bella wrote:Alban, if your questions were directed to me and not just general questions to be considered, I suppose I find them a bit patronising. Yes, I've thought about it, and yes, I've questioned my own belief in it.
They were neither directed at you, nor patronising, as has been demonstrated by the very keen discussion following it.
bella wrote:My understanding is that...
...and as Bonsai pointed out, there as many definitions of self-realisation as there are believers in it. If you're happy with what self-realisation means to you and are happy to try and attain it at every available opportunity then that's ok. I just asked the question - it's a good thing to stand back and take an overview once in a while - right?
bella wrote:There's no universal evidence for God, or for Paris Hilton's cultural value either, but somehow these ideas keep being sustained too.
I agree about God, but it should come as no suprise as the implication of what I was saying is that the SES is essentially a religion - despite what they claim.
And it may have been a flippant comment, but actually Paris Hilton is just another person and as such has just as much cultural value as any one of us.
Basically, it's up to people what they believe in - if they choose to believe in God or self-realisation or anything else, then that's their business. I just wanted to point out that we were all talking as though self-realisation was a given constant rather than a personal interpretation of a state of being...people talk about "Love" in the same way.
Alban