Where does this feeling or sense come from? "connect to something beyond myself"

[AgnosticBoy]

Dear Moderator (and other members) ... I am sorry if it appears I have contravened the community advertising guidelines; my post was poorly worded. The poem I posted was the "short answer" to the moderator's post asking why it is that humans seem to want to reach beyond themselves, to be part of something larger than themselves. My comment that interested readers might "check out" the rest of my book might have been better phrased as an invitation for those interested in the "long answer" to visit my blog. My (apparently unclear) implication in the rest of the post was that my book may be read online in its entirety, or downloaded for free as a Word file, or purchased (at no profit for the author) in a more nicely bound format from Amazon. That I intended my post to be an invitation and not an advertisement is (I hope) readily apparent to visitors to my blog. Again, I am sorry for the misunderstanding. Finally, the poem quoted is the only mention of "God" in the entire book (I personally find the word carries too much "baggage"); the rest of the book speaks of "spirit" as that which the moderator and other members refer to as that something greater than themselves.

Welcome to the forum, Geoffrey. I appreciate you explaining.

I can say that referring others to your site or book to get the longer answer (or for any reason at all) is still against the guidelines here. Even if you're doing it to help people understand your position, but others might do it to advertise. That all then boils down to intent, but I don't want to get stuck figuring out intent so instead I ban all actions that involve telling people to check out your site or book. Some forums don't even allow you to mention your website or book in your profile or in public discussions so I'd like to think I'm taking a middle ground approach.

Here's an example of what you can do:
Quote from your book or site and then provide the link or title to it just as you would do to cite a source. That's okay to do just as long as it is relevant to or part of a discussion (a discussion not involving advertising or promoting, of course). People can then visit your site or check out your book on their own if they want more details. Or you can post more details here.

Also, you can fill out your profile and list your works and online sites there. Or you can even start a thread that involves your book. But the focus should not be about your site or book but rather it should be on a specific topic, information, or issue that you brought up in the book. All of these guidelines are clarified in the rules.

 

[William]

If someone were to ask me if this feeling was subjective or objective, I'd have to tell them it's both. It's subjective or personal in the sense that I'm feeling it, but it's objective in that it impacts how I live. It has real world consequences.

A lot of Christians ultimately live life differently because they believe someone upstairs is watching their actions. He also has his set of rules he expects you to live by.

I think under your philosophy William, we can have that same reverence for life by realizing that we are more than just dust... and that we shouldn't limit ourselves to just a bodily perspective.

Historically the notion, in general, has caused more grief than it has anything positive...being 'equal with 'GOD' was seen as a crime worthy of death by those who had such notions...and it is still regarded as a bad thing by folk still trapped in the religious matrix

 

[medusa53]

I honestly don't know where I would be if I didn't have God in my life. Hes not some magic genie that I expect to grant wishes; he is also not some ruler who expects you to follow a bunch of rules in order for Him to love you. The 10 Commandments are not Rules. They are a road map to a good and happy life...just think about them; thou shall not kill; killing causes pain and trouble. Thou shall not take The Lords name in vain....why would you curse a loving Father who gives you life? Don't you respect your earthly father? Thou shall not steal...enough said. No one can force you to love God, you have to WANT a relationship with Him and all you have to do is ask. If you really mean your prayer, thats it. God gave us free will; He did not make puppets who were forced to do His will.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

In the last post, I asked if spirituality was natural because I am curious if everyone experiences it. I some times feel that I'm trying to connect to something greater than myself when exploring questions about God, morality, self, etc. Here's what chatgpt explained:

AgnosticBoy: Is spirituality natural?

ChatGpt: Spirituality can be seen as a natural aspect of human experience, as it arises from a fundamental human need to seek meaning and purpose in life beyond the physical realm.

Some researchers believe that spirituality is hardwired into the human brain, and that the brain's default mode network (DMN), which is active during self-reflection and introspection, may play a role in spiritual experiences. Studies have also shown that practices like meditation and mindfulness can promote changes in the brain that are associated with spiritual experiences, such as increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, which is associated with attention and self-awareness.
............
End chat.

I like that answer. It helped me put my feeling into words. Also, I like to engage in introspection being into psychology and all. I'm curious about why we are the way we are. I've dabbled in meditation. Hope these answers help others out there.