[Guille]

Originally Posted by David Maes

The first and most important purpose of life is that it doesn't have one.

True. But actually, it if we centre too much on the non-purposity of life we can end up being one of those people who are close to death once and say they saw their lifes in front of their eyes, and they get bored. I don't want to be bored by my life, I want it to be better than any super hollywood yanki production. That is why I would state it like this:

The only purpose of life is that it doesn't have one, and that isn't important at all.

[mkirkpatrick]

The purpose in life,is to understand it!Then when understood,to expand and
-cognise it,see your kinship with all,death is just a part of the experience of
living,and is essential to have these experiences,in order to grasp the magnitude and ubiquitousness of life absolute?


kind regards michael.

[David Maes]

The synonym of life is intention.

A cell is a unit of life which means it's a unit of intention.

It is going nowhere and it is nowhere coming from.

Ultimately it's hidding for a destination which can't be reached.

Ultimate logics is an unachievable destination.

[David Maes]

Death is the greatest paradox of life.
The cause of that is that life is intention.
Death is an anachievable destination.

If life would be an all-embracing logics, then life would be without intention.
Logics can be perceptive.

[harmonygirl]

Actually David, I think that life is the paradox and death the regular experience. I think that life is an achievable destination, unfortunately, we measure whether we've 'achieved' in a wacked out way...
I think that logic is deception, not perception, although I agree that life is without intention...

[David Maes]

i think logics can be perceptive, but you have to change from proposition.

i agree completely with what you say.

i also have to mention that near-death-experiences are probably similar to REM-sleep.

When death occurs, it's drastic for the illusory 'I'-part.

Life takes other shapes, nature finds its way,...
It 'seeks' purpose, intention, meaning... and we (being a part of it) do the same.

i think we are the result of evolution (which is still going on...).

But i think it's good we have to give intention or meaning to life. God is not a cosmic tyrant.
Of course lots of things can really hurt the 'I'-part extremely...
Maybe we shouldn't take life too seriously...?

[ZenClone]

Great discussion!

Since my Grandma died recently, I have asked that same question over and over .

With my Asian Philosophy background, I agree with the "Original Chi" energy changing form, and then a painful cycle of re-incarnation until Enlightenment or Nirvana can be reached in later life times..hopefully, and cognizantly

The reason I don't agree with Heaven and Hell, is that History of the universe is billions of years; so why say you Only get 1 lifetime here on Earth and thats It!? (90 years or so max.) You follow "this" theological doctrine, donate your earnings, and then you can rest comfortably. ?

I vote for reincarnation, for whatever my first real post is worth.

[jim barlow]

Dreaming seems to be the ultimate self projection. Dreaming of the dead who used to be close is probably no exception. Further there can be no visualization if I don’t consciously know they’re dead and no explicit information from “them” regarding their demise. All this throws immense doubt over what I am going to say.

The only characteristic in their appearance is a kind of strangeness that could be their signature, something that would not occur to me to project. These can be spectacular things depending on the dead person in question and are usually in character. (Women for example do things in character which would not occur to me). Nor do I know at the time that they are dead. That is always a surprise when waking and remembering them.

How do they do it if they’re doing anything at all? They must have access to brain functions either in real time or through memory buttons in suspended time (past). I don’t know but the Chinese seem to make quite an issue of this.

[mkirkpatrick]

Originally Posted by jim barlow

Dreaming seems to be the ultimate self projection. Dreaming of the dead who used to be close is probably no exception. Further there can be no visualization if I don’t consciously know they’re dead and no explicit information from “them” regarding their demise. All this throws immense doubt over what I am going to say.

The only characteristic in their appearance is a kind of strangeness that could be their signature, something that would not occur to me to project. These can be spectacular things depending on the dead person in question and are usually in character. (Women for example do things in character which would not occur to me). Nor do I know at the time that they are dead. That is always a surprise when waking and remembering them.

How do they do it if they’re doing anything at all? They must have access to brain functions either in real time or through memory buttons in suspended time (past). I don’t know but the Chinese seem to make quite an issue of this.

I agree Jim,when dreaming there are times when I see "dead" family members
and the scene seems quite normal.nothing unusual,other than there are dead?

kind regards michael.

[jim barlow]

There is a theory, Michael: thoughts and brain functions are integrated into the quantum world. Archetypes for instance are out there connected by living particle chains materializing instantly without space/time, following their own pre-established living chains. Every thought is ultimately particles in a configuration. The energy requirements of this "feverish city of globality" is either minimal (quantum borrowing) or is tapped into somewhere we don't yet know of.
The organizational features of this mini world (around your head and mine) cannot be completely alien yet the overview of the sheer amount of its activity is impossible. For example, a related piece of data, the number of neuron connections in an individual brain amount to about the volume of quantum particles in the Universe.
The "dead" in this world is viewed quite differently. Their "ego" configurations while "alive" were put together as temporary particle structures where their giant body and its surrounding dominated it.Following its dissolution some configuration is held together - the motivation (?) for which I don't understand.

There are some unanswered questions here and think more experimental research is needed using artificial brain systems as projectors of the sub world or some other techniques to mentally integrate the "giant" world into the "micro" world from which it emerged and temporally (through time) lost connection of.