You have to understand: what you see, what you hear, feel, taste and even think—these things hold absolutely no meaning. They are as nothingness in the true scope of reality. What we experience in our day-to-day lives is a joke. It is nothing more than smoke in mirrors, or "shadows and dust!" Yet it is our "reality." How difficult is it for us to grasp the severity of these implications: that our daily experience is, in essence, nothingness: meaningless futility. Solomon had it exactly right when he declared that everything is meaningless & "a chasing after wind." It is so in all utter sincerity. Our understanding and our experience of life is nothing. Absolutely nothing. It doesn't matter what you feel, how you look, who you know, where you live, what you own, or how many pesetas you have in your wallet. None of this adds up to a single quantum particle in the truth of reality.
So then, why this existence? Why smell, taste, sight, sound, touch? Why communication & social order? Why seconds, hours, days and seasons? Why joy or pain? Why weight, mass, length, width, height? Why consciousness? Why interaction and interplay? Why represent reality—why "experience" reality through a meaningless, empty-of-truth projection, masking the true order of reality?
Maybe that is Creation. Maybe none of this being truth and all of this being nothingness is the central core of what the whole of Creation is about. Everything around us is a fabrication; none of it is really "real". Our insertion into this Creation was done by choice. Or, rather, our ability or capacity to recognise the emptiness of true truth in Creation is what characterises Humankind's likeness of the image of God. To grasp truly the truth, the truth that this around is not it—that this around us is nothingness: to be able to appreciate an ascendant order, a true reality outside of Creation where true truth exists, where these dusty shadows emulate real reality. To know God and to know that He is Truth—to comprehend fully that this around us is not truth. That is what it means to be created in the image of God.
This calls for a paradigm shift. A new outlook on "reality." This calls us to live "life" here in accordance to
Around you is nothingness, around you is meaningless. What exists is God & His truth. What exist are those things created in His likeness. The only Life, the only living things are those that are in connection with Christ. All else is either dead or smoke n' mirrors. Life can be had, but only if you choose to really really live.
Grasp the reality.
6 comments:
i've always thought there was something weird about cats. i look into there eyes and i get this erie feeling like they don't see me. i think i know why now.
BIG cats are the opposite. You look into their eyes and it's flat our terrifying. "I am a machine and you are a slab of meat", they seem to say.
The reason I can say this is because I just saw tigers in India, and I am still giddy, and want to gloat
good things to think about my friend...
but do you really think it's possible or ultimately beneficial to live life constantly reminding yourself that it's not real? I mean, I understand the concept, and I agree with it and I like it... but sometimes it just feels like reminding myself that it's just a breath and just a shadow, well, it feels like I'm lieing to myself, or belittling the reality of pain and life that is experienced.
Hmm, I dunno. I feel drawn by both sides of the arguement.
it's like, can you imagine me saying to my friend, "yeah, sorry that life sucks for you right now, but hey! it's okay because life is just temporary and it's not really a big deal. I mean, you're just gonna die in the end anyhow and compared to Christ's sufferings it really isn't that big a deal."
I think she'd probably kick me in the shins and never speak to me again.
:S
Hey Michigan;
The understanding of "reality" that I was suggesting here was by no means meant to belittle the existence of what we undergo. We all live in this creation, and there is no real way (that I know of, at least) to get around our existence in it. What this post was trying to get at, rather, is that none of it is "real." In essence, none of our current situations, understandings, experiences, etc. really _really_ add up to anything in light of eternity. Does that make our "mortal" lives any less significant? Perhaps. Does it also imply that, since we've been created in the image of the Creator & can understand the finitude of this existence--and its limits--we can overcome the constraints of this existence and perhaps even (literally) change that which our "is" is? Yes. I think that this might very well be an underlying premise of how "faith" works: knowing that God, being outside Creation & therefore not being bound by its rules (necessarily), can accomplish anything that He desires. Furthermore, Christ was given all authority under Heaven & Earth, and in that state of authority, he proclaimed that--if our faith was sufficient (faith in what? I assume faith in the authority of Christ and the other two in the trinity)--we could tell that mountain over there to toss itself into the sea, just as He himself caused the barren fig tree to wither. Metaphorical mountain tossing? Perhaps. Actual mountain tossing? Perhaps, as well. What is the limit of the power of our faith in the One who has no power/authority (or limits) over Him? I guess, the limit of his dispensation in response to our faith.
"You have not, because you ask not. And you still do not have, because you ask with the wrong motives"
"And these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love".
And as for the friend;
I don't know if I would ever suggest approaching/dispensing compassion or empathy in this light. Encouragement, yes--and that, only when the receiving individual subscribes to this understanding of reality & creation, viz. a mature Christian, whose eyes are on the prize.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." --Jesus
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." [emphasis added by me ;)]
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