Just a thought..

[sweeth...@webtv.net]

Well, I think that they do exist. If you were there and experienced it
then it exists, but whether or not you choose to let your daily
experiences affect you are of your choice(your acknowledgement)

Sincerely,
Miss. Hart c/o 2001:-)
http://community.webtv.net/sweethart2001/MyPoetryfromWithin

[Sandra Teixeira]

I've just recently learned how to use newsgroups, and i've quite enjoyed
catching up on the things that have been previously posted.

Philosophy is a passion of mine, and yet, because of it, i now have a
very lonely perspective/view of the world. As i see yet, I cannot
really determine if I am alone and everything around me are just
projections of what I either must live, or perhaps are just there to
fulfill my life. When I go home, do all the places that I have been
during the day truly exist, or only when I acknowledge them? If I'm
sitting in a park, watching those around me, it really just leaves me
wondering.

Anyhow, that was just a thought I had to put down ;)

- Sandra

[Brian McLaughlin]

In article <38BD8BE4...@student.anu.edu.au>,

Sandra Teixeira <s330...@student.anu.edu.au> writes:
|>
|> Philosophy is a passion of mine, and yet, because of it, i now have a
|> very lonely perspective/view of the world. As i see yet, I cannot
|> really determine if I am alone and everything around me are just
|> projections of what I either must live, or perhaps are just there to
|> fulfill my life. When I go home, do all the places that I have been
|> during the day truly exist, or only when I acknowledge them? If I'm
|> sitting in a park, watching those around me, it really just leaves me
|> wondering.

I do not dismiss your thought as silly or stupid. It is neither.

It is a rather profound thought, in the sense of "deep" or even
"bottomless". But philosophy is a love of wisdom, and when you
apply wisdom to the contemplation of this thought, it discovers
that the very bottomless, dimensionless, endless quality that
your thought has in such abundance is also what robs it of any
place to come to rest in it. You can only exhaust yourself chasing
it. Just as you cannot grasp it, you cannot put it to any use.

There is a Zen saying about the stages of wisdom: first there is
a mountain; then there is no mountain; then there is.

In uglier words, this means that at first we accept reality as
reliable. Then we discover to our shock that it is all illusory.
Until finally we come to realize that the question is no longer
important. The illusion and the reality are no different from
one another. Our shock falls away. The people in the park
are just people in the park. The mountain that isn't is the same
as the mountain that is. It couldn't be otherwise.

And while you're at it, try not to think of an elephant sitting
in a tub of soap suds.

--
Brian McLaughlin, Technical Writer |"Thanks to the Internet, misinformation
Integrated Measurement Systems, Inc.| now travels faster than ever before!"
Beaverton, OR, USA | ---- Standard disclaimer applies ----

[uuberdude]

Re: Just a Thought

This question addresses the nature of philosophical discussion and there
are multitudes of disciplines, methods, and insight which seek to
explain or understand the nature of our universe. Sandra, your
statement that you have "a very lonely perspective/view of the world"
kinda goes along with the pursuit of this type of knowledge, especially
outside of academia. The climb to the top of the mountain where the
view is breathtaking and vast is difficult to the point that most are
not willing or able to make that climb, but are satisfied enough with
the reports of those who have scaled these heights. Regrettably,
somthing is typically lost in the delivery of the message, for whatever
reason, even to the point where the message becomes partly or completely
unrecognizable. Fortunately, the essence of this knowledge does not
remain totally hidden. It is there and you realize this.

My fervent hope is that you and others who are compelled to take this
path will not be disuaded or confused by anything less.

[Andre...@webtv.net]

I think that not only are the places that you remember really there,
but also there are the places that you do not remember.
For example, a moment in time spent with a parent when we were young,
may not be remembered by us, but it does have its place in time. A
touching moment we have had may be responsible for the way we our now,
even if we may never know it.

[Memnoch the Black HoD]

Well, I used to have a view like yours when I first really started
looking into philosophy...now a few years later, it is like something
has changed; I do not worry about issues as to whether anything exists
or does not exist, moving instead to a focus on objectivism and vital
existence, instead of worrying myself into the ground over issues that
really have no utility in my life.

Philosophy is more or less comparable to an operating system; it is how
we make sense out of life and find meaning in it.

As far as the loneliness issues go, well, that is because you are
starting to break from the herd mentality. There are others out there
that do understand, but more that would not. Of those that you find
that do understand, keep them close. As for those who do not, don't let
it get to you and just enjoy life as you can. Over time the loneliness
will subside, and you will find a spring of joy in solitude....it really
takes a load off of you.

Memnoch

P.S. I highly recommend Ayn Rand's text, Philosophy: Who Needs It?
Perhaps you might enjoy it as much as I did.

[David Coufal]

Are you ever flabbergasted as to where you left something. If reality
was only what you see, or if you're creating it, then the objects would
always be where you think they should be. Don't you think?

David Mark Coufal