The intellect is an elaboration of animal instinct. By creating categories and matrices of definitions, an imaginary meta-territory is generated which speeds modelling of reality and facilitates organising modern society. This territory conceals the shifting animal loyalties under a veneer of reason, which is then identified with as the "I".

The awareness that one exists precedes thinkingness. Turning inwards, one sees that one exists and extrapolates that others exist also. Instead of treating others as objects or "just" animals, one sees the intrinsic benefit in cultivating consideration, loyalty, and caring.

With cultivation the awareness prior to consciousness becomes increasingly predominant. Happiness arises from within. I exist to make those I love happy, because that is what I AM.

Ethical training and animal impulse restraint supports the process of cultivating this awareness. Historically rare, preserved as the living core of lovingness in the great faiths, the condition of spirituality, prior to words and thoughts, strives only to bless and heal out of gratitude and stewardship.

For you, Quinto: may I suggest belief and non-belief fall away with experience. Perfected Lovingness needs no ethic: caring is spontaneous.

To summarise with an analogy:

When we are children don't touch the hot iron because it's "bad"; as adults we don't touch it because it burns; as spiritual folk we don't touch it because we love others and want to be safe in order to keep loving them more.

These are just my understandings.

Kind regards,

Paul Bard

Emptiness... Everyone is born with a certain emptiness.

The majority of people in the world spend life filling this void with money, fame, marriage, drinking, drugs, church, idols, sex, hate, pain, sports, music, rebellion, people, organized religion, food, and the list goes on forever...

These 'things' are momentary. These 'things' fill the void only for a small amount of time - we are usually filled for the duration of the time that we are caught up in whatever that 'thing' is we are doing and after it is complete - it passes - and the emptiness returns.

Have you ever felt like you are caught up in a movie? Does it feel sometimes like at any moment a director and lights and cameras will pop out of the corner and say "cut!" Do you have the feeling everything is fake? Do you ever think to yourself when reflecting on your life or the world and say to yourself... "this cant be all there is... this cant be it?

if you have felt this way before whether your a believer or not a believer your closer to God then most.

And it is my belief Quinto that you are somewhat like this. There is something in you that will not just 'believe' anything because one says to 'just believe'. Your stronger and smarter then that. But nevertheless you are here asking this question while millions in the world could careless. So there is something special in you. I know what it is like to feel these things because this is how I was.

I realized that everything I tried to fill my emptiness with wouldnt last. In my case it was: music, sex, and drinking. No matter how many bands I was in, no matter how much I had sex, no matter how much I drank - nothing and I mean nothing filled me. Sure it feels good to be loved by parents or a girl friend... but its not enough and most important of all its not perfect. Not even the love of a parent can fill this...

So I looked at everything and saw nothing... And at that moment I realized God exists.

If there was no God all these things would fill. But because there is a God all these things do not fill because God is greater then all these things. Therefore to master all these things we become one with God who is above all these things - thus we become masters of the world rather then the world and all of its things become master of us - by having the REAL master (God) in us.

Quinto B please listen carefully... Very few people are aware of this void. The majority of the people in the world will spend their entire life trying to fill it in total ignorance - and they will become unsuccessful and die empty because they do not know this truth that I have spoke to you.

And if you ARE aware of this emptiness ... it is because of God. Again few people have this understanding. Be thankful Quinto that you are able to understand this. That you can feel these words penetrating into your heart. God does not want everyone. Be thankful He hasnt left you in the great blind ignorance of the world to one day die never knowing Him.

God is beyond a church. God is beyond a ritual. God is beyond a book. My heart BLEEDS Quinto that you have been exposed to the hypocritical church. But now you have been exposed to ME. Narrow is the path Quinto... Walk with me... And find the true God.

------------

If there is no God then everything becomes SELF GRATIFICATION. So break as many hearts and step on as many people as you can to get whats good for YOU before you die... Because if there is no god - then this IS IT. You could die tomorrow... Time is wasting.

But ya know what Quinto even if you did - God would still be apart of your life because He would be knocking on the door of your mind as your conscience. If there was no God and sin did not exist you would not have a conscience and good and bad would be one in the same.