By Bob Chrisman
I believe that I will never know the meaning of life, where I came from, why I’m here, or where I’m going when I die (if anywhere) because I can’t know those things from my limited perspective of the universe and how it functions. I believe that my not knowing doesn’t matter because I can’t and won’t know everything in this world or in the cosmos. It doesn’t work that way.
I believe in the inherent goodness of all people which somehow gets mucked up along the way by the environment in which they live, the people who raise them, and their capacity to endure hard times without being embittered. I believe we all start out life as innocents and the world around us works hard to turn us this way or that depending on so many factors that it’s pointless to worry about what one person did to influence someone.
I believe I will die. My personal experience tells me that everyone I know who has died is really dead and not faking it. Some people think they won’t die and I’m willing to hang around and see if that’s true or not. I can’t imagine anything more horrifying than living forever in this world or in another.
I believe I was meant to be a happy person—actually that we were all meant to be happy, but the world of illusion works to convince us we are not happy and are incapable of being happy without something else. We are constantly assaulted with the idea that if we have this pair of jeans, that pair of shoes, this religious faith, that spiritual practice, this deodorant, that breath spray—that something will allow us to live in eternal bliss. We have all we need right now to be in a state of bliss. Easier said than experienced in our world.
I believe the things that happen to us are neither bad nor good, that we don’t “deserve” to have certain events occur in our lives, and that life is random with no “cause and effect” in play. And by that, I mean we aren’t the victims of some karma or some deity who wants to even the score or restore the balance. I do believe there are consequences of our actions, but we can’t always know what those will be.
I believe for every drop of rain that falls…time’s up.
NOTE: WRITING TOPIC — I BELIEVE… is the latest Writing Topic on red Ravine. Frequent guest writer Bob Chrisman joined QuoinMonkey, Laura, and Sandrarenee in doing a Writing Practice on the topic.
Bob,
I felt a strange calmness coming over me as I read your beliefs. You have a practical way about your orientation to life, realistic while at the same time opening to mystery. Thanks for sharing, now I want to write my own.
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writingintoradiance, it would interest me to know if you write your own “I believe…”, did the results of the writing practice surprise you.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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Bob, thanks for writing with me on this Topic. I feel like I could do many Writing Practices on one so open ended.
You know, one of the lines that struck me when I read your practice was:
I can’t imagine anything more horrifying than living forever in this world or in another.
It made me stop and think and wonder and want to know more about what you feel about that line. I think it makes for a rich life that we all think and feel differently about the world and what happens when we are no longer living in it.
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QM, eternal life in any sphere would lose its meaning after awhile. The beauty and preciousness of my life here is that it will all end one day. Every moment I’m alive is a treasure, even when difficult things happen (those are also the times where it’s hard to remember the preciousness of life).
I can’t imagine being in another place forever…wings or no wings, a harp, a cloud, and everyone I’ve ever known and being there forever. I think it and they would become meaningless in much the same way we grow use to our surroundings and don’t see them anymore until someone from somewhere else points them out again.
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Bob, good point about part of the beauty of life being connected to fact that it is only a blip in the scheme of time. Every moment truly is a treasure.
The second part of your comment, about forever. That’s a long time. I have not thought of it that way. But for me there is comfort in knowing I will see others in Spirit form someday, even if only briefly. I also believe I may come back to Earth one day, maybe in another form. It’s hard to say. But one thing I believe for sure is that the essence of all sentient beings lives on. Thanks for your insights.
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Bob,
Thank you for sharing your practice. I appreciate your life- and calmness- affirming beliefs. I’m reading the exchange between you and QuoinMonkey with interest, the wondering about what comes next (for lack of a better word, a clearer concept), how it may or may not relate to what we know now, how aware I might be of who I am now, what I’ve learned here. Those are the directions my wondering about living and dying were wandering this morning.
I also responded to “I believe we all start out life as innocents and the world around us works hard to turn us this way or that depending on so many factors that it’s pointless to worry about what one person did to influence someone.” It’s a process, it is, of letting go of, or coming to terms with, our need to see influence and the influence in all its guises: the things we want to retain, the effects of the influences we see ourselves living out, the pain or the joy we might experience feeling those influences. Or, perhaps, watching those we love struggle and soar with our influences on them.
Sandra
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QM, I believe that nothing is destroyed just transformed into something else. In that way I believe that all parts of me will exist forever (a concept I can’t comprehend at all).
Sandra, for many years I worried about what would come next. I worried about a lot of thing actually and then I watched my mother worry the last few years of her life about things that were taken care of–completely and totally. No amount of talking to her changed her worrying. I saw that I didn’t want to end my life like that so I have made great effort to not worry about things because all of my mother’s worry didn’t change the world or what happened. It won’t for me either.
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[…] « WRITING TOPIC — I BELIEVE… PRACTICE — I BELIEVE… — 10min […]
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Good for you, Bob! I believe you are a very good writer 😉 How’s that for a writing practice (from your committed non-writing friend)?
Seriously, very practical and well-put. I’m sure there are a great number who will read and agree! Much love…
Terri
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Thanks, Terri, for your kind words. Bob
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Bob,
I came back to this post because it is still on my mind and I haven’t done it yet. Since you asked, I will definately do it and let you know if anything surpising comes from it.
Thanks for sharing about your experience with your mother. I too, don’t want to worry unecessarily about things and I keep thinking that we have to plant the healthy mind seeds now or they won’t bloom very well when we are old.
Teresa
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[…] -posted on red Ravine, Sunday, August 4th, 2013. I miss you, friend. And I carry you in my heart until I pass from this earth. I believe.. […]
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