Are noble ideas really just enlightened self-interest?
351232
I really don't think so.  Why?  Well, noble ideas come as inspiration for a lack of a better word.  Grandfather (God) gives you a vision/inspiration as a tool to guide you.  Enlightenment is not self-interest either.
921021
im guessing this was inspired by me\n\n:) just kidding of course\n\nthough the guy who sells me used batteries on the train seems well versed in the existentialist philiosophies of albert camus "An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself. "
548273
Every time you see something, ask yourself if you really need it. The best way to be enlightened is to be happy with what you have and, at the end of your life, be able to look back and be satisfied with the contribution you made to the world.
183346
Yes well that's quite an interesting question for fact that I have often grilled myself on such thoughts! I think the most obvious thing to do in such a situation would be to make a list of all your passions and probabaly continue by prioritising those passions. Then take each starting from the top and go about developing a means to include that activity in your daily life. It's probably just about making each day full of energetic activity, taking part in social functions, etc,etc and might I add-Reading a lot is important as is thinking out of the box! I believe slowly life will start taking a particular form directing you to do exactly wat u want to do-Use your mind to create good things on Earth!
1182237
Education+Desire+Opportunity= Free will
111511
You can really see it in a spectrum:\n\nIndividual, Society, Pragmatism and Idealistic.\n\nIndividual - character development, develop yourself as a whole person.\n\nSociety - To communicate with others. (Imagine being illiterate. That would be abysmal wouldn't it?) Also to make sound decisions, to carry out democracy. If you are not educated, how can you make decisions like voting etc that concern the welfare of yourself, your community, your state and your nation?\n\nPragmatism - Education is partly to make money. Really. OK I was kidding. Education is to prepare yourself to compete in the global market. In this time in the world, which is the modern today, what we need is a Knowledge Based economy. To put it a little more harshly, if you don't have at least a degree from a decent university, you're unlikely to survive the next couple of years, and I'm not even mentioning retirement. Picture that. Because there'd always be people who are better than you, people who'd trample onto you... if you don't have that certificate to prove that you're worth a high salary, how are you going to support yourself?\n\nIdealistic - ultimately, the idealistic aims of education is to prove that man are masters of the world, to differentiate between mankind and animals. Really.
255655
No, most scollars believe it is "Wisdom & Understanding." The careful reading of this Chapt also supports this.
578569
Yes I think that is a very good idea, and yet we do have something called "THE GOLDEN RULE", that is uniformly a part of every religion of the world.\nJust a reminder of the definition: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you". (exception) Buddhism: "Do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you".\nYet, your point is well taken, that it is beyond the moral capacity of most individuals and governments to NOT follow "The Golden Rule" or be Meddlesome.\nQuite frankly, I'm tired of it just as I suspect you are!
735527
I was in ther prescence of a person whom I suspect to have been very close to enlightenment.  She always was kind and wise.  She did not criticise others and seemed to be deeply genuinely happy.  Life did not seem to have the ability to shake her at all.  She was like a rock...others came to her for guidance or help or sometimes just to be in her prescence.\n\nShe probably didn't even have the word enlightenement in her vocabulary, she definitely would not claim to have been.\n\nShe just...was =)
450655
none of the above. it makes you an independent thinker. the best kind of thinker i might add.
261841
Yes it is but the concept is -\n\nthat the more you know and the more you learn ,the more you realise how litttle you know.\nAnd at the end of the day ,the very wise man who has learned all his life ,and who knows just about everything,realises that in the great scheme of things ,he still knows nothing.\n\nBecause by then he really knows how much there is to know,and how far away, he still is from knowing everything
290037
oh sure.  Don't we all. \n\nIf you really have ideas that good, walk into any corporate office and lay them on the table.
263448
If you are part of nature, then is it meddling?  Richard Dawkins wrote a book called The Selfish Gene where he discussed the concept of memes as opposed to genes.  Memes are ideas - like irrigation, the wheel, etc. - that were devised by man and changed the planet.  Man's concept of the wheel - which made roads happen of course - resulted from nature just as forests resulted from it.  To go into the concept of "right" you need to ask about values and then you are confronted with a range of preferences which is never so simple as right and wrong.  Your range of preferences may differ from mine, and there needs to be accomodation of individual rights vs. public good, and that's a whole other discussion.
864351
Absolutely.\n\nReligion and God(s) are not responsible for our development of a "moral compass." Morality is determined by society and as society changes, so do morals.\n\nThe Marquis de Sade stated it nicely, "Moral science is simply geography misconstrued." What might be acceptable in Los Angeles would be considered wrong in Bangkok and vice-versa.\n\nMany have suggested that religion is an invention in order to lay a moral framework. If you think of Santa Claus and the threat of no reward if you didn't obey your parents, you can see the similarities.\n\nAnd to your question of "what's the point of it all?" I'm not sure what you're referring to - but if it's "religion" then you could always go with what Karl Marx said: "Religion is the opiate of the masses."\n\nHe was stating that the promise of a "great reward in the hereafter" kept the worker (proletariat) in line and complacent with their station in life which then benefited the wealthy (bourgeoisie). \n\nDefinitely good stuff to think about and discuss with a group of friends :-)
856122
No.  Not at all.  Our future is created by the quality of our thinking and our ability to manifest our hopes and dreams into reality.\n\nAs we think, we believe.\n\nWhen we change our thinking to embrace our greatest visions, and change our actions and deeds to support that vision, we unlock the key to the magnificent opportunities of our future.
515514
He was just a noble man who taught many great things. Nothing of divinity. No need to idolize him,but better to apply the good principles to improve yourself.
395368
Well you know the crosswords are a great alternative, or perhaps bingo? Or better yet bridge or knitting. lol\n\nYou know the buddhists believe that the way to true enlightenment is to free yourself from the urges of the body and the world. But its a catch 22 because we all need to procreate and eat and need money to live right? I guess its a lifestyle of trying to reach this enlightenment through spiritual discipline and meditation. To achieve Nirvana the state of wanting nothing\n\nThats nice and all but I say to hell with it. I'm gonna have sex and eat a nice cheeseburger with fries when I'm done. Oh and don't forget the pre sex cocktail and the post sex ciggarette. lol