If they met as adults or even teenagers, there is no sense nor logic whatsoever morally nor ethically in hindering them from being romantically involved or getting hitched. If they had met as children, then it would be a different ball game entirely.

[The more I live, the more I realize that the mind is like water, it has a high propensity to flow. If not placed in an enclosed space, it is bound to flow. If placed in an open space, a channel or channels must be created to guard the direction of its flow. Without directions, the thoughts of the mind will flow to just anywhere, anyhow and at anytime.

The more I live, the more I realize that humans are like time, always taking something away. Whether or not we produce, we consume, whether or not we give, we must take. Upon this fact depends the continuity of our survival. Whether or not an individual works, hunger will certainly eventually come knocking like a landlord to his tenant whose rent is due.

The more I live, the more I've come to realize that it is not the...

SOURCE:
https://francisamie..com/2018/11/the-more-i-live.html

PastorAIO:
In order words, there is something that you can come into contact with in life that will cause you to perceive meaning everywhere. Lack of this thing ( let me call it an elixir) will cause you to no longer see meanings and subsequently will leave you feeling depressed.

Again you hit the nail on the head here.

PastorAIO:

Also note that Depression is not an ideal state for a human. Some depressives like to wallow in their depression as if possessed by the depression but ideally sanguinity is preferred.

Depression and life are like two similar sides of a magnet. They repel against one another.

PastorAIO:


May I suggest that when you say that you 'ascribe' meaning to life that in actual fact it is not an act of volition and also it is not quite as arbitrary as it may seem.

To put it bluntly I would like to suggest that meaning is the product of an 'inebriated' mind.

Well said. You hit the nail on the head. In as much as the building blocks of the foundation of life is arbitrary, some of its building blocks are not all that arbitrary.

johnydon22:
so in what way did you arrive at that conclusion.




Therefore you assertion on the meaningless of life is not objectively true but a subjective opinion.

Good, this where I wanted us to arrive.

Nice talking to you.

Same here

MuttleyLaff:
Not all is doom and gloom.
Reverence is the duty of all men,
and reverence invites revelation.

If I live my life mainly and essentially out of duty, I do not live even though I'm alive.

johnydon22:


Actually those two context are different. If your assertion is without absolute basis then it cannot be trusted or said to rightly describe the subject it describes.

Don't misunderstand the implication of a sentence being baseless.

It simply means it has no ground, its description doesn't have a valid ground to describe the subject.

Therefore, your assertion possesses no valid ground if it has no basis and cannot be said to have made a valid description as regards life.

Until you establish this ground, that remark is not as valid as you believe.

We're saying the same thing. You from the objective angle and I from the subjective angle. My assertion like life is meaningless, baseless and devoid of validity.

johnydon22:
If there is no benchmark then there Is no basis for your premise that life is meaningless.

Innit?

Yes, exactly. There is no basis whatsoever for my premise that life is meaningless.

johnydon22:


In what way are these things measured, what benchmark determines this?

There is no way in which these things are/can be measured, there's no benchmark whatsoever for determining them.

johnydon22:


See, it is very difficult for you to explain that because you have made an absolute statement that you agreed was not formed from an objective basis.

No. It is not difficult for me to explain my assertion because as a matter of fact, the basis for my assertion is unexplainable. And yes, I have made an absolute statement that is not formed from an objective but a subjective basis because man, in as much as he is obligated to to be an objective being is first and foremost a subjective being. We all have our wants, feelings, desires and interests which vary to varying degrees and constitute the basis for all conflicts, clashes and crisis.

johnydon22:


Oh I did. My question to the OP wasn't on our imposition of meaning to life and everything.

Rather a challenge to the fundamental premise of the OP which is "life is meaningless by default except that which we ascribe" so I am trying to ascertain the benchmark for meaning implied by the OP.

Maybe read my questions with more clarity.

There is no benchmark for meaning as I earlier implied so there is therefore no need trying to ascertain it.

There is no doubt that from the literal point of view, the value of a thing is determined by its price, its cost, the cost of acquiring the said thing and that life itself can no doubt be said to be of immeasurable and inestimable value. But this isn't the angle from which the subject matter of life is examined here, no. It is examined here from the angle of meaninglessness, uselessness, worthlessness because this is the truest, most ultimate and profoundest definition of life. It all depends on the angle from which one looks at it, life and this brings us back to the assertion that life is meaningless except for that which we ascribe to it.

MuttleyLaff:
What our friend doesnt want to acknowledge is that
the person famous for that "life is meaningless" remark, said it, after being woke.
Apparently there is more to life than seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines
and there is a conclusion of the whole matter of life.

There is nothing to life, nothing, absolutely NOTHING except for the things which we input and infuse into it.

johnydon22:


So summarily, your assertion that "life is meaningless" is at best without absolute basis therefore arbitrary at best.

Yes?

Yes, exactly. My assertion that life is meaningless is without absolute basis because life itself is without basis whatsoever and the blocks of it's foundation is rooted in arbitrariness.

mictima:
Something has to keep the church running! The priests/pastors/levites/apostles who have decided to take up full time ministry depend on the tithes!

Never will you hear preach against it.

To the best of my knowledge, it should be done by free will and not necessarily by compulsion.

Benefit of paying would include: those that pay would be rewarded definitely by spiritual blessings and those that don't would only be subjected to physical "cause-and-effect" kind of situations.

Really?

johnydon22:


So what yardstick led to your absolute statement on the meaninglessness of life?

I mean there is no specific, correct or established yardstick for measuring or determining the usefulness or otherwise of something.
Our thoughts, words and actions are solely based on our feelings, our wants, our desires which in turn is based on that which is unknown and unexplainable.

sholay2011:

Can't you recognise sarcasm?

Anyway, I believe in the paying of tithes but saying it is the way to financial breakthrough is being narrow-minded. The work of God is not a business so paying tithes should not be done with the purpose of 'investment' but rather fulfilling all righteousness (and financing the kingdom work). Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek before the law was established. So, tithes did not come with the law and so can't just be 'abolished' as chanted by some "modern" Christians.

With regards to "success in life", that is always subjective.

I see. So you do it out of some sort of moral obligation on a personal level as far as Christianity is concerned and not really because of the law of the Old Testament. Interesting. More grace to you but as far as I'm concerned, tithes payment is nothing short of UNCHRISTIAN. The pioneer, the head and totem of Christianity and it's dogmas had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with it.

UyaiIncomparabl:



Bill gates pay tithes?
Where does Aliko Dangote pay his tithes to?

Stop writing stories with no claims. There are so many wretched persons on the street who pay tithes but have still been the same for like forever.

Sarcasm mate, sarcasm.

As hard as it may seem to believe, some dildos masquerading themselves as men will pay for her service and come back for more. Can never rap my cony head around the logic behind the pleasure derived from a sex chat or even any sexual encounter for that matter for which one must materially pay to access. I see only men with no real depth and purpose engaging in this act. It's a shame but such is life. One man's nothing is another man's everything.

johnydon22:


How do you determine the value, use of something?

There is no yardstick for measuring or determining the use of something. What is useful to one is useless to another, what is of value to one is of no value to another. One man's nothing is another man's everything.

Yes. Paying of Tithes is very very essential to financial breakthrough and success in life. Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg, etc. are heavy and regular tithes payers, hence the exponential success they experience in their finances.They never for any reason whatsoever default in the payment of tithes for they know damn well that doing so will cause their businesses, investments and consequently finances to take a turn for the worst. Even Aliko Dangote declared just last week that the real reason, the real cause of his constant and consistent breakthrough and success in his businesses, investments and finances is his regular and devout payment of tithes. He said that if not for the fact that he pays his tithes constantly and consistently which has brought him so much financial success, by now he would have been just another broke and penniless bloke condemning and deriding the payment of tithes.

johnydon22:


The question here is; When you say "meaningless" what are you implying?

Define "meaningless"

Meaningless: Useless, worthless, senseless, of zero value.

Pity - The Passion and Dream Killer
Pity is arguably the one of the most deceptive and dangerous enemies to progressive growth and development of mankind with its well known but unknown ability to deepen sadness, create feelings of worthlessness and kill passion even for life itself. Whether it's coming from others or from you, especially you, pity, more especially self-pity, undermines your existence in its entirety. It turns your world upside down right before your very eyes and before long, life as you know it is over almost as soon it begun. It imprisons that passion, that zeal, that willpower to power on. The continuous and consistent enthronement of pity over sympathy in your life can cause you to begin with to rot away, leaving you feeling like a vegetable, like you're living to eat instead of eating to live, leaving you feeling like a walking corpse, like you've completely been run over by life so much so that instead of you running your life, your life runs you, every bit of you.

Do nothing, again, do nothing out of pity but out of sympathy and sympathy only, not even for yourself; as a matter of fact, especially for yourself. Never give or lend, especially lend out of pity unless under very extenuating circumstances. (Nonetheless, be prepared for any consequences that may arise thereof). It will most likely come back to bite you in the ass.

Never enter or stay in a relationship whatsoever out of pity. The consequences for this one...

SOURCE:
https://francisamie..com/2018/11/pity-passion-killer.html

Ranchhoddas:
What about the human conscience?

I know that I wouldn't kill or steal from someone not because of any moral, religious or social code but because my conscience would not allow it.

This for me is inbuilt and not influenced by any external factor. What do you make of that?

True words. The spirit is no more but our intellect; the soul our conscience, our moral compass.

MuttleyLaff:
You talked about the TV series "The Good Place"
so I asked, did you get to watch "Joan of Arcadia"?

Got what you what you first wrote now. No I haven't. Will do take a look at it.

MuttleyLaff:
Did you ever get to watch "Joan of Arcadia"?

10:46 Who are you?
I've known you since before you're born
I'm going to ask you one more time
I AM God
You what?
God
Dont ever, talk to me, again

How did I beat that kid at chess?
He was using logic, you werent

Joan of Arcadia
cc Ranchhoddas, budaatum, you both & francis247 can give thanks later
Dont forget to click on to 102
and the rest to watch the whole series

Say what?

In other to fully and much better criticize or condemn an established order, a setup, a system, a belief, an ideology, etc. one must act in a manner that isn't just seemingly but absolutely different from it.

To better stir the contents of a pot, you must be outside and not inside the pot. How can you be right inside a pot and stir its contents and expect to get the much desired result? You'll only get carried away and eventually lost along with that which you're stiring. You'll end up condemning yourself alongside that which you condemn. One cannot directly see face to face the outsides of a structure while one is inside of it.

While Atheists may arguably be passing across a reasonable and sensible message, same cannot be said of the manner in which they're going about it. It frankly borders strongly on the line of irrationality and astute impracticality. It is high time they came to terms with this fact if truly they're as intelligence and most importantly as wise as they claim. To permit intelligence to mount the steering wheel while wisdom merely sits by and watches is nothing short of a grave error.

bobowaja:
Ask the Chinese and Japanese if religion is used to help the society....

Laws and punishment
Good deeds and compensation

Those things guide the societies of men.

There you again seeing the big picture but not seeing the bigger picture. The intellectual and psychological strength of the average Japanese and Chinese in comparison to that of the average African is not the same. These societies are filled with more persons of very sophisticated intellectual and psychological strength and prowess compared to the African society. This fact is made manifest not only in their inventions in natural and applied sciences for the material and immaterial advancement of their societies. The result of the clear mental and psychological superiority of the persons that inhabit these societies compared to that of the African society is also made manifest in their immaterial culture, arts, music, movies, language, value system, their innate ability to separate reason and rationality from emotions etc.

The mentally and psychologically weak (with which the African continent is filled) has the propensity to hold on to religious dogmas in other to truly live and not just survive. Attempting to take religion from the average African is like attempting to take a bone from a dog, a candy from a child. It's bound to end badly. He/she just cannot handle it.

Robynwelo1:
Dumb thread. I used to be a Christian, now an atheist. Should I disturb the Muslims, when I only know little about Islam? If I was a Muslim turned atheist, my major focus would be on Islam, No?

PS: not all atheist are anti-theist or against Christianity. Some simply do not care.

Exactly my point.
Though all atheists are anti-theists going by the dictionary definition of the word atheism. Those that don't care are agnostics.

Because you can only work with what you know, with what's familiar to you and not the other way around. There are those who mainly attack other religions from which they came out as atheists but their number is very infinitesimal as far as this part of the world is concerned plus Christianity is the most popular religion in most westernized societies worldwide.

Life; everything related to it is meaningless and of no value except that which we ascribe it. From language, culture, religion, morals, ethics, politics, etc. They're all meaningless. The shame or guilt we feel whenever we've broken some moral, religious, social or cultural code is based on the established rules and principles that revolve around these elements of the life and the world we live in, the world we've created, the world which we've known from birth. Same also applies to the guilt and shame we feel whenever we've committed some terrible social or grammatical blunder but sometimes we just laugh it off or simply wave it aside because at the end of the day, it means nothing, absolutely nothing. If you know, you know.

In as as much as religion like language, culture, tradition, morals, ethics, rules, laws, customs and conventions were made by man for the benefit as well the advancement of a peaceful and blissful stay of mankind here on earth, it, religion has its flaws, terrorism probably it's most fatal. It's just like everything else created by man supposedly for the good of his specie: From drugs, to gadgets and other technological advancements, they all have their side effects. Religion no doubt has its many negative effects on our humanity but the lack of it in my unhinged opinion is much more; suicide and depression being the worst of them all.

BTW, who here has seen the TV series "The Good Place"? Some hilarious afterlife cock and bullshit story. Very hilarious.

Change
They say that it's the most constant thing in life. Everyone at some point has to change, evolve or adapt in other to survive. Everyone likes or wants change or at least almost everyone, as there are those who just can't stand it, those who just don't have the stomach to tolerate it at any degree whatsoever. There are those whose nature abhor change so much so that that they'll do almost anything, even spite themselves in other to prevent it. They just have a profound phobia for change.

The OALD (8th Edition) defines change as “the act or result of something becoming different”. It is therefore all about being different, being new, unique, standing out, transformation, revolutionalizing, inventing and reinventing the status quo.

Things, situations, circumstances, conditions, opinions, ideologies, status and personalities but not persona change. But do people ever really change? Can they change? Are humans capable themselves of outright and complete change? Can/do we ever really stop being who/what we truly are?

The reality is that...

SOURCE:
https://francisamie..com/2018/11/change-and-its-possibility-in-totality.html

LWKMD!
She wants you and wants you to want her as well and also show her that you want her but not just 4 sex.

Change
They say that it's the most constant thing in life. Everyone at some point has to change, evolve or adapt in other to survive. Everyone likes or wants change or at least almost everyone, as there are those who just can't stand it, those who just don't have the stomach to tolerate it at any degree whatsoever. There are those whose nature abhor change so much so that that they'll do almost anything, even spite themselves in other to prevent it. They just have a profound phobia for change.

The OALD (8th Edition) defines change as “the act or result of something becoming different”. It is therefore all about being different, being new, unique, standing out, transformation, revolutionalizing, inventing and reinventing the status quo.

Things, situations, circumstances, conditions, opinions, ideologies, status and personalities but not persona change. But do people ever really change? Can they change? Are humans capable themselves of outright and complete change? Can/do we ever really stop being who/what we truly are?

The truth is that we're who and what we are and cannot therefore ever truly completely change. In other words, I'm not saying that it's probably impossible for someone to change. No. I'm saying with absolute certainty that it is totally...

https://francisamie..com/2018/11/change-and-its-possibility-in-totality.html

oxypress:

Son of man, there is fire on the mountain. Who ever you are, what ever you are, where ever you are, what ever you do your brain needs to be well oxygenated. And that is when the fire will quench. You need hyperbaric oxygen therapy (hbot). Simple!
You need to consult a psychiatric doctor who will give his diagnosis, and they will be many and all in one. At the end of the day after his prescription and after taking the drugs the simptoms may return because the right thing is not done. Let me stop here.

I wish there's a drug, a system, a program, a therapy, something, someone or whatever that can effectively combat the condition that has bedevilled me and my likes but unfortunately there isn't any at the moment and write-ups such as this is intended to change that if not now, at least in the very near future. The funny thing with SCT/CDD is that it feels like its small, ordinary, simple, spiritual maybe, like it's invented by persons who suffer from it, like the whole thing was made-up by them and is all in their head, like if they could just get themselves out of their heads, it will all be over. This is no thanks to their very hypoactive nature. It makes it appear like the problem of SCT/CDD is nothing serious, like it's something very mild that's within one's power to simply rid it off of himself/herself. If you think or feel you have the ultimate solution to this crisis or have the acquaintance or someone who does, please feel free to make it known ASAP. Thanks