Prescott: Is Reality Hostile or Nurturing Toward Us?

OK, but then accept the implications: this applies to your beliefs too, 

Of course.

Though I don't have beliefs, I'm just right.

Seriously, it's up to each of us to choose, rather than just be manipulated. This is something which can be difficult. Occasionally in life I've been faced with seemingly impossible choices (such as receiving two job offers on the same day). How do we decide? Usually my best plan is to sleep on it. What emerges after one or several nights sleep is not necessarily based on everyday logic, nor on plain emotion, but something else.

[Laird]

I don't have beliefs, I'm just right.

Hehe. I didn't realise there were two of us!

Is Reality Hostile or Nurturing Toward Us?

It depends on your brain chemistry.

It has nothing to do with 'brain chemistry', brain chemistry follows, not leads, your state of being. Your SOB is a choice, pure and simple.

I don't agree completely with Jim but I can see his point that when many talk about knowing often our conclusions aren't logical.

IIRC even Socrates and Plato felt logic was a tool to help see The Good, though there was something inside of us that already knew of It?

Admittedly my learning about Western Philosophy was through a Catholic lens so perhaps there's another way to see the Dialogues...

It has nothing to do with 'brain chemistry', brain chemistry follows, not leads, your state of being. Your SOB is a choice, pure and simple.

Hmmm. Slight tangent, but what of depressed people? It is said that their brain chemistry is buggered up. What is going on in their lives that leads them to this SOB? A denial of self perhaps?

Hmmm. Slight tangent, but what of depressed people? It is said that their brain chemistry is buggered up. What is going on in their lives that leads them to this SOB? A denial of self perhaps?

Or full acceptance?

It seems like there are two tracks we divide paranormal evidence into - one suggests Unity, Purpose, Divinity, Plan the other Wilderness, Chaos, even Horror.

On Prescott's page I suggested this discrepancy may be due to a Manichean idea PKDick had:

Recently I've been reading the metaphysical propositions of PKD which tie into some of the Information as Fundamental Ground ideas as well as the disparity between experiences suggesting Love/Divine Plan/Light, God, Unity vs Gnosticism, Horror, Chaos.
PKD was, at least for a time, something of a Manichean. He felt Reality was a game between the Programmer-Reprogrammer and the "Dark Counter Player". While he felt, like the Zoroastrians, that the victory of the Programmer was ultimately assured this required a play through where the Present is continually recreated.

If nothing else it sort of makes sense of the weird idea from the second Matrix where Vampires/Ghosts/Werewolves are leftovers from prior iterations of the Simulation. :-)

But it can also possibly reconcile the disparity of experiences. PKD felt b/c the Present is in contention, while All would be Saved there would be states where only some would be. Perhaps those who experience Light & Love are already saved by the efforts of the Programmer/Reprogrammer while others with darker experiences are still souls-pieces on the board.
This also fits in with the Peer to Peer Hypothesis of Marcus Arvan, though much more extravagant an interpretation than even he might be willing to propose.

That said I am a bit wary of both Manichean thinking as well as the idea that benevolent Programmer will ultimately win. Regarding the former I think we too often rush to describe beings as "Good" or "Evil" - not that I reject objective morality but rather in the same way we eat other living beings so to other beings - like the ones Hancock mentions in Supernatural - might harvest/hunt us in different ways.

Regarding the latter even when people give Manichean accounts it's not clear exactly, to me, *why* Good wins? Is it because Evil cannot be the Generator of Creation, that Love is the generative power and so the fact Something is here instead of Nothing is why God is Good, God is the Programmer-Reprogrammer, and Good will win?

Hmmm. Slight tangent, but what of depressed people? It is said that their brain chemistry is buggered up. What is going on in their lives that leads them to this SOB? A denial of self perhaps?

You create your own reality. They do as well. All major themes are mapped out pre-incarnation. IOW, they chose to incarnate into a state of being that has these issues. Again, everything is a choice.

You create your own reality. They do as well. All major themes are mapped out pre-incarnation. IOW, they chose to incarnate into a state of being that has these issues. Again, everything is a choice.

That's incredible convenient no? Rather reminiscent of the caste system's incarnation system...

Sciborg_S_Patel
That's incredible convenient no? Rather reminiscent of the caste system's incarnation system...

I was speaking in a time-linear (physical reality) manner. Operationally, there is no such thing as reincarnation when there is only one moment - Now.

The 'convenience' is in that you get to choose exactly what major themes you intend to experience. It is a necessity that it must occur, that choice is directed not happenstance, or there would be no efficiency in the learning process. Lack of efficiency is not the hallmark of Creation.

I fully understand why people are shocked that an incarnation, which in this case, is chosen where there are major 'deficiencies' in the physical form. Nonetheless, as we span eternity, you can bet that you and I and everyone else will with the highest probability incarnate into several hot messes as we carry on and on and on and on...