Life, the Universe, and Everything

[Josh]

When you talk about philosophy, at the basis of...well, everything pretty much...is the question of reality. What, exactly, is this life each of us have, and likewise, who exactly are we who live it? I thought I'd start this topic just to see how everyone answers that question...if, in fact, it can really be answered at all. Maybe it can only be answered individually, and not generally, though I believe there are common human experiences we all share. Anyway, I thought I'd start with my take on the universe, such as it is.

Have you ever had those moments when you experience something like reality shock? Something like realizing more clearly that you actually exist, that things are real, that you're not in just some waking dream. Maybe it's just me, but if you think about the moment you're in long enough...if you don't worry about the future, or dwell about the past, but simply be...you're suddenly left almost stunned by reality. I mean, most of our lives we don't drift, exactly, so much as we're just used to living to the point where it seems natural...and after all, it is. But to me, in these moments, I'm struck with a sense that there is really more to reality than I see and feel. It's like an awakening to the possibilities of life. In our day to day lives, it's easy to get caught up in the flow of things. Deadlines, homework, everything like that. But I think in those moments when you truly stop and really take in what's all around you...you realize something. Something that perhaps is different for all of us, yet fundamentally the same. When you stand atop a mountain and gaze upon the valley below, you can see it, and when the wind blows and the rain falls, you can feel it. I guess that's what we call life, the universe, and everything. And I guess the biggest question is, how are we going to live this life? That's one I'm still working on figuring out.

[Givens]

These are some pretty heavy questions, Josh.  Living in the moment is a wonderful thing, and it's harder than it might seem at first.  The moments you've described (viewing a valley from a mountaintop, etc.) strike me as the moments that truly to make life worth living.  I tend to plan too far in advance.  It's simply my nature.  While I'm standing on the mountaintop, I'm thinking about that legal brief that I need to write, or that car payment that is due, or how I'm going to manage to retire.  It's rare that I truly seize the moment and "zen out," if that's an appropriate term.

Feeling connected to the present is important.  In fact, I would say it's critical to happiness.  I don't know many happy people that constantly dwell in the past.  Memories are nice, but they must be tempered with some enjoyment of the present.  On a rare occasion, I have shared your sense that we am part of something bigger than ourselves, and that is an awesome feeling.  It's freeing in every sense.  I, for one, just need to figure out how to get there more often.

[Gee3666]

OK, I find myself unable to resist chiming in at this point.  I can't remeber the source of this statement, but it seems apt.  Someone once said, speaking of being a 'perfect' human being:  'It's the easiest thing to do, yet only 1 man in history has done it.' (speaking of Jesus Christ)  Now you must understand, I'm am an Agnostic, and I don't pretend to give any one philosophy any greater significance than another. Rather I choose to incorporate that which seems plausible and sensible into my realm of thought.  I say this in reference to Josh's statement about 'moments of clarity' so to speak.  I have these moments quite frequently.  I think the trick of those revelations is to grasp their essence.  Without prejudice or preconception.  In doing so, you become more pliable to the wisdom that they have to offer, and hence more cognizant of their presence.  At this point it becomes a snowball effect where you start seeing things in a different way entirely and also are able to weed out that which is irroneous.

I Like the "Hitchhiker's" reference btw.  Good job!

[Maximus]

This is interesting.  I have shared many "now" moments, if that's an accurate way of describing them.  In my case, these moments come either during a period of extreme quiet and stillness, or during a heart-pounding situation in which time seems to stand still.  The former could be sitting next to a still mountain lake or high on a ridge somewhere, while the later is fueled by adrenaline -- a near accident is one example I can think of.  Time seems to slow down, the senses are heightened, and everything seems to come together.   These two types of "moments of clarity" are very different.  I suppose the later of the two might be what makes adrenaline junkies do what they do.

[JRob]

Ah, the ever elusive "moment." 

I've felt it before, typically when my mind is at ease and I'm not worried sick about the future.

It's a fantastic state of mind.  A natural narcotic of sorts.

We sound like a bunch of meditating yogis around here.   

If only we could bottle the "moment" and sell it.  We could peddle it at those GNC stores and make a fortune.

[udo]

I want to share one of these moments.  This is somewhat strange, I think:

I was in the Navy and we were playing basketball.  I'm not particularly great, but I can defend and pass well enough.  But one time, I had the ball, came off a screen and drifted across the key, in the air, and made the perfect shot, a la Michael Jordan's highlight-reel shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers you see so often (except I was going to my right and he to his left).  But time slowed down during that moment, and I could tell you exactly where everybody was on the court, how I knew when to shoot, how I knew it would go in, etc.  Literally, that one part of a second was like about 10 seconds to me; I remember thinking "wait, wait... okay, now shoot."

Now for my philosophy:

I think that life is about giving of oneself to aid others.  If you're a Christian, then Jesus exemplified this.  If not, then you're going to hell anyway so it doesn't matter.   
Seriously, though, there are "haves" and "have nots."  And while I don't think outright giving away of money, for instance, is helping, I do think that helping others to stand up and become successful using their own talents makes everybody stronger.  The charities that help people in Africa learn how to farm better, for instance, are helping everybody around the world.  And the people who do these things always have stories of being happy with their lives, not just content.  What else is there?