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52 minutes ago, ilumairen said:

Why the focus on difficulty?

 

Because if you go along with the flow then you make no exercise of your free will, you are just dragged along by the river.   This is the situation for most  humans and creatures on the planet.   No judgement of it.

 

Free will is very rare, it means you have the ability to do something of your own, at will, you can make yourself do whatever you wish whenever you wish it.   And the way to develop it is step by step by doing things that are not easy.   If they were easy the would not require free will.

Of course such things are of no interest to most people whose main goal is to be the biggest slob possible.   Of course the human population tells themselves how wonderful they are and dream of being George Clooney at the same time, whilst wiping chocolate cake off their face lying horizontal in front of Netflix !!!!

 

 

 

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38 minutes ago, wandelaar said:

@ ilumairen

 

Sure - it is very important to distinguish the different senses in which the expression free will is used. I have only one thing to add to your description:

 

There is a possibility that some events (such as the exact moment of disintegration of a radioactive nucleus) are random in the sense of not being caused by anything else. Some philosophers and scientists think that this opens up the possibility of a certain amount of free will existing within the context of Natural Laws. But I don't think this works, because random events don't correlate with anybodies character and thus cannot be considered as somehow constituting the choices of somebody. Still another idea is that our consciousness could somehow influence the random events. But suppose this were possible, than we would simple have an extra process involved in the workings of our psyche. So that the question about the freedom of the will should be asked again for this new situation, and then the old philosophical problems simply reappear.

 

Good point;  as to random events not correlating with anybody's character and therefore can't constitute the choices of somebody.  But looking at that from another position, Time is not actually linear.  It's the thoughts in our heads that make time appear linear.  In reality, it's always Now.  So, thinking of Time as being vertical, or all piled up on itself, all events have already happened and are Now.  The randomness comes into the equation when we think in linear time.

 

@rideforever - the thing that determines how our life unfolds within this linear time structure of thoughts, is the quality of our thoughts.  If our thoughts are dwelling on not liking things or judging things as bad, this will determine a negative outcome of our lives beyond that point.  It will just create more of the same.  I'm sure you've heard the expression that Enlightenment can happen in the blink of an eye.  When that sudden realization does occur, people stop taking things so seriously or judgmentally because they see all of this as the big play that it is.  The realization I speak of is the inner punch we receive when we realize (not 'learn', but realize) who we really are.  This is called self-realization.  Suddenly we realize our role in this big play; merely to experience the sensory and to enjoy what life has to offer.  Life becomes so much easier - nothing stands in our way.  It's all Thought, and we are The Thinker.

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4 minutes ago, manitou said:

@rideforever - the thing that determines how our life unfolds within this linear time structure of thoughts, is the quality of our thoughts.  If our thoughts are dwelling on not liking things or judging things as bad, this will determine a negative outcome of our lives beyond that point.  It will just create more of the same.  I'm sure you've heard the expression that Enlightenment can happen in the blink of an eye.  When that sudden realization does occur, people stop taking things so seriously or judgmentally because they see all of this as the big play that it is.  The realization I speak of is the inner punch we receive when we realize (not 'learn', but realize) who we really are.  This is called self-realization.  Suddenly we realize our role in this big play; merely to experience the sensory and to enjoy what life has to offer.  Life becomes so much easier - nothing stands in our way.  It's all Thought, and we are The Thinker.

 

My comments were about developing Free Will which was mentioned by some others here.   
Others wish to be in the flow that is something different.

The greatest teachers worked very hard and intensively for their realisation, it did not come easily and if you wish to follow them it seems foolish to think that it would be easy.   There is something "easy" about it, and something that requires hard work.   Reading the life journeys of the great teachers tells a great deal, I don't know of a single one who didn't work extremely intensively for some period.   Most were almost at death's door through their effort.

 

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1 hour ago, rideforever said:

 


Others wish to be in the flow that is something different.

 

 

 

Are you sure? 

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On 12/22/2018 at 3:02 AM, rideforever said:

The idea that "I" will manifest my desires ....  is totally contradictory to the teachings of the major teachers on this planet who say that you must struggle and fight and study and practice and only then will you transform your own self into the real being.

 

Manifesting things is about what you have, or the experiences you have.

 

Spirituality is about what you are, and becoming your true self.

 

Clearly the manifesting people are just self-centered emotional gratifiers who have very low intelligence and sincerity.   They have heard that realisation is a bliss, and so they wish to gain that bliss without doing any work for it.

 

Whether the universe gives you something or not, is not the point .... spirituality speaking.   How will it profit you to own the whole world when you have no idea who you are and live in a fake dream of pleasures.

 

A human being is complex on the inside with many parts, conscious, subconscious, older, newer, awake, asleep, physical emotional intellectual spriitual, relative and absolute.   So many parts, and for most it's just a disastrous dump site.   And so when they try to manifest something .... who inside them is manifesting ?   One part of them wants A, another part of them wants B, another part of them want C .... no wonder they don't "get what they want".

 

Getting what you want is a result of being a whole integrated spiritual being, which is a long journey requiring much struggle and work.   And the conditions of life here with alternating joy and pain are what we need.

 

Destiny is again something outside of you, what will I get in the future.
It is not a spiritual question. spiritual question is how can I bring myself into existence.

 

'spiritual question is how can I bring myself into existence.'

Wow, my poor words of support for your statement can't do justice. Hopefully the last sentence will resonate within the unseen world. One of the first steps in the process that I went threw is to get noticed. :)

Edited by mrpasserby
completed a partially expressed thought

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