The illusion of identity

that's really interesting, for example if we know an illusion to be an illusion is it not an illusion?! I suppose if we consider the illusion that the earth is flat we can prove it's false but the misleading appearance that created the illusion remains.

some people don't have the small things that you find makes life worthwhile to have, consider the children that have short painful lives, don't we need a model that makes life worthwhile for the likes of them too?

Of course, but first of all their "material" issues (poverty, illness, etc) should be solved.

heheh, ive hopped on and off a few times myself and sometimes quitely with no one noticing

true but how can this be solved without spirit? all our beliefs are manifest as matter - matter is a thought, you could say slowed down thought...

thats the thing suffering will never be solved, suffering is inevitable, life isn't fair! All we can really hope for is to understand what's real and come to an acceptance of it through knowing the truth. The universe can't be made to be heavenly. Look around you there's suffering everywhere and there always will be.

Well, there is a slew of threads here for us all to spend our time on....

None of us are anywhere near the sick, the homeless or the suicidal...

If we're going to spend our luxury of time on anything here on chess.com, everyone's chosen to spend it on the threads of their liking....

I find my time on tomtryto's thread useful in some ways for serious elevated thought...

When I'm in the mood for humour, I'll go to a different thread...

In the mood for friendly banter, to another thread...

Then there are the other threads for mud-slinging stupidity...that you can get snagged on if you're not careful

confession to make guys. I'm listening to I'm not a girl, not yet a woman. I like it I admit. Strangely it's related to our discussion!

man, everytime I see you've posted it's like a warm ray of gentle sunshine appears!

What's that?

yeah, I'm not having a great night! I did read though that people have a tendency towards two particular beliefs. One that they are the hero in their own narrative, even the mass murders I guess, and two that life is fair. People invent all sorts of strange philsophies so they can cling to the belief life is fair. Come on though, it clearly isn't .

Britney Spears singing I'm not a girl, not yet a woman, that's about identity right?!

Yes. But what's she, then?

really? how can you know that?  if love is real how can suffering be forever would that not mean that love is not real?

I don't believe though that acceptance and peace leads to unhappiness, I believe when we let go off the struggle to get things to be a certain way, and truly accept what is, then we are completely open to beauty, because we are free.

^^ oops...so many new posts here is what I was referring to in my above post

because life involves pain, life involves death, how can we not suffer when those around us die.

If it's possible that love or conciousness can be separate from matter then perhaps suffering can be avoided but as long as we live and die, suffering is part of the equation. I suppose the fact is how could we have pleasure without pain also existing.

She says she's "caught in the middle"

How profound!