fredag, april 11, 2008

Speaking (or rather meme-ing) about spiritual matters


It's been a long time since any memes have been filled out in this internet space, but that will now change. This one's an interesting one, full of questions on things that I don't believe in. Which means that it might end up being quite short. Or, more likely, not. It was nabbed from fellow Virgo Monkey Dok Holocaust.

Astrological Sign? Virgo. Which makes sense if one considers the spirit of the sign, rather than the literal description that books give of the sign. So, for example, I have no domesticity to speak of, but my cd's are always in alphabetical order by artist, chronological within each artist. I am great at thinking of systems, though crap at actually ever implementing them. That sort of thing.

Chinese Astrological Sign? Monkey. I always like the description of this sign, but have never quite been able to see myself in the description. Maybe on a very very good day, where I'm inspired to act totally unlike myself.

What are you currently setting your intention on or praying for? I'm not the praying type. My intentions are to get some work done so that I have something to say in a meeting on that work next week. At the rate I'm going, we'll see how it goes.

Who do you pray to? I don't.

Do you believe God created humans or humans evolved from primordial goo? No. I believe that we are the result of evolution, but have no opinion on primordial goo. For my view on God, there's a question a bit further down.

What is your mantra? I've never had a mantra that's stuck. 'Carpe diem' is a classic, but not really how I've lived my life. 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you' has a rich, biblical feel, and may be closer to reality, but that's not it, either.

Do you believe in Sin? I believe that sometimes people are really stupid, and do stupid things. There may be people who are 'bad people', though my opinion on this isn't really set. But sin? No, I don't think so.

Do you believe in Evil? I sort of see this in the same way I see sin. I'm sure that there are actions or events that can be called evil. As for those involved in these actions or events, I'm sure some are not evil, but stupid, naive, intimidated, etc. If anyone involved in evil can really be just evil, I honestly couldn't say. I'd like to think no, but don't really know that, either.

What do you do when you see 11:11? am or pm?

AM: At the moment, I'm usually at work if it's a workday, or surfing the internet if it's a weekend. Soon I'll be surfing everyday, and then it'll all shift, and I'll be doing something baby-related.

PM: Usually, this is around when I blog, or right after I've blogged, at which point I'm snoring in bed. Soon, it'll all shift, and I'll be doing something baby-related.

Do you believe in Angels? No. I know someone named Angel, and I believe quite strongly that she exists.

Do you believe in God? No, I truly don't, and I feel that through both the good and the bad. However, I don't believe it's possible to disprove the existence of God, either. I consider myself to be a fundamentalist agnostic.

Is there an aspect of your religion/belief that you haven’t made up your mind about? Is there an aspect of my beliefs that I have made up my mind about? Yes, I really do feel that I am an agnostic. I believe the natural world is so amazing just by itself that adding a supernatural layer onto it that doesn't exist is just overdoing it. I realize that many will disagree. The rest is a work in progress, but not much progress is going on because I'm not on a belief-forming path, and am not prioritizing such matters.

Is there a religion that you don’t follow, but deeply respect or admire? I have watched Buddhism from afar for a long time, specifically Zen-type Buddhism. Meditation fascinates me.

Who has inspired you the most on your spiritual path? What spiritual path? I enjoy a few skeptical podcasts. In life overall, my family and friends are important.

In your opinion, what is the worst mistake we make, as a species? Not thinking of the long-term consequences of our actions. Not being willing to make small sacrifices now to make life more livable for all of us later.

What is something you would like to believe, but don’t? I used to study astrology on a very minor level. It, and tarot cards, and suchlike, are wonderful systems in their complexity. I wouldn't say that I would like to believe in them, but it's fun to play with, regardless of their overall level of worth.

Do you believe in soul mates? No, I don't know that I do. I do believe that there can be two people who can have a deep connection and be right for each other. But I don't believe that there is only one such person for any given person, so that if one of the soul mates dies, for example, that there is nowhere else for the surviving partner to go. I think there are many possibilities to have that special connection for each of us.

Reincarnation or heaven? Nothingness, our physical bodies decomposing and returning to the ecosystem. If I could make one true though, I'd go for reincarnation. Actually, it could be argued that by decomposing, we are given the opportunity for a certain kind of reincarnation.

Best “ah ha!” moment/epiphany? The problem with 'aha' moments is that they reveal things that are quite fundamental and basic, so that once the moment is absorbed, it's hard to remember with such clarity. It's just part of who we are at that point. I'm sure I've had many such moments.

Required spiritual reading? I would say, whatever you are inspired to read, then read it. That goes for any type of reading.

If you could pick, in your final moments, what would your last words be? I wouldn't want to focus on last words, but it would be nice to have the nearness of loved ones.

Advice for a lost soul? Accept that by being lost, you have the opportunity to find a completely new path, that you would never have known about otherwise.

A song that encapsulates your beliefs? Hmmm...the last time I was asked about a song, I chose the Grateful Dead, Brokedown Palace. It still fits.

7 kommentarer:

FourLegged sagde ...

I found only one piece of information surprising:
You sort your CDs alphabetically by artist name and then alphabetically be album title.
I tend to do it alphabetically by artist and then chronologically by title. (I like to see the artist's progression/digression over time.)

Devil Mood sagde ...

lol @ fourlegged!!

I loved this meme. Really interesting and more meaningful than most.
Believe it or not it was 11:11 while I was reading it. It's the hour when I think: time for a cookie.

kimananda sagde ...

Bro, so what you're saying is, we sort our cd's in the same way. ;-) And you're not even a Virgo.

Ms. Mood, thanks. And any hour is a good hour for a cookie!

Anonym sagde ...

i used to organize my CDs by record label, artist, and year of release, meticulously placing them in my two-level spinning cd holder thingie i had as a teen to represent which bands were significant to me at the time, and it got rearranged every couple months.

this practice held til I moved out of my parnets house and in with my girlfriend, at which point all my cds were in a box someplace, totally disorganized, and i had to learnt o live with that. Then I bought an ipod, and siphoned the precious music-juice out of all those cumbersome discs into files a single little electronic thingamajiggie with the option to resort them by year, song title, album title, artist, or any of dozens of other variables at the click of a mouse.

I still buy cds (unless I want just the one song, like i'm getting the original of a cover version i like or something), but now, they get imported to the iPod right after purchase, then tossed to some random corner of the apartment because i never play the actual disc anymore.

kimananda sagde ...

'Precious music-juice'...yep, that's what it is. I have all my cd's actually in two of those cd folders, where you can put the cd's but without the jewel cases. But, like you, I hardly ever look at them anymore, cause it's all on the iPod.

Greg Mills sagde ...

How does YHWH organize His CDs?

I used to alphabetize them, when my primary project was cataloging and saving civilization (ie, music I like). Now MP3s have rendered that project, and thus most of my life, meaningless. I

I still muddle on though.

kimananda sagde ...

It sounds like a viable project still. Just think of all the new ways in which you can categorize MP3s...not just alphabetical, but chronological, by ratings, genre, references to any object you might care to imagine, etc. I'd say your project is just beginning. So get to work! ;-)