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| Thread: The Miracle |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 3 4 · NEXT» |
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Shiva
Promising
Famous Hero
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posted December 21, 2004 12:59 AM |
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The Miracle
In response to Leo asking in another thread what my philosophy is, I thought i would post something I wrote a few years ago, which still has relevance to me today:
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The Miracle
It has always been a part of religious thinking that miracles exist and by their very existence, it is proved that God exists. Without the miraculous, only the ordinary remains, a vision of life missing the extraordinary aspects that transcend human nature and without the transcendence of human nature, people are left in the ignorance of day to day life and thinking that leaves little room or time for appreciating the divine, beautiful creation. Business prevails, a chaotic sea of competition where every body is in it for themselves to the exclusion of the life around them.
I for one was initially attracted to the spiritual path for these reasons: that something else seemed to be needed than was offered in the schools and by society in general, and that the miraculous was possible if one only believed , and attainable if one was diligent and practiced hard enough. Through the twists and turns that only living can supply, I found my self in a situation where healing was needed and I spent a great deal of energy and time meditating on my body trying to influence a healing process that just went its own way and took its own time. In producing a miracle , I failed, but success came from a different source altogether.
Some of us have been influenced by scriptures and stories of amazing doings by Gurus and Saints, influenced so that we expect that something beyond imagination will occur if only we finally get it right in our meditation or spiritual practice. What if the miracle lies in the very life that we are trying so hard to leave behind or transform? What if the miracle lies in the day to day happenings that we don't appreciate because they are too usual and ordinary? What if the miracle lies in the very physical location that we ran away from all our lives because we thought it was the source of suffering in our minds?
If I have a glass of water and that water turns to wine, this is said to be a miracle. People will come from miles around and the religious authorities will show up to ascertain if this really happened and look to declare someone a saint if no earthly explanation can be had for such a happening. If I have a glass of water and it just sits there and remains a glass of water, nobody will notice or think anything unusual has occurred. But the very fact that the glass exists with water in it and I can put it to my lips and drink is a miracle. The very existence of anything in this life is an incredible event which gets forgotten in the day to day flow of life which seems ordinary and banal. Only when something different occurs which has never before been seen or explained do we think that God exists and the universe is in good hands. The thing is, nobody has ever successfully explained how any of this creation really takes place. It can be said there was a Big Bang, or it just appeared out of nowhere, but all these theories are either a scientific or philosophical-religious attempt at explaining the unexplainable. No theory concocted by a human mind can unravel what is essentially a mystery, which is: from where did all this come and why is it happening? To comfort our minds, many explanations can be had, but if we are brave enough to accept that life is an incredible event that cant be totally defined and analyzed but can be lived and experienced with a sense of awe and reverence, then the miracle of the moment leaps out grabs our beings.
To seek the extraordinary is not a vain pursuit. Without having traveled, one can never eventually settle down with the spiritual curiosity satisfied and the desire to know what one thinks they don't know at peace. The vanity comes in the great expectation of things that the scriptures and spiritual books have told us are possible, and then success is measured in whether or not these things happen in our own lives. How misleading are those books that take us away from appreciating the life, thinking that unless something spectacular happens, God doesn't exist. Life as a human being is a most amazing thing and if we can accept that, then it becomes a divine happening.
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Consis
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Of Ruby
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posted December 21, 2004 01:36 AM |
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It's All Good
I enjoyed absorbing the sentiment. I have a personal connection to this philosophy. It's good to be alive and I thank God for it.
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Roses Are Red And So Am I
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Korejora
Promising
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posted December 21, 2004 01:52 AM |
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My uncle, when he was little, was in a bad accident, and he was going to be burned all over and hurt. While he was in the hospital, for three days and nights, his mother prayed to Jesus and God that he be fully healed from his forehead to just below his mouth. When he came out of the hospital, lo and behold, he even had bandages on his chin right under the 'designated' area, and on his forehead just above the area that she had prayed for... and all of everything from his forehead to just below his mouth was unscarred, completely and fully healed.
I heard somewhere that this could be classified as a miracle.
If life in itself is already a miracle, then what was that?
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That's the best part. 
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Consis
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Of Ruby
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posted December 21, 2004 01:54 AM |
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A blessing from God.
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Roses Are RedAnd So Am I
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Korejora
Promising
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posted December 21, 2004 02:06 AM |
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I don't think I quite understand. Maybe this is a silly question, but isn't a miracle a blessing from God?
Perhaps this is why I'm not Christian 
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That's the best part.
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Svarog
Honorable
Supreme Hero
statue-loving necrophiliac
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posted December 21, 2004 02:16 AM |
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Worship bort, you heretics!
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The meek shall inherit the earth, but NOT its mineral rights.
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Shiva
Promising
Famous Hero
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posted December 21, 2004 02:22 AM |
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Quote:
I don't think I quite understand. Maybe this is a silly question, but isn't a miracle a blessing from God?
Perhaps this is why I'm not Christian
I'm not really saying there are or aren't miracles in this life. What I am doing is emphasizing an attitude that allowed me to accept some things that were not very pleasant.
Basically, life doesn't always work out the way you want it. If you pray for rain and it only shines, what does that prove? That prayer is useless? No, only that your prayer didn't bend reality to suit your own will. And if it rains what does that prove? That you did? Maybe it would rain anyway. Maybe your uncle would be healed anyway.
I believe our thoughts do affect reality, not just reality affects our thoughts. However, there is an ebb and flow in life, a give and take that means sometimes one has to accept reality, sometimes create it.
My emphasis here is that the obvious is the miracle which we forget all too often: that we are alive.
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Vadskye91
Promising
Supreme Hero
Back again
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posted December 21, 2004 02:25 AM |
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Indeed. I, myself, can say nothing more than what is already said...
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Knowledge is power...
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Korejora
Promising
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posted December 21, 2004 03:04 AM |
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'Tis Consis I was asking, Shiva. I understood what you said quite well.
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That's the best part.
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Shiva
Promising
Famous Hero
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posted December 21, 2004 04:21 AM |
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Quote:
'Tis Consis I was asking, Shiva. I understood what you said quite well.
I think this deserves a reply of some sort. I guess I should learn not to reply in threads I start. Wait, maybe it doesn't deserve a reply. Please ignore this.
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Korejora
Promising
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posted December 21, 2004 04:34 AM |
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Quote:
I think this deserves a reply of some sort. I guess I should learn not to reply in threads I start. Wait, maybe it doesn't deserve a reply. Please ignore this.
Okay, that I didn't understand.
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That's the best part.
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Shiva
Promising
Famous Hero
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posted December 21, 2004 01:15 PM |
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takes a breath
Korejora, I meant no offense. I felt your reply kind of said mine was unecessary. If you wish to hear only from someone, please refer to them in your post.
But this all leads me to another conclusion. Its a miracle we ever understand eachother at all. Words and language are taken so much for granted as we use them every day without much thought. And even when we really think about what we are saying, and appreciate that there are many languages in this world with different words that have the same meaning, still its hard not use them without really appreciating how subtle language really is.
Consis and Vadskye, I appreciate that you guys see what I do..Svarog, get out you existential spammer
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Leo_Lion
Honorable
Supreme Hero
The 5th Element & 6th Sense!
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posted December 27, 2004 07:14 AM |
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I'm glad to hear your side of it , Shiva!
*Every-day life is an absolute miracle, without a doubt! When people ask me: "What was the happiest day of your life?" I always tell them: "Today is the happiest day of my life!!!"  The usual reply I get to this (and used to get from my wife) is: "What about your wedding day, the day you moved into your new house, or the day you found out you were going to be a father?"
In the end, I explain to these people that those days have come and gone but the happiness that those events brought me, is not reserved for a specific day... I make an effort to carry the joy of every moment in my life, with me into the next moment. Following this idea, the excitement of my wedding, the sense of accomplishment of owning my own home, and the wonder of creating life will always be with me as long as I live!
Every day I am alive is the happiest of my life! Every day I am alive, I love my wife, my family, my friends, and myself...more & more!
*Back to the main idea, many people ask: "Where are you God?" or "Why don't you show yourself, God?!"
Well, to these people I say: "Look around you! God/Life is everywhere! God/Life is in everything! God/Life is in everyone!"
"Do you think that God/Life cares if something is considered ugly or beautiful, smart or stupid, big or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, or even good or evil??? Of course not!!!"
So, to follow Shiva's idea of "daily life" being a miracle; I am sure he would agree that every element of that "daily life" qualifies as a miracle as well.
P.S. My wife & I found out at the end of November that she got pregnant at the end of October. So, her Dr. says that we will be parents around July 25! We just didn't want to tell anyone before revealing the good news to our families at Christmas.
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*The end to no beginning...
*Take care, Leo
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Shiva
Promising
Famous Hero
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posted December 27, 2004 07:11 PM |
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Edited By: Shiva on 27 Dec 2004
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Leo, congratulations are in order! Your new child will have a great father, one who has a great attitude towards life. Best wishes to you and the wife 
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Korejora
Promising
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posted December 31, 2004 10:44 PM |
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Quote:
Korejora, I meant no offense. I felt your reply kind of said mine was unecessary. If you wish to hear only from someone, please refer to them in your post.
Well... :/
The thing is, I asked a question directly related to what Consis said. He said, "A blessing from God.", in answer to my question, "What was that?" but I was under the impression that a blessing and a miracle were synonymous, so I asked, "Isn't a miracle a blessing from God?" ... ...
You interpreted my question as my believing that the definition of a miracle was a blessing from God, thereby countering all or a part of what you had said in your original post. The question could also have been, "Isn't a blessing from God a miracle?" which would change a lot of things if the question were meant how you interpreted. The fact that the question could be flipped means that it was directed Consis, although I really didn't make this clear enough.
In any case, the reason that I stated afterwards that the question was directed at Consis was not because I did not want to hear what you had to say, but because I wanted to hear what he had to say. Your answer did not answer my question in the way I had intended it.
Sorry if I offended you... I'm not an anglophone so I'm not really sure what I'm implying when I say things. I guess English a lot more subtle than I'm able to catch on to 
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That's the best part.
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Consis
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Of Ruby
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posted December 31, 2004 11:59 PM |
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Edited By: Consis on 31 Dec 2004
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Are You Sure?
Are you sure you want to hear what I think? I normally post a large number of opinions on a great many different subjects, except this one. I understand that this community has many different sorts of people hailing from almost all walks of life and philosophies. Therefore I am extremely careful not to post my own personal religious beliefs in this message board for fear of being perceived as evangelical, or arrogantly acting that my philosophy is the only suitable one. I don't think my philosophy is the only one that is subjectively right(i.e. righteous). I believe that to know you know nothing is the first step toward wisdom. I don't want to ever seem like I am imposing my own personal beliefs on other people. It is a very rude thing for a person to do such in my opinion.
I am wondering if you really want to hear what I think or if it was something else in specific. I won't deliberately post my religious beliefs unless someone asks me to.
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Roses Are RedAnd So Am I
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Korejora
Promising
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posted January 01, 2005 12:08 AM |
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If I were going to be offended, I probably would already done so at your having said that the thing that happened to my uncle was "a blessing from God"... I for one am truly offended by people who believe that their way is the one and only right way, or their God is the only and only true God, but you don't seem like that kind of person to me, Consis.
On one hand, my actual question was asking you what the difference between a miracle and a blessing from God or whatever higher power one may believe in.
On the other hand, I would like to know your religious and / or philosophical beliefs. If you feel uncomfortable posting them in a forum, feel free to e-mail me instead.
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That's the best part.
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DoddTheSlayer
Promising
Famous Hero
Banned from opening threads
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posted January 01, 2005 05:33 AM |
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Consis. If you were to flat out state your opinions as facts, you would be no more imposing your opinion on others than you were in you last post.
I think you pay too much concern to how others perceive you.
You have as much right as anyone else to hold conviction in what you believe.
The idea that your opinion is no more valid than anyone elses may or may not be correct, but at least lets here it.
Not more valid doesn't mean don't speak.
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Retaliation is for the foolish. Silence is wisdom
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Consis
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Of Ruby
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posted January 01, 2005 07:59 AM |
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Edited By: Consis on 1 Jan 2005
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Ok Then...
Here it is, a brief summary of some things that I believe. I warn you though, my beliefs are highly offensive to many people.
I believe in a God who is forgiving and compassionate. No amount of science or evidence can ever change my mind. I have faith that my God exists. I don't need proof. I simply believe. My God is a mixture of many religions of the world: Christianity, Native American Indian, ancient Viking, and Islam. My God forgives like the Christian God. My God is also beyond my mortal comprehension and no human being could ever speak in my God's place like muslims believe, and My God is an ever present great spirit that connects us to each other, to the rocks, the trees, the ocean, and the sky much like Native American Indians believe.
I believe that to know beauty is to know some small piece of God. I also believe that to have love in your heart is to know some small piece of God. I also believe that a person who is given the will to choose is truly blessed.
Now to explain my thoughts on the difference between a blessing and a miracle. I believe a miracle is when God decides to do something. It could be anything and God's action is in disagreement with something. I believe when God disagrees is when we see a miracle. It is something that God wants to change without really communicating with man/woman-kind. The thing about this is that because I believe no person can ever speak for God, there is no way of ever knowing if a miracle has truly happened. We must simply have faith that God is loving. I believe we must love God with all our heart.
I believe a blessing is when God wants to say something profound to a person. When God speaks to a person I believe it is called a blessing. Such as Korejora's Uncle. I believe that was a blessing because God might have been trying to tell him that it's time to get on with the rest of his life. Of course what do I know? I don't speak for God. But I believe this might be true.
My most highly contraversial opinion is that I believe that man/woman-kind is evolving toward better understanding God. Of all the religions I mentioned, they will all tell you theirs is the ONLY right way. But this is not true because I believe the great and profound texts of the bible, Quran, book of Mormon, etc... have all been slowly altered over time by men who seek to change with the times. That is when they usually kick me out their holy churches. When I say someone has deliberately changed with the times they become enraged. But I believe this to be a good thing. I personally believe the changes were in good conscience and have affected people in a more positive way. Most believe the books to be written by God but I truly think we are evolving in the right direction by secretly changing the texts.
You see, I believe that one day, if I am worthy, I will go to a place where I can proudly sit next to my honorable ancestors. From the halls of dignity and honor I will be permitted to spiritually grow and gain wisdom even after I am dead. But I believe I have an entire life of hard work to be done. I can't rest until I've done well as a husband, a father, a friend, and a neighbor. I may not be able to improve man/woman-kind as a whole but that's ok with me. I want to make sure that I die peacefully with a heart filled with love after having earned the respect of those closest to me. In the halls of honor, my family awaits, but only if I prove my worth to the great men and women of the past.
Hope that wasn't too inflamatory for anyone. Please try to remember that this is all only my opinion and I am in no way imposing my beliefs on anyone else.
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Roses Are RedAnd So Am I
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Korejora
Promising
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posted January 01, 2005 08:11 AM |
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Whoa. And here I was afraid of some kind of preaching.
That's the least offensive stating of an opinion (or religion, if you will) I've seen in a long, loooong, time. Of course there are several things I disagree with, but you have achieved something that many people aren't even considerate enough to attempt.
*applauds*
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That's the best part.
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