward?

The following is mythos, not logos ... and there are other myths that could work, too.

We're taught that 'Hell' is the state of being out of the presence of God. According to some myths, Satan was the angel who 'loved' God exclusively and refused to love all of God's creation, including Mankind. For this, he was consigned to that 'place' where the only (chosen, exclusive) object of his love was deprived him. That's what 'Hell' means - without love. Sometimes I think those hypocrites of today who are so vocal in their 'love' for God and full of hate for (many of) God's 'children' (and Creation itself) are merely repeating the Satan myth - and creating their own Hell.

What sane person, if they actually discovered their potential for loving all of Mankind, each and every one, would refuse to do so? What if love itself really is infinite and it's something that we participate in rather than create? :shrug:

I don't know. If I did, I'd probably be famous. Or not.

[Ron Green]

37. You ARE famous, TahitiNut. On this thread and in my head.

:toast:

[TahitiNut]

41. Thank you, my brother.

I notice you're in Oregon. Anywhere in or around Eugene? If so, that'd be quite coincidental since that's where I learned a great deal in this regard. There's a little company (owned/operated by Kris King) called Innovative Learning Group in Eugene that (IMHO) does a great job.
Love and respect, my friend! :grouphug: :pals: :loveya: :headbang:

Here's a little thing I wrote some time ago that you might enjoy. Peace.

[Ron Green]

68. Thanks for your message and for your multimedia creation....

that's how I feel about the folks here on DU: a certain amount of pride in being a part of them, and yet humility in the presence of them and my true self, my God self.

[McKenzie]

31. Possunt quia posse videntur

They can because they think they can

A tad simplistic but self belief is an important factor in achieving anything imho. If you don't believe in your own ability it's difficult to get where you want to be.

Simplistic homily over.

[LeftyMom]

33. I believe that collective belief shapes reality

but that individual intent generally only has an impact (beyond the effect of one's physical actions) when one actively focuses thier will on a specific goal.

[TahitiNut]

35. 'bushwentawol': Thank you for one of the most substantive threads ...

... in which it's been my pleasure to participate for quite some time. For all those who've posted, I think your participation in this thread is truly an example of DU's "best foot forward." Namasté, my friends.


"People say what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we seek is an experience of being alive, so that our experiences will have resonances within our innermost being and reality. So that we actually feel the rapture of being alive." — Joseph Campbell

[Wapsie B]

43. TahitiNut , thank you for your kind words

as well as informative posts here. I need to read and reread what you've said and take that to heart. I'd like to think the power you describe is in each one of us. If only we'd use it.

[TahitiNut]

45. (Great segue!) ... "It's In Every One Of Us"

It's In Every One Of Us
Lyrics by D. Pomeranz

It's in every one of us to be wise
Find your heart, open up both your eyes
We can all know everything without ever knowing why
It's in every one of us
By and by

It's in every one of us to be wise
Find your heart, open up both your eyes
We can all know everything without ever knowing why
It's in every one of us
By and by

It's in every one of us
I just remembered
It's like I've been sleeping for years
I'm not awake as I can be
But my seeing's better
I can see through the tears

I've been realising that
I bought this ticket
And watching only half the show
But there is scenery and lights
And a cast of thousands
Who all know what I know
And it's good
That it's so

It's in every one of us to be wise
Find your heart, open up both your eyes
We can all know everything without ever knowing why
It's in every one of us
By and by

It's in every one of us
By and by

© Warner Tamerlane Music/Upward Spiral Music ASCAP - All rights reserved.

[Wapsie B]

57. That is so cool.

Thank you! This thread just might get me through the day.

[Deja Q]

36. Life is what we make of it. Or so I've been told. A pity then, that

we leave our ideal state of reality on a hollywood screen while happily living in misery on the streets.

[neweurope]

38. I'm convinced of it.

I have no idea who William James is but I know that the idea WORKS. The only problem is that one has to absolutely believe that it works. Then it will. :)

By the way I'm also convinced that we are creating God this way. By our deeds and thoughts and wishes.

[rucky]

39. The GOP/Religious Right is a classic example of this being true...

we're well on our way to one-party Christian rule and Armegeddon - all because a handful of people really really want it to happen. The opposition does not share this common vision, so our power is diffused.

[twenty2strings]

42. Belief helps one stay focused...even if it is wrong...

We all need it,even a shred helps you get up in the morning. I think the collective belief in an "end time" scenario helps fundies put up with policies that hurt a broad spectrum of their own people. You know, we very well could have a stage managed Apocalypse that seems to confirm the end of the worlders rapture script. By the way,read the book "from dawn to decadence". It is good to know that our current dominating mindset is as common as dirt and people who reason are always under pressure and have to suffer. We will just have to make it through their bad dream. But let's stay together and keep talking and DUing. And don't forget to hug somebody today.:loveya: :hug: :yourock: :grouphug: :thumbsup: :toast: :bounce:

[amazona]

46. what crowley said

If I drink poison and call it wine, I still die.

Sorry, beliefs do not create reality. Try it for a few years, and watch how you come smashing back down to earth. I've seen too many people who believe they will succeed if they throw everything away for a dream, such as becoming a writer or actor. I've witnessed some extremely unhappy outcomes, even a suicide or two, when the dream does not materialize just because the dreamer wished it were so and sacrificed everything for a false hope.

[Ron Green]

49. Yes, but perhaps becoming a writer or actor was simply not to be for

that person. However, become more fully human might be realized by the very failures that you mention. How the person responds to his setbacks, how he finds the courage to keep going, or to redefine himself, or whatever. The reality that is created is CO-CREATED by the person and by God (or the Universe, or the source, or fate, or whatever you want to call it).

[neweurope]

54. Yes. It's also co-created by

all the other people who want to be great writers and actors and who have more talent. It is also very important to absolutely believe your dream and believe that you can do it. Which means that you have to know yourself and your limitations.

This principle doesn't state that lollipops rain from heaven when you want one. It's also being said that you must work on it, it's a process. Try it out with small things like parking lots first; say to the universe: "And now (I'm ordering) a parking lot. Thank you!" Be convinced you'll find one, don't forget to feel glad as if you already have found it and don't forget to say thank you. I found it amazing when I started. But I often forget and fall back in my old pessimism.

[Ron Green]

66. And the most important part of the process is that

we are changed in unexpected ways as a result of participating in the process. That's the beautiful thing, and it builds trust in the universe.

[TahitiNut]

60. Well ...

The way I see it is "Live with intention and be open to outcome."

The delusion of control seems to undermine sincerity. When I accept that "control" isn't in my "job description" I find that I discover greater rewards than I might've otherwise 'expected.' (An 'expectation' is merely 'premeditated resentment.')


How many people do you know who continue to run their lives based on some decision(s) they made as a teen-ager? In other words, how many adults surrender their lives to a learning-challeged adolescent?

[Wapsie B]

61. I've spent too much of my life in this

'premeditated resentment.' It's poisoned my outlook more times than I want to remember. That just can't go on.

[amazona]

82. if I'm open to outcome...

...I am not living MY dream but just living out happenstance.

If that is one's definition of creating reality, OK, sure, just by being alive and breathing in air, one creates reality.

But when I was involved in the New Age, I saw too many who wished to create reality by freeing themselves of serious disease or pursuing a meaningful career -- perhaps not unreasonable hopes to demand of the occult. If our pursuit of truth can't improve our lives but only makes us more resigned to having the disease or the ****ty career, then what good is it.

[TahitiNut]

84. And if you're not open to outcome,

... you may merely be living your nightmare. Your posts in this thread read like those of a jilted lover - a kid angry with his parents who lied about Santa Claus.

All language is ambiguous ... a series of symbols of the half-full/half-empty variety. It's no great challenge to exercise one's cynicism and discard babies with bathwater. It's all in what we each value - and that's just not the same for all, nor is it ever intended to be. Anyone can listen to Aesop's Fable regarding the sour grapes and scoff at the notion of a fox talking. Anyone can listen to another attempting to truthfully present their own inner experience and proclaim them deluded. Hell, even Love has been subjected to the characterization of being a mere biochemical process. It's a choice. In making that choice, however, one tacitly acknowledges the coexistence of that not chosen. After all, such "evidence collecting" is how we all fabricate our 'realities' - how we vest meaning in that phenomenology we choose to observe.

Individual spirituality isn't empirical. I doubt it'd be called 'spirituality' if it were. For me, the question becomes one of constructing a personal map of 'reality' which, while every bit as empirically accurate as any other, has a certain "ease of use" that affords my efforts an enhanced degree of effectiveness in seeking whatever goals I might choose in my life.

[goodboy]

47. If belief created reality, I'd have won the lottery hundreds of times.

[neweurope]

55. You didn't believe strongly enough :) Don't forget the millions

of other people working at that lottery thing at the same time :) Don't start with the hardest.

[goodboy]

59. you're right...no more mega-millions for me...it's pick 3 until I win,

then we'll go up from there.

[neweurope]

63. Lotsa luck!

:)

[Mike Niendorff]

51. nooooo ...

> Nor is some Hollywood starlett gonna show up at my
> doorstep in a thong asking me to run away with her.

lalalalalala
Ican'thearyou
Ican'thearyou
lalalalalalala

<believebelievebelieve...>


MDN

[indigobusiness]

74. Be careful what you wish for.

You might just get it.

[indigobusiness]

62. Thoughts are things.

Proved laboratorily.

Quantum physics implies we choose our reality by our belief and thoughts.

Yes.

[Digit]

71. I can't tell you how many times I have wanted to post that.

Yes, thoughts ARE things.

[indigobusiness]

72. There is proof

for those who doubt.

William Tiller did experiments at Stanford that showed the mind can alter the ph of liquids. Among other things.

Thoughts ARE things.

[amazona]

83. since I actually have a degree in physics

...what can I do but weep at this common misconception that is sold for profit to the credulous?

Quantum physics, of course, implies no such thing. But an entire industry would collapse if people were literate in science and math, so can't have that.

<head in hands>

[Merrick]

64. See: The Holographic Universe

a book by Michael Talbot that addresses a theory that's founded in physicist's David Bohm's work and substantiated by discoveries by Stephen Hawking regarding black holes that postulates that the universe is analagous to a giant hologram derived in part by the collective human mind, and therefore what we believe we know contributes to the shaping of the world around us - therefore implying that you can definitely have an impact on your own life/body/health, but as for the rest of it which encompasses all the forces that come to bear on you, you're only one person and therefore have less clout.

see: the placebo effect
see also: how that time, for instance, you were trying to think of that obscure old book title and it just happened to be a question on Jeopardy, or a friend just blurted it out.

[SarahB]

69. I think so.

Often, "luck" plays a part in things and often good things take work, patience, and continual perseverance, but confidence goes a long way in success. I used to be VERY down on myself. I'm not any longer. I went through much pain and self-examination to get to where I am now, but I find that more and more doors keep opening up to me the more I push myself. It's more than just thoughts. It's thoughts and work.

That's only the first step. The next step is action. You will have setbacks, but take them, learn from them, and keep moving forward. Don't let the setbacks get you down and stagnate because then the negativity creates this whole downward spiraling, self-fulfilling prophecy. We do have choices in life and it's not always easy, but look at what you want- for your children, your career, your health, your love life, and focus on what you can do to make it happen.

[Wapsie B]

75. Oh yes, luck plays a part.

But I have to wonder sometimes if good luck is due to this hard work and tenacity and improved self-confidence mixing together to attract opportunity to you or make you more aware of good things around you.


" but look at what you want- for your children, your career, your health, your love life, and focus on what you can do to make it happen."


So if I concentrate hard enough on what I want Cameron Diaz WILL actually show up on my doorstep?

:evilgrin:

[Ron Green]

76. You have to focus your intent (not really desire), and then detach from

the outcome. So maybe Cameron Diaz won't show up on your doorstep, but the one you need will show up!

[Wapsie B]

77. How can you differentiate between

intent and desire?

[Ron Green]

81. Wow, what a good question!!

I don't know if I've got the best handle on this.... Let's see: Desire means you don't feel complete without it, and intent means you work towards it but feel absolutely detached from whatever might result. For example, you know that to attract Cameron Diaz, or someone who will give you the joy that she might give you, you must be accomplished in certain ways: financially, mentally, emotionally, etc. So you do those things, working on yourself, but you don't "long" for (desire) Cameron. You trust that she or the right one will show up. That's intent, as I understand it.

[TahitiNut]

79. Better still ...

... when she (whomever) does show up, you'll actually be able to see her. :party:

[Old Mouse]

80. what we think of as reality is the survival instinct

manifest over our process of thought.

You cannot make your own reality. You can only add greater layers of self-deception and bias over the one we all share.

But the survival instinct controls through ego, and ego is destroyed with the release of self deception. Ergo: ego hates reality and avoids it and telemarketers whenever possible.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

85. thoughts create reality...Power of Intentions...that's why it is important

to choose good thoughts because our thoughts do become our reality

[the Princess]

86. *Reality* is just a concept

How can you believe in something that doesn't exist?????????

Reality what a concept. LOL

[WMliberal]

87. Kant put it best, when disproving ontological statements

The English translation goes: "Ontological statements lack existential import."
In laymans terms, this means you can't think or will something into existence. We often point this out about the BFEE when we say, "it isn't true just because you say so."

[TahitiNut]

88. Nor is it untrue. IOW, saying it neither makes it so or not so ...

... for the listener. Whether or not it's 'so' for the speaker is a matter of conjecture for all except the speaker. What this boils down to is that "ontological statements are not verifiable." (This is how I interpret Kant.) One can agree, if it's of value to agree. Thus, it's all in the (subjective) value and not at all in the tangible existence. Boiling all this down, 'Truth' is not tangible. But isn't that obvious?

So, what else is new? :silly:

[WMliberal]

89. well, I take it that extra step

because of what he was responding to. Anselm had (to grossly oversimplify) argued that God exists because he is perfect and not existing would make him less than perfect, therefore he can't not exist.

I think if they are trying to discriminate, oppress, and so forth based on belief in some truth, they need proof, not belief. <---what a convoluted sentence! One reason I didn't major in philosophy. It's taxing reading paper after paper written in nothing but thick syntax.

[TahitiNut]

90. (yummy!) I love the Anselm/Kant/Descartes/Hegel mud-wrestling.

I guess I tend to regard it as a matter of inheritance of attributes - and that 'being' itself is an attribute. It's an attribute the source of which must transcend 'not being,' i.e. time itself. Thus, I sometimes call it the transcendent "I Am" or "The Great Is-ness" - if only to get a giggle out of it, as a human being.

I suppose it'd be no surprise that I also hold a predominantly deontological view of morality, and hold it because I believe it'd be best if everyone held it. (I love recursive reasoning.)

And YES ... it's clear to me that the obsessive reliance on dogma, oppression, and 'might makes right'-ism portrays almost nothing but the weakest of belief - a failure to grasp ephemerals. It's no mystery who the audience of "Oh ye of little faith" was and is. :dunce: