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Deviate
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Righteousness
#19277385 - 12/15/13 01:02 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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The ancient gree philosophers concluded that happiness went hand in hand with a life of virtue. this seems to be true to me. the wicked person is always anxious because he either wants to gain more than he has or he is afraid of losing what he has. there is a certain emptiness that goes along with living a selfish life. if your schemes are found out or you are killed or thrown in jail, then youve lost. who fears their own demise more than the wicked? for them, their self and their possesions are all they have.
The just man on the other hand, has nothing to fear because he is not in it for his own self. How liberating is that? if one is righteous and practices virtue in all things, then what is there to fear? Sure you could get killed, but if your life was not ruled by the desire for personal gain then what have you really lost?
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Icelander
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Re: Righteousness [Re: Deviate]
#19277392 - 12/15/13 01:06 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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the wicked person is always anxious
Likely wrong if what we know psychologically about psychopathology is true. They are often the least anxious as they don't experience guilt or shame or remorse in the way the "good/nice guy" often does.
Seems unfair though.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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Deviate
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Perhaps not consciously but deep down their spirit is restless.
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Icelander
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Re: Righteousness [Re: Deviate] 1
#19277460 - 12/15/13 01:45 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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You don't know that at all. If you do can you provide some evidence of that?
Actually I think it's guys like you and me that have the restless spirits.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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Deviate
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the only evidence i can provide is their behavior. if they were really happy, why would they engage in wickedness? i believe that truee happiness wants to share itself. but youre right i have no idea what the wicked actually experience. i just dont think its real happiness.
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bloodbrother778
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Re: Righteousness [Re: Deviate]
#19277628 - 12/15/13 03:30 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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I think that righteousness is also a kind of selfishness.... only perhaps the right kind of selfishness - in one case you may be serving your ego self, in another your "spiritual" self but you're still doing it for your self primarily
I think that if we are to reach true selflessness, we have to understand selfishness as well it is easy to say "I don't care about money" if you're broke, but can you still say that and give it all up if you're a millionaire?
The desire to be "enlightened" is still a desire, and it is primarily selfish. It doesn't do anyone any good to deny it, but it also doesn't mean that it's a bad thing - it just means that even selfishness and desire can be used in the right way to aid one's spiritual development.
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Icyus
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Re: Righteousness [Re: Deviate]
#19277635 - 12/15/13 03:35 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Because of the yin yang concept..
Nothing is one dimentional" -^Darken Rahl.
for pleasure there is pain.. one needs both.. and I promise you; only happines might actually be possible to acchieve, though It wouldnt really be happiness no more to you.. you would be repulsed by it.. sick of it..seeking pain instead.. thinking it to be happiness..
-------------------- And thus begins the reverse-fusing of our one-dimentional understanding, and adds ever-expanding perspectives, in depth and number; splitting our perception, and in so doing, seemingly irrationally, creates yet more one-ness, with all that ever was, is and will ever be, streching across the infinite, inunderstood concept of everything, percievable and not.
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Icelander
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Re: Righteousness [Re: Deviate]
#19278677 - 12/15/13 10:40 AM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Quote:
Deviate said: the only evidence i can provide is their behavior. if they were really happy, why would they engage in wickedness?
Because they are built/designed by their dna to enjoy what you call wickedness. Seems fucked up to me too. But then so much does seem fucked up to me.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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deCypher



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Re: Righteousness [Re: Deviate]
#19279521 - 12/15/13 01:55 PM (10 years, 1 month ago) |
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Quote:
Deviate said: The ancient gree philosophers concluded that happiness went hand in hand with a life of virtue. this seems to be true to me. the wicked person is always anxious because he either wants to gain more than he has or he is afraid of losing what he has. there is a certain emptiness that goes along with living a selfish life. if your schemes are found out or you are killed or thrown in jail, then youve lost. who fears their own demise more than the wicked? for them, their self and their possesions are all they have.
The just man on the other hand, has nothing to fear because he is not in it for his own self. How liberating is that? if one is righteous and practices virtue in all things, then what is there to fear? Sure you could get killed, but if your life was not ruled by the desire for personal gain then what have you really lost?
What's commonly thought of as "virtue" seems, to me, to go along hand-in-hand with selfishness. If I truly wish to benefit myself, I know that I should act in a way that tends to help others and be compassionate towards my friends and loved ones. It's only the irrational or not long-term thinking egoist who doesn't realize that behaving "virtuously" towards others is, in the long run, most likely to benefit the self as opposed to lying to others, robbing, or murdering for a short-term benefit.
-------------------- We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
 
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