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 Snaggletooth
Stranger in a Strange Land
 
Registered: 10/24/05
Posts: 6,109
Loc: blinks stupidly
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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 Re: Who Are You? [Re: just me]
#9889584 - 03/01/09 10:37 AM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
just me said:
the day you were born you were an atheist?
thats EXTREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEME to the max!!!
fuck why am i in this forum...gotta go
Well yes of course. No one would or could believe in good unless you are brainwashed. As I grew up, I saw the natural world...and someone who was not brainwashed could never come up the the whole god delusion by themselves.
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Atheist Chat
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just me
Friend
Registered: 07/01/07
Posts: 9,671
Loc: IL/MO/FL/TX/HI/OR
Last seen: 2 days, 6 hours
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well then God brainwashed me. i rebeled against everything religion, till it found me. 
to each their own tho, im not going to tell you youre wrong. please dont tell me i am. when i know FOR ME, that im right
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-pEaCeLoVeGoDbLeSs-
"The Downfall of Mankind; is Believing He Has Limitations."
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Snaggletooth
Stranger in a Strange Land
Registered: 10/24/05
Posts: 6,109
Loc: blinks stupidly
Last seen: 2 years, 5 months
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Re: Who Are You? [Re: just me]
#9890745 - 03/01/09 01:33 PM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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It's all good. I really don't care which of the 1000's "the one and only true god" they decide believe in with no evidence. Reality is just to cool for me to make things up.
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Atheist Chat
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vandago
Submarine
Registered: 07/07/04
Posts: 8,719
Loc: Eastern standard time, US...
Last seen: 15 days, 16 hours
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1.Raised in northeastern Ohio. Practically poor it seemed. Lived in the outskirts of the ghetto of a small town til I was around 9. Extremely vigorous christian style upbrining ( presbtyrian) I was an acolite......Sunday church.....chrstmas mass....the whole nine yards.........Hate my mom for it honestly.....installed quite a bit f fear and anxiety in me as a person, and made it harder to understand life as it really is.
2.Apparently test scores showed I was a gifted student, but my grades showed I was practically mentally incapable. up until age 9 I couldn't care less about school, and had quite a fit of temper tantrums throughout school being forced to take ritalin daily ( around 80 mg I remember ). at 9 I was put in a class called I.P.E.S.I and I started getting A's. Some weird gifted class ( a different approach to teaching brilliant children with too much energy ), and I loved it........
....However my mother didn't seem to love the police officer of a step father I had, so she left him and moved to a shit whole town with a shit hole education system, and I fell through the grid of popularity contest, and at age 10 was lost to commercialism and ignorance. I continued to suck at grades, and only worry about friends, keeping myself quite in trouble constantly through the move of 5 more schoos through my child hood til at 17 I dropped out.......
( my father is MIA so far in my journey through the physical abyss )
3. My job consists of telemarketing. I sell magazines all day. I make slightly under 15 bucks an hour doing so ( I'm not terrible at talking ). I have ABSOLUTELY no clue what I want in life, however the path I'm on now is a very well thoguht out one, and I will be forgoing school in the fall, and I will find career options suited to my needs.
4. I used to be a god fearing moron. Now I feel though I have transcended the vileness of the world at times into utter chaos and bliss all at once. I have realized the good is as useful as the bad, and they both ensue to ensure a balanced atmosphere. I knwo if one out weighs the other too much you will lose focus on life. I have no clue what came before......or after me......or what will become of me......
5. I feel as a person I can skip ahead in time.....and back in time, without going through the motions. I can do math in my head like a virtual demon.....and I guess I do life the same way.......everything adds up.......and I can always count backwards and get to number one......so I always find reaosn in everything.....and I always understand NO MATTER WHAT......I hate it sometimes......and love it others.
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www.fat-pie.com
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Moonraker
Friend
Registered: 12/15/08
Posts: 715
Last seen: 6 months, 10 days
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Re: Who Are You? [Re: vandago]
#9898288 - 03/02/09 04:35 PM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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20 y/o Caucasian Male.
1) I was born and raised in Illinois and moved to Michigan around the fifth grade. My whole childhood I always wanted to become and "Indian"(Native American). I thought if I were to walk around barefoot outside long enough my feet would harden and that would be the first STEP to becoming an "Indian" (pun intended). Around the time of my birth my family was definitely a lower class but has gradually made it to more of a middle/upper-middle class family. From day one to right around the age of 16 I was a firm Catholic, and was proud of it. I would spend at least four hours a week at the church: Sunday mass, youth group, religious education, hell I even went on some mission trips to help disaster victims.
2) Up through high school I never had to try in school to get good grades, but the last couple of years of high school my interest weaned as well as my grades.
3) I am currently working on getting a bachelor of fine arts degree. I love drawing and painting: conte crayon, pastels, acrylics, graphite, digital painting, spray paint, etc. If I didn't have to earn money I honestly think I would be on the same career path, its what I love to do and hopefully will always have to ability to do so.
4) At the age of 16 I decided that enough was enough and told my mom that I no longer wanted to join the family at church on Sundays. At that point I really thought I had disproved the existence of God with the problem of the existence of evil, now I don't believe that argument really proves much but am glad I was able to start to question what had been for so long pounded into my brain. Ever since then I have been completely intrigued by philosophy and haven't stopped contemplating. I have always been consumed by the thought of death, not in a sad way but more like I'm bewildered by the thought. My first (and so far only) acid trip was amazing. Three blotter tabs and about three hours later I experienced complete ego death and then rebirth with heavy emphasis on the child-like stage. That experience taught me so much about my self and existence that I feel it would be unjust to try to put into words.
5) Above all I seem to value existential ideals. I've been reading a lot of Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus, Heidegger, etc. I love how it is more of an anti-philosophy and preaches the absence of any objective truths. I love the thought of freedom in this sense. I semi consider myself an Atheist, I don't mind if someone has a truly subjective relationship with a god or gods but if someone subscribes with some sort of organized religion and believes they are right, then I have a problem with that person and am horrible at hiding what I think about them. I loved my childhood and make it a day to day goal to never grow up. When I was young I believed that I could do anything, including actually becoming a Native American. Now-a-days I could devote my life to Native American studies or move out west to a reserve and eat peyote but I know full well that I will forever remain a Caucasian American. I now wear moccasins all year round (except for the dead of Michigan winter) just to pretend that I could one day become a Native. In that sense I never will let go of my childhood.
I do feel my views vary significantly from the majority. I want people to realize that even if a god exists there is still no point dedicating anything (time, intellect, or anything else) to it. I want people to realize that we don't need religion to define morals and instead must recognize a deep underlying humanism that I believe we all share.
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A human race with more highly developed spiritual capacities, with expanded consciousness of the depth and the incomprehensible wonder of being, would also have greater understanding of and better consideration for the biological and material foundation of life on this earth, Above all, for Western people with their hypertrophied rationality, the development and expansion of a direct, emotional experience of reality, unobstructed by words and concepts, would be of evolutionary significance.
Beginning to think is beginning to be undermined.
To fall in hell or soar angelic,
You need a pinch of psychedelic.
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ilovefishsticks
Stranger
Registered: 12/14/08
Posts: 25
Last seen: 1 year, 1 month
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Re: Who Are You? [Re: Veritas]
#9904300 - 03/03/09 02:38 PM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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1. What was your upbringing? Did your family have money? Were they religious? Did they discuss philosophy and/or spirituality with you?
I was brought up in a middle-upper class family. In my opinion my parents did a great job raising me. I will admit my mom was quite the giving person and would spoil me a little, but nothing crazy. I was raised as a greek orthodox christian which is similar to being catholic. Both of my parents are religious and I always have been until I was about 16. Around then is when I really started thinking about it. I still remember watching zeitgeist and it convinced me against religion and for about a full week I was athiest. I then showed my parents the video and my dad talked with me after about it, and I'm glad to say he used some pretty convincing info to convince me back to believing. Right now I dont really believe my religion is the only correct one, but their is a god and shrooms only strengthened my view of this. My parents never really discussed philosophy or spirituality with me.
2. How was your educational experience? Did you enjoy school? Were you academically-oriented, or disinterested? How much of your education has found application in your daily life?
Since I was a kid I had always loved science and I would read books about volcanoes and such. From about grades 3-8 I was picked on alot and I often hated going to school every day because of it. My parents and close friends provided good support which helped out. Once high school hit maturity was better and I never really got picked on. I always had a very difficult time learning in school until my parents took me to a psychologist my sophomore year and I was diagnosed with ADD. No matter how hard I tried I couldnt pay attention until I had been prescribed concerta. I went from straight Cs to As and didnt need to put in as much effort. Math went from being my worst subject to my best. Now I'm a computer science major at university and love it. I had loved computers since freshman year of high school so it wasnt hard to choose. I really do love learning and read pretty much everything online, but I just hate homework.
3. What career interests you? Are you working in this career now? Do you feel satisfied in your work, or is it mainly a paycheck job? What work would you do if you did not have to earn money?
A career in computer science. Im going for my undergrad now, but I plan to go on to a masters, possibly a Phd. This is what I love to do and if I had to do a job for free it would be what I'm studying now.
4. Has your philosophy/spirituality changed much over the years? Have you had epiphanies or rude awakenings which led you to reconsider your beliefs/values? At what age did you first become interested in philosophy/spirituality?
Yes my philosophy/spirituality has changed a whole lot over the years. I have learned alot from the internet and credit it with most of what I know about the world. If it werent for the internet, I would have never tried pot, let alone psychedelics. I have thought about what life is for as long as I can remember. In fact I'll never forget one night as a child I was laying in bed attempting to sleep, I was probably in 3rd grade, and I called for my mom to come in the room and asked her "why are we here?" and she was pretty much speechless. At that age you look up to your parents thinking they know everything, but now I look back and see that they still have no idea, as we really all have no idea. I think you can begin to understand life through the use of psychedelics. A huge epiphany I had was my first shroom trip, as when I tried it I didn't know anything about it other than you hallucinate. It pretty much smacked me in the face and I wanted to learn more and these forums helped alot. At one point in the trip I felt a very strong connection with something greater and felt "at one" with everything and realized alot of the stuff we talk about on these forums all the time.
5. What are your core values? How are these values expressed in your daily life? Do you feel that your values are similar or dissimilar to those of the majority?
I feel that as humans we are incredibly powerful beings, but we have so many faults that I see on a daily basis. I think most people are too egocentric and only concerned about their life that they forget about the bigger picture. Most people go on with life thinking what they can do to be successful, they want to live a fulfilling life so they are happy. Often times as long as that person is happy, they dont care how the happiness came to them. People keep polluting the earth and causing wars for their personal benefit. They dont care that someone else's life is or will be ruined, as long as they are fine now. I ask people on my campus all the time about polluting the environment and most people dont care because "they will be dead". I feel it is this mentality that will eventually lead to the end of humanity. We are willing to kill in war so that one side "wins", when really it is not helping the world as a whole unless both sides benefit. Life beyond earth is bound to exist and people must realize that our life on earth is not everything. We can barely imagine 50 years into the future, let alone 50,000. If life on earth formed billions of years ago, we are still infants of evolution. Maybe a million years from now if humans still exist we will have evolved to be able to comprehend life's mysteries.
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meatcakeman
the search for bodhisattva
Registered: 07/03/07
Posts: 8,279
Loc: el sol
Last seen: 8 days, 15 hours
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Re: Who Are You? [Re: Veritas]
#9904326 - 03/03/09 02:42 PM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
1. What was your upbringing? Did your family have money? Were they religious? Did they discuss philosophy and/or spirituality with you?
As a child, I was brought up by a very strict father, and a passive, lenient mother. Both of my parents were immigrants from Taiwan, so they upheld many traditional Chinese beliefs. They also stressed the importance of hard work, diligence, and education. They believed that the only true path to success was to go to a prestigious university and graduate school in order to enter the workforce as a income-generating machine.
In maintaining the stiff structure within our family, my father became the self-proclaimed totalitarian of the household, enforcing his every wish by fist, belt, bamboo stick, metal rod, wooden spoon, etc. Though my childhood lifestyle was the least bit enjoyable, my family was not poor, but they we were not well off either. My father, graduating from Columbia Business School, held a decent occupation in a government housing firm. Though he never seemed to enjoy himself at work, his mood would worsen at home.
Both of my parents are self-proclaimed baptists. My father also held many Buddhist beliefs as well, since his father was Buddhist. I would often go to church on Sundays as a child, but I never fully took on any Christian ideals.
Quote:
2. How was your educational experience? Did you enjoy school? Were you academically-oriented, or disinterested? How much of your education has found application in your daily life?
In elementary school, I was always top of the class; always. There was no test I did not score the highest on. My parents would occasionally take me to educational institutions to take intelligence and comprehension tests, such as a Johns Hopkins-based educational facility in LA. I would always score high on these tests, showing my scholastic potential; I never enjoyed it. Even though I showed academic inclination, I often strayed towards the loftier ideals of childhood life; I would frolic in the playground with friends and observe the bugs around the fields.
But because my parents were so ardent on my academic success, I no longer felt like I was doing it for myself. Slowly, semester by semester, I would lose focus and determination. And by high school, I no longer had motivation, and I had the grades to show it, graduating with a 1.9 GPA. But Junior year was the peak of my adolescent rebellion. I was arrested on my 16th birthday and was sent to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall. I was convicted for felony arson, burglary, and vandalism. Consequently, I was expelled from my high school, and was forced to find academic solace at a nearby continuation school for rejects or delinquents. By that time, I was on house arrest and probation, and had no intention of going back to LP. So I focused on my studies, which consisted of bullshit essays and playing Oregon Trail in the computer lab. Luckily, I did well and my old high school allowed me to reenter and graduate from there.
But I didn't want to stop there; I had dreams of going to college and living my life. So I applied to all the University of California campuses, and even though the minimum gpa for acceptance was a 3.0, I still got in to both the Santa Barabara and Riverside campuses, solely due to my seemingly exceptional SAT and SAT subject scores; 2100 on the reasoning, 780 on the biology subject test, and 800 on the mathIIc subject test.
I chose to go to UC Riverside because they gave me a decent amount of grant money and financial aid. There, I academically flourished. I still got terrible grades, my Freshman gpa was 0.0368, but my mind and conscious expanded beyond reason. I was open to any and all new things; I had the hunger for more and the thirst to learn.
Quote:
3. What career interests you? Are you working in this career now? Do you feel satisfied in your work, or is it mainly a paycheck job? What work would you do if you did not have to earn money?
I have yet to have a legitimate job, though I did work in a Chinese factory under-the-table. But since preschool, I have always wanted to be a doctor of some sort. I first wanted to be a neurologist, but later I realized the excitement and accomplishment of being a research doctor. Now, I am working hard as a Medical Biological Sciences major in hopes of getting into a good medical school. Although I don't work, I receive a monthly check from the U.S. Navy of around $4,225 to pay for my housing, food, and school supplies. They are also paying for my tuition, and will be paying for my medical school. The downside is I have to do 3 years of active duty after I graduate from medical school.
Quote:
4. Has your philosophy/spirituality changed much over the years? Have you had epiphanies or rude awakenings which led you to reconsider your beliefs/values? At what age did you first become interested in philosophy/spirituality?
I always held a relatively uniform philosophy on life: Do what you want because you only live once. But after being incarcerated, I realized the importance of self-fulfillment. I also realized that in order to do what I truly want to do in life, I would have to excell in school beyond belief.
Quote:
5. What are your core values? How are these values expressed in your daily life? Do you feel that your values are similar or dissimilar to those of the majority?
I find virtue in life, but not exactly humanistic life. I see the importance of biological equilibrium within our world and how every living organism is a major component to the complete infrastructure. Humans are no different, but we like to think differently. We like to believe that just because we have a conscious, we have some sort of divine right and purpose on this Earth. Though we do have an ecological purpose here on Earth, which is to maintain it, our right to live here is no more righteous than any other sentient being's right to live here. But so far, the human race in the larger spectrum has just been a cancer to this Earth. We barely do anything to change that, yet we have the intellectual potential to.... Grasping that mentally has always been a difficult task for me.
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大开眼界
Hasta siempre, comandante.
Edited by meatcakeman (03/03/09 03:31 PM)
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 Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 67,613
Loc: underbelly
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Re: Who Are You? [Re: Veritas]
#9904662 - 03/03/09 03:35 PM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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1) I was brought up Christian fundamentalist. My dad sure gave me the impression that he resented and disliked me. My mom was depressed and emotionally unavailable and scared. They were lower middle class and rarely even talked to me.
2) I had severe anxiety in school I was friendless and scared and hardly remember anything.
3) I'm retired now but my favorite jobs were as a Martial arts instructor and a dog trainer. I worked in the Natural Foods industry the longest. (20 years). If I could do anything I think I would write articles for sporting mags on fishing/hiking and dog training.
4) Unfortunately I have lost my faith in the human experiment. I think mostly we are insane and dysfunctional. I used to believe that we might someday work it out and become one tribe but I have totally lost hope. I'm waiting for them to pollute the last fish and tear down the last tree and kill the last enemy. Fuck I'm so sorry to be saying this.
5) My core value is loving kindness believe it or not. I'm just no good at it. I really am heartbroken about all the emotional and physical suffering in the world. I also believe that we should take much better care of this beautiful earth and the animals that are trying to share it with us. I guess the only way I express these values anymore is to go into the back country and just take it in and love it. And say my goodbyes. I also consume very little and live on, voluntarily, what most people think they would starve on. I have a car but maybe put a thousand or two miles a year going camping. I almost never drive it in town. I ride my bike or walk and really love that. I feel my values are really out of line with most of the human race. I feel almost totally out of touch with my fellow humans.
Now wasn't that a cherie bit of work. I guess I just had to get it out.
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“What is the ideal for mental health, then? A lived, compelling illusion that does not lie about life, death, and reality; one honest enough to follow its own commandments: I mean, not to kill, not to take the lives of others to justify itself.”
― Ernest Becker
"Beneath the civilized veneer, man remains the supreme predator. Cursed with what he believes is understanding, his true soul blossoms godlike in the heart of the nuclear inferno."
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flangenips
Batshitinsanse
Registered: 01/20/08
Posts: 1,520
Loc: aotearoa 
Last seen: 8 months, 8 days
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Re: Who Are You? [Re: Icelander]
#9904994 - 03/03/09 04:24 PM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Icelander said:
4) Unfortunately I have lost my faith in the human experiment. I think mostly we are insane and dysfunctional. I used to believe that we might someday work it out and become one tribe but I have totally lost hope. I'm waiting for them to pollute the last fish and tear down the last tree and kill the last enemy. Fuck I'm so sorry to be saying this.
5) My core value is loving kindness believe it or not. I'm just no good at it. I really am heartbroken about all the emotional and physical suffering in the world. I also believe that we should take much better care of this beautiful earth and the animals that are trying to share it with us. I guess the only way I express these values anymore is to go into the back country and just take it in and love it. And say my goodbyes. I also consume very little and live on, voluntarily, what most people think they would starve on. I have a car but maybe put a thousand or two miles a year going camping. I almost never drive it in town. I ride my bike or walk and really love that. I feel my values are really out of line with most of the human race. I feel almost totally out of touch with my fellow humans.
Shit its depressing to hear people say this sort of stuff. However, I don't think you should feel the need to apologise, its not your fault. However, you don't seem out of touch, expressing you values is something a lot of people are hypocrites in practice.
You're just another type of human. So no apology needed, not to other humans anyway. If you truely believe that the road ahead for humanity is fucked, then you might as well take in what is good and great now while its still here - which sounds just like what you are doing. 
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All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusions is called a philosopher. - Ambrose Bierce
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 67,613
Loc: underbelly
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I do what I can.
I apologized?
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“What is the ideal for mental health, then? A lived, compelling illusion that does not lie about life, death, and reality; one honest enough to follow its own commandments: I mean, not to kill, not to take the lives of others to justify itself.”
― Ernest Becker
"Beneath the civilized veneer, man remains the supreme predator. Cursed with what he believes is understanding, his true soul blossoms godlike in the heart of the nuclear inferno."
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flangenips
Batshitinsanse
Registered: 01/20/08
Posts: 1,520
Loc: aotearoa
Last seen: 8 months, 8 days
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Re: Who Are You? [Re: Icelander]
#9909748 - 03/04/09 10:24 AM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Icelander said:
I apologized?
Quote:
Fuck I'm so sorry to be saying this.
Don't be. The world would be even worse if people didn't speak out.
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All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusions is called a philosopher. - Ambrose Bierce
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KP123
strange
Registered: 05/10/06
Posts: 175
Loc: Texas
Last seen: 3 years, 27 days
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me?
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'I am like an infant which has not yet smiled'
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Marie4isu
Stranger
Registered: 02/12/09
Posts: 1
Last seen: 3 years, 2 months
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Re: Who Are You? [Re: just me]
#10011854 - 03/21/09 01:06 AM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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Childhood: Not so good. Abandoned and reclaimed later. Abused emotionally, etc. Father died when I was nine and we were left almost destitute.
I loved school except for when I was expelled for something that I didn't do and was later exonerated for. I was one of three people of that class to get a B.S. and the only one to go beyond that in education. I totally enjoyed everything beyond the B.S. Of eight female cousins, I was the one of only two to complete high school and the only one to get further education.
I became a university teacher of my field, including working within that field. I loved it and had the ideal profession! I miss the students very much!!
As for spirit and religion: that has changed over time. Through high school, I was active in an Episcopalian-Methodist church. In college, I joined the Episcopalian church and prayed all the time. Throughout that time, I was exploring other religions. In my thirties, I became a theosophist and am not what is described as New Age.
My values are for Mother Earth and survival of "good" and people on earth. I highly value kindness, friendliness, helping, and compassion.
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 67,613
Loc: underbelly
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Welcome. Sounds like you've had the all american childhood. Sorry about that.
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“What is the ideal for mental health, then? A lived, compelling illusion that does not lie about life, death, and reality; one honest enough to follow its own commandments: I mean, not to kill, not to take the lives of others to justify itself.”
― Ernest Becker
"Beneath the civilized veneer, man remains the supreme predator. Cursed with what he believes is understanding, his true soul blossoms godlike in the heart of the nuclear inferno."
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Magnus Maximus
son of bitch
Registered: 03/24/09
Posts: 18
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I AM HIM WHO IS CALLED I AM!
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 67,613
Loc: underbelly
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Nice try, you are called Magnus Maximus. Just what we need here, more delusions of grandeur.
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“What is the ideal for mental health, then? A lived, compelling illusion that does not lie about life, death, and reality; one honest enough to follow its own commandments: I mean, not to kill, not to take the lives of others to justify itself.”
― Ernest Becker
"Beneath the civilized veneer, man remains the supreme predator. Cursed with what he believes is understanding, his true soul blossoms godlike in the heart of the nuclear inferno."
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littlebirdie
Stranger
Registered: 09/15/07
Posts: 285
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Re: Who Are You? [Re: Veritas]
#10037799 - 03/25/09 08:58 AM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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Hi, everyone! I'm new to this portion of the Shroomery, and have been enjoying reading the discourse. I'm on the quiet side, so I'm not sure how often I'll jump in, but wanted to add my particulars to this great thread.
1. What was your upbringing? Did your family have money? Were they religious? Did they discuss philosophy and/or spirituality with you?
I am the daughter of a man and woman who met in Kentucky. My dad was stationed at Fort Knox, a devout Catholic. My mom was a Native American, Cherokee, woman who didn't know her own father and who was raised by her Grandmother. The marriage lasted, but they both died much too young.
I attended Catholic church nearly every day of my life until I left home at 16. That was so many years ago. I haven't attended church since. I didn't want a decaying group of old men deciding my fate.
2. How was your educational experience? Did you enjoy school? Were you academically-oriented, or disinterested? How much of your education has found application in your daily life?
I have a masters degree in physics. I loved school. I still love school, and am currently taking fourth year Spanish. Hope to be fluent within the next couple of years. I worked in physics for some years, but now am a writer as well as a professional in the area of arts and culture. I love my job and every once in a while find myself doing partial differentials just to keep on top of skills I most likely will never use again.
3. What career interests you? Are you working in this career now? Do you feel satisfied in your work, or is it mainly a paycheck job? What work would you do if you did not have to earn money?
I love my job. I work for two non-profit organizations and feel my work is fulfilling, meaningful, and a help to my community. I am also a writer with two published novels and another "on the way." If I didn't have to earn money I will do exactly what I am doing now. I was doing this job without pay for several years, when I was offered an official paying position. 
4. Has your philosophy/spirituality changed much over the years? Have you had epiphanies or rude awakenings which led you to reconsider your beliefs/values? At what age did you first become interested in philosophy/spirituality?
When I left home, I left the Catholic church. I had no small measure of guilt making that decision, but over the decades the guilt has dissipated. I consider myself spiritually oriented. I enjoy spending time in introspection, wondering what might be out there, wondering what the meaning - if any - of our existence is. I feel that I have been this kind of a wanderer my entire life. I can't imagine stopping the exploration.
5. What are your core values? How are these values expressed in your daily life? Do you feel that your values are similar or dissimilar to those of the majority?
I believe in the power of honesty and compassion. I don't feel this is at odds or different from any other human.
Thanks for posting this survey.
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Magnus Maximus
son of bitch
Registered: 03/24/09
Posts: 18
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Quote:
Icelander said:
Nice try, you are called Magnus Maximus. Just what we need here, more delusions of grandeur.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the ying and the yang, an avatar of God.
Edited by Magnus Maximus (03/25/09 07:37 PM)
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 67,613
Loc: underbelly
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But I am the Icelander.
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“What is the ideal for mental health, then? A lived, compelling illusion that does not lie about life, death, and reality; one honest enough to follow its own commandments: I mean, not to kill, not to take the lives of others to justify itself.”
― Ernest Becker
"Beneath the civilized veneer, man remains the supreme predator. Cursed with what he believes is understanding, his true soul blossoms godlike in the heart of the nuclear inferno."
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Huehuecoyotl
Stranger
Registered: 06/13/04
Posts: 10,158
Loc: On the Border
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Re: Who Are You? [Re: Veritas]
#10068469 - 03/29/09 04:49 PM (3 years, 2 months ago) |
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No one of consequence.
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Maybe there is no Heaven. Maybe this is all pure gibberish — a product of the demented imagination of a lazy drunken hillbilly with a heart full of hate who has found a way to live out where the real winds blow — to sleep late, have fun, get wild, drink whiskey, and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love and not getting arrested...
--HST
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