Problems

The reason we have the problems we do in our world is because people believe they have a right to judge others.

Reincarnation

In discussing reincarnation with a friend of mine, I've come to a slightly different belief on the issue. I certainly do subscribe to the idea; life is a cycle, and mass and energy getting recycled makes more sense to me than a finite destination of either heaven or hell, especially since there is no real good or bad.

But I am rethinking the idea that I will come back as another person after I die. In fact, if mass and energy is conserved (no new mass or energy can be created), and mass can be converted to energy and vice versa, then it is possible that I could come back as 100 trees (more mass in exchange for my energy). Given that humans can do more than other animals, there is more energy that would be released when a person dies than, say, a cat.

This new idea of reincarnation that I have started to entertain makes for an even greater feeling of our current lives being so short. Not that I ever looked at reincarnation as a reason for not making the most of my current life, but now I feel like I need to live this life to the fullest even moreso. It doesn't seem that I will be the same person coming into a different body after I die in order to do the things I've wanted to do but can't in this lifetime. I guess it's possible that if my desire to do a specific thing in a next life is so great that there is where that energy will go, but I cannot be certain of it.

So our current lives are fragile and temporary. I do believe we communicate with each other subconsciously, but not everyone taps into their subconscious and so if you really want to be sure that someone you love knows it, it is really important to say so at the end of each conversation, to ensure that that is the last thing that special someone hears you say.

What are your thoughts on reincarnation? This new idea that I have gets away from the idea of there being a supreme being and is more scientific. Does that make the existential question "Why are we here?" even more salient?

Regression to the mean?

I've been wondering if this statistical concept, that over time things go back to their own state of normalcy, applies to people's attitudes of their lives. My first inclination is to think that it does. After all, people get a few "wake up calls" in life, but that does not motivate them to change or get a more positive perspective on things. Shortly after a death in the family or learning of someone's tragedy we may value more important things more greatly. But over time, we go back to griping about things that don't really matter, rather than living each day as if it's our last.

I've been through some tough times, yet I was so stressed and upset when my apartment flooded last week. And even though I can be thankful that the place was put back together before I got back from a trip, I'm irritated at the musty smell of it and how I wish the incidence hadn't happened at all in the first place. That line of thinking is easy for me, yet I have to remind myself that the most important thing is that I have a roof over my head and that the situation was rectified before I got back from my trip.

Another example: it was easy for me to get irritated with my mother for the way she put some things away, yet I had to remind myself that she was just trying to help, and that I should be thankful for most importantly, being able to see my mother and sister over the weekend.

I realize that this is a bleak way of looking at how we think and our attitudes. I don't think it's the end-all though. People do change, and I wouldn't be in the counseling field if I didn't believe people can change.

Maybe we do regress to the mean in a matter of speaking, but that "mean" in fact changes over time, and can sometimes be a very very long time?

How do you believe people change?

Intentions

Do you believe in doing the right thing for the wrong reason? I know that there is no such thing as a completely selfless act. Even altruistic work makes us feel good and feeds our egos. But if the intention is completely selfish but just happens to have an altruistic ending, is that okay? I can't help but think that intention has energy and power as well, not just the actual actions themselves.

Or, in the end, does the energy of the action overpower the energy of the intentions? Perhaps it doesn't matter if the recipient of the good act has been helped?

Living our values

I couldn't think of a better title for this post. But anyway, one observation I've made recently is how I really value the Hindu idea of being above and beyond earthly, material things, and being emotionally detached from actions, so as to do the best work I can without being tied to the results. At the same time, I am a human being, and realize that certain attachments are reasonable. So, I don't know how to reconcile the two right now. I've been trying to meditate more, but find it easier and more pleasurable to start my day off with a cup of coffee instead. I try to sit down and read to grow my mind, but find it easier and more fun to think about a guy I have a crush on instead. And because I'm trying to detach myself from such things, I get irritated with myself. How much do I really value escaping these earthly things if I find myself getting caught up in them?

A friend of mine who has devoted himself to a quiet life of meditation, ironically, said that we are already spiritual beings having a human experience. So based on that, it seems that we wouldn't have to try to deprive ourselves of earthly pleasures; our souls have come onto earth to simply experience this life. It's not like we're just humans trying to reach more, to be better.

So the sense I make of the two ideas is that though I value releasing my soul from the cycle of birth and death, it is not yet ready. There are more human experiences it needs to have before it feels satisfied and ready to move on.