very nice

I am muslim, i don't hate other, it just about respect, i have friends from other side, it's simple, when we all respect to other everything is okay  😊😇 peace for all.

We all have beliefs in something, but that means that we are formulating a trust and a conviction for that which you believe to be the truth. Some may hold it dearly to their hearts and try to protect it as much as possible but I think that it is dangerous for people to put their hope and faith into something blindly.

You live for other people, as other people live for you. The real truth about being social. I am still who I am, irrelevant of other people's opinions. People's opinion is more about them than about anyone else.

However, I don't agree with how people who give up a faith should be outcasted from a social group. However, it seems like it is human nature for us to divide and split each other into different categories and groups. Not truly addressing how we should all be equal and that essentially we are all the same despite creed colour race or anything of that sort @lukestokes.

what do you mean by the letter "T"...?

LOVE THIS. Upvoted and resteemed x 1000.

Yes, there are big T truths.
They are layers this universe is built upon.
They are all extremely metaphysical, because the physical stems out of them.
They are the building blocks, or first layers of this universe.

And there are truths which are outside of human's ability to think currently.

Gravity and all the other physics phenomena (like space and time) are subservient to these truths.

As you seek, so shall yee find.  Enjoy your journey.

I guess I feel "directed" by a couple of things... one being my wife's fundamental principle for living: *"Don't be shitty."*

The other being that I am totally at peace with "not knowing," which (oddly enough) seems *deeply disturbing* to a lot of people. But sincerely, whether there is "God" or "not-God" does not occupy part of my sense of self, except as an occasional intellectual discussion I enjoy. 

Some would try to pigeonhole me into a corner saying that it is inherently human to have a "belief" in *something,* even if that something is nothing. So, if I must align myself with a "belief," what I "believe in" is *possibility.* I believe we live in a universe within which our (meaning "humanity's") understanding is constantly expanding. I believe what's out there is infinitely complex, and I believe that 200 years from know we'll know and do things that make no more sense to me than your smartphone would make to the average person in the street in the year 1800. 

I believe it's *possible* that we might discover that "God" is *real,* and we might discover that *we created God* (not vice-versa) as a result of collective focused intent; the need to *believe* in something greater than us as a path to find enough inner peace that we could manage to stay sane through a mystifying world filled with unknowns... and unknowables. 

What are you? What am I? Ultimately... "arrangements of energy." We're not even "things." There's no *mass;* no *matter* as most people understand those. But we "are," in some sense. I believe that somewhere along the line, we'll come to understand how that "works;" and perhaps even how it comes to be that some feel like they have "reincarnated" or "seen ghosts." Just because we can't explain it *now* doesn't mean it doesn't *exist.* Microwaves, X-rays, ultraviolet light,  radio waves... all *existed* before we gained the capacity to observe and measure them.

In the meantime, Golden Rule. Don't be shitty. Live that meme. Use NVC. Strive to make the world a better place for our having been here...

Thought provoking post @lukestokes-- thanks!

What if I come from a long line of assholes, was taught to be an asshole, and am surrounded by assholes?  If I fit I'm my society, must I change or must we all change?  Heredity is a frightening thing!

> Golden Rule ("Do unto others as you would have them do unto you")

I recently heard a podcast where it was pointed out how self-centric that rule is. Others may not appreciate being treated that way, even if it is how you prefer to be treated. 

Better to listen, think of their needs or at least have an attitude of empathy and act in a way that not only does them no harm, but rather lifts them up and encourages them. You'll be surprised that often will feel good to you as well.

Of course it's also important not to disregard your own needs and goals, and if you have a healthy respect for yourself you won't. 

At times when your needs and goals seem to be in conflict with those of others, consider it an opportunity to reflect on your needs / goals and see if there's a way to align them not to be in conflict, be it through listening, negotiating or revising your own perspective.

Opportunities for the greatest improvements come more often than not through situations involving some type of struggle. Try to find a way to "not  let a good crisis go to waste", not in the Hegelian sense that phrase is typically used, but rather in a positive way that results in a better situation for all involved. 

As for **Big "T" Truth**,  I've always held tight to the belief in it, an "absolute" truth separate from anyone's individual perspective,  a truly objective Truth worth our efforts to learn as much of it as we can. Mark Passio labels such truth as *Natural Law*.

But what if this isn't base reality as Elon Musk and others hypothesize? If what we call reality is just a layer of a truth "onion" should it alter how we behave in the layer we reside in? The adage "As above so below" comes to mind, as does the concept of a recursive, fractal universe. If there is an objective, absolute Truth and our layer of it is like others, we may not need to focus on the boundaries or try to understand other layers when the answers we seek are right here in our own layer, and within ourselves.

My view of the divine (what we don't know yet) has come more in line with T Parable of the [Six Blind Men and the Elephant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_men_and_an_elephant).  Given the Wiki link you'll see many cultures respect this view of other POVs, we as a species can even grow from it.

I'll likely write an article on it later but I'd also guess the folks here might have quite a few good perspectives on it as well. :

Check out my response to this:
https://steemit.com/life/@jackeown/problems-with-relativism

Nice, agreed. I am a strong believer of existentialism btw (no big Ts there:)).

Yes, its possible for persons with good heart.

Thought provoking post, sir ! - good job!

5 people walk into a coffee shop ( I don't like to label)

2 of these people have been subjected to subtle, but very powerful, thought
control from the first day they were born. 
They don't realize this of course. 
Everything they know is seen through this prism, and with no other perspective. This is their truth. 
Other influences later in life may cause inner conflict, but the essential hard wiring in the brain that goes on in very early childhood, has been well and truly installed. 
The more insular,( culturally speaking) a life they have led up to this point to having a coffee , the deeper the reinforcement of these 'truths' holds.

The other 3, while having behavior and thought patterns also hard wired installed, have had  few constraints culturally, and mixed widely, from a young age. They also have a truth. A different truth.
As they sit down at the table, 3 of these people look forward to meeting strangers in a coffee shop.

2 of these people, see 4 of these people as 'not the same as them', and by the truth's they have know, the truths they known since childhood, know that they are, no matter how nice they appear, enemies to their own truth.

'They' cannot see the truth. 'They' are corrupt. 'They' want to hurt you, and your culture. Everything you hold dear.
You know this is true, you have been told from you parents, your peers, your culture. 
Anything these people say are lies. Tricks to deceive. 
You have been told this from you parents, your peers, your culture. For years.They, are inferior, damaged. Unholy.

3 of these people see no threat, no one inferior to them. No distrust.

They have been told, from their parents, there peers, there culture, that everyone is equal, everybody is good no matter what race, religion, or ethnicity. 
You know this to be true. You have been told this from as young as you can remember.

One the 5 draws a gun  and starts shooting.

The truth  - in the realm of religion, is decided by the ones left alive...

Was pleasure to read. Thank you! Voted you witness and following. :)

First of all, I'd like to start by saying that I absolutely understand where you are coming from in this post and I do agree that we should indeed be guided by the Golden Rule and by trying to cause as little harm as possible to conscious creatures. That's really what I try to live by, too.

But let me share a possibly minor point of disagreement.

Besides the Golden Rule there are other things we need in society that allow for progress and well-being. Whatever the society is, we sooner or later find problems and we sooner or later start facing hard decisions. And another thing we desperately need in those situations is the ability to discern fact from fiction, reality from unsubstantiated faith and dogma. Because if we can't do that properly, we are bound to make the wrong choices along the way as they would be based on assumptions that are false. That's why we should speak out against all beliefs that people might have that are unreasonable and virtually all the time religious belief falls squarely into that category. It's actually even worse as most religions teach that faith is a virtue instead of a failure of reason.

You can look around the world and you can see how valuing faith and accepting morally problematic religious principles can lead to a wide variety of problems starting with religiously motivated homophobia, misogyny, genital mutilation, cast systems, unjust limits on free speech and even religiously motivated terrorism and violence. This is why talking to people that see faith as a good thing about reason is not a pointless activity and my blind guess would be that helped you in some way to escape the clutches of indoctrination which in turn has probably helped you appreciate the importance of truth and reason more deeply than before. (I do hope my blind guess has not been too presumptions or even insulting in some way).

That's why I think it's really important for us to sit at the table and talk about all kinds of things with smiles on our faces, but the topic of what we believe and why we believe it should not be taboo at that table and disagreement should not be viewed as something bad. And from my point of view freely expressing disagreement is always welcome and I don't see religious people trying to convert me as something bad as long as they don't mind hearing my honest opinion on the claims they are putting forward.

Great post and all the best! :)

@lukestokes what I've come to understand on Steemit is reality. Revealing openly that you don't have religion belief and many unfollow does not move me an inch what move me is your sincerity, many on #steemit don't have any religion but to come out of the shed they find it difficult, what if I say, that's there slogan...show who you are and let people know what you stand for.

Great post buddy.

Morality doesn't need religion. We are intelligent creatures, not just instinctive. We can choose to be good to encourage others to do the same and make a better world

@lukestokes, thanks for sharing this!

I am a theist (a follower of Christ to be exact).  Although I am saddened that you feel your need to leave God (or that He left you), I choose not to let that impact my relationship with you!  Faith is a choice.  And the object of our faith is also a choice.  At any point, if someone forces you to be faith-filled, they they have removed faith from the equation.

I view my faith as more relationally based than religiously based.  Mankind seems to be pretty good at making up rules that have nothing to do with finding Truth.  

If we were at a coffee shop, I hope we could ...
- have some good laughs
- even have differing opinions about life, truth, and the future (civilly of course)
- show genuine care for one another

And I would let you have all of the coffee.  I am a tea guy!

4 Laws of Creation:
1. You Exist.
2. The All are the one, the one is the All.
3. What you put out is what you get back.
4. Everything changes, except for the first 3 laws.

everybody wants to reach the fight in a different way. and when he tried to convince others that way, a dispute arose between him and others