So do we exits in a sort of midgaurd bettwen good and evil?

[chief ten beers]

If there was indeed a paradise on this planet it was vanquished long ago. In my opinion and experience, and don't take my word read for it, just the news stories everyday, this world is now filled with sorrow, cruelty, unhappiness, and suffering. How can this be god's world? And if it is, what kind of god is this? The New testament does indeed clue you into who the god of this world is, look it up for yourself. I'm starting to hate this world, I once enjoyed it but now I feel as though Ive been banished from paradise and feel like I'm living in apocalyptic and lifeless zone. I might was well be living in fallout 4, which is how i feel emotionally and mentally. Ah I'm done venting, sorry.

 

[Xorkoth]

It's a matter of perspective. I think there has never been a paradise for humans, our nature is such that we experience both good and bad... in fact I would guess that's just what life is. Life is pain and pleasure, suffering and enjoyment, up and down. I've had periods of time where I felt as you do, but right now I see a lot of good, despite the intensity of these times and despite the amount of pain and suffering there is.

One technique I use to remain happier is that I don't read the news stories every day (or much at all). At first I felt like maybe I was just hiding my head in the sand, but then I realized, reading about or hearing someone doomsay about the terrible things happening doesn't do me any good. It doesn't help to fix these problems to continually think about them and expose myself to that information. The best thing I can do for the world is to be the best version of myself I can be and try to bring some light into my own life and the lives of the people I know and interact with. Then maybe they'll be more likely to do the same, and so on. When I encounter darkness in my life, I deal with it head-on. But without the daily exposure to all the bad things happening all over the world, I am able to see a lot more good in my immediate world, the place I live and the people I know and meet. Yeah, terrible things happen to people constantly when you look at a population of millions, or hundreds of millions, or 7 billion, but there is also a tremendous amount of good happening in those same populations. The news just doesn't cover that kind of stuff, the basic kindnesses that people show each other every day, the feeling of hiking to the top of a mountain and viewing a beautiful sunset, the feeling of genuine human connection or love, and so on. I think part of the problem is an overexposure of information, mostly negative.

 

[belligerent drunk]

The thing with this world is that there's no god, not in the way religions depict it. But to think that right now the world is somehow worse than before? No, it's definitely not. First world people are living in paradise compared to what people had to go through even 200 years ago. Other parts of the world... well I guess it hasn't got worse in any case.

I think you shouldn't focus so much on what the idea of heaven and hell are all about, or what the "god's plan" is. Yeah the world might be shit, but there's only so much you can do about it. And being sad/miserable about it certainly doesn't help anyone. So try to look for the positives in YOUR life, don't focus on other people's lives. You can't fix the world alone, but you can do your small part in the group effort.

 

[Nixiam]

H-Hey! Bud, there are a lot of intense problems on earth, and most of it being conflict, hate, etc... but life goes on. The source of modern conflict is largely irrational delusion (terrorism), romanticized ideas of problems, racism. But don't worry, Natural Selection is just killing off the ill fit to survive! That's a joke by the way. If you live in America, the propaganda machine keeps you thinking the world is worse than it is.

Once we solve the issue of mass delusion and racism, we'll be okay (at least for 1st world countries anyway). Don't let world affairs get you down. Nothing suggests god is real, and we can't disprove his existence by proving scientific theories. Be happy knowing that the mass perception of god is as a good one (at least in monotheistic abrahamic religions), and a good god won't banish you for his own unfairness.


- Nix

 

[FAD]

humans are so fuckign stupid and egocentric . no wonder this is all going to the shitter. why would you even think that there once was a paradise ? dafk man, please wake up from your religious delusions and enjoy what you can, whatever that might be- drugs, hookers, games, walking in nature, eating, music...
if ur thinking like some 5 year old about some paradise long time ago then nobody can help you. life is pretty dull most of the times, so get used to it. our purpose here i'm pretty sure imo is not to long after some neverending happiness, paradise...just live and let live. if u want to search some "god", then go into nature and you'll find it. stop being a lil pussy and crush the puss or whatever you want man.

 

[Xorkoth]

No need to be insulting about it, though I more or less agree with your point.

 

[Cosmic Trigger]

Yeah me too. Humans are on the fail boat. But really it's all going to end for humanity one day and sooner than that you and I will croak so why not just try to have fun and live and let live. Since we don't know the meaning of existence then we should focus on making our passage as painless as possible. I'm taking opiates tonight for example.

 

[Xorkoth]

I got on that opiate boat for 10 years, ultimately it made my experience far more painful, so watch out for that.

The conclusion I've come to is that we should all try to live our lives in the healthiest way possible. I don't mean we should be teetotalers at all, hell, I use plenty of drugs. I mean that we should strive to be as balanced and objective as possible, and fill our lives with as much love and passion as we can, and that way we can have the best effect on others and help to raise everything up to the extent that it's possible for us to do. Making your own life and the lives of those around you as much better as possible allows us to make the most of our situation. It's all we can do as individuals, but if everyone did that, things would really get a lot better.

 

[ark9]

I agree that it is all a matter of perspective.
"Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else"

Our journey was meant to have pain woven in. It was necessary for us to experience, or else we wouldn't have experienced it.
View suffering as grace. You can't feel happy if you've never felt pain. We change and grow, only as a result of suffering.
Practice being the observer of your life - rather than living, absorbed in the events of your life.

Learn how to manipulate your mind. Stop negative thoughts when they first appear; that's when they're weakest.

Shakespeare once said "Hell is empty. All the devils are here." In my opinion, the term "Hell" is a more or less a mind-state: A possible perception of the world.
It comes from a place of negative energy. Sometimes, we don't even realize how negative we are, and the impact it has..

Things that help encourage a positive mind: trusting your instincts, positive self talk, balance, acceptance, complimenting others, exercise, reading & writing. Not believing everything you think.

We all have our issues.
I recently dug myself out of an opiate boat.. But I jumped into another. Adderall.
I have an attachment to drugs; using them to stroke the very ego I'm trying to step outside of.

Would it be agreed that (overall) drugs hinder spiritual growth? The only exception being (maybe) a psychedelic experience?

 

[Xorkoth]

I believe it's possible to use pretty much any drugs in a way that is not a hindrance, but certain drugs almost always become a hindrance (opiates, stimulants). Psychedelics can be a hindrance too. It's just about your relationship with them.

For the record I have often been a problem drug user, I even used psychedelic problematically for a couple of years. Nowadays I again find them beneficial tools.