|
LukeyoutheU
podcasts listen essays think books ponder what you think-> is a part of what you believe. what you believe-> leads to how you act-> which changes the possibilities of how things are. We could put it this way: your thoughts—> have an effect—> on what is. I am not saying that with your thoughts alone, or that with your actions alone, that you control the world. I am saying that the thoughts you think have an effect on your life and the world. Sometimes more, sometimes less. The responsibility/ opportunity we have is to bring/ create more of what we consider good into/ to the world. If I may ask: what are your intentions, dear reader? What do you want out of life? What do you want to give life? I have for a long time and over decades considered these questions. Asked them often of myself. Observed others, their actions, circumstances and situations. Have made my estimations. What I have come to is this: I want to have fun in life. I know that most of the potential fun I can have comes from living a life of meaning. I want to make a life which I enjoy often, to help others with their joy as I can, to have a life which serves not only my own good but also the good of others, of life. It is with these wants, these desires, this belief in what may be unlikely but is possible, that I make LukeyoutheU. I serve as its project lead. What do you want? The more I look, the more I consider and question, read and investigate, the more I see (believe) this: that the quality, the joy, the meaning of life comes from, have, as their foundation, knowing and belief. The knowing/ realizing that none of us is a separate, fully independent life but rather that we are all tied up in/ part of the whole of Life. Are life. The belief that our conscious awareness usually is a major player in, but by no means the only player/ factor in, the quality and experiences of our lives—and those of other living beings. The thing with beliefs: it is my thought (my belief) that many/ most of them have been baked into us. That many/ most are believed/ lived by us unconsciously, and to such an extent that we cannot change them/ cannot sanely live without them. But it is also my thought (belief) that some/ significant numbers of our beliefs are able to be changed. That we would be/ are smart to consider the beliefs of which we are conscious. Then to modify those we can as needed. As useful. As we think/ decide it would be good to. I think that sometimes, if not often, we can bend some of our beliefs toward a good and purposeful and fun life now, one that has much joy; and one which also lays the foundation for a better, more meaningful, and fun life for Life and future generations. LukeyoutheU is the result of my deliberation on such thoughts. Mine, and that of those of others on the podcasts. I have said a lot in these opening paragraphs. Perhaps too much. I do not always speak or write so densely. So heavily. (LyU essays are typically narrower in focus and more vivid in illustration.) I have here, though, on the home page, so that you, dear reader, can be aware of the gravity and magnitude and power and possibilities and joy of LyU. Of what LyU and I are trying to achieve: to no less than the helping of you to become more of your potential good you. To encourage you in the ways I/ we can in the adding of the good that you can to your own life, and to the lives of those with whom you are. Life is a continuing work, never done. I think it tends towards progress more than regress. Not because it has to; not because it, necessarily, always will; but because of the positive choices some others have made in the past; are making now; and because we are smart enough, have enough feeling, to make good choices in the present for the sake of the future. Have the courage to make those choices. Thank you for what good/ how you already add good to the world. For who you are. May I encourage you further? Jake Knight Note: in LyU, I speak of specific belief systems because they are the ones I know/ am learning about, and because they speak to me. They may also, some or all of them, resonate with you. They may not. To be clear here at the outset, I fully believe that there are other useful and good belief systems in the world including science and democracy. That we all have belief systems whether we are conscious of any of them or not. That none of those specifically discussed in LyU are necessary for a good and full life. more, including about the movie Iron Man explore the LyU website 
The header photo expresses how I experienced the scene; the photo directly above is the unaltered source. I took the photo while on a bus trip from Palm Springs to Fullerton, CA.
|