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This is water.

^^^

This is the said post, originally posted in "The Longest Thread"

Hotttnickkk said:
Hey - welcome to the thread & discussion at hand.

I can see it from your angle why you would think that. However, from my own experience, coming to know God had enabled me to fully understand and "get along" with other people.

Before becoming a Christian, all I knew was "me". How can I make myself happy? I tried to study as hard as I could, to get the best job that I could, to make as much money as I could. All I wanted was a comfortable life, for my self (and my family as well, but it hardly went beyond that). I never saw the point of "helping others". Don't get me wrong, I am a nice guy, nice enough to not cause conflict with others, but it never did go beyond that. I never did see the point of helping a homeless person, for example - as there is nothing for me to gain. I just don't have the "heart" for it. I'd flick past those "Extreme Makeover" shows and say to myself "What's the point?".

Fast forward a few years - I went to church for the first time with one of my friends out of interest. Somebody was speaking on stage and he said "You know, it's weird, but while most people wanted get rid of "suffering" in their lives, Christians have a habit of "running" towards those that are suffering and helping them. This made me think of all the charitable things Christian Organizations do in remote parts of the worlds and thinking "What compelled them to do those things"? That moment was the beginning of my walk to faith in Christ.

Fast forward again 1.5 year, which is where I am now. I've done the "Alpha Course" and researched into what Christ had done for us and the historical evidence supporting that. I've accepted Christ in my heart and have started praying. After some time, I've come to realize that God loved us enough to have created us, he is here with us each and everyday. Once we love God with all our hearts it has enabled me to understand the pain of others who are also living, breathing, trying to survive on this earth. And because God is our God, their pain is inherently "my pain". I do feel this deeply in my heart.

Now, I cannot walk past someone needing help on the street without helping them. If an old lady needed someone to talk to, my natural expression is to comfort her, help her, be her friend. Not out of pity, or politeness, or any selfish gains, but out of the realization that we are one, we are together, bounded by the love of God who had created us.

Some may question the existence of God. But one cannot deny the "Love" we feel when we truly connect with another human being. The Love of a mother is so tangible to me that it's ultimately what "Truth" is. When you experience that, you can't help but realize that - amongst all the chaos in the world and the suffering that exists, there is 1 Truth that is Love.

And I think that's what God had intended for us - to love one another as you love yourself.
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One Brow said:
I liked it also.
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Really?

I thought it was just an empty promise to be honest witchu. I know what he was trying to do. He was trying to make the graduates think about others more. But at the end of the day, in a secular society, if there is "nothing in it for you" to be nice to the person next to you, why would you do it?

The speaker said this has nothing to do with religion, spirituality, etc.

But I would argue that you've entered the spiritual realm once you begin to realize the feeling of "oneness with others".
 
Hotttnickkk said:
Really?

I thought it was just an empty promise to be honest witchu. I know what he was trying to do. He was trying to make the graduates think about others more. But at the end of the day, in a secular society, if there is "nothing in it for you" to be nice to the person next to you, why would you do it?

The speaker said this has nothing to do with religion, spirituality, etc.

But I would argue that you've entered the spiritual realm once you begin to realize the feeling of "oneness with others".
Click to expand...

Because it will make you happy.
 
Hotttnickkk said:
Really?

I thought it was just an empty promise to be honest witchu. I know what he was trying to do. He was trying to make the graduates think about others more. But at the end of the day, in a secular society, if there is "nothing in it for you" to be nice to the person next to you, why would you do it?

The speaker said this has nothing to do with religion, spirituality, etc.

But I would argue that you've entered the spiritual realm once you begin to realize the feeling of "oneness with others".
Click to expand...

You can love others, or help others without a feeling of "oneness". Religion and spirituality do not hold some sort of monopoly on thinking of others or being kind to others.

It can help, but it is not necessary.
 
Hotttnickkk said:
...if there is "nothing in it for you" to be nice to the person next to you, why would you do it?
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People do nice things for others when there is no direct benefit to them. It happens quite a lot, actually. Anonymously even, sometimes.

Don't be so cynical. We already have too many "humans being human" on this board.
 
JazzSpazz said:
You can love others, or help others without a feeling of "oneness". Religion and spirituality do not hold some sort of monopoly on thinking of others or being kind to others.

It can help, but it is not necessary.
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Bronco70 said:
People do nice things for others when there is no direct benefit to them. It happens quite a lot, actually. Anonymously even, sometimes.

Don't be so cynical. We already have too many "humans being human" on this board.
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Certainly it does happen. But in a greater scheme of thing I still think it is few and far between. You can love you wife, your girlfriend, or mother, or family. But that's really the "default setting" IMO because there is an immediate impact to yourself if you do not treat them well.

What I'm talking about is much wider. If we are truly "one with others", there would be less hunger, starvation and suffering in Africa, as an example. There is more resources in a given city in the US to feed the whole of Africa, but the fact that it doesn't happen, tells me that we're more concern with "ourselves" than "others".

When we buy things that are Made in China - do we really care what kind of working conditions the workers there are put into? When we bought a pair of Nike shoes, do we really care how many hours a day the Vietnamese workers are working? Do we put pressure on these companies to enforce proper employment ethics?

This video is a good first step, but there is still a long long long... way to go.
 
Hotttnickkk said:
If we are truly "one with others", there would be less hunger, starvation and suffering in Africa, as an example. There is more resources in a given city in the US to feed the whole of Africa, but the fact that it doesn't happen, tells me that we're more concern with "ourselves" than "others".
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I agree, to an extent. The big problem is, we forget that everything has start small-scale. When you look at the big picture, it just appears daunting. Some folks will just pack it in right there. If we can't change the world immediately, what's the point? I believe that good begets good, and that even simple kindness can be far reaching. But it has to start somewhere.
 
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