I came upon a thought the other day and I thought I would share it with you guys...

If intelligence is measured by what you know then I guess we are all on the bottom of the scale. We can pretty much question all in life and we almost always end up with Why?. I can question the validity of science, my existence, your existence, what is life, etc etc. Seems to me that evidence proves nothing. Example, You can tell me that you have gone to France, and I have not. I have seen pictures of France online and on the TV. But I have never been there, so I can still question it's existence. EVEN if I do go to France I can question it. Example: I can say that this France is just a thought in my head and it is not real. What is real? If real is defined as what i see, touch, smell, etc, or even perceive, then what makes dreams?
If I know nothing, then, that must mean, that I don't know if I know nothing. It goes into some crazy loop there...
I think I am going a little insane here. I try to keep an open mind on things and I seem to get no where. I would love to believe in all this New Age stuff about being one with everything (what the bleep do we know kind of stuff) but I can question that. If I let things be, and just go with the flow and exist, then what is the point?

I just wanted to get these thoughts out of my head...

Any comments, suggestions etc etc are welcome!

Peace

I think I understand what you're getting at. I am sure when you were younger someone told you the old Indian fable of the blind men and the elephant, but here is a quick refresher:

There were six blind men trying to describe an elephant, but each were blind. The first blind man felt the elephant's side and said, "I know what an elephant is, it's very much like a wall." The second blind man felt the elephant's tusk and said, "No, an elephant is very much like a spear." The thrid blind man took hold of the trunk, so to him an elephant was much like a snake. And so it went. The tail felt like a rope, the ear like a fan, the leg like tree. But none of them ever got it completely right.

Now, did you ever wonder why there are SIX blind men? Probably not. But allow me to tell you, the six blind men represent the five senses (sight, sound, smell, hearing and touch) and the mind. We can live our lives experiencing and analyzing (the six blind men) the universe around us (the elephant) and never be able to grasp meaning. We therefore must look deeper. To see beyond our senses, with the eye of the soul.

I'll type more on true existence when I get some time later tonight.

One quick thought--intelligence is measured by one's ability to take IQ tests. That's all.

We all have different aptitudes, and some folks with high verbal aptitude might sound smarter than others, but there are all sorts of smarts.

I once dated a woman working on her doctorate in relativistic astrophysics--brilliant, but had zero street-smarts.

I think I understand what you're getting at. I am sure when you were younger someone told you the old Indian fable of the blind men and the elephant, but here is a quick refresher:



Now, did you ever wonder why there are SIX blind men? Probably not. But allow me to tell you, the six blind men represent the five senses (sight, sound, smell, hearing and touch) and the mind. We can live our lives experiencing and analyzing (the six blind men) the universe around us (the elephant) and never be able to grasp meaning. We therefore must look deeper. To see beyond our senses, with the eye of the soul.

I'll type more on true existence when I get some time later tonight.

Fantastic story!

I have never heard of it before by the way.


How does one see with the eye of the soul?

One quick thought--intelligence is measured by one's ability to take IQ tests. That's all.

I get what you're saying, but i like to lump all of those aptitudes into the realm of intelligence, if of different types. IQ tests only test certain types of basic intelligence like you said, namely the ablillity to recognize patterns, math skills, grammar, basic logic, analysis skills, and of course geometry.

I've met people i would consider extremely intelligent (as well as those with street smarts and other types of aptitudes) who were horrible at taking IQ tests, and of course had a low IQ as a result, but were indeed intelligent people. So i think that even saying IQ tests measure intelligence is a misrepresentation, as there are certain types of intelligence as well as aptitudes like you said in your post that the test doesn't measure.

However, my argument with your post is barely more than semantics. All that being said, the general trend is that those with a higher IQ are also more intelligent in other areas as well.

Knowing all there is to know would be cancerous to the imagination.

How does one see with the eye of the soul?

This is a very good question. That can also render a very complicated answer. Let me begin by first telling you what YOU are. Sit back and relax ;).

What You Are

Aa much as I disagree with christianity they do have one principle that is dead on. This is the holy trinity, or maybe I should say YOU are the holy trinity. You are three things: body, mind, soul. But what are body mind and soul? For this I'll take an example from Winnie the Pooh:

BODY
The body is very much like Piglett. Piglett is a very good friend and brings love and peace to many situations, but is often overcome by fear until he transcends it. The body is the same way. It is wonderful and meant to be enjoyed but as with Piglett, is often overcome with fear. Fear of death, of rejection, of hate, of disgust. Piglett often disregards his own loving thoughts for the fearful (or more specifically hateful) ones of others. But where does this fear come from?

MIND
The mind is very much like a combination of characters. It can be like Owl: wise, yet hateful. It can be like Rabbit: quick-witted, yet hateful. Or it can be like Eeyore: profound, yet depressing and HATEFUL.

Did you notice a trend there? I remember once Armsmerchant saying "Every thought, word or, action comes from two places LOVE or HATE. The mind can often be very hateful. Always analyzing, always judging, always thinking. And this can often get you into trouble. So how do you transcend this?

SOUL
The soul IS Pooh Bear. Pooh doesn't hate, he doesn't judge, he merely ACCEPTS. Even when he is cut down by Owl, made to look a fool by Rabbit or fat and sluggish by Tigger. Quite simply stated, Pooh just IS. All he does is exist. And that is all you need to do.

How do you see with the eye of the soul?

Well now, thats easy. Start listening to your soul.

But, you say "Why can't I hear my soul?" Go outside on a sunny day and look up at the sun. Now cover your eyes with your hands. Can you still see the sun? No, of course not. But, does that mean it still isn't there, it still doesn't exist?

Like I said before the soul is often pushed to the side by the mind. But unlike the mind, the soul (or god or essence, whichever you prefer) loves unconditionally. The soul, like Pooh, will sit quietly by as your mind takes control, until you give your soul the time of day.

"Well how do I listen to my soul?". Well, I prefer to meditate. You can read all the books in the world about the soul but, there is nothing like actually experiencing it. You will be amazed at what can you learn from the soul. And best of all it is free.

So do me and your sould a favor, turn off your mind, turn off your body and listen to your soul.

thank you, I will listen to my soul as much as I can