Sunday, October 14, 2018

Guided by accident?

  Are we here on purpose or is it all accidental? That is the central question that needs answered. It would determine whether there are morals, ethics and standards that we need to follow or if we can just act on our own. To put it another way, whether there is a God or not. I say that because what is the purpose of God? Ultimate consequence is the answer. What happens after our death is determined by that. Man has always looked to the skies. What's out there? Whatever it is, does it effect what is happening here? If it does, then there has to be a God or Gods. Then wouldn't that God or Gods have to be present to monitor the situation? Seems reasonable enough to me. The questions remaining are does that God, or Gods, have laws that we are required to obey? What happens if we don't? What is the ultimate consequence?
 Now if it is all accidental none of that would matter at all. Then we could just do whatever we felt like doing. Morals, ethics and standards being established by the society in which we live. The only law is man's law. If we don't obey those laws what are the consequences? They are only what society establishes as punishment. What is the purpose of punishment? Is it to correct wrong behaviors or merely a consequence? Does punishment serve a purpose? If this is accidental, life I mean, what, if any punishment would exist after death? Or, for that matter, what reward? Neither would have to be the conclusion. Are you ready to accept that? Are you willing to believe that everything you do is ultimately of no consequence?
 William Faulkner said, " a man's moral conscience is the curse he had to accept from the God's in order to gain from them the right to dream. " William Lippmann thought this, " Our conscience is not the vessel of verities, it grows with our social life, and a new social condition means a radical change in conscience. " Personally I like what Alphonse de Lamartine had to say about conscience. He said, " A conscience without a God is like a court without a judge. " I believe that.I do believe I will be judged. Faulkner spoke of the right to dream. Without that ability what purpose would there be in life, what to look forward too? It would surely make for a miserable existence. William Lippmann believed your conscience changes with your social condition. I believe you may surrender your conscience to social conditions, our conscience is easily silenced or dismissed by our immediate wants and needs. Does that change our conscience? No, I don't believe it does.
 My original questions remains. Are we here on purpose or is it all accidental? I'm thinking it all depends upon acceptance of conscience. If you accept that you have a conscience, you have a God. If you have a God, that God will judge you. What you call that God is of little consequence to that God. Listening to your God is the primary objective. Will your God alter the course of events in response to your requests? Is the outcome predetermined, or is that accidental as well? What is the ultimate consequence? Isn't that what we all really want to know? Are your actions predicated upon consequence, or do you act on conscience in spite of consequence? Is that what defines a pious man? Is that what God is, conscience? " There is but one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, and that is either to have a clear conscience or none at all. " ( Ogden Nash ) Want to ne happy? Listen to your conscience. Or I guess I could just have said, let your conscience be your guide. The question then becomes, were are you going? You have a guide, just follow the path. Who or what is that guide? Conscience or God?         

No comments:

Post a Comment