Fresno Famous

Mu.

Golden Wind!

-s

Brent, great thought

Try this one: our human existence is unique. GOD has created us at the balance point between the infinite expanse and the infinitesimally small.

On the shoulder of giants… where are we today? We are learning and growing.

-How far dare we to dream, and where do we plant our feet when we finally decide to stand?-
Christ likeness, although it might not be popular in intellectual politically correct social circles, is solid grounding for standing. With a morally pure foundation, dreams taking flight from such a place have a greater good than dreams based on selfish gain.

So, let the dreams profit all. There are many social concerns that face mankind: air quality and other health related issues. Dreams can solve problems or dreams can disappear.

Today I heard Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech again: he had a dream and look at us today. Overall I’d say that his dream has seen reality.

I will suggest that you take your dream and begin to share it with others.

Speculation as to where it all began...

Well, I'm not sure that I believe in the part about having a "point of origin"...

Actually, I'm not sure about the rest of my opinions either.

BUT, with the Universe being as mysterious as it is, I think that it is possible for it to be infinitely huge. I wouldn't say that it's expanding, although that is possible as well, but it just might go on forever in every direction RIGHT NOW! It doesn't have to be moving or growing.

I'm willing to build myself up with dreams and break myself down with reality, but I've finally grown to enjoy the beauty of both. I may not know much about dreams or "reality", but I do know that they can be VERY beautiful when looked at with an inquisitive eye.

Personally, I take my dreams as far as I can (both the open and closed eye kind). I kind of like feeling like I am going crazy with my wild and sometimes inventive thoughts.

Where I am at now: My feet are planted on the same ground as everyone else. I don't pretend to know where I came from or where I am going, if I have a soul or not, what this world is REALLY made of, or anything of the sort. I just live my life in conformity, but with an open mind to anything that seems logically possible and genuinely smart.

The Universe is a mystery and I refuse to pretend that it is not.

~Rell www.myspace.com/559rell www.myspace.com/trellthareallamane (music production)

OK, I'll try for the short version so as to not crash the site..

I like Habakuk.
(sort of a ready clue as to where I lean.)

I don't believe that the universe is infinite.
I think it's actually expanding and burning out.

If the same book that has Habakuk in it is true,
there is a definite time where the one who created this world, (and the universe,)
literally sort of takes it, (having yanked out the people (aka 'souls,')
deals with all of us,
---and then creates a whole new one.

--This is not to say that I buy into reincarnation,
--or that there was some world before ours and we're on the fourth or fifth (or fiftieth) re-go.

I think this place was created not all that long ago,
-that there was a time where salmon actually were swimming upstream to spawn to places that they 'remembered,' instinctively, (yet had never been there before, -because they were the first salmon and had been created with 'memories.')

Ditto, Trees with rings in them (that were created with them,) yet never were saplings, (etc.)

We understand (in modern story-telling,) the concept of 'immedias res,' (sp?) which means that the story starts 'in the middle of,' life, ---and you simultaniously backfill and build the characters.

-This is different from 'tabula rasa,' (or blank white slate,) ---where every last detail is created and then the story starts (like building the game 'mousetrap,'

I think this was all created (Genesis has the phrase 'And God said; Light BE, and Light was.' (the orig. language means that there was no light before, that it was literally created for the first time, ---not just switched on,)
--So this was all created,(tabula rasa) but created mid-stride in some aspects (again, 'brand new,' critters with a built in nature, ---yet being essentially prototypes and first year models...)

This place is like a big terrarium, and (again, if that set of books is true,)
we're (people,)
the main concern (object of adoration, actually,)
of the one who created it, (not just some people, but all people, equally adored and thought of (each,) endlessly by that creator.)

It's like earth,
this universe,
and most of what we understand is kind of like living on a movie set, with a lot going on behind the scenes, and we can understand just enough of it here and there, (which is probably just as well.)

But it's far from 'infinite.'

(Not that you asked,
but,)
I think as 'beings,' ('souls,')
we are born here, (once,)
live a life measured out, and then die (once,)
--but that our souls go on forever...

Where they dwell after 'here?' with whom, and why?

That's the question we're not answering tonight...

I hate to disagree with a girl that could kick my ass, but...

I think we ARE the only life in the universe... well maybe not only life, but are probably the most advanced. There's probably bugs and simple organisms out there, but as far as walking and talking and creating culture, I think humans rule. The odds of life occurring according to what we know (as in temperature, size of planet, length of days and nights), in my opinion are almost infinitely small, thus negating the infinite universe. But I could be wrong.

As far as the original question, say you were in a spaceship, pointed straight up, and just started going, and could live forever. Eventually you would have to reach the end of the universe. Space would continue, but there's gotta be a last star, or last planet, or something... Unless the universe itself is a big circle, so large that it's imperceptible, (like how you can't see the curve of the earth unless you're in a place with a great view, You'd have to be DAMN far away to see the curve of the universe...)

So I guess, in short I'd say it must end somewhere.

That's a great Newton quote by the way. Oasis named their album Standing on the Shoulders of Giants after that qoute (like how they learned/stole from the Beatles and others)... That's a damn hard question. But I'll give you a quote that may help somebody. "If you want what we have, do what we do." So I'd say find someone with a crazy amount of inner peace, and ask them a ton of questions. You'll see that life here isn't nearly as complicated as the Universe itself seems to be.

This could be a sweet thread, I hope people disagree and agree!

http://www.toomuchchris.com/blog/blogindex.html

Uhhh

I think your question is 2 sided but very thought provoking. as for the first, "Secondly, for those who do believe, do you think the other side of the origin extends equally as far?" i do believe in an infinately expanding universe as it would be highly egotistical of us to believe we are the only form of intelligent life in our universe. as far as infinate? well, how does one measure that? you really cant so the question goes unaswered.
the second question seems a bit unrelated to the first as the first seems a question of metaphysics and the second a challenge to ones self.
but to take a stab at your second question i am reminded of a quote by Nelson Mandela, "We ask ourselves, 'who am i to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. your playing small doesnt serve the world. There's nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people wont feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. All of us. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
so my answer is, dream big, take the dare and face it head on and stand on your own pedestal, not looking down upon others but holding your hand out to them to help them reach your height.
the question should be, do we allow others to stand tall with us and do we allow ourselves to grasp onto the hand that reaches out to us?
just my 5cents.