I need something to believe in

[swordpath]

belief implies accepting things without rationality... i think belief is used in lieu of reality and the understanding of it, and i dont think that is necessary.

ultimately, i think belief is disillusionment. i think we can identify what we know and dont know, and through a well enough developed understanding of that, still come out happy and positive. i dont think being happy requires playing stupid, more or less.

Alright. Agreed. Too bad a majority of the population doesn't feel this way.

 

[persianeyes]

So did you decide anything? What are you going to believe in?

 

[swordpath]

 

[runvardh]

The red's fucking trippy man!

 

[ygolo]

Responding to many here. Hopefully, it is not very confusing.

You are not alone.

Thanks.

By family I referring more to spouse and children. This may be the type of thing you are looking for. If so I wouldn't rush into anything, but it also doesn't hurt to actively look (assuming you know what you are looking for). It certainly is nice when you have found a person that you are compatible with.

Well, I haven't found someone yet. No guarantees I will either. But it is certainly something that appeals to me.

Not just once, but stick to them for a bit. I know that learning guitar the first year or two isn't great because its kind of hard and tedious to learn the actual theory stuff that becomes essential later on, but sticking to it was a great decision.

I too believe in the importance of sticking with something.

I have been very lucky to find something early on in my professional life that I really enjoy and that fulfills me, insofar as it allows me to make good use of my abilities, enjoy good company, and contribute something useful. Over the years, my role in this endeavour has changed from rookie to expert to executive, but for me the important thing still is the essence of the profession (or as Billy Joel sings: "it's still rock'n roll to me"), and I care very little about rank and title as long as I can have fun doing what I do.

You describe what I thought I had found when I entered the work-force. Unfortunately, the early part of my career has been marred by an IT bust, and early recession, and a fairly sluggish economy since. I have done well financially, but opportinities to pursue "dreams" are rather dry these days.

I looked up your personal profile, and you seem to be at an age where changing jobs within or between comanies is still very easy. Maybe you would like to think about doing something more challenging than what you are doing now ?

Actually, I have been thinking a lot about that. I have a few very early drafts of bussiness plans and grant proposals. I want to find something that I find truely inspiring.

I've actually never thought of 'just being' as involving spirituality or lacktherof. It's just a state of not worrying what tomorrow will bring.

I lke thikning about what tommorow will bring. It is actually quite enjoyable. When it becomes less enjoyable is when I am specific about what tomorrow will bring for me. That's what causes worry. But often worry is a signal to be heeded.

Oiii you are a bundle of various nerves, aren't you? I think, though, that getting out of the rut doesn't have to stem from urgency but can come from a quiet deliberation as well. Perhaps, if you found such a quiet deliberation to venture forth with, it won't become a sense of urgency? The question is how to get you in the Middle Path lol

Deliberation and venturing forth seem fundamentally at odds with each other. I may be able to do one before the other to prepare. I may be able to take breaks from one to do the other. But I don't see how both can be done at the same time.

You state you want something that is both a contribution and something that is unique to yourself. To me, that is a pretty solid start. What type of contribution/impact do you wish to make? If you can pinpoint in what manner you want to contribute, you can then target that -- whether it's something outside of work, or something that is work-related. Something unique to you? Well, again, that boils down to your own sense of identity, and who you want to be and who you want to become.

I don't have a sense of identity. Who am I really? Just a mass of cells programmed from birth, and modified through experience? Do I have free will? Are my likes, dislikes, and other preferences malliable or fixed? These tests I am INTP or sommething. So what? People say I could have Aspeger's Syndrome. So what? I am an immigrant to the country I live in. I have two cultures to choose from without really knowing either one well.

You could believe in yourself, contribute to your happiness and well being..

I still don't know what it means to belive in myself. For me, all beliefs are tentative statements that we evaluate as being either true or false (again tentatively).

Yeah, on the same trail as persianeyes, I believe in my potential.. my future. It's an easy answer, but it keeps me pumped and ready to go.

This is actually what I am looking for, I think. A statement about my future that I can honestly believe will be true.

belief implies accepting things without rationality... i think belief is used in lieu of reality and the understanding of it, and i dont think that is necessary.

Believe to me are tentative and accepted with what I believe is quite a bit of rationality.

ultimately, i think belief is disillusionment. i think we can identify what we know and dont know, and through a well enough developed understanding of that, still come out happy and positive. i dont think being happy requires playing stupid, more or less.

I have no intention of playing stupid. Nor do I believe I am trying to do so now.

there is a difference between taking an action because it is required to function despite the lack of a complete set of information to support it... and doing so on the premise of having more information than someone really does because they are either too scared or unwilling to acknowledge [and hopefully try to correct] that

the latter is what i consider to be the path of ignorance. what i was implying in my post was that thinking one needs some deeper purpose in life in order to be happy falls along that path, in my opinion.

Positive affectivity (one intepretation of happiness) is mostly biological. It is easy for those with high positive affectivity to say "just be happy," because they just are happy biologically. There isn't much we can do about that sort of happiness. Our positive affectivity has a set range.

Life satisfaction (another interpretation of happiness), however, is something we can do quite a bit about. A deeper purpose works well for many people. It may not be "required," but it seems pretty close for me, since positive affectivity has always been low for me.

Scientology.

I actually did look ad Dianetics, but had a rather "allergic reaction" to it. Similar to what I get when I read about UFOs and ESP.

So did you decide anything? What are you going to believe in?

Nothing decided. Still searching. Like I said, I wasn't expecting "answers." Just responses.

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I forget. Which one was which?

 

[SillySapienne]

Can we ever truly accept anything without a certain insertion of (falsifiable) belief/faith, Grayscale?

The essence of the scientific method is openness to possibility while remaining faithful to translatable experimentation; we consent to revision when new data is available.

Certainly, we should endeavor to flex our intellectual attention to empirical detail, but aren't we ultimately subject to the limitations of our metrics?

Great post!

Belief is perceptually subjective. Reality is physically objective.

Knowledge consists of cognitively obtained, reality-filtered beliefs, that have thus far proven to be accurate enough to be accepted as true.

In search of knowing, one must accept the inherent limitations set by their physical tools as well as their mental faculties.

Science is a humbling endeavor, where the scientist's quest for knowledge is founded and facilitated by his deeply ingrained understanding that the possibility will always exist, that our/his current beliefs may in fact be inaccurate or entirely wrong.

 

[Randomnity]

I don't think I would spend time searching for "purpose" in life.

I do feel a "calling", for lack of a better word, to medical research. It's the place where I can best use my talents for something. And I enjoy it, of course. I am content now that I'm on a steady path there.

I guess I would say, go for what you enjoy? And where you can use your natural talents to accomplish something worthwhile to you. What else is there, really?

 

[zarc]

Deliberation and venturing forth seem fundamentally at odds with each other. I may be able to do one before the other to prepare. I may be able to take breaks from one to do the other. But I don't see how both can be done at the same time.

They aren't at odds if done as you say. You find the quiet deliberation and then you venture forth from it. That what I was implying. I should have said: "Perhaps, if you found such a quiet deliberation to venture forth from, it won't become a sense of urgency?" Doesn't need to be so urgently done and you can take your time once you're certain.

I don't have a sense of identity. Who am I really? Just a mass of cells programmed from birth, and modified through experience? Do I have free will? Are my likes, dislikes, and other preferences malliable or fixed? These tests I am INTP or sommething. So what? People say I could have Aspeger's Syndrome. So what? I am an immigrant to the country I live in. I have two cultures to choose from without really knowing either one well.

Just by saying that is showing to someone you have an identity. Vastly different than someone else's and that can be said of everyone. I'm sure there are tons of other people who seem similiar to you that you may or may not be aware of. Your experience and connections with yourself and others modifies that identity. You see yourself one way and others see you in different ways. As for being an immigrant with two cultures to choose from w/o knowing either one well. Assuming you don't care to, you don't need to know either well if you don't want to or you can choose one or both or neither. You can be your own 'culture' and try to know yourself best. Or selectively choose what aspects you like of both cultures, either or neither. Surely some of it appeals to you?

Hope I made sense lol

 

[Mort Belfry]

I'm a little late to this thread, but I think I might dead inside.

"I aint don't got nuffink as what to 'ave b'lief in, guv, I just keep to me blacksmiffin'"