a question

[chelidon]

Is it possible that the entire purpose of every choice you've made in your life was to get you exactly to where you are in this moment, right here and right now?

If that was true, how would it affect your choice of what to do right now?

Comments

[contentlove.livejournal.com]

It is true. It means 10 more minutes at the piano, a walk to B's to work on the DG script, and no more crying about my friend who died at 5pm yesterday, one of the most shining inspiring OTO brothers it's been my privilege to love and be loved by. He's doing much better now, I'm sure. So I will too.

Howzabout you? What are you doing NOW?

[eeedge.livejournal.com]

I don't think I would change what I do right now. Orchestrating longterm outcomes when I can't possibly control all the variables just doesn't seem feasible.

OTOH, I try to do right by myself, my family and the people I come in contact with as much as humanly possible.

Now if I could just persuade myself to stop eating the sweet stuff...

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

Ha! Good question. I'm sitting here at my computer typing. Why? There's plenty of time, but other things I could better be doing with it right now... I think I'll go outside and help my partner finish stacking the rest of the woodpile, and then I need to bring the tractor down from the barn by 3pm when I'll to help lift the oil furnace and hot water heater I have the pleasure to be giving away (http://www.livejournal.com/users/chelidon/91212.html) into the truck of the folks who need it (I'm just so energized/excited about that). And when my son comes home, maybe we'll play some.

Please say hullo to B for me (could you let her know I'm going to try to call again soon), and I'm very sorry to hear about your friend. Knowing that there's probably not, if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.

[elnigma.livejournal.com]

No way I'd be not continuing to eat the Jerry's food I just bought.

[alobar.livejournal.com]

> entire purpose of every choice you've made in your life
> was to get you exactly to where you are in this moment

I prefer to phrase it that every choice made in this life (as well as other lives) got me to where I am. I see no reason to postulate a "purpose" or that there is any sort of Machiavellian controlling force or entity who directs me like a puppet. Life is. Even most Christians believe they have free will. The purpose of life is, imo, what purpose(s) we each choose to give it.

IMO

[http://users.livejournal.com/faerose_/]

Its an interesting question,

If I were to quote Miriamswell – “this needs unpacking”

I am where I am, as a result of engaging in certain life ‘experiences’.

The ‘choices’ I made at every juncture resulted in following this path to where I am now.

When you ask about ‘purpose’ then things get complicated.

There is Fate, and there is Destiny.

There is ‘reactive choice’, and there is ‘proactive choice’.

Fate is when a person is not able to see the bigger picture. The choices a person makes are in reaction to circumstance, and are based on who they are in that moment with all their baggage and programming.

So on the Wheel of fate we encounter the same problems until we figure out a better way of reacting to any given situation. The ‘purpose’ of which is to get us to the next ‘PROBABLE’ experience we have to deal with.

With destiny you have the opportunity to exercise ‘proactive’ choice. You have an idea of where you are going and the purpose of your life. Your life has a meaning above and beyond the ego and self. So your life acquires the feeling of synchronicity. The ‘purpose’ of which is to enable you to fulfil your ‘POSSIBLE’ destiny; and yet it still leads to where you are now.

I am curious do you ’Journey’ ? and if so have you ever seen the continuum tunnel?

So my choice now is to answer your question and to ask you in turn – What do you think is the meaning of life? *smiles*

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

Living in the moment, trying to "do right," treat others well, keeping in mind your web of connections to those around you? Sounds like a good plan :>

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

*lol* Now you're giving me a serious craving for a Jerry's chicken cheesesteak, swiss & provolone, peppers/mushrooms/onions & mayo, toasted bun. Yum. Somehow I don't think I'll find one in the pantry, tho' ;>

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

Actually, exactly what you say is my personal definition of "purpose." No puppetry is necessarily implied. The fact of the matter (IMO) is that where we are is a sum total of our starting conditions in life, the events that happened to us outside of our control, how we reacted to those events, and all the choices we made at each step along the way. As you say, life is. And that's the mystery of it. Life is its own purpose. The meanings we take from our experiences in life is largely a matter of choice.

[skygypsy.livejournal.com]

~smile~
i continue to be as authentic as possible in each moment arising :)

[anthologie.livejournal.com]

Eh, I'm not really much of a strategist. I'll wing it.

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

Heh. Seems like a reasonable strategy to me.

[elnigma.livejournal.com]

Jerry's is good stuff. That sandwich sounds good, too. I had a South Street combo and a slice of pizza. :)

[davis-the-bear.livejournal.com]

Well, that's interesting... i'd have to say i wouldn't change anything, because i believe that i am where, i am by the sum of the steps i've taken and that they have been a play between environment, destiny, fate and free choice all acting simultaneously (yes, in paradox). For me the work is to remain mindfull and open, and to hold that paradox.

And oh, it's such a beautiful morning :-)

Re: IMO

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

There is much I would personally agree with here -- particularly what you describe as the wheel of fate. Certain lessons occur repeatedly, oftentimes with increasing force, until we get them. Personally, I don't see this in an anthropomorphic way, it's often not so much a person or deity holding the gates (though I will go on at length about the Goddess' progressive clue-tap, clue-slap, clue-brick, clue-by-four, etc). Or rather, there may be a person or deity in some role(s) at that gate, but really, it's more along the lines of simply drawing to you and manifesting those lessons you need in order to move forward.

Destiny is an interesting concept in a universe where we experience time linearally (while embodied), but where we clearly exist outside of time as well. If you've read "Flatland," you'll have a sense of what I'm on about here.

If I'm reading you correctly, I do journey, and I do know of a tunnel (or rather, tunnels, which are aspects of one another), but we'd probably need further conversation to know whether we were taking about the same kind of thing. I've been thinking a bit about prolepsis and precognition and such, because while it informs my work with Time, it's something I experience in certain ways that make me wonder about free will and destiny. I, for example, wonder about Frank Herbert's musings in his Dune books, whether acting on the information one receives, and by following the clear, "natural" path messes with free will.

Meaning of life? Heh. I've a simple answer, which works for me. Life is its own meaning. And then trying to elaborate that in words gets into trouble, fast ;> I tend towards a somewat Taoist approach here. I intuit that the universe is perfect, and the Will of the univere is perfect, but one's own Will is just as much a part of that universal Will as any other.

We may project or intuit whatever meaning or destiny we wish upon our lives, and in some sense, that meaning we settle upon can also become a self-fulilling prophesy. We are myth-makers, and thus we are meaning-makers, as we write and tell the stories of our own lives.

Waking up to the fact that in this life, we're in a canoe on a river, and that we have a paddle, is one big step. Most folks just drift along wherever the current pushes them, unaware of either or both of these things. Once in the canoe with a paddle, actively choosing a goal, actively paddling (and getting stronger and better at it by the experience of doing so) is another step. Learning to read the signs of the river so that you have a sense of where the rocks and hazards might be, what courses and routes are most likely to get you to where you need/want to go, is another step. Knowing when to change goals, when to let go of a goal, is another step.

But what's the purpose? The journey's the thing, and the choice of goals (once one knows about the canoe and paddle) is largely up to one's own Self. Add in that time is non-linear, and so information can in some sense be passed around in non-linear ways, and our lives become these incredibly complex, wonderful, self-creating engines, powered, as is the universe, by paradox. By our choices and actions, we create meaning, for ourselves, and collectively. "Meaning" has little use outside of consciousness, and as we are conscious beings, we create that meaning, naturally. It's self-referential, which is one reason, among many, why thou art god/dess ;>

And looking at the above, I can see further proof that words are weak vessels to hold these kinds of thought and discussions. Or, at least, my own use of words makes for rather strangely-shaped vessels that don't necessarily hold a lot of water... Still, you asked ;>

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

*smile* backatcha. Here's to authenticity in the moment!

[chelidon.livejournal.com]

Sounds like we're on much the same path, brother. No great surprise :>

And it is a beautiful morning.

[skygypsy.livejournal.com]

*grin*
*clink*
;)

[roy-batty.livejournal.com]

You rock for asking this question!

[kitty42.livejournal.com]

That is such a thoughtful question...

I have to believe that every choice I have made up until this point has been for the betterment of my soul. My life has had some twists and turns, a few things I could have done in a more timely manner if you ask my parents, but without those 'excursions' I would not have grown to be the person I am, quirks and all. It is funny to think that I can trace every decision I have made to where I am physically, sitting here in Tallahassee, blogging at my computer.