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You are reading the life, times, and general musings of Jenna Tollerson. I am an independent web developer living in and around Athens, Georgia, USA. [read more]
What we talked about in Religion today:
First, what does "I" mean? Is "I" the body? the soul? your individuality?
We all have a collection of things we would like "I" to be: your name, sex, religion, things you like (books, movies, music), people you like, the things you do each day.
But if any of these things are "I", what does it mean to say, "I am alive."?
"I will die."
Why are we afraid of death? It is suggested that because we each see ourselves as the center of existence, if you died, existence would end. "Confusing one's own ego for life is the root of the fear of death." says Sonam. Liberation from this fear comes when you stop thinking of yourself as the center of all existence. Until then the fear of death (and really, all fears, because they connect back to death, except, for maybe, public speaking) is really fearing the end of existence, of sat.
If you die, you cannot continue to experience the world. But maybe "I" is just a variable: the only thing that changes is the experience.
I am hungry. I am tired. I am happy.
Etcetera.
I could start on what it even means to be afraid, but we'll have to save it.
You are reading the life, times, and general musings of Jenna Tollerson. I am an independent web developer living in and around Athens, Georgia, USA. [read more]
