I'm a firm believer that life is the rudder that steers the boat. Not everyone will be rich, not everyone can succeed in school, not everyone will avoid cancer. I can't speak for others. For me, I want to be thankful for every moment I draw a breath. Rather than brooding over those things I don't have, I am thankful for those things I do have. All of it will come to an end eventually, but while I'm here, I'm the richest man in the world.
They were alive.
Thats my point with regard special pleading... at some point someone comes up with an ancestor / cause that has none.
Yep, according to Hazen our initial parents emerged through self-assembly of bio-molecules from bio-chemicals, in the form of self-replicating polymers.
Surrender to the universe? What the hell does that even mean?
Did he say surrender to the universe or surrender to God?
Yes, you in the back, in the bow-tie?
Indeed.
Sure, but then you get to how those bio-chemicals came about, and from there backwards.
Do you think that you can take actions to increase your odds of succeeding in school or avoiding cancer? Or is everything 100% out of your hands?
We have already determined that he calls the universe "god".
You can make efforts to succeed, yes. But if you destined to be hit by a bus tomorrow, there isn't much you can do about it.
Stop trying to control life.
True, they were alive, but they also shared the same awareness that everyone has. It's the same for all, doesn't discriminate.
That's a particularly bad example. You can certainly be more careful than usual around buses. In the extreme, you can stay home, where bus-related fatalities are rare.
Gave up that a long time ago. I tend to go with the flow. Every now and then I may try to divert the flow, but that's seldom successful.
Agreed!
?? You can look both ways before you cross the street.
Now you seem to be saying that you don't have any control over life. And that is one of the big problems with religion - that it tempts people to believe that they are not in control of their own lives. "Why bother exercising if I could get hit by a bus tomorrow?" "Why go to school when the goal is to just surrender?"
No one is saying not to interact with life. No one is saying don't try. Just don't be surprised if your best plans don't take you where you thought you were going. If we learn to roll with life rather than compete with, things are easier.
Ah, OK. When you said "Stop trying to control life" I thought you meant to not try.
Agreed there. Like the old prayer says:
The point is we can fall over dead at any time, and eventually we will. I can make the most extravagant plans for life, but in the end they will be not. That's not fatalism, just a matter of fact. What I find is that life brings some really nice things, even when you are not trying.
There's nothing wrong with effort. If you want to accomplish something, it will require effort. It's that the plan rarely fits into life's results. I've seen people who mapped their careers and realized their goal, only to find it was not so grand.