The Eternal Recurrence

Imagine the realization that life how you have lived it and will continue to live it will play itself out in the exact same manner and in the exact same circumstances for eternity, everything between birth and death repeated an infinite amount of times like an ever revolving wheel of fate without a single thing changing

Knowing this, what would you change about your life?

And second, why haven't you changed it already?

Nothing new under the sun my friend.

a reply to: NiNjABackflip

Its a good question, but I think the answer for me might just be that I'd change very little.

Its a Taoist perspective really, that each thing follows its own nature, including us. We do what we do. At moments of extreme suffering, we wish we did something else, but we are what we are.

Most of the totalitarian nightmares in human history have come from people who are trying to "fix" nature, fix the way things are, the way people are. Each nightmare has a beautiful vision that leads into it. For the Nazis, it was a world of people born to perfect intellect and beauty, ideal Aryans, all the genetic imperfections removed through eugenics. For the hardcore Soviet regimes, it was a world of brotherhood of all humanity in labor. John Lennon's song "Imagine", whether accidentally or intentionally, speaks to the beauty of the communist goals.

But these utopian visions always fail, as the nature of people fails to conform to them. Because people are what they are. If that could be accepted, so much violence to try to make people change could be prevented. But its not accepted, so they next iteration of cheap tyrants stands up, trying to make people change yet again, only to fail yet again.

So the moral of the story is, I am what I am. There are surely more glorious things I could have done, but I refuse to be my own tyrant, trying to "fix" what's wrong with me. Nothing is wrong with me, or the way I have lived.

But that's just on perspective on your question!

Gah, your asking this question again? Shesh..every life cycle, same question, same response, same even me complaining about it..
Welp, until next time...
-late for my orgies and mass alcohol-

a reply to: tridentblue

We can move one thing from one place to another. This is evidence that we can change things, and any doctrine of non-action is a negation of this brute fact. I would argue that apathy is not the best choice, but whether such an outlook works or not would not be up to me.

a reply to: NiNjABackflip

Gosh Ninja, its a fine line: On one hand is the true and spiritually thrilling fact that each of us are free, and can be anything we want to be. Tomorrow doesn't have to be anything like yesterday. We can change our lives. But on the other hand, is regret, and dismay about how we have lived, and what we have been. I really believe that's a spiritual poison, and a way not to think. We should be able to say "I am what I am, and my nature is my nature", and to accept that, accept ourselves as we are and where we come from, and to accept that in other people with compassion, without feeling we need to change them. Is that apathy? I call it acceptance.

But insofar as your point is in inspiring people to remember their freedom, I think you are making a good point. I just think its important not to judge our pasts too much, or blame ourselves too much. The beautiful future we all long for comes from our collective joy, and our embrace of life as it is.

a reply to: tridentblue

I would have to agree on your points regarding blame and the idea of guilt. We can no longer change the past, and dwelling on it is futile. Acceptance of history is a valuable insight.

However, I think we can agree that accepting the ability to change and influence the world around us in the now is a necessary affirmation of life as it is. Whether this ability to change results in good or evil is sadly unknown.

a reply to: NiNjABackflip

I do agree on that point... But the key phrase I think is affirmation of life as it is. We live in a world right now where God - or whatever force is in control - has chosen capitalism as the dominant global system. I don't think that's because capitalism is necessarily a great system, I think it was chosen because out of all the human systems we offered up, its the least judgmental toward the myriad types of human that live on this earth: If you want to collect stamps, the market lets you do that. If you want to smoke weed, the market lets you do that. If you want to live in a place where same-sex couples are accepted, the market lets you do that. If you want to watch pretty men or women dance nekkid, the market lets you do that. Supply and demand, no judgement. Its the other systems which expect something out of people, and get let down by human nature itself, by the Tao, by that which we are.

I'm mentioning that because I think you are right, we are at a point where dramatic change is becoming increasingly inevitable, I know it and you do. I just think its important to keep this idea in mind, that the change that will stick is that which has maximal compassion to ALL KINDS of people and the crazy individual things the want to do. I believe that freedom, in the end, will prevail.

a reply to: NiNjABackflip

I feel like you assume we are the masters here.... It's true, if we were really the only vessels of change (manifestation), then we might be able to get things done, but overlooking the unknown spirituality all around us leaves us naked and helpless to affect anything but our own immediate day-to-day existence. Even the decisions we make to change our own lives most often don't go as planned. There is no spoon...

Yes I call that the DVD, and also, others can enter into the DVD to try and help people out.

a reply to: NiNjABackflip

Technically if everything is played out the exact same way without ever changing... How could you change it?

No matter what you try to change, you already tried anyways...

It would be pointless... er, a circle.... which is still pointless

If that being the case, I would have to find another Way say after 50 lifetimes! Or just stop running in circles! I dislike some of the ideas handed down over time. Use to be all Over It myself until a day came that changed everything; On the Inside.

I do not actually Know Anything, and thats Okay! Most of whats in my head is crap feed to me as a child and stories from long ago! Until that day came, Circle now maybe Backwards lol yet it is time I found out myself. Starts with all that stuff in your head, some are so old it might as well be tossed out, questioned and brought in front for one to actually see what it does in your life.

Seems you come to find Who's playing who and it's the special people in ones life doing it. It hurts, tosses a line you either cross or don't. It is Always Your Choice. The worst line ever is to tell another it will be alright. It's a nice thing to do, although how would one know?

Yet. I might go another 20 lives, down a few more beers and Enjoy the life I have. Their are things Man has yet to understand, until you realise understanding is of the mind only. You will stay running in circles. Since everything can be real or just another thought anyways. Why spend 10 lifetimes Thinking you know?

I'm glad I do not know anything, seem somewhat a blessing. Now I have a chance to walk, learn my own way and question myself vs what the Worlds tells me is right. Then again, could be in a coma, still would not matter if in finding out everything. Then What?

Peace

a reply to: NiNjABackflip

I would keep being me who I am at my core and center.

The thing about life is the we ALL are different. No one walks the same path. And yet somehow we can still relate to eachother. That is life and that is beauty.

originally posted by: Bonesmuggle
Nothing new under the sun my friend.

Isnt that also said somewhere in the Bible?

a reply to: NiNjABackflip

"All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again."