Wednesday, February 13
makeover
I will be doing a blog makeover again so I won't need to get a REAL blogskin. I'll still get one if I fail. Do not wish me no bad luck.
Sunday, February 10
a copy of my 2.2k word essay
In the end I had to cut this down to 1.2k words
---
Let me start off my topic by asking you some questions. Have you ever wondered why we were made or put here? Have you ever wondered why we have the ability to do what we do? Have you ever wondered what happens after we die? Have you ever wondered if there is a “god” or “gods”?
These questions are philosophical questions, which have troubled many renowned philosophers over the years. Religions are also, to some extent, the child of philosophical thought. You do not get someone saying that there’s a superior being up there somewhere in the sky just because he or she imagined it to be so, neither do you get someone saying that the world is as it is now due to a “Big Bang” for no reason.
Yes, there are reasons for everything, even the most far-fetched things. However, sometimes we can tell the truth from the lies. Let me give you an example. A student told his teacher, “Aliens jumped out of their flying saucer and ate my worksheet”. The teacher would immediately see through this lie as first of all, all the “aliens” that we know about are in the form of microorganisms. Secondly, we have no solid proof that flying saucers exist. Thirdly, why would any visible “alien”, if there even are aliens, want to eat a worksheet? And lastly, students who do not bring their worksheets are not very reliable sources of such information as they might be doing it just to save themselves from getting punished.
The truth about a particular statement or situation which you did not experience firsthand is determined by several factors, reliability of the source, feasibility of the information and backings for the source. This also applies to subjects like history, where it is possible to find out the truth. In philosophy however, the truth remains vague due to the lack of concrete evidence, which probably does not even exist.
Now, you might be wondering what I have mentioned in the first few paragraphs has to do with duty. The questions I have posed in the first paragraph are examples of philosophical questions, which is essential for me to explain duty. These questions do not have answers which cannot be easily argued upon. On the question about god, there are many different religions which believe in one or many different gods and Atheists, who oppose the theory of god. In the following paragraphs, I will answer the questions I have posed in the first paragraph in three viewpoints, the viewpoint of people who are Hindus, the people who are Christian and those who believe in science. I chose these three because Hindus believe in more than one god, Christians believe in one god and Atheists, who do not believe in god because they have clearly different views on the situation. So read on!
Firstly, I will look at the question about why we were made or put here. From the Hindu point of view, we were put here because our souls have been “cursed” to a cycle of life of pain and suffering, where the only way out is to keep doing good deeds to ascend in “status” after you get reborn until the point where you join Brahmin in heaven. However, if you do bad deeds, you descend in status.
This way of thinking has its own flaws, for example, why are there more people coming on the planet? There should be less because more and more souls are joining Brahmin. However, it also has it good points; for example, it encourages people to do good deeds despite the resistance and pain they might get in return. Many people are selfish by nature, but if they believe in this, they will help others and do good deeds in return for joining Brahmin in heaven eventually.
As for the Christians, they believe that their God put them on Earth because god has a will for each and every one of them. He also plans to give them hope and a good future. This would cause Christians to accept what they have and work towards the goals which they believe God has set for them in the belief that he has willed for them to do it. They will also accept what they get and do everything they do for God selflessly as it is all His will.
To finish off this question, I will give the views of the Atheists. These people believe that we came here just by chance. Something called a “primordial soup” made the first living thing or things. These simple life-forms gradually evolve to form more complex forms of life and eventually, us, among various other living things. This theory of evolution was suggested by Charles Darwin, who was an English naturalist who proposed and provided scientific evidence to show that all species of life have evolved over time from one or a few common ancestors. These people do not really believe that any moral values are associated with us being here and believe more in material gains like money, land and people.
Next, I will cover the question on why we have the ability to do what we do. This time I will start off with the Christian’s view on it. They feel that God gave us the ability to do what we are able to do because of the mission that we have in our lives. For example, the person who can draw or paint very well would draw pictures in the future which would encourage more people to be helpful and kind, or paint pictures for charity. They believe that intelligence is not a gift but is a responsibility to be used selflessly.
As for the Atheists, they believe that what we are able to do is a result of our genes, which come from our parents who in turn got it from their parents and so on. In other words, they believe that a less capable person has more difficulty doing the same job a more capable person can do and therefore, having parents with a particular set of genes would give you strengths and weaknesses in different areas. This belief has hardly anything to do with morality and is a very “cold” fact for those who have been born with “bad genes”. However, based on science, this is very true.
The Hindus, unlike Christians and Atheists, believe that what we are able to do results from what we have done in our past life. Those who do good deeds and deserve better abilities, get better abilities. How we make use of our current abilities determine what we have in our next life. This would cause people to fear for their next life and long to join Brahmin. In turn, they will try their best to do good deeds with their current abilities, no matter how good or bad those abilities are.
Now that I have covered two questions, it is time for the third one. Have you ever wondered what happens after we pass away? This question is highly controversial as it is a very emotional and “dark” matter for many people. I will cover the different views below.
From the Hindu point of view, you just get reincarnated in another body with a different status, depending on your deeds during your lifetime. If your good deeds amount to a higher number than your bad deeds, you get reincarnated in a body with a higher status. However, if your bad deeds amount to a higher number than your good deeds, you get reincarnated in a body with a lower status. This cycle goes on until you ascend to a status which allows you to join Brahmin in heaven. This will cause people, who wish the best for their own souls, to do good deeds and hopefully ascend to join Brahmin eventually and be freed from the cycle of life.
From the atheist point of view, you just lose consciousness permanently and decompose gradually to be “recycled” as another object or living thing. So technically, from their point of view, we are made up of the matter that once made up objects or organisms that existed before us. But then, who would be able to face death knowing that it is the end?
From the Christian point of view, you get judged after you die. Judged on whether you go to heaven or hell. This judgment is based on what you do during your lifetime. With those who do good or “Believe” go to heaven and those who do evil, like murdering another person, go to hell. This would cause people to believe in Christianity and do as it asks them to, which mean helping others, for example, so as to go to heaven, which means eternity of happiness and well being.
Now for the final, big question: does a god or gods exist?
All people who believe in a religion believe that there is a god, or, there are gods. This is because in every religion, there is at least one god. Those who do not believe in a god or many gods however, fall under two groups, those who do not take the time to think about such things and those who have thought about such things and decided that there is no god or no gods. I will go into depth about these three groups respectively.
People get to know about a religion for many reasons. It might be because of their upbringing, getting taught by missionaries, going to a religion-based school or getting influenced by friends and so on. But then comes the “Why?”
There are many reasons to this as well; it could be because the “believer” needs support in the form of a “father up there” or because he or she is taught to believe. The possibilities are infinite but almost all of them have something to do with morality. Perhaps this is what the maker or makers of the different religions intended, for the people to have such desired characteristics and personalities.
As for the people who do not believe in a god or many gods because they do not spend the time to think about him, her or them, they do not spend the time to philosophize for several reasons. Most of us have the ability to philosophize; it is just whether we want to utilized that ability. We, as students of philosophy, have to tap into this ability for exam purposes. However, those who do not care are either too busy or to think about such things which essentially do not concern them much, or despise philosophy due to reasons like it not having concrete answers.
Those who feel that there is no god or no gods, generally decide this because they have never seen, heard or felt a god. Here is a scenario an Atheist thinks about which eventually comes to the conclusion that there is no god: People say that there is or are a god or gods. But then, I have never experienced him or her before. The only fairly believable evidence I have is scientific, which suggests that there is no god. Therefore I shall believe in the one which has some evidence, which is not just word from somebody’s mouth, but is also available around us.
To conclude this essay, I will sum up our duties in this world. You would have noticed by now that these three beliefs focus on slightly different aspects of our duty. However, they focus on helping others, which is defined as giving aid to another person to do a particular job or aiding that person in emotional and mental matters. This gives strong social bonds which are necessary for peace and stability. You will also notice that all of them do not put you at the top of the world. Hinduism puts you as more of a worker who does good deeds to ascend to heaven. Christianity puts you as a prop for a larger mission, where you are a tool to be used by God. If you do well, you go to heaven. If you commit many sins and do not repent, you go to hell. From the atheist point of view, you are here to ensure the continuity of your kind. This is something like a game of baton passing where the species whose members all “drop the baton” loses.
Overall, philosophy is a subject with no definite answers. Because of this, technically there is no right or wrong to what you decide to believe in philosophy. There are however, more popular beliefs. In our modern society, these are normally the ones which oppose harming another human, support peace and uphold harmony. However, do not keep pondering on philosophical thought. There are other material things in life which we have to work towards. You would not be able to earn your living though philosophy unless you start writing books on them, which is highly unlikely.
Now, at the end of my essay, I start thinking about ePOD, the subject which has opened a window for me to this form of thinking. It has awakened this ability which makes me ask why to every unexplained situation and probe deeper. It has also sharpened my critical, creative and lateral thinking skills. Reflections, which had once been difficult for me, have now become a walk in the park due to these improved skills.
Remember, sometimes the truth is a knife under white cloth and it is best for us to keep that white cloth over the truth.
---
Let me start off my topic by asking you some questions. Have you ever wondered why we were made or put here? Have you ever wondered why we have the ability to do what we do? Have you ever wondered what happens after we die? Have you ever wondered if there is a “god” or “gods”?
These questions are philosophical questions, which have troubled many renowned philosophers over the years. Religions are also, to some extent, the child of philosophical thought. You do not get someone saying that there’s a superior being up there somewhere in the sky just because he or she imagined it to be so, neither do you get someone saying that the world is as it is now due to a “Big Bang” for no reason.
Yes, there are reasons for everything, even the most far-fetched things. However, sometimes we can tell the truth from the lies. Let me give you an example. A student told his teacher, “Aliens jumped out of their flying saucer and ate my worksheet”. The teacher would immediately see through this lie as first of all, all the “aliens” that we know about are in the form of microorganisms. Secondly, we have no solid proof that flying saucers exist. Thirdly, why would any visible “alien”, if there even are aliens, want to eat a worksheet? And lastly, students who do not bring their worksheets are not very reliable sources of such information as they might be doing it just to save themselves from getting punished.
The truth about a particular statement or situation which you did not experience firsthand is determined by several factors, reliability of the source, feasibility of the information and backings for the source. This also applies to subjects like history, where it is possible to find out the truth. In philosophy however, the truth remains vague due to the lack of concrete evidence, which probably does not even exist.
Now, you might be wondering what I have mentioned in the first few paragraphs has to do with duty. The questions I have posed in the first paragraph are examples of philosophical questions, which is essential for me to explain duty. These questions do not have answers which cannot be easily argued upon. On the question about god, there are many different religions which believe in one or many different gods and Atheists, who oppose the theory of god. In the following paragraphs, I will answer the questions I have posed in the first paragraph in three viewpoints, the viewpoint of people who are Hindus, the people who are Christian and those who believe in science. I chose these three because Hindus believe in more than one god, Christians believe in one god and Atheists, who do not believe in god because they have clearly different views on the situation. So read on!
Firstly, I will look at the question about why we were made or put here. From the Hindu point of view, we were put here because our souls have been “cursed” to a cycle of life of pain and suffering, where the only way out is to keep doing good deeds to ascend in “status” after you get reborn until the point where you join Brahmin in heaven. However, if you do bad deeds, you descend in status.
This way of thinking has its own flaws, for example, why are there more people coming on the planet? There should be less because more and more souls are joining Brahmin. However, it also has it good points; for example, it encourages people to do good deeds despite the resistance and pain they might get in return. Many people are selfish by nature, but if they believe in this, they will help others and do good deeds in return for joining Brahmin in heaven eventually.
As for the Christians, they believe that their God put them on Earth because god has a will for each and every one of them. He also plans to give them hope and a good future. This would cause Christians to accept what they have and work towards the goals which they believe God has set for them in the belief that he has willed for them to do it. They will also accept what they get and do everything they do for God selflessly as it is all His will.
To finish off this question, I will give the views of the Atheists. These people believe that we came here just by chance. Something called a “primordial soup” made the first living thing or things. These simple life-forms gradually evolve to form more complex forms of life and eventually, us, among various other living things. This theory of evolution was suggested by Charles Darwin, who was an English naturalist who proposed and provided scientific evidence to show that all species of life have evolved over time from one or a few common ancestors. These people do not really believe that any moral values are associated with us being here and believe more in material gains like money, land and people.
Next, I will cover the question on why we have the ability to do what we do. This time I will start off with the Christian’s view on it. They feel that God gave us the ability to do what we are able to do because of the mission that we have in our lives. For example, the person who can draw or paint very well would draw pictures in the future which would encourage more people to be helpful and kind, or paint pictures for charity. They believe that intelligence is not a gift but is a responsibility to be used selflessly.
As for the Atheists, they believe that what we are able to do is a result of our genes, which come from our parents who in turn got it from their parents and so on. In other words, they believe that a less capable person has more difficulty doing the same job a more capable person can do and therefore, having parents with a particular set of genes would give you strengths and weaknesses in different areas. This belief has hardly anything to do with morality and is a very “cold” fact for those who have been born with “bad genes”. However, based on science, this is very true.
The Hindus, unlike Christians and Atheists, believe that what we are able to do results from what we have done in our past life. Those who do good deeds and deserve better abilities, get better abilities. How we make use of our current abilities determine what we have in our next life. This would cause people to fear for their next life and long to join Brahmin. In turn, they will try their best to do good deeds with their current abilities, no matter how good or bad those abilities are.
Now that I have covered two questions, it is time for the third one. Have you ever wondered what happens after we pass away? This question is highly controversial as it is a very emotional and “dark” matter for many people. I will cover the different views below.
From the Hindu point of view, you just get reincarnated in another body with a different status, depending on your deeds during your lifetime. If your good deeds amount to a higher number than your bad deeds, you get reincarnated in a body with a higher status. However, if your bad deeds amount to a higher number than your good deeds, you get reincarnated in a body with a lower status. This cycle goes on until you ascend to a status which allows you to join Brahmin in heaven. This will cause people, who wish the best for their own souls, to do good deeds and hopefully ascend to join Brahmin eventually and be freed from the cycle of life.
From the atheist point of view, you just lose consciousness permanently and decompose gradually to be “recycled” as another object or living thing. So technically, from their point of view, we are made up of the matter that once made up objects or organisms that existed before us. But then, who would be able to face death knowing that it is the end?
From the Christian point of view, you get judged after you die. Judged on whether you go to heaven or hell. This judgment is based on what you do during your lifetime. With those who do good or “Believe” go to heaven and those who do evil, like murdering another person, go to hell. This would cause people to believe in Christianity and do as it asks them to, which mean helping others, for example, so as to go to heaven, which means eternity of happiness and well being.
Now for the final, big question: does a god or gods exist?
All people who believe in a religion believe that there is a god, or, there are gods. This is because in every religion, there is at least one god. Those who do not believe in a god or many gods however, fall under two groups, those who do not take the time to think about such things and those who have thought about such things and decided that there is no god or no gods. I will go into depth about these three groups respectively.
People get to know about a religion for many reasons. It might be because of their upbringing, getting taught by missionaries, going to a religion-based school or getting influenced by friends and so on. But then comes the “Why?”
There are many reasons to this as well; it could be because the “believer” needs support in the form of a “father up there” or because he or she is taught to believe. The possibilities are infinite but almost all of them have something to do with morality. Perhaps this is what the maker or makers of the different religions intended, for the people to have such desired characteristics and personalities.
As for the people who do not believe in a god or many gods because they do not spend the time to think about him, her or them, they do not spend the time to philosophize for several reasons. Most of us have the ability to philosophize; it is just whether we want to utilized that ability. We, as students of philosophy, have to tap into this ability for exam purposes. However, those who do not care are either too busy or to think about such things which essentially do not concern them much, or despise philosophy due to reasons like it not having concrete answers.
Those who feel that there is no god or no gods, generally decide this because they have never seen, heard or felt a god. Here is a scenario an Atheist thinks about which eventually comes to the conclusion that there is no god: People say that there is or are a god or gods. But then, I have never experienced him or her before. The only fairly believable evidence I have is scientific, which suggests that there is no god. Therefore I shall believe in the one which has some evidence, which is not just word from somebody’s mouth, but is also available around us.
To conclude this essay, I will sum up our duties in this world. You would have noticed by now that these three beliefs focus on slightly different aspects of our duty. However, they focus on helping others, which is defined as giving aid to another person to do a particular job or aiding that person in emotional and mental matters. This gives strong social bonds which are necessary for peace and stability. You will also notice that all of them do not put you at the top of the world. Hinduism puts you as more of a worker who does good deeds to ascend to heaven. Christianity puts you as a prop for a larger mission, where you are a tool to be used by God. If you do well, you go to heaven. If you commit many sins and do not repent, you go to hell. From the atheist point of view, you are here to ensure the continuity of your kind. This is something like a game of baton passing where the species whose members all “drop the baton” loses.
Overall, philosophy is a subject with no definite answers. Because of this, technically there is no right or wrong to what you decide to believe in philosophy. There are however, more popular beliefs. In our modern society, these are normally the ones which oppose harming another human, support peace and uphold harmony. However, do not keep pondering on philosophical thought. There are other material things in life which we have to work towards. You would not be able to earn your living though philosophy unless you start writing books on them, which is highly unlikely.
Now, at the end of my essay, I start thinking about ePOD, the subject which has opened a window for me to this form of thinking. It has awakened this ability which makes me ask why to every unexplained situation and probe deeper. It has also sharpened my critical, creative and lateral thinking skills. Reflections, which had once been difficult for me, have now become a walk in the park due to these improved skills.
Remember, sometimes the truth is a knife under white cloth and it is best for us to keep that white cloth over the truth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)