Epiphanies and laundry lists

[averygoodun42]

I had two epiphanies yesterday. Kind of along the "well duh" range of epiphanies, but I thought I'd share anyway.

First was hearing someone say, "I am not my body," and then going on to explain that the body is just the place we live.

Now, everyone on the face of the planet has probably heard the phrase, "Your body is your temple" or variations thereof, but this was the first time I really got it. My body is my temple. It is my home. It is the place that houses and protects me. But it is just a... house. It is there to help me weather emotions, and my mind is there to interpret everything within and without. I, however, am not any of those three. I am spirit (or soul, if you wish). I am a sliver of God (as is everyone else), housed in flesh. I may be influenced by the other three, but I am solely spirit.

So the body is a temple. It is God's house as much, if not more than, any church or temple we build with the earth.


The second epiphany came on the heels of that one and explained to me why I am so uncomfortable with atheism. Agnosticism I understand. We're all agnostics, really, as none of us have definitive proof of the existence of God(s) beyond our own belief or heart. I am a believer, but I don't know.

But atheists and the concept of atheism are problematic to me because they are refuting the existence of spirit, soul and mystery. Their view is more or less that the mind is who we are and all we are, give or take a few hormones and the emotional/psychological reactions we have to them. This life is a given, and it is all there is.

In my experience, that's rather egotistical. And... sad. Yes, there is a rational explanation for most of what we experience, even if we haven't found the explanation yet through science. But there is more to life than rational explanations (and emotion). There is always the question of Why. Ignoring that question seems so limiting to my mind.

But that's my limited view. I truly don't understand because I do believe in more. Having been the recipient of various forms of grace, it's hard for me to grasp the concept of not believing there is more.

Anyway, enough with the philosophy.


To do and done dids:
yoga
shower
finish laundry
divvy up chores
clean Page's room
grocery shopping (eggs, bananas...)
watch "How to Train Your Dragon" with the boys
make dinner

I'm almost halfway through a debugging cleanse (tomorrow is day 15). I'm looking forward to it being over and reintroducing fruit to my diet. And finishing with the detoxing. I'd rather not continue being a moody mother. However, I think it has been helpful. My irises are clearer and I can do my yoga, whereas before the mere thought of exercising was enough to exhaust me. I am hopeful that by the end of the month (or beginning of the next) I will be strong enough to join a yoga class without it being too stressful and/or embarrassing.

I need to get out there and actively pursue the interest there's been in my artwork. One friend was interested in having me do a mural, and I think I've decided $30 sq. ft. is fair pricing. Maybe less for smaller spaces, which aren't as physically demanding. I also need to paint that commission for another friend. Now that algebra and test prep is done, I can concentrate of that this week. *nods* I also had a bit of inspiration on how to finish a watercolor on canvas that's been hanging around looking unfinished for ages. And I also need to break out the oils and finish my hearts and flowers piece.

And I need to find out if anyone bid on my church auction donation. I put in an offer of banners for our white church walls. The design would be a co-creation with the winning bidder and me (with final approval from the property committee). I'm hoping the winner wants something abstract and complex, not just smiling suns against a purdy blue sky or the like.

Hum. Lots to do, it seems. But I suppose that's a good thing, as I'm tired of being bored.

Comments

[dickgloucester.livejournal.com]

But atheists and the concept of atheism are problematic to me because they are refuting the existence of spirit, soul and mystery. Their view is more or less that the mind is who we are and all we are, give or take a few hormones and the emotional/psychological reactions we have to them. This life is a given, and it is all there is.

I am an atheist.

I don't refute spirit, soul, or mystery - I don't know about those. I think that mind and imagination are our glories: they are what take us to the furthest reaches of experience and beyond, from where we see that there is still more to know and understand. It's exciting and it is awe-inspiring.

What I do not an cannot accept is the existence of a 'God' responsible for all this in any way, shape, or form; furthermore, I feel no need within myself to worship anyone or anything - because there is nothing I can see or think of that is deserving of worship, praise, abasement, or thanks. This doesn't mean I am incapable of feeling the wonder, joy and beauty of the world and the universe - to my mind, it leaves me freer to do so.

What might spirit/soul be? I don't know. I suspect it's a combination of thought processes going on behind the scenes of what I am consciously thinking, emotion, physical elements, and everything else that goes to make us human. By extension, I think that probably every living creature has its own version of soul. As for whether any of it goes on after death? Nobody knows. I don't know. It's a nice idea - even a poetic idea - to play with, but it doesn't disturb me to think that once I die, that's it.

We have but our lives to be responsible for. Anything else is beyond our control, so why trouble ourselves about it. Which is not an argument for not bothering to try to make the world better in the long term - far from it, because the world is what we have, and what our children will have, and their children. All the more argument, really, for doing the best we can with what we have.

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

Either I a) got the terms atheist and materialist mixed up, b) bought into the American media or c) both. Whatever happened, I definitely concede that I'm wrong.

However, I think even stringent materialists are capable of feeling wonder, seeing as they're human. They just believe/think that there is a perfectly rational explanation behind whatever caused the wonder. That's what I meant.

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

On the whole, I think it's more egotistical to assume there is a personal god who is interested in what you're doing, and saying and thinking. Or to assume that your life has any meaning beyond the here and now.

Shrugs. I cannot believe in god, there is no room for god in the world as an actor according to science, that doesn't mean I don't like a nice view, admire art, sing, and moved to tears by writing.

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

Perhaps. If taken with the view that only a select few (who share their same beliefs, natch) have that connection with God, then definitely. (Bring dogma in, create religion, and yeah... fail.) It can also make people a lot more humble than they would otherwise be. *shrugs*

Egotistical was perhaps the wrong word, though I can't think of the one I really want. (I had it for a brief moment yesterday, but lj was down and I wasn't posting anyway.)

I disagree about no room for god in the world according to science. I think evolution is a perfect way to create a universe. :-D

(And I definitely, definitely did NOT mean that atheists, materialists, or even nihilists - i.e. anyone of the human race - don't/can't feel wonder. That was an explanation fail on my part. I just think that there's more to the web of life than logic could ever explain, and materialists don't.)

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

Oh, and Happy Birthday! May the stupid people avoid you. Except that good looking blond man who has a clothes ironing fetish. And his twin, who's dying to be your wife. :-)

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

Thank you

[kribu.livejournal.com]

But atheists and the concept of atheism are problematic to me because they are refuting the existence of spirit, soul and mystery. Their view is more or less that the mind is who we are and all we are, give or take a few hormones and the emotional/psychological reactions we have to them. This life is a given, and it is all there is.

That rather depends on one's definition of atheism, doesn't it? I'm sure there are atheists like that, but it seems rather too narrow and strict to me to be an all-encompassing definition of atheism.

I'm an atheist. I was born one; I've grown up in a society that is, arguably, the most atheist in the world (certainly with the absolute lowest number of "believers" in anything in Europe).

Over here, being an atheist is the natural, normal way to be - we don't grow up as believers who'd then have to fight their way towards atheism, we are just born into a society where belief in a deity has been a non-issue for a very long time; ever since we were allowed to, anyway (there are endless complaints recorded throughout history by German pastors whining about the godlessness of the less-than-human local serfs and how they had to be forced to attend church).

That said, while I have absolutely no reason to believe in the existence of a deity or deities, and have always considered myself an atheist, it doesn't mean I deny the existence of anything "supernatural". I don't "believe" in most of those things, but at the same time, I think it entirely reasonable to assume that there are things and phenomena that modern science and technology have yet to manage to explain. Souls and spirits and "recordings" of brainwaves or what have you - I don't know; these are the sorts of things where I think there may be things we aren't capable of understanding/explaining yet, because it would be ultimately and extremely arrogant to think that we've found out everything there is to find out.

One thing I've noticed is that a lot of believers seem to consider that sort of thing agnosticism. Maybe it is - but I think it's entirely possible to be an atheist as far as a god / gods are concerned (because that is really the only thing "atheism" means after all - not believing in the existence of deities), and an agnostic regarding supernatural stuff in general.

And I'm generalising here, obviously, but I've also noticed that people from predominantly religious societies seem to think atheists are all people who are actively denying the existence of a god... well, perhaps it is so if you're by default brought up to believe in one (or a few), but it doesn't have to be like that.

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

That rather depends on one's definition of atheism, doesn't it?

Yes, it does. And I'm ashamed to admit I was thinking more along the lines of materialists rather than the general atheists. I had forgotten/ was brainwashed (the US is so very, very religious. I suspect it's actually more religious than a lot of theocracies) into forgetting there's a whole spectrum of beliefs among the non-believers. Sorry.

... these are the sorts of things where I think there may be things we aren't capable of understanding/explaining yet, because it would be ultimately and extremely arrogant to think that we've found out everything there is to find out.

Which is basically what I meant, just including a greater force among the possible explanations. May not be probable, but not necessarily impossible.

[kribu.livejournal.com]

I wonder if it's just how one views things. For me, the thought that everything - existence, the universe, the world, every plant, every animal, every rock - came together randomly is SO much more awe-inspiring, awesome and wonderful than the idea of "some greater force" creating it all.

Frankly, the latter is just boring to me, while the former - now that's where the real amazing mystery is.

[ayerf.livejournal.com]

Interesting epiphanies. I can believe that there is something other than the body to live (or at least be conscious), call it soul or some other spark of life, as yet unexplained or unexplainable at all by science.

I am an agnostic verging on atheist depending on my mood. I either don't know what to believe when it comes to there being a god or gods, or don't believe there is one. But I still believe there is a soul or something similar, and I do like to believe that there is some kind of afterlife if only because otherwise it does strike me as rather boring after you die (even if there is nothing left to be bored). And if there is an afterlife, it does strike me as fairer for those who die young, or have their lives taken from them. Not that life is fair...

I can believe that there are atheists who don't believe in anything supernatural either, but I can't believe 'all dressed up and nowhere to go' applies to all of them - as it does not to me, at least as far as I can know while still alive.

Glad you have some inspiration for the watercolour, hope it goes well.

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

I verge on the Buddhist where the afterlife is concerned - I think we're reincarnated until we can attain true rest through inner peace. But then, I like the idea of being able to rest... :-)

I've found that I didn't mean atheists, but materialists, which is a rather more stringent branch of atheism. I got caught up in the US media's interpretation of religion, which is both a stupid and arrogant thing to do. I am heartily ashamed of myself.

~*~

Thanks! I hope to get the paints out today!

[ayerf.livejournal.com]

I do like the idea of reincarnation - I like to think that souls are recycled, although not that some forms are better than others. Just that maybe everything alive has a soul.

I don't know much about materialists or atheists in general, but I guess that's a difference between US and UK: religion doesn't really tend to be mentioned much this side of the pond, outside of comments by archbishops on issues, and reports of the problems caused by extremists, both here and abroad.

[zalena.livejournal.com]

It looks like your other commenters have got it covered, but I suspect many atheists would be perturbed by this definition. It's not so much an unwillingness to accept mystery, it's more an unwillingness to accept supernatural (or extranatural... not sure it's a word, but I think it should be one) explanations for it.

Still, yay, for feeling better about the extraordinary abilities (despite the limitations) housed in the body we currently call Elizabeth. You have so many gifts. I, for one, admire them and give thanks for them.

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

I think at the root of materialism (which is what I meant. Labeling!fail on my part), there is a denial of mystery. Not that there isn't mystery, but the belief that we can (eventually) solve it. It's that belief I find uncomfortable.

I don't know that my abilities are extraordinary. No more so than anyone else's, anyway. ;-) But yes, yay. It's good to feel the spirit every now and again. It's nice to feel myself weaving it back into my life again.

epiphany

[(Anonymous)]

It's a really liberating idea, don't you think? And Martin used to say that as he got older he became more aware that there was "that of God" in*everything*, not just people, not even just sentient beings, but *everything*.

Re: epiphany

[averygoodun.livejournal.com]

Martin was a pantheist? Cool!

I definitely agree. I find it liberating and comforting and... restful. Knowing that I, and everyone and everything around me, is connected to Love is... It's reassuring.