it appears to me that your God is nothing more than the summation of all those things you just don't understand
stu, i agree that dark (anyone) cannot know with absolute certainty. i don't care how long he says he's been searching btw, seems dark found what he was looking for. what a 'surprise'. in other words, doesn't a 'searcher' have in mind what he is searching for before he even begins the search? a preconception? well, i think dark found in everything he WANTED to find. what he NEEDED to find. gg, refreshing to see you in the rational camp. i just loved this "Damn me to hell right now...Don't wait..!" LOL>
Mysticism: Logic is illusion. All is contradiction. "The no-mind not-thinks no-thoughts about no-things," as Buddha says. Do not try to define the real, embrace nothingness. Just be. Chant. Listen to the sound of one hand clapping. I don't want to get involved but this statement is so ridiculous that it's offending. Dark you have no clue. dark, 'suicide bombers' in middle east now do this very thing that you suggest wouldn't occur. 'religion is an opiate for the mind' it causes men to do very irrational things, FPC, you such a well read guy, where did you come up with idea that religion (true religion) has anything to do with listening to mullah or pedophile priest? Such an old and naive argument. But actually you are right, religion always served well to brain-wash people whose level of understanding was on the same level as that of Dark's understanding of Buddhist concepts. Isn't the word REASON your mantra?? Your use of it borders with irrational.
cesko, to support the notion of a 'god' dark made the argument that christians would end their lives only for something as important as a supreme being, nothing less would compel them to suicide. therefore, there must be a 'god'. (i think this was his argument, correct me if i am wrong dark) my statement was in reply to this and the point is that men have been giving up their lives for much less than a concept of 'god' for eons. see country, see melancholy, see love, see money etc. furthermore, these modern day suicide bombers are giving up their lives for 'allah' (see god). does this prove allah really exists? of course not. men give up their lives in vain all the time. all they need is a good fantasy! dark, that was a very very weak argument if you were actually presenting that as one of the bricks in your foundation for belief. WEAK my good man, very weak. that was my point cesko. i do understand there exists distinctions between organized religion and the concept of a god. so, am i irrational still here?
Scientists may indeed be afraid of philosophy as its verification is never empirical. However, the human brain IS hardwired to observe patterns, often when none exist. Therefore, things relating to voodoo are a natural human reaction to pattern recognition....selective pattern recognition if you may. There is nothing wrong with this until it begins offering you hope or raising your level of conviction in a trade....which is quite often for some people. At this point it is hocus pocus, and while day trading is an art rather than a science (as is TA) magic is neither but is bullshit.
Superstition, luck and Voodoo was intended to be a discussion about irrational behavior related to trading. A lighthearted look at what I thought were humorous responses to absurd catalysts that set traders to blaming the wrong socks or an unlucky parking spot, etc. Now this thread has evolved into a forum on personal and serious beliefs....certainly not what I expected. If there could be a resolution to this issue, well then that would be fine I suppose. But in all of history, there never has been. So arguing for that resolution here is obviously futile. Disputing the beliefs of others serves no purpose other than to agitate and aggravate and offend those with whom we disagree. So if this is true (who will argue this point?), what is really accomplished here? Bad feelings? Obviously. Help in trading? Obviously not. Now I personally am not a particularly religious guy. I have problems with organized religion for my own reasons. Whether I believe in a supreme being....well sometimes the thought is comforting, sometimes it is hard for me to accept. I have been subject to things I cannot accept that a just God could permit. But that is our world.....which brings me to this: Are the events of todays global conflicts really a matter of one group saying "our imaginary friend is better than your imaginary friend"? Sadly, this may be a valid interpretation. So what is the answer? Only one word comes to mind. That is tolerance. What is really worth fighting against? Intolerance. When I do my taxes, and get to my charitable deductions, I feel good that I always give to the Anti Defamation League. Though I disagree with many of their stands. I often (not always) find myself on the side of the Civil Liberties Union when they have a contrary stand to the ADL. BUT....when the CLU defends the rights of free speech for hate groups, and the ADL argues their point, even though I believe in the freedom of speech...have fought to preserve the right, it still offends me that this right is perverted by those who wish to stir up hatred and divisiveness. So while I believe in their right to do it, it comforts me that we have a watch-group like ADL to monitor and contain and defend us from the perversions of our freedom. Our government guarantees our rights to freedom of speech and religion. Yet, FBI , CIA, and many police academy trainees are given a course by the ADL so that they can understand the dangers not of free speech, but of the abuse of it. Hate crimes are crimes. I find the derision posted here by some to be offensive. I know it is meant to be. That is what bothers me. Not what is said.....but the spirit in which it is said. WHY HERE? Let's trade and share constructive or thought provoking ideas. Trying to tear down the deep beliefs of others is of no benefit to any of us. PEACE and HAPPY TRADING TO ALL!
That is precisely why I would not take the time to refute or clarify any of his rediculous description...
"WHY HERE? Let's trade and share constructive or thought provoking ideas. Trying to tear down the deep beliefs of others is of no benefit to any of us." i don't agree. "tearing down the deep beliefs of others" can also be interpreted as discussion, debate and detailed exploration of the issues. this is "of no benefit to any of us"?? no way do i agree with this. ANY insight gained from all this might help us get some leverage on all this complexity, and this is worth the effort imo. (whether that issue be "god" or trading). furthermore, if your beliefs get torn down then those beliefs were on shaky ground to begin with. and who wants to live their lives on shaky grounds? not me!
Commisso I'm surprised that you wound up being more angry with me than even faster it seems. Do you deny that a denial of aristotelian logic is a central tenet of eastern thought? I have extensive writings on buddhism and eastern thought on my bookshelf three feet from my desk. Care to delve with me? I am wee bit too informed to be written off as ridiculous, and if you do not see a denial of absolutes at the heart of eastern thought then I suggest you look again. There is a difference between an intentional dig and an observation that one does not like. If you are going to hate me, you might as well take the consistency to its next level and hate all christians, or consider all christians automatically irrational. Did you ever consider the fact that acting consistently with my beliefs is an act of friendship, not one of agression? Do you fault me for my conclusions or for voicing them? Or do you harbor a resentment for the God I serve? I never expected anyone to agree with me at the drop of a hat, but I am surprised at the furious outpouring of emotion. "You are stupid. You are delusional. You believe in hocus pocus. You are a moron. I can tell you you're full of crap right now." I think basically one person has disagreed with me in an intelligent and rational way without throwing rocks. Pretty much everyone else thought my arguments were cool/ entertaining while they were nondirect and nonthreatening, but as soon as I gave God a name the long knives came out. Who is being emotional? I did not develop the depth of my faith overnight, did not pop up out of bed and say 'you know, I think I'll believe in God today.' No, I built my conceptual framework from the ground up, starting with no assumptions. I have pursued this question to the ends of the earth (or Australia at least). I have studied western thought, eastern thought, physics, mathematics, economics, sociology, biology, philosophy. I have spoken in depth with intelligent christians, pagans, atheists, buddhists, hindus, nihilists, wiccans, dialectical materialists, anarchists, physicists, sociologists- you name it, I've taken a hard look at it. Your emotional reaction to my statements shows that I have perhaps rattled a few cages. Yes, I am the safe assumptionists nightmare, a rational and intelligent person who has taken God out of the box and discovered that not only is he reasonable to believe in and follow, he is the lynchpin of why reality makes sense. I don't blame you for having cognitive dissonance. It would be so much easier if I weren't here. But I am here. And He is. So go on denying, go on insulting, go on pretending that I am somehow a nut job instead of a rational and intelligent individual acting consistently with logical beliefs. Sign me up for the asylum. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, baby.