The Meaning of Life

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To everyone who joined these forums at some point, and got discouraged by the negativity and left after a while (or even got literally scared off): I'm sorry.

I wasn't good enough at encouraging people to be kinder, and removing people who refuse to be kind. Encouraging people is hard, and removing people creates conflict, and I hate conflict... so that's why I wasn't better at it.

I was a very, very sensitive teen. The atmosphere of this forum as it is now, if it had existed in 1996, would probably have upset me far more than it would have helped.

I can handle quite a lot of negativity and even abuse now, but that isn't the point. I want to help people. I want to help the people who need it the most, and I want to help people like the 1996 version of me.

I'm still figuring out the best way to do that, but as it is now, these forums are doing more harm than good, and I can't keep running them.

Thank you to the few people who have tried to understand my point of view so far. I really, really appreciate you guys. You are beautiful people.

Everyone else: If after everything I've said so far, you still don't understand my motivations, I think it's unlikely that you will. We're just too different. Maybe someday in the future it might make sense, but until then, there's no point in arguing about it. I don't have the time or the energy for arguing anymore. I will focus my time and energy on people who support me, and those who need help.

-SoulRiser

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Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode The Meaning of Life
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the Analogist Offline

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Post: #49

RE: The Meaning of Life

my rebuttal to this idea:
"eternal paradise would get boring and be pointless"

I see human nature in my children. The desire to explore is so pronounced and self-evident. I pulled out my Seed Savers Exchange catalog showing all the different varieties of vegetable they have available. I mentioned how in one lifetime I couldnt even explore all the possibilities contained within this one catalog. I feel animated like my children to a point of giddiness about growing a garden, but alas, it is a difficult fantasy to realize and it costs a lot of effort to do it well.

A scholar I know said this about paradise in the Islamic tradition: when you see a bird or an animal, before the thought even comes into your heart that you want to eat it, 40,000 angles come bringing 40,000 different ways of preparing that animal.

the purpose of life is to discover Allah. Since Allah created everything He is nearly everywhere to be found, thus the whole of knowledge is fascinating.

the most heinous crime to children is to limit their ability to express their curiosity, but nonetheless the world is full of danger and so the freshly incarnated human needs parents to enforce/show the limits and guide them through this fascinating albeit temporary existence.

Purity is to Believe only that which deserves it.
Wisdom is to follow only the Opinion which makes the best use of evidence.
Excellence is to be mindful of all these things in Living.
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04-02-2017 07:49 AM