`JackDaydream wrote: ↑December 6th, 2021, 4:55 pm @3017Metaphysician
Your reply is interesting because it is about processes with some aspects coming from beyond us but with some capacity for choice, although there are many unknown variables influencing us. In particular, each of has so much impacting upon us, including genetics, socialisation and life experiences. Perhaps, it would be true to say that each person has some choices though as reflective conscious agents.
Your post, especially the idea of immortality possibly being about 'experiences living on forever in God' leads me to think of the Hindu idea of the human ego in relation to the 'divine', Brahman and Atman merging together. I first came across this idea of immortality within a writer called JB Phillips. I mentioned it to a Catholic friend at the time, who thought that would be a 'real swindle'. But, it could be that it is the ego consciousness which wishes to cling to ego identity and it may be that whatever happens at death, with all possibilities, such as those portrayed in NDEs, that, at death the ego dissolves and possibly some aspects of the 'spirit' moves on, but that the various aspects of the person are involved in constant cycles and processes of change, within the timeless picture of eternity. Your post points to the idea of God as imminent force which is different from many 'conventional' ideas of God, but may be more logical than many other ones.
But, getting back to chance and freedom of choice, it may be one of the many paradoxes of human existence and, that human beings have some freedom of choice but only some. It also seems that the life circumstances of each individual differ and some people have more choices available than others. It may be that there are more choices earlier in life often and these may become more narrow when someone has followed specific pathways. Life may be like metaphorical spirals, mazes and tunnels. This may be 'karma', although it could also be seen simply as the processes arising due to the limitations of the material circumstances of life, which leaves ambiguity of possible interpretation.
Jack!
Just as an aside anecdotal musing, I have yearly mantra's with my closest friends. One year we had 'awareness', another year we had 'engage with a smile' (law of attraction) and this year we have the concept of 'possibility'. The one year where we had 'awareness', we would put a Z on it just for fun and randomly ask each other 'hey and 'awareZness' lately?' Then we would proceed to parse the associated experiences... .
We learned a lot from parsing concepts. Perhaps this speaks to the dynamic role where all humans participate. We are all interconnected. Existentially, the character Forrest Gump comes to mind there (the movie was based on Existentialism). Why do we do what we do... , because we can. We are motivated Beings. We were hard wired for doing and Being. Said another way (in a religious way), one has to walk the path so that God can cross it. In any event, it is a participatory universe (PAP), even in physics!
From a bottom-up perspective, quantum coherence proves some sort of purpose and destiny. But of course, beyond physics lies the metaphysical Will. The Will to be...life is good!
