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Belief is the name of the game.
The game I talk about is, of course, life. Your life, my life, and Life itself. What you believe, consciously and unconsciously, especially what you believe unconsciously, determines much of how you experience life. It greatly affects the amount of joy and purpose you have and will have. Your beliefs have consequences not only in and for you but also on the quality of life of those around you. And ripple effects beyond. Your circumstances do not have the final say. Probably most of us want favorable circumstances including good health; loving family and friends; at least stable and maybe growing finances; being able to do what we most want most of the time. Believing that we are worthy of living what we consider a good life is an important part of living one. Even in difficult or unwanted circumstances, however, what we believe a situation means determines, to a great extent, how we feel about it, think about it, and are able to respond to it. I suggest, from my personal experience, this: that tastes of joy, at the very least, and often more, are available in most situations. And that believing useful beliefs can often actually help to make situations themselves better. If you do not believe that what you believe is important, or makes a difference, or can make a difference, well then: you are rather making my point. If you do not believe what you believe is important, that belief is likely going to lead you to a less joyful and fulfilling life. Belief, in the way I am talking about it, is more than simple mental assent. It is not just, or even requires, a conscious statement of belief. It is, rather, lived out in and through us individually and wholly. Belief is believing: being-living. Beliefs that you know, deep down, are true, a knowing that it is carried out in your internal, physical, and external life. These are things you hold as right and real, that you may back up with your conscious thoughts, and certainly do back up with your unconscious actions. Belief is an amazing ability which we all have. Some use it consciously for the good. Belief is the driving force behind much of what you do and how you shape your world. Perhaps the world. The beliefs you have affect your life mightily—so much so that you can often observe their results. Some reading this may say, no. I do not believe in anything. I ask them what they believe when they turn around to sit in a chair. Are they not believing that the chair exists, that they physically are able to sit down, that the chair will support their weight? Please do not fall into the trap of believing that you do not believe in anything at all. Believing one does not have beliefs is a belief. Every one of us has beliefs. We have all gathered and play host to a collection of them. We learned some or many, perhaps most, from others, having accepted them frequently unknowingly; and we have also probably actively decided on some over the years. Beliefs hold our own personal worlds and the physical world together. When, while driving or riding in a car, your car comes to an intersection, you/ the driver looks for the color of the traffic light. If its green, you drive through. I have, safely and easily, thousands of times. You likely have also. I often go through junctions almost unconsciously, believing that the drivers on the crisscrossing roads would have, see, and abide by their red lights. That they would and stop and wait for me and others. If you are a passenger, you implicitly believe that you driver is going to follow traffic rules. You believe, as driver or passenger, that the other drivers on the road will follow protocol. And they do, most of the time, nearly universally (albeit in some places more than others). That, dear reader, is belief in action. It is likely a belief that, except perhaps for your first few months as a new driver, you hold unconsciously. You do not even think (consciously) about it. You are demonstrating your belief in traffic systems, traffic lights, and in others following that same structure. It is a belief which serves us well. It allows modern life to function. When you get into most vehicles, whether they be a car, a truck, a bus, a train, an airplane, or a dirigible, you also exhibit another belief. You believe that the energy supplying that vehicle will operate safely and not explode. When you stay or go into a building, you believe that its structure will be stable, that the building will not fall down on top of you. When you eat, you believe that the food you eat will be safe and good for you, or at least tasty, and not poisoned. And so on. All these and innumerable other beliefs are tightly held, unconsciously held, by you and me; rarely, if ever, are they consciously considered. They are taken as givens. They are so much our usual experience that we consider them facts. True, and undeniable. All this is to say that we all, every one of us, believes in something. In fact, we believe in many things, even those who purport to believe in nothing. Without a belief in anything, not a one of us could get out of bed in the morning: we believe the floor is going to be there, and the earth below it, to support us. I take the time and space, and your time, dear reader, to lay this groundwork on this, the first page of LukeyoutheU, because I want to make it clear that belief exists. That you, that everyone, believes in at least some things. Beliefs are like muscles. You have and use them every minute of every waking day. Even if you do not often, or ever, consider them consciously. If we could do nothing about our beliefs, if we were born with them and that was that, if we had zero control over or zero influence on them, or on at least some of them, then this discussion would be pointless. Good news, however: we do have control, at last some control. We can, at least, choose or influence some, possibly many, of our beliefs. Even, perhaps, some of our more deeply held ones. I know this theoretically and I know it from my person experience. I further suggest that we are already, and continually, altering and adapting our beliefs, usually unconsciously, and often according to our circumstances. According to how things are, or we perceive that they are; or how we want them to be, or think they "should" be. This website, the idea of LukeyoutheU, is about inviting you to a larger awareness of yourself. It invites you to know of your significance. It is, I am, going to try to assist you in choosing/ training into yourself changes in the belief systems you already have; possibly, to also incorporate others, if you believe them good for you. The purpose? To fulfill a desire which I cannot say no to: to express these ideas and others. The purpose? To, perhaps, help you to improve life. Your individual life, and Life itself. My goal is to encourage you/ lead you to consciously choose tweaks, and/ or, perhaps, entirely new or new-to-you belief systems, if you so decide. To the end that your modified or newly chosen systems will not only serve you by helping you form greater purpose and meaning and joy in your own life, but will also help, in the ways that you can and that they willingly accept, the lives of others. Others who may not be/ probably will not be your kin. The idea, the hope, is not only for an individually enhanced, upgraded, and improved life but for a better communal life as well. That Life itself, on this planet and wherever we humans are and go, will more radiantly and beneficially express itself. Whew! That is a lot to put out there. Especially on page one. Explore these ideas, if you will, to see, hear, feel more. To know, and understand, and love, more. Change is afoot in these, the only times we have. Better is a possibility and it is not gotten to by looking back. We are smart to learn from the past, yes, but not to try or even want to return to what we imagine the past to have been, and never truly was. Strong belief systems are presented in LukeyoutheU. They include, at this juncture, science, religion, and spirituality. You may agree with one, some, or none. My purpose is not to make you agree with me. You may not. Ever. Regardless of the degree to which you do or do not agree me, or with the belief systems presented, however, investigating them will help you to further decide and build your own belief structures. I say not that they might help you but that they will help you because they will bring you to think about what you believe and why. The five belief systems addressed in the podcast series currently on LyU are metaphysical, religious, scientific, biblical, and experiential. Those and others are also written about in LyU essays and books. listen The Consciousness Shift podcast Metaphysicians take an active, conscious role in the continuing development of reality. You are one, in at least some way, and can add, too. Heroes of the Quran and the Bible podcast Great religions, and what we can learn through them, serve not only the past but can also help to build the present and the future, and can add to the good. They can speed up our learning curve. Straight from a Scientist podcast Science looks at how physical realities usually present themselves and work now. It is a powerful, and useful, perspective on Life. Luke's Perspective, and Ours podcast The Bible grapples with the nature of human beings, and how Life could possibly be better. It has extraordinary understandings for those open to it, for those willing to personally consider its figures and messages. Conversations with Marc podcast Personal experience is a great teacher, if you are ready to learn, and apply, and grow. Marc is such a person. We talk about what is on our minds. read essays Life is an Invitation 4min essay The quality of your life is, in many ways, up to you. The Most Important Thing 5min essay What is the most important/ better action for you to be taking right now? read deeply books Seven Ways to Think and Feel Better book A practical look into how to improve one's life experience. Drawn from my time in Palm Springs and mu growth from my study of Abraham of Abraham-Hicks. Deciding What You Want book A Bible study of two of Jesus' parables. The stories point out that there would be no party on earth, and not as much rejoicing in heaven, were it not for the "lost" sheep and coin. explore website (scroll further) LyU Website mystery p1 p2 p3 p4 There is plenty to consider, dare I say learn from, on this website. You may want to check it out. LukeyoutheU is a nonstandard approach to life which believes that good exists. That good not only exists but is the measure and meaning of Life. That good is. That good is the reality, the fundamental building block of Life, the basis and truth of it. Even when, as it may in your life or in our communal/ specieal life, sometimes or often, appear that much that is less good (that which we call, or is, "bad" or"evil") seems to predominate. Or, somehow, equal ("balance"), the good. Living in this world, as it is now, with pollution, climate change, unstable politics in some nations, the potential of nuclear war or economic recession, massive wealth inequality, people dying and/ or suffering every day who need not, animal and plant species at risk of extinction, you might ask how can you say this? How can you, Jake Knight, believe in the idea of good, and the idea of LukeyoutheU, and promote them? I answer: because. Because, in the very biggest picture, what is good is life (good=Life), and Life is winning. Because Life cannot but win, and has, in fact, already won. For how much longer, to what degree we humans will participate in Life, individually or collectively, are the questions. The duration and quality of participation are, I would say, largely up to us. We have good within us. We can be a part of Life for millennia or perhaps eons to come, if we constructively, purposely add to it. We are currently bound to a single planet, a not particularly large chunk of rock and energy hurtling through space, tucked, even in our motion, among billions of other planets. Hate to tell you, but if you or I die, when you or I die, Life will continue. If humanity itself is wiped out, if we wipe ourselves out, even if we take earth down with us, Life will continue. Life may then no longer exist in a form like us in the universe, or appear in a form, in forms, we understand. What we humans might have potentially added to Life could be, forever, lost. But Life itself will continue. So we need not worry about Life. Need not worry about good. It will, they will, persist. We would be smart, however, to be working toward making life better. For humanity's continued existence, for the good of all the other forms of life with which we share this planet, for increased joy and purpose in our own individual lives, let us live life fully by participating in it addingly. Which brings us back to you. LukeyoutheU asks, I ask, questions, and sometimes bluntly. Here comes one right now: are you going to go through life passively, taking what comes, just enjoying, or enduring, the ride, as if you have no part in its path or creation? Or are you going to grab all you can from life, for yourself, for your kin, so somehow you yourself and only you will "win," the rest of the world be damned? Or are you going to actively participate in life, in Life, to make your life and, especially, that of those born after you, even those not your kin, or even your species, better? Sports, art, music, politics, physical well-being, and a host of other ways of looking at life, all of which can provide a further awareness of Life, are not going to be talked about much on this site. They are not my forte. I instead talk about, talk through, use areas of particular interest to me to try to get to Life. Namely: metaphysics, religion, science, the Bible, belief systems including business, and that which is present for everyone, our own individual, personal experience. Life does not require belief in any of these or other understandings. I talk about them because they matter to me. They can be used by you as avenues to better know yourself and Life: in considering them, your thinking and decision making will be expanded/ made more. Will be, I promise. Even if my modes of understanding are not exactly or close to the same as yours; or are even, in some ways, seemingly opposed to yours. Life which I sometimes, as useful, also understand, as the nature of God/ Source/ Universe itself. Thank you for looking in. Jake Knight You are a searcher, an investigator; you are willing to go through at least some times of unsureness and seeming nothingness. Good. Good for you, and good for us. Here is more. I am asking you to assemble, to find and create, and to imagine with your mind. These are the three parts of LukeyoutheU: the past, the now, and the future. (More about LukeyoutheU) Assemble and make good use of the good from your past, and from The Past. Remember and recall the things you have learned that work and help you, those that help not only you but others, too. Bring those things forward into your consciousness and practice them. Practice them until they become habits. Until they move into your being and become your natural way of life. Find and create what is useful and good from that which exists in your life, in the world, already, right now. Concentrate, focus mostly on those things. Work toward, give mental time and physical energy to them. Do not deny the bad or difficult or wrong; learn from them. Find, but, more importantly, decide, the good even (perhaps especially) in unwanted situations. Do not try to escape the wonder and good of your physical reality on this earth. Take up the responsibility and power you have. Grow into greater responsibility, power, and love to bring more. The good that exists now includes you, your being alive today. You have good within you, and an ability to add to the world. I ask you to use it. Imagine with your mind. See that what exists now is real. Understand that the physical world is very real. It is real and meaningful, the result of the greater mind, including human ones, from days and centuries and millennia and eons past. This mind, of which we are a part and contributor, got us to where we are right now. Know, at the same time, that all that is physical will pass, eventually or soon, every mountain range of it. The continual process of change does not make it or you or me an illusion or, necessarily, insignificant. It makes it, us, the now. The now serves as a blasting off point, is the lifting off place for the what-will-be. Seek and find the useful and good, actively create, evolve it, and yourself into the what-will-be. Imagine it and you in your mind. Believe in it, and yourself. Believe in it with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Make it a full-bodied, your fully embodied belief. Start with mental assent, internal agreement; add to it, bring life to it with your actions and work. Understand and use your individual power and ability to shape your world, the world, and bring good. I am asking you, dear reader, to do nothing less than to make Life. To bring more and better Life into your individual life, and to Life itself. To feel and experience the connection possible when you live in accord with the universe. This is a tall request. I know it. It is also an ambitious and worthy one. I am asking us to become more. More of our better and truer selves. The changes are made by turns of the head, a big vision, tiny steps, and blinding leaps. I have particular practices and theories. Some may fit you like well-made gloves. You may disagree in part or whole with others; they, too, can serve you by spurring you forward by taking you to other/ new thoughts and ways of doing things not talked about here. Onward, if you so dare, and please do. Go on to a greater you and a greater us. Many pages have header photos and I took all of them. Of the all, only the photo on this page has been altered. Its colors were saturated and I also added a painterly effect.
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