How are we ever supposed to find peace? Even when people turn to spirituality, they end up attacking one another just to defend some rigid "stance" or "opinion." It’s even worse in everyday life, where someone might be willing to destroy everything they’ve built just because they’re convinced they’re right about some trivial point—driven by this desperate need to prove themselves or whatever else. And don't even get me started on the various types of egomaniacs out there.
So, will eternal peace ever truly reign on this earth? Was the world actually designed for that purpose? And more importantly, can true peace even exist without God?
Lawrence Torres56 said:Honestly, it’s totally plausible... even if it sounds a little wild when I say it out loud, you know? Personally, I find myself believing more and more every single day that what the old folks used to call "God's punishment or reward" might actually be the real deal.
Exactly. The real question is whether we are punishing ourselves, or if God is doing the punishing. Personally, I tend to think it's the former.
I don't know, I have this nagging feeling that as long as the world remains in such constant flux, true peace will remain out of reach. For things to settle, people really need to find a sense of perfect internal balance, though who knows if that’s even sustainable. Looking back at the last seventy years, we’ve had a period of relative peace following that most senseless global conflict in history, yet people still live in fear, wondering how such a stretch could even last. In reality, looking at the global stage, true peace has almost never existed. It’s strange, though—how we can manage to maintain such stillness within ourselves despite everything happening around us. Perhaps it is only possible to achieve an eternal peace internally, because a peaceful society or a "utopia" won't exist, or if it does, it will be fleeting. After all, what good is a peace that only lasts for a season? What we truly need is something eternal.
I just finished watching the movie version of the Time Machine based on the book by H. G. Wells..
For those who have seen it, I can't help but feel that such a scenario might actually be possible.. Looking at how much people seem to be losing their grip on reality lately, it doesn't seem all that far-fetched..
Will there ever truly be peace on this earth? I find myself wondering if this planet is even meant to be a place of tranquility, or if we are destined to be an eternal battlefield for the forces of good and evil. Is fighting for what is right even worth the effort? For those who are spiritually inclined—those who have found connection with God, Jesus, or whoever they choose to follow as they seek to transcend this physical realm—does our duty lie in rising above this world, or in staying deeply embedded within its struggles? Perhaps this entire existence is merely a dream, and God is simply waiting for us to wake up and return to Him.
I don't think peace will ever happen, unless the admin can fix it...
frozengull2 said:Used to be a Buddhist monk, now she's some big-shot supermodel
It’s a tough path for Buddhist monks these days. When you live in such isolation, your mind can become a blank slate, making it far too easy for any passing thought to take root as a life goal. That’s really the advantage we have here in the States; we’ve grown so accustomed to constant stimulation that if someone actually wants to pursue spirituality, they aren't distracted by much else.
I’ve spent a good deal of time studying healing over the last two or three years. Healing is absolutely possible, but I truly believe a person can only maintain that healing if they are convinced it actually happened. For example, you might experience a breakthrough, feel great about it, but then a few days later, those doubts creep back in. You start wondering, "Was that just a placebo? Did I just imagine it?" Once that doubt sets in, you find yourself right back where you started. The renowned teacher Joel Goldsmith suggests there are essentially only two forces at play: the power of God, where sickness simply cannot exist, and a second force. Most people put 99% of their faith into this second force, so when they encounter the first—God's power—they dismiss it as impossible. Kenneth Hagin often talks in his teachings about how he sits with people for long periods, talking through things until there is a sudden "click" in their minds. They realize God is real, and then spontaneous healing occurs. Both of these teachers are Christians, though they don't follow the Catholic tradition. On a personal note, I have seen firsthand how praying for others really works. You see someone receive a genuine sense of inspiration—that effortless ease of being that can only be Divine. We are the ones who created this heaviness we carry; I'm not sure why, but it's clear we could be living with complete awareness if we chose to. If God hadn't allowed evil to exist, we wouldn't even have the capacity to believe in Him. But once we recognize that God is real and decide we no longer want to participate in evil, we lose the desire to turn away from Him. I’ve actually thought about dedicating myself to healing because I see how much it can help people, though I don't think I would approach it the way those specific healers do. In my view, you simply need to become an instrument of God's will. If you pray for others, spontaneous healings will happen in the world. To be honest, I wouldn't even want to take credit for healing someone. God does the healing; we are merely channels for His will, love, and grace.
Paul Jones7 said:on the flip side, if it weren't for desire, we wouldn't even be in this position to begin with.
being desireless is kind of a paradox, I guess. if someone decides to renounce all desire, you have to wonder—is their actual desire to be desireless? 😉
to my mind, it seems impossible to separate individuality from desire. if any sense of "self" exists at all—not even getting into whether that self is real or just an illusion—then naturally, desires act as the engine for that "I."
even someone who makes themselves available to others—I mean, didn't that whole thing start from their own internal desire to be helpful?
I don't think the problem lies with desire itself... it's more about how stupid certain desires can be. 😛
and those stupid desires usually stem from the stupider parts of us—I'm mostly just speaking from my own messy experience here. 😛 🙂
Lawrence Torres56 said:You're starting from the wrong end of the equation here; the stuff sitting around you isn't the actual issue, it's that "attention" of yours that keeps getting hijacked by external noise😉...well, actually, it's whatever happens to be interesting, regardless of why...and until that specific mental click happens inside your head, you aren't ever going to truly break free from those cravings. That whole minimalist thing, that Zen concept of just having four white walls, isn't about preventing distractions; it's because those walls are complete in themselves, and adding even one extra little thing would just mess up their perfect harmony... And once you finally hit that sweet spot, you'll realize that God doesn't show up just because you're bored; He shows up when you actually, truly need Him.😉
You're right, and what you're saying makes sense. I was just trying to experiment with a different approach. I'm back to my old way of living now, not surrounded by those four white walls, but my only real fear is that these desires are endless.
Lawrence Torres56 said:Look, living a simpler life from a spiritual perspective isn't some lazy excuse to just rot on the couch all day, you know? It’s actually about stripping away those layers of addiction we have to material junk... like, I don't feel the need to run down to Best Buy to pick up some massive 4K TV just because, especially when staring at a screen like that just drains my soul anyway. Instead, wouldn't it be better to just head out into the woods and spend the afternoon foraging for mushrooms?😁So, picture this: your washing machine finally kicks the bucket, right? And instead of throwing a massive tantrum or losing your mind, you just kind of stare at it blankly because, let’s be real, you don't exactly have a mountain of cash sitting around to go out and drop hundreds on a shiny new appliance from Best Buy. So what do you do? You just shrug, move right past that broken hunk of metal like it isn't even there, and start scrubbing your clothes by hand in the sink like it's the freaking 1800s? Is that just how life works now?😉
👍 Well said. I'm in. Count me in on this one.
I see your point, but once you already own a TV and a house full of stuff, the goal is to clear it all out so your attention isn't pulled in a thousand different directions. I wasn't really thinking about escaping to the wilderness. My idea was more about shedding all desire entirely—living with that minimalist, Zen-like simplicity you see in certain Eastern philosophies where everything is stripped down to the bare essentials. That was my focus. And in terms of gaining insight, it worked. Once you truly reach a state where you no longer crave anything, you can finally say, "God, come to me, I'm bored."
It really depends on the individual. Some people crave comedy, others want action, and so on. Personally, I just want to see everyone find some kind of healing. However, healing without a genuine change in behavior doesn't actually lead to progress. It’s easy to say that to someone who isn't seeing the full picture; they might just look at braco and see nothing else. Perhaps we have the ability to choose our perspective because we've been granted that grace, or maybe we simply chose it for ourselves. Ideally, you should accept your circumstances no matter what—to live happily regardless of material wealth or sadness, believing that everything is fundamentally okay through that lens. But if we're being realistic, even medication provides a form of healing. Why shouldn't a person be allowed that same kind of relief?
When someone performs a healing, it’s clear that they aren't just acting on their own—it's God working through them. In reality, we are all healers every single day. A simple smile, a kind word, a beautiful song, or sharing useful knowledge—whenever we share something good, we are healing. We all act as vessels because we possess a certain divine spark within us; some people simply develop those qualities more deeply and pass that energy on to others, allowing them to find clarity and healing through positive thought. I don't have an issue with healers who credit God or Jesus for their work, provided they aren't resorting to magic or strange formulas. True healing happens when you surrender everything to God and let Him take the lead. The real struggle is when we—consciously or unconsciously—cling to our struggles or illnesses because we are getting some sort of subconscious benefit from them. We hold onto the sickness without even realizing it. Once we finally see that we don't need it anymore, the healing happens almost automatically. It’s like carrying a heavy stone in your pocket for ten years without noticing it, and then one day you suddenly realize it's there, drop it, and feel how much lighter you are. That feeling is what healing is. As long as people aren't doing harm or practicing witchcraft, I believe people can heal others. My only grievance is when a cult of personality forms around these individuals, as if God or Jesus weren't enough on their own. Still, it makes sense why people seek out specific healers; they have dedicated their lives to this path, so they likely carry a higher level of energy or something similar.
Personally, I don't find all these theories particularly useful. God isn't a theory. But I suppose the mind likes to wander when it's bored. In reality, you can connect with God whenever you choose, but life tends to get in the way—you want to grab some food, catch a football game, follow the news, enjoy intimacy, or focus on building a family and providing for them. There’s nothing wrong with any of that, but it's just how it is. I once had an experience where I decided to live as simply as possible for a month. It backfired because I got incredibly bored. I remember lying in bed, tossing and turning, my mind racing, when this thought suddenly hit me—in English, since I sometimes think that way—as if God were asking, "May I enter?" And I answered, "Yes." Suddenly, I felt this overwhelming surge of power. It was brief, maybe just a fraction of a second, but it felt like if I had stayed in that state, the intensity would have been too much to bear, or I might never have recovered. Who knows. I still believe in God and I genuinely want to know Him, but I feel I need to gather more knowledge on how to proceed. Spirituality isn't a game. I think someone mentioned earlier that trying to feed the ego by collecting degrees or finishing five different colleges is a distraction...
What do you all see as the pros and cons of living a spiritual life or experiencing those moments of sudden clarity? Is there actually such a thing as a downside to being spiritual, or is life just objectively easier when you aren't? For me, the upside is that when I feel truly connected to the Divine, everything feels right—there’s this incredible sense of peace where I don't even feel the need to overthink things. The downside, though, is how difficult it can be to reconcile that state with the reality of the world around me. Honestly, if I acted the way I do during those moments in a typical American office or on a busy street in Chicago, people would probably think I'd lost my mind.
Maria Robinson2 said:Or perhaps there's some sort of 'arrangement' happening between people?
What kind of agreement are you implying? Are you suggesting that souls make a pact before they are even born—deciding exactly when to meet so that God's will can be carried out at that specific moment?
It really depends on how you define a miracle. You could see it as something extraordinary when everyone is healthy, or perhaps it’s a miracle when people fall ill because health is usually the standard. It all comes down to the narrative you construct in your own mind. A miracle is entirely subjective—it's defined by the perspective of the person searching for one. Someone struggling financially who wins the Powerball might view it as a divine intervention. On the other hand, someone worth billions winning the lottery probably wouldn't see much magic in it; they’d likely just view it as a mathematical anomaly rather than a profound miracle. Similarly, if someone suffering from a chronic illness suddenly recovers, they see it as a massive miracle. Personally, I view recovery as a gift from God. To me, it feels like karma being lifted or simply being restored to a state of normalcy. When you look at the sheer number of people suffering from illness globally, you realize what a massive blessing a recovery truly is. Anyone who has dealt with sickness knows the feeling of being unable to function normally. I remember back when I was younger, I went through a period of intense pain. In those moments, nothing else mattered except getting better. Nothing had any meaning except finding relief. Once I finally recovered, thank God, I felt like a completely different person. I never want to go through that again; it truly felt like being born anew and being given a second chance at life.
