Life, the universe, existence and the meaning of it all

could be. We, the human race, heck even the earth itself, are very young when it comes to terms of the age of the galaxy, the universe, heck existence.

 

Great cartoon clipping monkey boy ! lol.....I believe its just a our own glimpse of life. Theirs ways to make it better, obviously if you look around at where births take place. Child born in California, child born in poverty?. Its kinda far fetched to think about but its really like a blessing. Our purpose in this age is to think abut it because thats the only thing we do. Our real purpose though? To give life? Great question dude.

 

I just tried to post a theory but My computer wouldn't post it all at once so I'm going to use a few postings to spell it out.
Peace Out,
Rev J

 

Here's an idea expressed 2 different ways:
1) Humorus but direct: "Humans are just a virus in shoes," Bill Hicks
2) Semi-Scientific but detailed: "Most organisms come into an area to live. they use just enough resources and leave a balance so they can have more later and live in balance with nature. Humans on the other hand move into an area and use up all of the resources and pollute what they don't use. Then they move on to another area and do the same thing. The only other thing that does that is a virus," Agent Smith in the Matrix.

If we think of the Earth in terms of a living organism what happens when infected by a virus? The body's temperature fluctuates wildly from extremely hot to extremely cold until the virus is manageable.
(To be Continued.......)
Peace Out,
Rev J

 

Before getting into this part i'd like to just say that to me spirituality and science are not mutually exclusive. I.E. You can beleive in God and evolution.

Up until the beginning of the Industrial revolution humans evolved to adapt to their environment. After that humans adapted the environment to fit their needs. What happened in relation to that is we have started to devolve. About 20 years ago scientists told us that we only use 10 percent of our brain. Since then we have so many gadgets to help us remember stuff we actually use less of our brains (ironic reading this on the internet isn't it). At that point we only used 25 percent of our lung capacity (more if you exercised on a regular basis). Now we don't have as much our brain using that oxygen and we don't have as much physical activity to work our lungs. Strike's one and two for evolution.
(To be Continued.....)

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

I'd like to start this post with a disclaimor. I have no problems with Jesus. Just some of his followers.

Jesus was not special. For somebody allegedly so humble how come I allways get the most arrogant line in the Bible quoted to me. "The way to heaven is through me."

I'd also like to say that Buddha wasn't special (even he said so). Moses wasn't special. Mohammed wasn't special etc....

I tapped into this subject a little bit in the evolution post. I honestly beleive that everyone can perform the "Miracles" that Jesus (and others read other religious texts beyond the bible and you'll see that Jesus wasn't the first or last to say or do the things he did) performed. We have 90 percent of our brians that we have no clue what they do just yet. What if that 90 per cent allowed us to walk on water, levitate etc. What if that was supposed to be the next step in our evolution but we missed the boat.
(to be continued......)
Peace Out,
Rev J

 

I'm of the opinion that asking someone their religious preference is like asking what kind of Jeans they like to wear. They are all the same material just some are more comfortable for some people.

I read about a Study at UC Berkeley where they took Buddhist monks and put them in an MRI machine and looked at their brains as they chanted different mantras. What they found was that different mantras stimulated activity in different parts of the brain and over time the areas of the brain effected got larger over time.

I am sure they could do the same with different prayers from different religions and have the same result.
(To be Continued........)
Peace Out,
Rev J

 

This is where a little more of my personal bias comes in since I am a musician.

Similar to the experiment on Buddhist Monks I mentioned in the last post, another experiment was done to observe music's efffect on the brain. They found that was lyrically sophisticated like Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan stimulated activity in one part of the brain. Where as music that was more melodically sophisticated like Mozart stimulated another part of the brain. Music that was more harmonically sophisticated like John Coltrane stimulated a different part of the brain. And music that was more rythmically sophisticated like African Drum Choirs stimulated yet a different part of the brain.

I have kind of implied throughout the last few threads that I don't like the direction that humanity is evolving in. To me it is time to start Re-evolving. If you are a musician how about combining all of those elements to work the mind more when you work the mind like that the lungs will have to work more to catch up with the brains need for more oxygen.
(To be Continued.....)
Peace Out,
Rev J

 

To start off I'm not one of these Nancy Reagan types. But I also don't advocate drug use for all. I'm simply using drug use in this context as a component in ritual.

I hear people especially in the environmental movement make reference to the Lakota saying, "Think of Seven Generations before making a decision." It's wonderful but in our soundbite world you don't get the whole picture of what that means. The people who say this generally beleive it means think of the seven generations to come. Which to me says fuck the past let's move forward. It has been explained to me by a Lakota this way when you make a decision think of seven generations, your great grandparents, your grandparents, your parents, your self, your children, your grand children and your great grandchildren. The fact is that our current situation has been all about throwing out the baby withthe bathwater. The pollution issue came about because we didn't listen when were were told don't do that. The problems with our diets is that we don't eat with the seasons like our ancestors etc...

But we've also lost the rituals in our lives. The harvest, the changing seasons, the beginnings of lives, the ends of lives the great cycle we are out of touch with. Yet our Great Grandparents observed them and celebrated them.

I read a book a few years ago called Deadhead Social Science. It was a book of exerpts from doctoral theses that related to the Dead. In one chapter it compared a dead show to a religious ritual from Sub-Saharan Africa or Pre-Colombian America. The combination of Cannibis and/or Halucinigens, with very rythmic music and dancing. I beleive that if we approached the concert experience like a modern ritual we can move society and the human race forward. Have you noticed how many festivals fall on Solstices and Equinoxes. I thnk it is up to us to pull the universe back into balance and observe these rituals again.

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

I like the words of the ageless Mr. Natural:

 

This needed to be quoted in my opinion.

 

Don't believe any definitive conclusions can be made, but I would have to say, we apply meaning, potentially where there is none. I also read something interesting lately that suggested we only look for meaning when we see that our lives is lacking it.

An inevitable purpose I would say is to serve "the whole" that you make a part of, how many of us are actually independent in all sense of the word? None. You are dependent upon your environment, you are sat in between 1000s of natural cycles that without you would simply die, seize to be. And yet your existence contributes to every other cycle, as they contribute to you, whether the cycle be man made or environmental.

 

I'm not sure how I feel about that......but if you think that's funny check out this thread:
http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=392483&f=333

Peace Out,
Rev J

 

beautifully said. this is what always makes me really sad about the world. i see it going in the wrong direction. yet everyone says we are so much better [or more evolved] than any other species i dont see it that way at all. it just makes humans sound conceited. we are destroying the planet. i get discouraged because i sometimes start to feel like humans will never learn this because in order for them to learn this, someone would have to get the attention of EVERY human being on earth and prove to them that theres something wrong. and that just seems so far fetched. but i have to keep believing that its possible because honestly i see that as the purpose of life: to learn that we were wrong and that we made mistakes and then work together to fix those mistakes and leave the world just a little bit better off than it was when we got here.

 

Humans are the only beings on this planet that know they are going to die. The only heaven and hell that you are going to see is the one that you make for yourself.

PAX

 

Perhaps this is not true, Rabbits, for instance, will leave the burrow and find a place to curl up in before they die that is away from the family. Wolves will leave the pack. Elephants have been known to travel miles to reach 'graveyards' where they die. It is a strange, but not unheard of behavior. Domestic animals are thought to have lost some of this 'sense.'

 

It is definitely true that some animals know they are going to die when they are dying, but not beforehand. Because we [humans] know we are going to die well before we do, we think that there is an afterlife. Sorry- but the only life you have is the one you have how.

PAX

 

LOL some people get off on spying while other are afraid while others are on the edge of their seat thinking about options, the list is so long.

 

Yeah, so it's important to make the most of it while being considerate about who and what you share this planet with. Take only what you need and give back what you can.

 

My response was to Paxman but Itsallgood sneaked in when I wasn't looking.