gods plural are nothing more than...

[Just_me_Mike]

a definition for anything that takes our attention hostage. It is our attention that we follow, so in essence if our attention is captured by something, we become the slave.

So if this idea is correct, even for Atheists we find humans enslaved to "little gods" whatever they may be for each individual.

I call these attention grabbers "little gods" because they seem to take control of an individuals life, and anything that can control you is your superior, whether it is a non-living object, or a living object.

Your thoughts?

 

[Smoke]

What does it mean for our attention to be taken hostage?

 

[Nothing]

Well put itwillend. A good example would be this very forum. I have spent the bulk of the day in here and freely admit that today at least it has held my attention hostage. As I am not working today and the weather sucks and I have nothing better to do it is quite allright! If I were to spend this much time everyday in here it would quickly become a serious problem. If my attention remained captured by this forum then I would definately be enslaved. There is a word for what enslaves our attention: Addiction. Though I like your definition better. Of course our slavery is an illusion and the cage we may find ourselves in can never be locked. The price of emancipation requires us only to focus our attention on something else.

 

[Just_me_Mike]

What does it mean for our attention to be taken hostage?

There are many ways this happens, for example, if our attention is on getting far in our career, there are many smaller things we must focus on to get to that goal.
This is when our attention is taken hostage. We must devote ourselves to each of the smaller goals (or gods). That's what it means.

 

[Smoke]

There are many ways this happens, for example, if our attention is on getting far in our career, there are many smaller things we must focus on to get to that goal.
This is when our attention is taken hostage. We must devote ourselves to each of the smaller goals (or gods). That's what it means.

Are you saying that any time we're paying attention to what we're doing, with a goal in mind, that is a "god"? That doesn't seem to me like a very useful analogy.

 

[Just_me_Mike]

Well put itwillend. A good example would be this very forum. I have spent the bulk of the day in here and freely admit that today at least it has held my attention hostage. As I am not working today and the weather sucks and I have nothing better to do it is quite allright! If I were to spend this much time everyday in here it would quickly become a serious problem. If my attention remained captured by this forum then I would definately be enslaved. There is a word for what enslaves our attention: Addiction. Though I like your definition better. Of course our slavery is an illusion and the cage we may find ourselves in can never be locked. The price of emancipation requires us only to focus our attention on something else.

Although my response will be a nod to Christianity it still points out something interesting to think about. Your idea of emancipation is what the bible calls worshipping false gods that inderectly means your worshipping the father of deception.
It's almost as if we are wied to worship something with our attention, yet we do not worship the true living God. (of course from a Christian perspective)

 

[Nothing]

I'm not quite sure you know what the word emancipation means. It means to free oneself from slavery, such as a thought that has captivated us for too long and so for it we suffer. Emancipation is not worshiping false gods, but rather freeing onself from them and rejecting the father of deception as you put it. I hope this clarifies things

 

[Just_me_Mike]

I'm not quite sure you know what the word emancipation means. It means to free oneself from slavery, such as a thought that has captivated us for too long and so for it we suffer. Emancipation is not worshiping false gods, but rather freeing onself from them and rejecting the father of deception as you put it. I hope this clarifies things

I understood you perfectly. The problem is emancipation is the illusion becasue we must worship at all times. So the moment you "free" yourself as you put it, you are captured by something else.

 

[Azakel]

So what,are you saying that we that have multiple gods have are attention held Hostage by something? So what, Polytheist don't hold good attention to really a god then?
I'm just trying to see what you mean by using multiple gods and not just One God like yours.
Ether way, I'll say one last thing here tonight:
My Gods(plural) are far from small and nothing but attention hostage takers(slavers).

 

[Just_me_Mike]

So what,are you saying that we that have multiple gods have are attention held Hostage by something? So what, Polytheist don't hold good attention to really a god then?
I'm just trying to see what you mean by using multiple gods and not just One God like yours.
Ether way, I'll say one last thing here tonight:
My Gods(plural) are far from small and nothing but attention hostage takers(slavers).

It seems you are confirming my idea in your own life, if I understood you correctly.

Either way it doesn't matter, the concept from the OP stands as is, the majority are weak because they are slave to their gods. They are not weak because they are slaves, but because they are not aware of what is happening. If and when they become aware, and choose to continue down the same road, it is no longer weak, but a conscious choice.

 

[Nothing]

Itwillend- I'm not quite sure I agree with you that emancipation is an illusion. I believe you are implying that if you succeed in escaping one thought then you will be trapped by another. Essentially I don't argue this. I have held no-thought for maybe a second on an occasion or two at best before being possessed by thought. What I mean by emancipation is when we realize we are always free to choose our thoughts. We need only remember that we always have absolute power to accept or reject any thought that crosses our mind. We need only remember that all thoughts are borne from one of two sources. Ego and Spirit (or whatever you want to call it). What it boils down to is that you, I and everyone are entirely made up of the choices we make

 

[Just_me_Mike]

I agree with your closing statement, but still disagree with your opening one.

I agree we can choose to sometimes and maybe all the time change our attention, however what I disagree with is that we can stop choosing what holds our attention. The illusion stands, because we can never stop choosing. Now, if we could stop choosing than I would say there is emancipation. Stopping for a second or two does not qualify, because there really isn't any data to say it actually stopped other than your word.

Now, I suppose there are those that have supposedly removed themselves from the material world all together with the exception of eating sleeping etc... Monks... That may be true emancipation, I can not be certain. I am sure the majority of people would rather stay slaved to their little gods than be like a monk.