Author Gunnar Jensen

2007-11-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

Science, Religion and Philosophy

In our modern world it seems as if natural science is completely incompatible with religion and (to a large extend) philosophy. In spite of some imaginative scientists trying to soften and modify the scientific community's view of the world as a huge machine, the general impression is that a war between two different world views is taking place. On one hand the scientific view of the world as pure matter without any kind of spirit (and certainly not any kind of divine purpose or interference) and on the other hand the religious or philosophic views where spirit (and in many cases also some kind of divine power) plays an important role in our whole existence.

Why does it have to be like that? Albert Einstein, who is regarded as one of the greatest scientists of all times, said: "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind." If one of the most esteemed scientists in modern times found it necessary to combine the two subjects then, why does the vast majority of scientists and religious representatives continue their seemingly endless fights?

It is evident that natural science explains a lot about nature and our universe. It is a fact that without science we would not have been able to create our modern civilizations with complex infrastructures enabling us to travel by land, air and sea. We wouldn't have computers, cell phones and internet. Modern hospitals, institutions and organizations would not exist . . .

But the fact that natural science has helped us immensely in understanding the nature surrounding us doesn't necessarily mean that we can find all answers that way. Our consciousness is still a mystery to natural science because it can only be experienced as a first-hand, subjective experience!

On the other hand, most religions are based on very old information that was originally given to people much less educated than the majority of people today. Also, it might very well be distorted by misinterpretations and misunderstandings during centuries. Nevertheless, in spite of all the wisdom contained in these religions it would have been impossible for anybody to explain scientific laws to people at that time. Remember that until a few centuries ago everybody was convinced that the earth was flat and also the center of the universe!

To me, modern philosophy should include knowledge from both natural science and religion. If scientists on one hand and religious people on the other hand are reluctant to change their views (maybe partly because it would force them to change their whole personal identity), philosophers ought to be seeking the truth without prejudice.

I also think that philosophy should include a total world view. In spite of the standpoint of existentialism that the individual has total freedom and responsibility to create his values alone, I find it very important to have a total personal world view.

Without a fundamental and comprehensive world view we are (in spite of the evolutionary principles) lonely beings in a world of chaos, coincidence and injustice.

2007-05-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

Balance – an Important Life Ingredient?

It seems to me that balance is a very important factor in life. Balance between the divine and the earthly. Balance between spirit, mind and body, contemplation and action, rest and activity. Balance between individual and social interests. Balance in what we eat and drink - not being fanatic and not being exaggerating either. Balance in our views - being tolerant but not accepting every injustice or stupidity without trying to fight against it. Balance in religion and politics is a very important topic these days. Religion is a good thing when it gives people faith and hope. When it helps people to deal with losses and sickness, fear and death . . . but fanatic religious beliefs that suppress and hurt others are not acceptable. Politics ought to be the art of negotiations and compromises - not a means of securing extraordinary benefits for some at the expense of others. Having power doesn't necessarily mean that it has to be used to overrule anybody else's rights and interests.

Being on earth we have to participate in the earthly life. If we were all sitting on a mountain meditating all day long we would never have had the scientific development that we have been through. Some people spend so much time in the spiritual spheres that they almost live in their own world apart from others around them. Other people consider their time on earth as a time of suffering, thus spending all their lives awaiting a divine future after their physical deaths.

On the other hand, we live in societies that are fast paced and stressful to most of us. A lot of people spend their whole lives trying to create more and more material wealth, and in many circles the only thing that counts is being number one in everything. In many circles today it is considered a quality when people say: I hate to loose! But if you are playing a friendly tennis match or participating in any kind of social activity, isn't that attitude ridiculous? Are prestige, power and wealth all that matter? Does it help people in any way if they get a serious illness? Or lose a near family member? Does it help them to accept the fact that one day they will not be here anymore? Will it remove their possible fear of death?

A certain balance between spiritual and material life might be appropriate. If we are here for a divine purpose, we must try to make the best out of our lives - accepting at the same time that other people have the same rights as ourselves. Thus a balance between individual and social interests is necessary. Being selfish or egocentric isn't making anyone happy, and sacrificing our own lives for others isn't good either.

All our lives take place between contrasts: hot - cold, sweet - sour, cruelty - compassion, light - darkness, etc. All kinds of experiences are generated from some kind of interaction between these contrasts. Thus balance might be a very important lesson for us to learn while we are on this earth.

Of course, if there is no purpose to our lives at all, if all existence is completely coincidental and limited, then the conclusion might be different.

2007-04-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

Should We Bypass the Ego or Fight It With Its Own Remedies?

For many years I have been reading a lot of spiritual books, and it is clear to me that what we call the ego in spiritual terminology is causing all the suffering in ourselves and in the world around us as well. The ego is controlling our lives and it fills us with fear, worries and anxiety. The ego may convince us that this or that is dangerous, that our dreams can't be fulfilled, that what we want is impossible for all thinkable reasons, etc.

The ego includes everything we have been told by our parents, the school, our relatives, our friends and society in general. Sometimes it seems that we spend most or all of our lives according to the expectations from all our surroundings. Few of us have the time, courage or energy to find out what we really want in our deepest part of our being. Thus in the final stage of their lives a great number of people realize that they have wasted a big part of their time on earth trying to satisfy the expectations of others, rather than doing what they really wanted themselves.

It is obvious that we must try to minimize the influence of this ego that causes us so many troubles. One of the methods is to meditate and bypass the ego to enter a more subtle and more harmonious stage of consciousness. The more time we spend in this non-ego state, the less time we give attention to the ego, thus minimizing its influence.

Another method is to try to fight the ego in the ego-conscious mind itself. If we can convince ourselves intellectually that what the ego represents is not appropriate, then with time and effort we can also reduce the bad influence from this ego.

Maybe a good approach would be to combine the two methods. Imagine that we meditate regularly trying to balance our conscious and subconscious mind to become more relaxed and harmonious. If, simultaneously, we constantly try to observe our thoughts and behavior and every time we encounter an inappropriate ego-thought we immediately exchange this thought with a constructive one, then our whole perception of the world should change.

Since the ego includes what we have learned from our surroundings, it is obvious that the evolution of society will affect the ego as well. Societies also have a certain morality, and the more spiritually developed the societies, the less harmful the egos ought to be.

Considering that societies are moving in the right direction, the next generations will be less egocentric and more spiritual. In the meantime we can make our own personal efforts to handle our proper egos in the best way.

Of course, I am aware that we don't all have the same perception of what is appropriate or inappropriate. Some people are very spiritual and others are not. I suggest that we fight the ego, but maybe others are living their lives on the ego's terms and having no problem with that. However, I hope that this article can be of some inspiration.

2007-03-04T02:41:00.000-08:00

What’s the Penalty for Breaking the Law of Attraction?

Supposedly it is always working for everybody and whatever we concentrate our thoughts about will determine the outcome in our lives. Therefore there will never be any penalty to pay. However, there is a risk that we may think thoughts that will lead to an outcome that we really don’t want.

But why should we think thoughts that are not appropriate for us? Well, one reason might be that we have been taught a lot of things by our parents, family, friends, the school and society in general. A lot of this teaching does not lead to happiness and prosperity according to the law of attraction. Many of us have learned a lot more about seeing restrictions, limitations and risks than about finding possibilities and opportunities. During our childhood most of us have had bad experiences and disappointments. We have all made a lot of mistakes and experienced the unpleasant results. Hence, with time, many of us are now afraid of even trying to pursue our dreams and goals. Therefore we hold ourselves back instead of actively and creatively trying to live in prosperity and abundance.

Because of our fear of being disappointed (again) we use a lot of energy thinking of all the reasons why things should not turn out well instead of thinking of all the chances that it might actually be a success. According to the law of attraction, the thoughts we hold in our minds will manifest in our physical universe, so instead of getting what we want we prevent ourselves from receiving it.

Is it possible, then, to change our way of thinking according to the law of attraction? Well, I don’t see why not. If we believe in this law we will be highly motivated to changing our thought patterns. The degree of difficulty in doing so will depend on how strongly the old thought system is established. If we have spent 50 years or more in learning the old way, it might require some effort to actually reverse it; but if we are much younger, it should be a lot easier. In any case, it must be possible if we really practice the new way of thinking.

Is it worth the effort? Well, the only way to find out is to try it and see for ourselves. Or maybe you can already confirm it? Have you been consciously living according to the law of attraction so far? If yes: Has your own life been as you wanted it to be? If yes, you are a happy user of the law. If no: Either you didn’t use it properly or the law doesn’t work for you. If you think you used it wrong, you can try to correct your mistakes and try again. Many of us have not been aware of the law of attraction so far, so we have to try to apply it to our lives if we want to find out if it works or not. Is there any reason not to try?

2007-02-11T13:36:00.000-08:00

Here in the beginning of 2007 the law of attraction, which means that we attract what we concentrate our minds about, is a hot topic. The film “The Secret” has been watched by many people all over the world, and many coaches tell their clients to apply this law properly to their lives. Why is this law of attraction so interesting? Well, if this law really exists, obviously it is a means of receiving good (or bad) things in our lives. Ultimately it makes us creators in our own universal existence. Imagine the impact this has upon our religious beliefs: Instead of asking God for help, we imagine what we want, believe that it will manifest in this way, and then it will be like that. Is this really the case?

Obviously, we can’t want and expect our parents to live forever; and then they will live forever, so there must be things that we can’t control (at least not completely). Does this eliminate the law of attraction then? Personally, I don’t think so. To me it is very possible that we live in a universe that is governed by rules from some great intelligence (God or guiding principle or whatever we prefer to call it), but we have the possibility to act individually within a certain predefined frame.

If you want to make a plan for a new city you will certainly determine the position of the railroads, the main streets (and maybe also the smaller streets), the major buildings (train station, public buildings, etc.); but you would not plan the looks of each individual house in the streets (how could you?). There will be plenty of room for individual wishes and creativity in designing these houses. In the same way, it is very logical that whoever or whatever created our universe (including us, the human beings) designed the overall rules and frames but left room for us to act individually. If not we would have no free will at all.

So it might very well be the case that we have a lot of influence upon our own lives, that to a large extend we can create it ourselves. Of course, we are still subject to universal (or divine) laws, but we might certainly be able to affect our own earthly lives much more than we ever thought.
Some wise men claim that the whole universe (including our own bodies) is one big illusion in our minds. This is, of course, a possibility not to be ruled out; and if that is the case, then why use any effort trying to improve the illusion? Wouldn’t it be better to get rid of the illusion instead? This is a very logical argument; and provided that we can get rid of the illusion quickly and live in eternal peace afterwards, it might be a waste of time trying to improve our experience of the illusion. But if it is not that immediate, and if we don’t know how to free ourselves from the illusion, then why not live a better illusion?

2006-12-31T03:49:00.000-08:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

In several spiritual belief systems the law of karma is an important ingredient. This law implies that whatever we give out will be returned to us in some way - that good is being repaid with good and bad with bad.

This is a logical thought, and combined with the reincarnation principle it might actually explain some of the injustice we perceive in the world (like why some people seem to have all the luck and others have all the difficulties and bad destinies).

Today it is widely accepted in many circles that we attract what we really focus on in our minds. According to this law of attraction, our minds shape our surroundings so that we create our own future according to what we hold in our minds. If we are positive and feeling good, we are creating positive and good future situations; and being negative we create future negative situations. If we really want something (material or personal), we are to visualize this wish in our minds, imagining that we already have it, and enjoying the good feelings it is causing. Supposedly our surrounding universe will then arrange whatever is necessary to fulfill the wish.

This is also a plausible thought, and there are many examples of people having changed their lives by changing their way of thinking and feeling. To some degree I have had the same experience from my own life, and I believe that this is a great help in creating the life in the way that we want it.

Personally, I find the law of karma very probable and the law of attraction as well. I am wondering, though, in which way the two laws can work together. As a simple example: Imagine that somebody with a standard level of living wants to be very rich and wealthy and thus concentrates a lot of energy towards this dream - visualizing having a big mansion, expensive cars, and so on. Imagine also that this person has a karma (from this or earlier lives) stating that he has to experience poverty (because earlier he was creating wealth at the expense of others). Which law is the strongest then?

Is it possible for this person to accomplish his dream of wealth in this life? If yes, is he postponing his karma then? Is it possible that he might be wealthy in this life “paying” his karma in another way?

If both laws are working in the universe, and we all have some kind of karmic debt to pay (because we would not be here if not), then we can do a lot of things to make our lives more happy; but we can’t avoid some kind of “suffering” because we have to pay this karmic debt.

All in all, though, even if we can’t create our current lives completely because of our karmic debt, we can certainly try to make our lives as happy as possible - and of course try to avoid creating more bad karma that will hit us in the future.

2006-11-26T07:24:00.000-08:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

Is a Guilty Conscience Good or Bad?

Most people have a guilty conscience from time to time. Being humans we are not always able to do the right things in all circumstances. From early childhood we are told what is right and wrong from all sorts of sources like parents, family members, the school, society in general, etc. Unfortunately this teaching may be contradicting and confusing. For instance, our parents might tell us one thing and the school a quite different thing. We receive a lot of impressions all the time, and it is obvious that people have very different opinions about a lot of issues. They may be for or against subjects like war, death penalty, abortion, etc.

The various religions also have different ideas about morality. Fortunately they all agree on some very important topics like: don’t steal, don’t kill, don’t lie, love and respect others, be compassionate and helpful, etc. Still the interpretation and the various types of sanctions if people don’t keep the rules are very different. Furthermore, the perception of right and wrong changes (sometimes dramatically) over time.

All this means is that some people have a guilty conscience about things that others would find completely acceptable. Should we not have a guilty conscience then? Are we only reacting to ideas put into our minds from people who are (or were) old-fashioned, mistaken, undeveloped, ignorant, or weird? Or is there an intuitive part of us feeling guilty whenever we react in ways that are not appropriate? Can civilization (as we know it) survive without the existence of conscience? How did we evolve from more primitive beings to modern day people living in democratic societies with social welfare and all that sort of thing?

To me it seems appropriate that somebody who hurts another person has a guilty conscience about it. In that way the individual will not be repeating the same thing and probably he/she will even try to compensate the person being hurt in one way or the other. To me it seems that some degree of guilty conscience is a necessary part of modern society, so the difficult part is to find out which kind of guilty conscience is derived from some kind of teaching from others and which kind is our own intuitive and original feeling. In the first case we should consider whether we have the feeling because we are or were hurting someone, or if we are just reacting according to some kind of norms defined by somebody else and in no way doing any harm to anybody. If no harm is involved, then maybe we should drop the guilty conscience?

Guilty conscience is a negative feeling and probably we should try to avoid it as much as possible. On the other hand, we seem to need it to some degree and we can’t escape it completely. Therefore we might try to consider all the guilty conscience that we have inherited from others without really questioning the reason; and if it is not corresponding to our real ideas, then why should we keep it?

Most of us also have some guilty conscience with good reason because we really did something wrong according to our innermost feelings. In my opinion this is good because it means that we have human feelings; but if it is destroying our lives with feelings of guilt, maybe we should do whatever we can to compensate for the inappropriate action and then try to forgive ourselves (as we would also forgive other people).

2006-10-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

Design or Coincidence?

Scientists and people in general are discussing passionately whether the universe is a result of some kind of intelligent design or if it has evolved by itself by pure coincidence without interference from any intelligent or creative power. Hard-core fundamentalists from both sides are heavily defending their own ideas, and at the same time more moderate people are trying to find some kind of combination between the two basic seemingly diverse pictures of the world.
Putting science aside and just using our logical minds, we are confronted with two different problems:
1. If the world was created by a creator, then where did he come from? Did he arise out of nothing? Or has he been around forever? Or was he created by another creator? In this case, where did this creator come from? How many creators exist? Have they created other universes as well? How did the initial creator come into being?
2. If, on the other hand, the world has evolved by itself, then where did all the initial ingredients come from? If no creator has been involved, they must have been present forever, unless they arose out of nothing. Another phenomenon is the fact that the universe is overwhelming in size and complexity. How can anything that awesome evolve by pure coincidence? Nobody would ever expect that the Encyclopedia Britannica is the result of an explosion in a printing house. And the universe is even more complex and enormous than the Encyclopedia Britannica.
No matter which of the two world pictures we choose, we are faced with the fact that something (either a creator or some initial ingredients) must have existed forever or have arisen out of nothing. According to our logic, nothing can arise from nothing, which leaves one single option: something in our world has existed forever. Given that fact, what is more likely: that a creator has existed forever or that some ingredients have existed forever? Isn’t one option as credible as the other one?
Continuing the logic, I don’t think it is likely that the universe (as complex and vast as it appears) is evolving through pure coincidence. To me it seems more plausible that the universe is functioning according to some very intelligent rules, which then indicate some kind of intelligent plan or design. Personally, I don’t have any kind of problem with the possibility of the “Big Bang” and the theory of evolution of species. Who says that the kind of intelligence that designed the world didn’t leave room for improvisation within the frames of design? The pure fact that we, as human beings with a free will, are also part of the universe would make it impossible to create everything exactly in detail from the beginning. Of course somebody might argue that we don’t have a free will, but I don’t think that is likely. (And I most certainly hope not!)
Of course, maybe a third variation of the world picture is possible: That the whole universe is an illusion existing only in our minds!

2006-09-13T00:14:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

I just published three articles: "Can The Power of Now Be Combined with the Power of Intention?", "Illusion or Reality?" and "Living In a World of Duality".
They are published on www.ideamarketers.com, www.ezinearticles.com etc. but they are also directly accessible via my web-site www.gunnar-jensen.com/Promotion%20engelsk%20articles.html. They cover some of the topics that have been covered in this blog. I hope you will find them interesting.

2006-08-28T02:52:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

Do we create our own happiness? Are our Karma and our choices, thoughts and actions the only things that influence our lives? Or are other things influencing our destinies as well?

2006-08-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

Are we totally responsable for our own happiness? Is our karma and our choices and actions the only things that influence our lives? Who or what determines our destiny?

2006-08-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

Are we totally responsable for our own happiness? Is our own karma and our own choices and actions the only things that influence our lives? Or are there other factors influencing our conditions as well? Who or what determines our destininy?

2006-07-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

Continuing the theme from yesterday: Should we accept whatever comes to us without wishing for anything in particular? Or should we visualise and dream expecting our visions and dreams to be fulfilled?

2006-07-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

Some big spiritual teachers say that we should accept whatever comes to us and react accordingly. Does that mean that we shouldn't really wish for anything because we never know what will come? On the NLP techniques teach us that we can actually get what we want if we really want it and really believe that we can get it. Can these two ideas of life be combined?

2006-06-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

What if faith brings us what we wish for and doubt prevents us from getting it?

2006-05-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

What if fear is the one of the most dangerous things in the world? What if fear is preventing us from reaching or goals and fulfilling our dreams? What if fear is destroying our health? What if fear of the consequences is often more dangerous than the consequences themselves?

2006-05-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

What if the most dangerous thing in life is fear? What if fear is the only thing that prevents us from getting what we want? What if fear is making us ill? What if fear is more dangerous than drinking alcohol, smoking and eating chocolate (of course not excessively)? What if all the warnings are more dangerous than the things we are warned about?

2006-05-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

What if all that is preventing us from getting what we wish for is our own lack of trust. What if we can get everything we want if we really believe from our heart that we can get it? What if our upbringing and education actually has made us much too restrictive towards ourselves? What if we give up without even trying also when we would actually have been able to be successful?

2006-05-14T03:32:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

What if our minds and attitudes mean a lot in creating own environments? What if a positive mind attracts positive things and being positive we are also aware of the opportunities and self-confident enough to pursue them? And that being negative we attract negative incidents, can only see the the negave things and if we even spotted an opportunity we would have no self-confidence to go for it?

2006-05-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

What if we can get anything we want in this life? As long as we really want it and beleive that it is possible - and that of course it does not hurt others in any way? What if it is a matter of really visualizing the dream, then continuously performing actions that bring you closer and the universe (or God) will help you all the way until your dream have come true?

2006-05-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

What if what we receive is what we give? What if if everything in the universe is perfectly balanced? What if everything that happens to us is our own responsibility? Do you think that is possible? Even when people are born disabled? When people are killed by terrorists?

2006-04-22T00:28:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

What if we can always get all the help we need? Maybe not always what we think ourselves is good for us in any moment - but always the help we really need? Is it possible that everything happens for a reason and that (when seen in perspective) always some good things come out of it?

2006-04-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

If things are constantly going up and down but always moving towards higher levels then why worry at all? If it is so then even the darkest moments in life will be followed by moments greater than ever before. If we remember this even our moments of grief will be less painful to come through. Don't you think?

2006-04-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

What if the eternal life of a soul is an ever-changing sequence of ups and downs? But always moving towards higher levels?Wouldn't this give us the reason to continue being optimistic? Also when things seem to go wrong for us?

2006-04-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

How many times do we worry about things that are never going to happen? Why should we worry? I don't say we should just cross the street without taking care of the traffic around us, but why worry about future things that MIGHT happen to us? Isn't it a waste of energy since it might just as well NOT happen to us?

2006-04-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

Today the topic is forgiveness. Why should we forgive in the first place? Beause we are good people and we do it for the sake of the person who offended or hurt us? To make him feel better? What if he doesn't know? Or doesn't care at all? Should we do it for own sake? To feel better? Or should we do it simply because we realise that whoever offended us reacted according to his/her level of development?

2006-03-31T12:47:00.000-08:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

Considering that the "bad" things only exist because they make the experience of good things possible do you think that gratitude is an important component in order to be happy? Do you need to have the experience of powerty first in order to really appreciate wealth? Sorrow to appreciate happiness?

2006-03-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

Let's move to another topic: What if all the "bad" things in the world only exist because they are necessary for us in order to be able to experience the "good" things around us? Doesn't all experience require something opposite to be experienced at all? Is it possible to paint with white colour on a whiteboard?

2006-03-28T11:16:00.000-08:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

If reincarnation and karma exist and everything you give will be returned then what about the whole concept of mercy? Do you think that regrets and good deeds can outbalance bad karma? Or do you think that everything has to be balanced by the millimeter? That there is no way to escape the effects of bad behaviour?

2006-03-27T06:51:00.000-08:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

More about religion: Yesterday I put some thoughts about whether or not there is a creator behind our universe and ourselves. Today I'd like to discuss a little more about the possibility of a life after physical death. Is it possible that karma and reincarnation is in line with what we refer to as paradise and hell? That paradise is an expression of future good lives and that hell is an expression fure bad lives? Is it possible that during centuries and milleniums different wise men have tried to explain the same thing using different terms and pictures?

2006-03-26T05:43:00.000-08:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

The topic today is religion. What if God, Allah, Brahman, Jehovah etc. are all expressions of the same attempt to explain the all-encompassing power, intelligence and love in the world? Inevitably religion has to deal with the question about creation. Whether there is a creator or not. Most major religions accept the idea of a creator, but not all of them. If there is a creator, then how did he come to the world?Who or what created him? If there is no creator, then how have all the laws of the universe been established? Can a law establish itself?

2006-03-25T06:02:00.000-08:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

Yesterday the topics were the universe and physics. Today I would like to put some thoughts about time. What if time is only relevant in our physical universe? What if there are spheres where time does not exist at all? In our dreams and thoughts we can move forwards and backwards in time. We can go to distant galaxies in in a fraction of a second. What if it is possible to communicate with these spheres? By prayer, meditation etc.?

2006-03-24T05:03:00.000-08:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

Until now I have posted som questions and remarks regarding the three existencial questions: Where do we come from? Who are we? & Where are we going? In continuation I would like to ask: What if the whole universe is a single vast living being? What if it is unlimited? If it is limited then what's outside its borders? How physical is it? Some physicists think that what we see is a projection of a real world containg more dimensions than we are able to perceive. Do we all perceive the universe in the same way (provided we have all our 5 senses)?

2006-03-23T07:35:00.000-08:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

The third of the three big questions is: Where are we going? Depending on the answers of the second big question (who are we?) two possible answers might be: 1) To the earth or air for recycling (if we are only bodies). 2) The body to be recycled and the soul to continue. If the answer number two is the correct one then how is the soul going to continue? Is it going to wait until the day of judgement, when it will be sentenced to eternal joy in paradise or eternal suffering in hell together with its arosen body? (What age would the body have inthis case? Child? Young? Old?) Or will it incarnate into a continuing series of new bodies? Could that bodies then be male as well as female ? Or always the same gender? Could it go up or down in level? (Maybe even to an animal level?) Is it possible that it will end in a state where there is no body at all? Will it come to a final stage and stay in that forever? Or will it reach a divine state and start all over again?

2006-03-22T01:49:00.000-08:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

Yesterday I wrote about the first of the three big questions in life: Where do we come from? This inevitably leads to the question whether there is a creator or if everything evolves by coincidence. Now to the second big question: Who are we? Are we physical beings with a mind creating thoughts that will all have disappeared as soon as the body is dead? Together with all the experiences from the past life? Or are we spiritual beings with a soul using the body temporarily? If we are souls then what happens with us when the body is dead? Do we have to wait in nothingness until one day when we will go to either paradise or hell? Or are we continuing our lives in other bodys on an eternal journey towards more and more wisdom, love and happiness?

2006-03-21T04:12:00.000-08:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

In my book WHAT IF ...? I ask a lot of questions about topics like time & universe, religion, spirituality, existence, life & death, forgiveness, evolution & growth, happiness & trust, perception, attitude, dreams & reaching goals plus health & habits.

I hope I can get some feed-back and dialog via this blog.

The really big questions are the traditional: Where do we come from? Who are we? & Where are we going? Fundamentally the first question forces us to contemplate whether the universe has derived by coincidence or if there is a creator involved. Somebody once said: If you think the universe was created by coincidence you might as well think that the yellow pages was created by an explosion in a printing house.

On the other hand: If it was created by a creator, then who created him?

Does anybody have comments to these two questions?

2006-03-20T11:08:00.000-08:00

Author Gunnar Jensen

I have just created this blog in order to share my thoughts with you.

I am selling my book in 4 different languages and being located in Denmark I am very dependent on the internet. My intention with the book is to make you think about the existencial questions in your life. I have spent more than 50 years myself trying to figure out how it can all make sense, and of course I don't know the answers. Who does?

In the the blog I will cover some of the same topics as the book.

2006-03-20T10:39:00.000-08:00

gunnnar