Fernaceman

So I could be coming to a semi-realization.

I am seeking answers to life all the time. What the answer is, I obviously don't know. But maybe part of being human is the fact that I am always going to be constantly looking for more answers, only to constantly to develop more questions in the process.

Maybe acceptance to the fact that I am not going to find an ultimate answer anywhere is part of the answer I am looking for. Part of the human experience is to constantly have questions and to seek answers wherever I can. I am never going to fully understand life, no one will. But that's OK, because that's part of being human.

Hope that makes sense to someone.

caboblanco

I know all the answers and the answer to the big question is: it's all BS

Fernaceman

Goodness...I hope that's not the case. There is good in life. I believe thinking that way is a really negative way to perceive it. What good can come from it if it's all for nothing?

veryready

Agreed. That is not an easy concept to accept, but it goes a long way to getting though the day sometimes. Thanks.

Salacia

Hi Fernaceman,
I'm of a similar mind. I recently found this amazing book which addresses some of life's paradoxes and how being human means that we won't ever know the answers. It's a good read - you should check it out: "The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning" by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham.
Bonus: It has an alcoholic bent to it.
Peace.

Applecrumble

Yep, I realised the other day that when I was actively trying to 'let go' I was still actively intellectualising why I was letting go and trying to figure out positive outcomes ... This overthinking has a tendency to lessen the effect I was going for in the first place! They are hard habits to break

paul99

These are questions of humanity that run deep and have been asked since humankind had ability for conscious thought and separation of self and the unconscious. As an alcoholic, I think I veer toward this area because I have sought this spiritual connection through alcohol - that is the missing piece in my life and I tried to fill it with spirits instead of seeking the or a spirit that will give me a sense of completion or connectivity to something outside of myself. At least that has been part of my journey. Through the asking alone, I think we are already getting somewhere. Through my meditation and other things that I do to stay connected to the Universal Mind, I get just a molecule closer to the answers I seek. But I certainly won't get them all. I may not get any of them. But it's in the seeking that I find other things. It's in the seeking that life is richer. It's in the seeking that we deepen ourselves and change our path and get into a place further along that we ever thought we could. Again, that is my experience anyway.

Great post, Fern.

And yes, as Salacia noted, "The Spirituality of Imperfection" is a great read.

Taking5

I'm not surprised there is an alcoholic bent to it. Ernest Kurtz wrote "Not God: The History of AA" and Metchem co-wrote "Under the Influence".

Fernaceman

Funny...that's the book I just started reading! LOL!!!

Zube

Fernaceman-

..."The answer my friend
is blowin in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind"...



Hope that helps,lol
Zube

freshstart57

Well put, Paul99. This ability you described, separation of self from the subconscious, is a very powerful idea. We are more than our unconscious or subconscious selves, thank goodness, and we can learn to become aware of them in new ways through developing the ability to recognize and be mindful of these subconscious functions.

Mindfulness and recognition are the hallmarks of AVRT, SMART and other cognitive (brain type) sobriety methods. The ability to develop mindfulness is something everyone can do I believe. For me, it has led to an unconditional and content sobriety, and also has let me access new parts of my self, unconstrained by my subconscious worries and fears and that sorta stuff.

I'm a fan.

MrTumble

it quite incredible how much we dont know, even when us humans specialise, we find that the more we learn, the less we know - talk about moving goal posts.

but even though the size of the task looks insurmountable, we still just keep plugging away, looking for the answers.

Its interesting, because I can understand the drive to reproduce, that's easily understood and its a trait shared by all life, but we human are in that small group species that have enough screwed up personality traits that mean we are never wholy satisfied and always are looking for an "edge".

The term "Human Race" has always seemed appropriate for me.

Fernaceman

Great posts and responses everyone. Thanks!

john44

Yeah, third step. Letting go. I have a very, very hard time with this.

Salacia

Fernaceman -- It's my current nightstand read. Great minds, right?

Taking5 -- I was thinking about reading those after this one.

There should be steps for "letting go".

Naturally, the more I try to "let go", the more I hold on.