The Black Vault

It can be a comforting thought, admittedly. I am long-familiar with the problem of the existence and meaning of suffering. It was of primary importance to me during my time as a buddhist. A compelling factor in becoming buddhist, in fact.

The problem that I cannot resolve, even after long years of vacillating between indifference and empathy, and every degree in-between, was this:

How far can we take it? How far should we take it? This idea of purposeful suffering... If suffering is a spiritual element that serves a great purpose, why try to stop it at all? Why have laws to protect? Why is so much of life's energy spent against it, if it is so important in the scheme of things that suffering continue?

It strikes me as the pinnacle of selfishness to justify suffering in that way. Most humans are driven by the desire for happiness, comfort, security. To do so while embracing the suffering of others is the height of hypocrisy.

I can understand the desire for suffering to have a greater meaning, but..

But I can't really believe it.

Well if suffering isn't serving some secret, grand purpose, then it would make a lot of sense that there are no beings willing and able to put an end to human suffering. The multiverse is a vast place and you'd think that somewhere there are beings able and willing. Why don't they (including God) put a stop to it?

"The earth, he'd say, is just a big machine. A big processing plant. A factory. That's your big answer. The big truth. Think of a rock polisher, one of those drums, goes round and round, rolls twenty-four/seven, full of water and rocks and gravel. Grinding it all up. Round and round. Polishing those ugly rocks into gemstones. That's the earth. Why it goes round. We're the rocks. And what happens to us--the drama and pain and joy and war and sickness and victory and abuse--why, that's just the water and sand to erode us. Grind us down. To polish us up, nice and bright."

"In the big factory of perfecting human souls, the Earth was a kind of tumbler. The same as the kind people use to polish rocks. All souls come here to rub the sharp edges off each other. All of us, we're meant to be worn smooth by conflict and pain of every kind. To be polished. There was nothing bad about this. This wasn't suffering. It was erosion. It was just another, a basic, an important step in the refining process."

-- Chuck Palahniuk

Life IS suffering. Some people suffer worse than others. Eventually even gravity wears us down and we croak.

Heaven is the big lie.

It is better to rule in hell ...than to serve, in heaven

http://www.nobeliefs.com/heaven.htm

The frightful story of Heaven and Borg

I can't imagine a more frightening story than that of the Bible's heaven. Unfortunately most Christians believe heaven as a pleasant eternal vista for which their souls reside as one with their God, forever. Oh, but what they have misconstrued.

If one considers the Bible an authoritative source (and after all, that's where the idea of Christian heaven comes from) then you will find little to be desiring about the place called heaven unless you wish to become a mindless soul in a utopian world similar to the world of the Borg as presented by the Star Trek series. How many Christians realize that heaven is a 1500 mile cube city, or that violence and horror occurs from there, and that its inhabitants have little freedom of expression?


...

This universe is the lowest and easiest level of hell. Each level is a test, a game that must be navigated correctly to graduate to the next more demanding level.

The alternative is to surrender to the Deity of the particular level and give up all claims to free will. If you surrender your free will and rightful inheritance, you will live an eternity of bliss and happiness with ZERO suffering like a happy well cared for sheep in a Utopian Dreamscape.

Those who keep playing the game will become gods after surviving the infinity of levels of hell.

My fellow players ...I salute you

Can I have some of what you're smoking?

Lots of argumentum ad stoner going on here lately.

1. I am really, really high
2. Therefore, God exists
3. Wow, look at my hands maan
4. Duuude, I'm totally freaking out

1. Therefore, God exists
2. I'm totally freaking out
3. Look at my hands man
4. I'm really really high

I see what you did there!

That about sums it up from the God crowd, conclusion first, subjective evidence follows

1. I'm really really high, if I pray to God, he'll give me wings
2. Watch me jump
3. Therefore, dead believer