Something Larger than Oneself

[Sunstone]

Consider the following statement...

"It is a curious thing that very few humans seem able to feel their lives have meaning unless they are living them in whole or part for something larger than themselves. Sometimes that "larger thing" is huge -- say, the planet earth, all of humanity, or a genuinely transcendent conception of god (i.e. a concept of god that does not just happen to match one's own prejudices). Sometimes that "larger thing" is more intimate. Say, one's community or family. But nearly every human who has any sense or feeling of living a meaningful life has a sense or feeling of living for something larger than themselves."​

Would you agree or disagree? Why?





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[rational experiences]

I would agree, yet also know why.

All humans live as a self, single and separated and knowingly can feel that state intensely also.

Which proves that a condition/form and cause allows us to perceive a condition that we then are conditioned by.

And some humans said it was termed God, others just say spirit, or use a title, as we are taught to give every condition a term of reference as inferred by the human being a human.

I never believed in the term God, because God in science is inferred to be the stone philosophy.

However I came to understand the Father of God, the ancient male science group who caused feed back, self encoded recorded atmospheric voice and vision causes due to machine. Which is a huge transmitted self changed feed back.

Then I learnt that the spirit from which everything had been released from eternal, which is so huge it is not explainable can use those visions and voices and speak and comfort us, when we are suffering and pray and talk and ask.

So I knew something way bigger than us affected us all daily and its love for us is real spiritually.

 

[Terry Sampson]

"It is a curious thing that very few humans seem able to feel their lives have meaning unless they are living them in whole or part for something larger than themselves.

For some, ...

a little bit of rope is enough, ... briefly anyway.

 

[sun rise]

But nearly every human who has any sense or feeling of living a meaningful life has a sense or feeling of living for something larger than themselves."

I agree. I hesitate only a tiny bit before repeating myself. But since you asked.

My belief is that we are all in essence Divine. The more we experience that Divinity by the thinning of our egoic sense of self by living for something larger, the closer we are to our essential nature and the more joy we experience.

 

[Thief]

Consider the following statement...

"It is a curious thing that very few humans seem able to feel their lives have meaning unless they are living them in whole or part for something larger than themselves. Sometimes that "larger thing" is huge -- say, the planet earth, all of humanity, or a genuinely transcendent conception of god (i.e. a concept of god that does not just happen to match one's own prejudices). Sometimes that "larger thing" is more intimate. Say, one's community or family. But nearly every human who has any sense or feeling of living a meaningful life has a sense or feeling of living for something larger than themselves."​

Would you agree or disagree? Why?





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bigger, faster, stronger, more intelligent and greatly experienced?

Something like?...….God?

 

[MNoBody]

I agree. I hesitate only a tiny bit before repeating myself. But since you asked.

My belief is that we are all in essence Divine. The more we experience that Divinity by the thinning of our egoic sense of self by living for something larger, the closer we are to our essential nature and the more joy we experience.

yes...it would be a joyful thing to actually experience direct expanded perception in "real time", viscerally, one could say, unforgettable and transformative.... but go explain it to someone who hasn't experienced that, directly

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Consider the following statement...

"It is a curious thing that very few humans seem able to feel their lives have meaning unless they are living them in whole or part for something larger than themselves. Sometimes that "larger thing" is huge -- say, the planet earth, all of humanity, or a genuinely transcendent conception of god (i.e. a concept of god that does not just happen to match one's own prejudices). Sometimes that "larger thing" is more intimate. Say, one's community or family. But nearly every human who has any sense or feeling of living a meaningful life has a sense or feeling of living for something larger than themselves."​

Would you agree or disagree? Why?

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From just reading and hearing people etc, yes, I would agree. I don't think it's a religious thing, though. If forty nine people said they saw a crime (or had a testimony) and the fifth person said it was all false, most people would believe the majority over minority. The minority would have to find more strength to his statement something is true because of the fallacy of majority=truth.

Same with One consciousness. One god. One humanity. One truth. One book. One law of the land. And so forth.

Those of us laws etc influenced by christian norms, seeing ourselves as one with god (so no greater or lesser) is, how can I say, is hard because it challenges one to give up their "original sin" (We are flawed; we are just 'men', we 'always' sin; etc) for the sake of seeing the positivism in us rather than the negative.

Once we do find that glimpse of positivism not (as they say) dependent on material and human conditions, we got a glimpse of god. But like the Myth of the Cave, we go back into the cave where we are most comfortable and question people who want to stay in the light without needing to die first.

I'm off my philosophical footstool.

 

[InChrist]

I agree because I believe humans were created to be in relationship with our Creator, One greater than ourselves and with one another. I think this concept is expressed in the NT when the church composed of believers in Jesus is called the body of Christ and the members are one with each other all having various roles so the body functions.
(1 Corinthians 12:13-31)

 

[The Hammer]

I would agree, but would fashion to ask why? Why does the majority of humanity only feel meaning when working towards something larger than oneself? Does this point to the notion of their being something outside ourselves we have to follow (Deities)? Or maybe it's our biological drive to create community and foster harmony amongst the group. To work towards something outside of yourself, it is ultimately to the benefit of others.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I would agree, but would fashion to ask why? Why does the majority of humanity only feel meaning when working towards something larger than oneself? Does this point to the notion of their being something outside ourselves we have to follow (Deities)? Or maybe it's our biological drive to create community and foster harmony amongst the group. To work towards something outside of yourself, it is ultimately to the benefit of others.

That is properly it biologically.

Regards
Mikkel

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I would agree, but would fashion to ask why? Why does the majority of humanity only feel meaning when working towards something larger than oneself? Does this point to the notion of their being something outside ourselves we have to follow (Deities)? Or maybe it's our biological drive to create community and foster harmony amongst the group. To work towards something outside of yourself, it is ultimately to the benefit of others.

I think it has a lot to do with how comfortable people feel they can get out of their own problems. I had a friend who turned christian. She remarked, "I can't do it on my own!" I had to sit with that basic statement for a bit. If someone is at the same level or "lower" than you, they can't (in their view) help you because you are like them. They have to be greater in order for them to earn their trust. In other words, there's no blind leading the blind (even though reality says otherwise).

I guess you can kind of divide it because those who believe more in community, the Core, so have you, trust each other. The greater is the whole. While the other is more of a one-to-one thing. The greater in the One. I guess they both have their place but I believe human nature is the former since we are social animals. The latter sounds maybe the same but it's easily abused.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I'm a bit suspicious that some beliefs actually interfere with our feeling part of some greater whole even though many profess to doing so - since they are often based on some prescriptive text and often conflicting with others. My own feeling as just being one unit of humanity is also tempered with also humbly feeling part of the vast spectrum of life on Earth and where such deserves perhaps more consideration and better treatment than it is currently getting. It doesn't bother me that many have beliefs I am unlikely to share, just that many make it harder for us all to appear and be as united as we might be - and which we will undoubtedly need when the time comes to face true catastrophes ahead. And for me, this takes priority over any religious beliefs, which are more like addons than necessities, in my opinion.

 

[PureX]

Sadly, I think there are a lot of people who are unable/unwilling to consider that existence is something greater than themselves. Sure, they recognize that their environment extends beyond their willful control, but they still see that as a flaw in their reality. As something that ought to be corrected, if possible. It never occurs to them that existence is a universal, collective phenomena. That all the other parts and participants are equally important.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

It never occurs to them that existence is a universal, collective phenomena. That all the other parts and participants are equally important.

How are you defining "important"? In what sense are you and I and James Earl Ray and Martin Luther King "equally important"?

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Sadly, I think there are a lot of people who are unable/unwilling to consider that existence is something greater than themselves. Sure, they recognize that their environment extends beyond their willful control, but they still see that as a flaw in their reality. As something that ought to be corrected, if possible. It never occurs to them that existence is a universal, collective phenomena. That all the other parts and participants are equally important.

What is the consequence of not sharing the belief there needs to be something greater than ourselves in order to have meaning in life without having flaws in one's reality?

Everyone sees differently but our differences shouldn't assume others have flaws if they don't share our own view of reality?

That, and who defines reality in order to know which is correct way of seeing it??

 

[MNoBody]

hmm... a thought..we are all observers in a 'quantum' level social experiment.......
reactions from conditioned habits vs thoughtful response.....
stay tuned for the results

 

[Twilight Hue]

I figure if the universe took care of me before I was born, it will certainly take care of me after.

I think if people develop that kind of peace, its possible life can become at least a bit easier to handle.

 

[wandering peacefully]

But nearly every human who has any sense or feeling of living a meaningful life has a sense or feeling of living for something larger than themselves.

Agreed. Unless one is a total narcissist, having part of living has to include something larger whether it be family, society, nature, science, discovery or gods. Plenty to choose from. Along with understanding ourselves are also important and need to take a middle way.

Only gaining satisfaction by living totally for something else, is not healthy. It seems to be a distraction from not being able to live satisfactorily with ones own self and not sustainable, I think.

 

[PearlSeeker]

Unless one is a total narcissist, having part of living has to include something larger whether it be family, society, nature, science, discovery or gods. Plenty to choose from.

One can have compassion for family, pets, local sports club, party, country etc. What about "the others"? Die hard fans of one club are usually die hard haters of the other rival club. People tend to negative competitiveness and tribalism - having compassion for my tribe but no compassion for someone outside my tribe. No universal compassion. No planetary family. No citizens of the world.

 

[Curious George]

Consider the following statement...

"It is a curious thing that very few humans seem able to feel their lives have meaning unless they are living them in whole or part for something larger than themselves. Sometimes that "larger thing" is huge -- say, the planet earth, all of humanity, or a genuinely transcendent conception of god (i.e. a concept of god that does not just happen to match one's own prejudices). Sometimes that "larger thing" is more intimate. Say, one's community or family. But nearly every human who has any sense or feeling of living a meaningful life has a sense or feeling of living for something larger than themselves."​

Would you agree or disagree? Why?





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I agree, but begrudgingly so:

Our lives are momentary blips. Of we think too much than what pure hedonists are want to do, then we will have to generate all sorts of concepts greater than ourselves. We might spout off about Justice, or Truth, or some god and/or another, or we may just be content to "think of the children!" Without these, and even sometimes with these, we run squarely into nihilism. And, nihilists never, or at least rarely) feel their lives are meaningful.

But how truly blissful would it be to not think on meaning at all. To buzz like a housefly for an even briefer blip than our own without care nor concern for meaning. Surely a housefly cannot be said to view its life as meaningful. After all, it just lives.

Herein we see the trick of the question. One cannot find meaningfulness without dwelling on meaning, but that doesn't mean one cannot find content.

A more interesting question is whether those who believe in something "larger than oneself" can ever find more than fleeting moments and aproximations of contentment in their blip?