Questions That Have No Answers
66This news article will always be etched in my memory. Several years ago, in Los Angeles, a couple of hoodlums hid from an opposing gang by entering a Buddhist monastery. The monks were sworn not to tell a lie but they were also sworn to protect anything that lives. When the opposing gang came to the monastery, the two monks that were on duty refused to tell the opposing gang where the others were hiding. Subsequently the people who were trying to find the hiding opposing gang members beat the two monks because they would not speak.
Were the monks right or wrong?
There are questions posted to me by many people of which I have given answers that were only true to me. I would very much like to know you would answer these questions yourself and if you have questions that you also find difficult to answer.
Q: Why did not the Buddha manifest world peace?
A: Why did Jesus Christ not take us all up when he ascended?
Q: I am in love with someone else. Should I leave my husband/wife/lover?
A: How do you feel about it?
Q: Why do people lie?
A: What is a lie?
Q: If there is a God and He/She/It is All powerful, why does He/She/It allow so much suffering in this world?
A: Peace is within you.
Q: I am in love with someone who belongs to another. What should I do?
A: There is nothing wrong with loving. You can love as much as you like. Just don't covet. The old maxim follows. If you can steal him or her from the person he or she is with...you know the rest.
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Agreed!! Now, which question would you like to answer?
Thought provoking hub!
In my view, it all comes down to karma, predestination, and a limited amount of free will, within the framework of one's earthly blueprint.
There will always be strife and war--it's part of the law of polarities in this dimension: hot, cold; light, dark; love, hate; happiness, sadness; peace, war, etc.
That's a complicated issue, the one about being in love with someone other than one's marital partner! My opinion is that if it's over, it's over. If it can't be salvaged, it's acceptable to part ways, no matter how the other person feels about it. It's your life. You're doing the other person a favor by moving on, and if they are purely unconditional (the only real love), they will understand.
But hey, since marriage today is very similar to a business agreement (it is a legally binding agreement), most practice conditional love instead. Good luck convincing someone who wants the marriage to endure (past its due date) the value of letting go.
I'd expect you to get lots of comments on this hub!
Scott :)
Oh, I love your answer!! All of them but especally of the comment on the complicated issue.. Thank you, Scott!!!
I made this mistake, ohhh many years ago..and one just very recently..akkhh..I have reneged on my advice on all three counts..lol.
Two of my very good friends wanted to leave their spouses and I said Nooooooo!! They left anyway and I am glad they did not follow my advice since both of them are now very happy. That was 20 years ago.
The recent one, I have a friend who wanted to immigrate to another country to follow his heart and he would be leaving two very young children behind and again I said Nooooo...He left anyway.
I have come to the conclusion that the other person cannot be happy if you sacrifice your own happiness for them. Better to leave.
Hi, I am going to answer, why do people lie? it is usually so they do not hurt another persons feelings, or start an argument, or if it is a bad lie, then it is because they do not want to be found out! also some people lie because they live in a dream world which is manifested because they are unhappy. this somehow got me thinking about how many lies have I told in my life? hundreds I expect, but hopefully not to hurt people. thanks nell
Thanks, Nell,
I am sure I have done the same thing in the past. More of being quiet to protect people I love.
I love your an answer about the dream world they build. That is a great answer.
Yes, there are many questions with seemingly no answers to one person but not to another. In fact, is many cases, the question itself often creates the dilemma for an answer.
Q: Why did not the Buddha manifest world peace?
A. Apparently, Budda chose not to.
Q: I am in love with someone else. Should I leave my husband/wife/lover?
A: You tell me. I cannot make moral decisions for you.
Q: Why do people lie?
A: Because they can and apparently choose to for whatever reason.
Q: If there is a God and He/She/It is All powerful, why does He/She/It allow so much suffering in this world?
A: Why do you assume an IF God is allowing it?
Q: I am in love with someone who belongs to another. What should I do?
A: You tell me. I cannot make moral decisions for you.
Melinda..Melinda..Why did you ask such tough questions? If you would have asked me "Do you like cheesecake"? That would still be a challenge. I would have to ask you "What kind of cheesecake"?
Just kidding!
I will answer to "If there is a God"
I believe we are given free will. We can choose to follow God's will as per the commandments. (Those rules seem to be very clear and simple). Or we can justify bending those rules in order to minimize our weaknesses.
My head hurts, but Thank You for this amazing Hub
For every question there is an answer. But not necessarily the answer comes from the same mindset as the question comes from. If the person who asks is limited to this mindset, - these are the established concepts, beliefs and the self image, - then there can't be a real answer, only arguments that confirm or defend ones position.
"One can't solve a problem with the same mind that has caused it!" (Einstein)
Although their religion forbids them to lie but I think if it is a question of life and death, like in this case, it justifies the means. Thank you for writing this wonderful hub and very thought provoking. Thank you for being my fan.
The answer lies in why those questions have been asked in the first place.
Linda at UNIVERSAL LAWS
Thank you Kowality. For the record, I like cheesecake, both plain and strawberry cheesecake.
Shall I serve you coffee with it? Here take an aspirin and call me in the morning.
Those were questions asked of me...he he
RevLady, I agree. We cannot make moral decisions for others.
Thank you.
My take on the lie, they are afraid..of something...some unknown thing...or as Katrhyn Vercillo pointed out earlier, they prefer to live the lie hence in their minds they are not really lying..This is actually the toughest question for me. All truths are relative.
And yes, I believe in Divine order!!
Bei Yin, the people who have asked me these questions are either in pain or are seeking.
On the subject of infidelity..
A real life example...some people actually think that flirting with others is harmless as long as they do not physically sleep with another person, that it is simply a game so those who asked me, why do people lie were actually the ones hurt by the "innocent" flirtation by others...I do not have the answer for them..
I agree with you, the answers to them come from the inside.
Hello, hello, Thank you.
The monks knew that the other people would kill the persons hiding.
In this case..and I do not really know..they chose not to tell..
I do not know what I would have done in the situation if I were the one faced it, but it happened several years ago and the question still burned in my mind as of the writing of this hub.
Thank you Linda..Oh..yes, that is how I look at them..the answer will always come from the inside of the person asking.
Very thought provoking hub Melinda I the answers are answered from within and as an individual you know in your heart what is right and what is wrong if you take the time to feel the answer - visualize how your actions would affect others and how you would react if it was flipped. With awareness you find the answer and balance.
Oooowwww, such difficult questions. I'm afraid that the simplest answer is that there are many answers. The answer, like peace, lies within you... and you ... and you.
Hey, Billy :-)
Those are not my questions..not anymore..[smiles]
Thank you!!
Hi, jstankevicz,
I am getting a lot of insights from this hub!
You are right, no ready answers...
Thank you!!
god speed for hub thanks
Thank you, thevoice!!
Hi msorensson....in principle we should not sacrifice our integrity by deceiving anyone as we only deceive ourselves by doing so, however: the situation will decide the necessity whether to lie or not. If it is for the benefit of the majority and is justified then I suppose it's o.k? If it's for personal benefit then to lie is wrong.
Ashmi, Thank you for your question.
All truths are relative so we speak the truth as we see them moment to moment.
It is the torment of having lied if we do lie that is the punishment for the lie.
In the beginning of the path, when we are still mired in ignorance, we can slip.
However with privilege comes responsibility.
We must speak the truth as we see it at all times
Sometimes an answer leads to another question.
Q. Were the monks right or wrong?
A. Why did they open the door to thugs, if Jesus said "Don't give what is holy to dogs..."
Q: I am in love with someone else. Should I leave my husband/wife/lover?
A: How does your husband feel about it?
This leads to the Question, Is there such a thing as too much honesty in a relationship?
Can honesty be destructive? Is this a good honesty/outcome?
Q: If there is a God and He/She/It is All powerful, why does He/She/It allow so much suffering in this world?
A: There have been a couple of good answers. I like... God has Heaven as his world, full of Peace in order to appreciate that love we have this world to undertake much going without etc.
Q: I am in love with someone who belongs to another. What should I do?
A: If you cannot get away from the situation. Always do what is best for that person and the one they love without getting in their way!
All questions are answerable but it takes skill like anything else. Some have more skill than others also as with anything.
Here's one for you.
I lost loves in my life without even getting to know them, now they've moved on. It's like the I went to sleep for years and suddenly wake up to find I'm left behind, what should I do?
I really like the challenges that this Hub throws out! I think there are genuine questions, asked for information or clarification, that might have answers. There are other genuine questions that are part of a sort of intellectual game (which I don't mean in a trivial sense at all) and are asked to help the respondent gain insight: what is the sound of one hand clapping? And then there are questions that are really disguised statements. These statements are phrased as questions to disguise what the questioner thinks will be an unwelcome statement to the respondent. Such questions are often used to control or manipulate others. Interseting subject for another Hub?
Thanks for the challenges.
Love and peace
Tony
Days leaper, thank you for all the insights. Much appreciated.
There is no such thing as too much honesty. It is only our minds that complicate things. Truths are very simple.
"I lost loves in my life without even getting to know them, now they've moved on. It's like the I went to sleep for years and suddenly wake up to find I'm left behind, what should I do?"
Do not grieve if loves in your life move on. Do not grieve that you think you never got to know them. Every relationship teaches you something. What did you learn about yourself when they moved on? It is impossible to be in a relationship with anyone without having touched their lives in one way or another. The exchange is always mutual. This is how the universe works.
"To everything, there is a season and a time for every purpose under the sun"
Know that whatever happened was timely for everyone concerned.
Tony, hi, Thank you.
The questions that were posted here were asked of me, except for the one about the monks. The people who asked them were in pain. Either genuine pain or the pain of confusion/alternation.
In the beginning one feels their pain so much there is a tendency to try to solve their life questions. At the deepest level that desire is of the ego so you are right when one asks a question there can be that challenge of being drawn into the question. However, real compassion would prevent you from doing it.
A guru can take on all the pains of a student, physical and emotional, at will. However he/she does not, for the very simple reason that every situation is a path to growth. In taking on someone's karma, you prolong that person's suffering for sooner or later, he or she will have to confront the same situation, without the guru.
"What is the sound of one hand clapping", as with other koans is designed to exhaust the logical thinking mind, for when you are exhausted thinking, there you see space.
There are so many koans. I did one for ten years. You only need to answer one koan and all the rest are answered.
An interesting suggestion about another hub, Thank you.
Very deep questions! The only answer I can possibly find that fits all your questions is a form of "Judgement" It depends on the inviduals upbringing, faith, values, & personality as to what they will judge from these questions...I think we all judge others just like others judge us...
Thank you, Michael,
Yes, judgment is a product of many things, mostly conditioning.. Beyond any moral code, I think that it all boils down to two things.
Do not hurt yourself.
Do not hurt others.
Linda, very deep questions...and I do believe that they all can be answered.
Q.If there is a God and He/She/It is All powerful, why does He/She/It allow so much suffering in this world?
A. Why do we have free will?
If we couldn't choose to do right or wrong, then would we have the ability to reason? How would we dominate over the world? What would the world be like without free will?
My son asked me this question last week - where is heaven? I'm still thinking about that one.
Thanks for tickling our grey matter.
Thank you DynamicS :-)
These were real questions asked of me at various times and most of the time I was not able to answer.
Start thinking about your son's question...
MS, my personal feeling is that our life's experiences train us to respond to each question differently from each other. It may be that because there 6 billions of us, those with the same thoughts become groups promoting that same thought. Often this turns into religious belief or even fanaticism.
Strongly felt beliefs sometimes urge us towards sacrifice. So the monks may sacrifice themselves, the husband who loves another woman will not leave his wife out of a feeling of loyalty, or if he does not feel that she is worthy of his loyalty, might stay on from a sense of duty towards his children…
There are so may different variables which will determine different responses from different people, so who is to say that one is correct and another not? I can only judge how I would react to a specific situation, but that does not mean that my reaction is the correct one :D
Oh.. your answer makes me cry...ugghhh...ha ha ha..
Thank you, DeGreek...
How do you do that? Write the most funny hubs and then answer deep questions with such simple truths...??
Bud-dha -
B - Born
u - until
d - death
d - during
h - his
a - assention
We can be born again and again,each time with a new outlook on life.Being born only once is a lie told to decieve people into changing their way of thinking.When people think that they have only one life ,they either live life in a selfish way ,or unselfishly give to others out of love.
Notice the the last three letters in Buddha are dha.-Dha is a short name for a chemical that is good for the body and brain.
Q: Why did not the Buddha manfest world peace?
A: He was the manifestation of world peace,just as Jesus was during his time here.
Q: I am in love with someone else.Should I leave my husband/wife .lover?
A: We often leave someone we love during our lifetime.
If,a spouse,then you may not have married for love
If,a lover then you may have thought you were in love but found that you were only attracted to outward appearance.
Q: Why do people lie?
A: If,they love you,to protect either you or themselves.If,not then to protect themselves only.
Q: If,there is a god that is all powerful,why does god allow so much suffering?
A: Suffering is a way to enlightenment if, we are open to the light.The truth is suffering is a choice.Those who suffer the least tend to gain the least.I'm not refering to suffering at the hands of others only,but a self inflicked suffering.This may be misunderstood as suffering being a requirement.It,is not required,but it is likely to happen due to our response to situations.
Oh.. I love your answers!! Thank you, someonewhoknows.!!
Action/ reaction is a stimulus response based on chance, choice and decision on course, journey and path found in the probability, iteration and permutation of life based on the desire, emotion and will of our being (body, mind, and soul, self) spirit...
Wow, I have never thought of it that way before, loua, so thank you!!
I love the "probability, iteration and permutation" part, it seems that that is what is being presented to me at this point, it is quite fascinating actually.
i really like this hub.......in answer to the question: Q: Why do people lie?......A: to me a lie is a deception, we live in a world of many deceptions and so we deceive.
loveofnight, Thank you. Some people are so into their own worlds they probably don't think they are lying when they withold crucial information so in their minds, they are not lying. Just an observation.
Thank you for dropping by.
Very interesting. Good questions. All I know for sure is that I am truly blessed and the world is a mess—as always. :D
A great message, James. Thanks for stopping by [smiles]
I was so impressed with your high octane energy you whipped out here... the monks were hmmm foolish in my point of view... There is always one real God out there...
Great Hub Madam...
General Howitzer, Thanks!!
I like uncommon hubs like this one. With a lot of points to ponder. But to answer to your first question it would have been a pleasure to assist if instead of Buddhist Monks they were two Shaolin Monks. :)
Rated up.
Hello, hypnodude. Thanks.
Firstly, they protected two people from immediate death.
Secondly they did not lie deliberately as they did not speak.
I am sure they were familiar with the story where Buddha gave himself up to be eaten by a mother lion who had no strength to get out of the thicket. Seeing the situation. the Buddha deliberately offered himself up so that the mother and the two young cubs would live. This hastened his evolution.
Thanks for stopping by.
As you said they did the right thing, protecting the two in danger, but if attacked I honestly prefer the Shaolin Monks approach. But that's only my opinion. :)
I'm not very much familiar with the Buddha story, probably I should learn a little more about him. Have a great weekend!
Thanks, hypnodude! I am familiar only with Grasshopper with respect to the Shaolin monks. I loooooved that series.
Wish you a great weekend too!
Me too msorensson, me too. Did you know that originally the main character was to be played by Bruce Lee? Wonderful series, the main responsible for my interest in Martial Arts, together with Bruce Lee of course. :)
It is interesting to note that there can be Universal Truths without absolute truths. The Monks who protected the gang members aptly demonstrated a commitment to their beliefs and values, even if those very beliefs might suggest another course of actions. The nature of love might push us toward coveting another's spouse--it is good to love but not to covet.
I loved Kung Fu as well, by the way, and had an idea for a hub in the works. Did you know that Bruce Lee's son played Caine's son toward the end of the series, as well as in a made for television movie some years later?
Thanks for a most thought-provoking hub.
Mike
Hi, hypnodude, wow, no I did not know that. I loved Bruce Lee!
Thank you Mike for the answers to the post. I have learned so much from this post.
I am both confused and enlightened! Thanks for the great read,
Nick
Like I always told my students when I was teaching, Nick, confusion is the beginning of wisdom.
Enlightened, so wonderful thanks!!
Thanks so much.
The same,why He let the thugs succeed,rather why he sends them here.some times i wonder 'does He send them here to show us His importance'.
The sun shines on both the sinner and the saint.I believe that God loves us ALL.
"IT" is all a mystery. The greatest teachers, especially Jesus, have aligned themselves to some form of the Golden Rule. Whatever problem we face can be avoided and most should be solved with the adherence to the Golden Rule. How will "this" affect this person or these people? What will "the result be" if "this" is done. Having said this- did God make desire too strong?
Thank you, De Greek :-)
Actually, Micky,..after reading so many books on religion and going through the Bible again and again..most of the things that they teach there can be summarized by this, and this is what I always teach my students in the lab when I was teaching
1. Do not hurt yourself
2. Do not hurt others
If you disobey # 2 then you automatically disobey # 1 Whether you wanted to or not.
Thanks!!!
Aha! Mickey Dee summed it up perfectly as did you when you taught your students. If followed as a matter of course, the Golden Rule would answer most of these questions best.
Yes, indeed, Peggy !! Thanks for dropping by!
'Truth" is relative... Therein lies our dilemma. I am in search of ONE "Universal" truth...one truth that never waivers and is always the "stark reality" (given our reality is subjective). One could argue murder, killings are wrong...one of the "Commandments." However God sanctioned killings... Does the commandment mean only not to kill humans? Your hug demonstrates insights..
Thank you dallas93444 :-)
Jesus said "Know the truth and the truth shall set you free."
However the whole Bible and many other religious books speak of what we have to go through to arrive at the truth.
This is the main theme in St. John of the the Cross's "Dark Night of the Soul" There is no easy way, for if there was, Jesus himself would have handed us the key.
Melinda,
A very good writing, with a lot of thought behind it. You received many interesting comments, I will give you the most asked question, and the answer.
Q- What is the meaning of life?
A- Death! Once we take our first breath there is only one thing we all have to do, die. Color, Religion, Wealth, etc. mean nothing, we all must die.
I can't wait for an answer.
Harvey, we all come back. This life on this planet is like school for us.
We pass this grade and we move on to the next grade.
When we work hard to go back to our creator, then we can come back at will, to help others.
We have lessons we have to learn in order to progress.
Melinda, I won't argue, if I find what you said to be true.
Okay Harvey. Please do search for it.
Before I looked at your post, I was thinking of the question, Why do people lie?
I am sure I have lied before, Harvey.
One answer came as I was sitting in meditation, and that is that people think just like in the movie with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson "You can't handle the truth" so people think that!
But people CAN and DO handle the truth!
Melinda,
I'm not sure how we got to lying, but everyone does it. It helps others by not telling them certain things. I have cut way down on sparing feelings, and my friend's understand. Can I do this 100%; NO!
Dear Harvey,
This is what I tell my son. He has to be able to handle the truth, so from the time he was little, I had told him "I won't lie to spare your feelings." That is how I deal with everyone. It does not necessarily mean I will offer information, but I will tell you, if you ask me, what my truth is at that moment.
Mel, Sounds wishy-washy.
All truths are relative, Harvey [smiles]
Why did not the Buddha manifest world peace? The two energy forces of this universe both occupy space and have an empact on all those within it's range, Buddha while a strong and positive energy cannot, by himself, manifest peace in all the world that is consumed with negative energy. He would need others making the choice to join with him, occupy postive and peaceful energy to spread the positve force of energy throughout the world which is riddle with negative. Positive Power is (in my opinion) more powerful than negative and yet it comes down to the number of carriers for each energy and basic math tilting the balance of the worlds choice. Many people who are against war and for peace waste their power by concentrating on the way to end war, giving thought to war and therefore energy to it all the while forgetting their objective is to empower PEACE! Without thinking of and meditating on peace it has not the power to deliver the world. Great questions I love this hub, rate it up and will follow along as it develops Rating it UP (with my positive energy) each time I drop by! thanks and peace!
Thank you, katiem :-)
I love what you wrote about war and peace. Those are my sentiments exactly.
Thank you!!
Mel,
Do you have relatives also? All relatives are not truth!
Hey Harvey, you are too funny. Well done!
The easiest way to do this is this analogy.
We each wear different colored glasses, except neither of us knows that we are looking through those glasses.
My glasses are green, yours are blue.
If we look at the same white wall, I will tell you that the wall is green, and you will insist that it is blue.
Those are our truths. We did not lie because we did not know that we were wearing glasses at all!
The colors that we tell each other are our relative truths.
In this case, the absolute truth is the wall is white.
msorensson you have really provoked some hard thought on my behalf. I often ponder myself why God allows so much suffering and sometimes to me at least it seems like evil wins. That one really burns me !But I love the answer you put down for the last question about love and coveting. I found it to be very profound. I hope the Monks are OK. And quite frankly I find Buddhism to be very fascinating.
Hey, Tony0724, Thank you for stopping by.
The monks were fine...I can't remember if it was 7 or 9 years ago..but it is etched in my memory as the moment I read it.
I think God loves us all equally. Both sinner and Saints.
This is why he made Universal Laws applicable to all of us, without preference.
msorensson I consider us to be like Hub Buddies so please just call me Tony ! :)
Thank you, Tony :-)
Please call me Melinda
Melinda you gotta deal !
These are great questions, and like many have said before me, the answers lie within ourselves. Why didn't Buddha manifest world peace? Peace is in anyone who wants it. It is a choice. I'm in love with someone else.... Do you still love your spouse, are you committed to them? Why do people lie? Fear.They are afraid to tell the truth.
What is the meaning of life? To learn our lessons and to share love and forgiveness.
Namaste.
Namaste, Deborah :-)
Thanks for stopping by and writing your answers!!
msorensson, This is moving along nicely, thank you for creating such an inspired conversation. Peace :)
Thank you, katiem.
so nice keep on continue fnd
Thank you, Nazir1988
First of all, msorensson, thanks for following me. I have seen your picture on many sites I visit, but get busy and don't check people out at often as I should, one reason I have so few followers. They have to find me almost by accident. I also lived in New Orleans for about six years, and am familiar with your location of residence. I can't answer any of these questions, except one. If I am in love with someone who is already in a committed relationship, I need to just get over it. There is enough greed in the world, without me adding to the problem. That one is a no-brainer, but those others, I try to avoid. Too many people talk about God and his or her motives, as if they have already been to heaven and returned as a spokesperson. Sorry, but I don't believe they actually know anymore than I do. we can choose to believe whatever we want, but talking as if we are all knowing, annoys me, because it is a type of programmed thinking many feel they must insist is true, when they can't be sure. If God exists, he or she can see through fakes, and pretending to know what we do not know. I, for one, will not do it, and I also refuse to buy all of the programmed thinking I'm exposed to within my own field of study. No matter how unpopular this stand may be among support group members, I haven't used stimulant drugs, my drugs of choice, in years (over 20), but can drink red wine, and have been doing it for years. while I don't advocate anyone else in recovery go out and try it, some can do so without returning to their drug of choice. In my case, the anti-cancer benefits make it worth it, and it hasn't caused a problem in over twenty years of use. So, I've done it; Opened up another can of worms by refusing to buy into programmed thinking, either about religion, or addictions recovery. LOL.
What a lovely comment, thank you, valerie. We cannot choose whom to love...this is a fact..so please do not further complicate your mind by asking why...
To know that you can love, in and by itself is a gift. I can tell you that I did not believe those people who have told me they cannot love, and yet, it was true! I know this now.
Just love..that is enough. No longing necessary. It is the longing part that creates suffering.
Oh..one other thing, Valerie..this I have always advocated to. Your truth is yours and you must only accept that which you have proven yourself by insight, by intuition or by physical experience or what Deepak Chopra terms experiential knowledge.
msorensson, questions that have no answer are moving along nicely. Thanks and Peace :)
Hi, katiem, yes, it is. I think because those are perennial questions.
Thank you for dropping by.
the monks were right, as they honored their temple and doctrine. i admire them for sticking to their principles even when faced with being beaten or killed.
even though thugs ruin things for everyone, they are still thugs and can't hold a candle to those monks, and never will. life is full of unaswered questions like this. i too wonder quite often why evil people get away with their tomfoolery. well, they might get away with it on Earth but i am sure some form of justice is waiting for them in the spirit realm, which gives me some measure of peace.
thought-provoking hub.
Thank you cossette for dropping by.
They did not die, they were badly beaten.
Yes, they honored their vows.
There are questions and there are questions; people are always looking for answers or challenging others to give them the answer. The process itself is what really counts; asking and searching.
Life, Love and Faith are questions with very personal answers and giving a definite and definitive answer is presumptuous at best. The way we answer those questions makes our own life philosophy as it defines who we are OR want to be
I agree wholeheartedly, Petra. Thank you for your comments.
I often find myself struggling with answerless questions. Great read!
Thank you, habee, for dropping by and leaving a comment!!
I wonder if I were one of the monks would i have coward and told where the gang members were hiding. Whether I would have struggled with the right or wrong of it. Wonderful points i have always struggled with not hurting feelings and this sometimes causes me to lie. I think that i am willing to be a little unhappy so others don't have to I have a question.
Why do some of us sacrifice and others don't?
hair2nv, Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment.
We are programmed to sacrifice for others. I came to this conclusion after looking back at the business mistakes I have made. I lied to myself, because of my strict religious upbringing.
To ourselves we must be true. It does not do others any good if you say "It's okay" when it really is not. You bind them to yourself that way and sooner or later you will have to resolve it.
This is why we have basic sanity.
AGREED!!!!!
Why do people lie? I guess out of fear,pity or greed would be my answer to this question. You asked some tough questions here. Nice work. Cheers.
msorensson,
I think the monks were right because they stuck to their principles depite it causing them to get a beating. They sacrificed themselves for others and stuck to their principles of not lying or allowing harm to come to others.
I think there just isn't enough love in every body's hearts.
Jealous and angriness seem to rule so many people actions and lets not forget fear.
Wonderful hub. Sorry, I haven't read you more often.
I think a 'lie' is some thing that one speak for own benefit and to make some one else feel bad about him.
Sometimes we "lie" because we do not know the whole truth..sometimes we "lie" to ourselves because we are bound by norms/traditions/religion.
It is the willful lie that hurts us the most for we have the memory of it ingrained in us and haunts us later.
Thank you suny51 for dropping by.
Thought provoking hub. When we ask ourselves these and other questions, I think the answer must rely on whether anyone will get hurt due to the answer. Our speak and behavior should always follow the path of peace.
Thank you, Dolores. As long as we are true to ourselves, we will be fine. This is a mistake that even I have made in the past.
Thank you for dropping by and commenting.
In the questions regarding what to do about going with someone else's love, or cheating, I think it comes down to following one's heart and following one's conscience simultaneously. If the question crops up, "Why do I feel I am NOT any longer in love with the person I'm with that I desire someone else?" we tend to run from it.
We cheat because it's easier to love someone else than it is to recognize our faults, or to address the issues that have led us to fall out of love. It's the easy way out.
Regarding lies, we lie in order to evade the truth. We use lies to cover for failures. And sometimes we use lies to seek opportunity.
Interesting and thought provoking hub BTW.
Thank you Springboard. We lie to ourselves because we somehow want the illusion..for our selves...and yet in moments of clarity we see situations as really very simple.
I do not think there is anything wrong with falling in love with someone who belongs to another.
To love is a gift. It is the coveting part that is hard to deal with.
I do not wish to judge anyone..it is a pointless exercise. We would do anyway whatever we want to do.
Let us hope that our basic sanity, our basic goodness would prevent us from making mistakes that would hurt us, because we hurt ourselves when we hurt others.
Thank you for dropping by.
I was thinking of this hub the other day when someone asked when will they stop the oil leak in the Gulf and when will the clean the mess up and I realized this hub is the answer - clearly these are questions that have no answers.
Billy, you are so right. We need the President to focus here!!
Will answer more later.
Thanks for stopping by.
Great for inspiration. Thank you very much. You always come up with beautiful word. Thumbs up for you
Prasetio
Thank you presetio. I appreciate!!
msorensson, beautiful hub. To answer ur question, i know which question i would never want to face, that is " I am in love with someone else. Should I leave my husband/wife/lover? " ... it would be hell on earth.
And for "I am in love with someone who belongs to another. What should I do?" simple if hes in love with the other person then just leave him, if i truly luved an individual, i would want nothing but happiness 4 that person. Obviously much easier said than done.
Rated it up and will be following you.
Noorin
msorensson, beautiful hub. To answer ur question, i know which question i would never want to face, that is " I am in love with someone else. Should I leave my husband/wife/lover? " ... it would be hell on earth.
And for "I am in love with someone who belongs to another. What should I do?" simple if hes in love with the other person then just leave him, if i truly luved an individual, i would want nothing but happiness 4 that person. Obviously much easier said than done.
Rated it up and will be following you.
Noorin
Thank you noorin, very true. To our own selves we must be true.
It is difficult to understand that true love requires no justification, no desire to possess and the thought /action of wishing only the happiness of the person we love.
We all deserve that kind of love and we therefore can give it.
Only our egos want the possession of the person we love.
Thank you for dropping by.
No worries. Glad to have found your page.
Very nice! I struggle with wake up, or go to sleep questions, but I believe that honesty hurts so much sometimes because of the things we are afraid of that it becomes impossible for some to truly achieve any kind of honest, open, reciprocal communication. Karma gets us all at some point. I believe that by following your principles even when they become dangerous is not truly honorable. Belief systems are learned. I also believe that some things are worth dying for. For the members of our family, I would stand in front of a bullet.
. . . "sworn to protect anything that lives" - Did the monks not believe that they fit into that category? I have to wonder about that . . . thumbs up!
Thank you, noori and mwatkins.
mwatkins, we were born with basic sanity that tells us what to do at any given time. Until we have reached the point of "no consequence" we are bound by our programming, past thoughts and actions remembered, guilt, etc..
The only object of meditation is to be in the NOW, no past, no future.
Imagine if what you do does not have any consequence? You will find that you are AWESOME in every sense of the word, for inside you will find that it is impossible for you to do wrong...but I do not mean wrong in the way we were programmed to distinguish right from wrong for this varies with culture, our upbringing.
Oh..I found it. Decency...we were born with it.
When we meditate/pray or contemplate or do any activity that quietens our tumultuous minds, we access awareness and through it we find truth, and we become an expression of decency.
Oh..I love the end of "The Bonfire of the Vanities" where Morgan Freeman lectures those who accused him of being "racist"
Please do watch it if you have a chance.
Last thing, mawatkins. To be true to ourselves is our highest goal, then being true to others is secondary because it becomes automatic.
This hub reminds me of this statement -
"When the student is ready,the teacher appears."
Yes, it is true!! Thank you someonewhoknows.
Hey Ms..
your hub weighs a page by quality but the comments it receives exceed more than 5 pages...
Fascinating..
It is the prize for the value ur hub contains..
Really awesome hub..
If I am not atrocious, I hope that you would have got the answer by reading my He Met God from the reply given by God.
Thanks for sharing..
Sree
Sree, on the contrary. I know you are aware of things that others are not.
Thank you for dropping by.
You're right there are always question to be answered and sometimes no answers. Great hub Melinda, thank you for sharing. Godspeed. creativeone59
Thank you creativeone59 for dropping by and leaving a comment.
I am so behind msorensson on reading hubs, still trying to catch up. Interesting thought here and lots of interesting responses. I would answer to, 'Why do people lie?' with 'People lie because there is something about the truth they don't feel confident revealing.' Of course the motivation for that can be various, from protecting feelings to manipulating others. Peace.
Thank you, A M Werner..for answering that. I was confronted with this last night.
I chose to acknowledge the truth to myself that I was lied to, deliberately, I don't think to manipulate me, really.
Perhaps the other person was thinking it was to protect me or my feelings, so that person never really knew me at all.
It made me really angry and then sad but in the end,I felt better. I did not tell myself anymore "It's okay" :-)
Thanks for share this for us. I learn much from these answer. Good work, my friend.
Thank you prasetio30 for coming and leaving your comment. I am glad.
great hub
Thank you Kelly.
I sometimes feel that the nswer is to do ones best to live peacably with each other, and God, and hen to worry about the answers to the deeper questions in the next world.
Thank you for a most thought provoking hub.
Thank you Christopheranton :-)
It is possible to look for answers while we are in this body but yes, peace within is the most important thing.
"Be still."
"For only those who are still can impart stillness unto others"
In situations like this, I think the best answer (and even it is probably not the right one) is to simply follow one's heart. There is a saying I heard once that went, "Self-betrayal is the ultimate betrayal." Perhaps that seems a bit selfish, but one must really be true to themselves before they can ever truly hope to be true to anyone else.
I bring that up only because you have to question who the monks were being true to, and for what purposes? What were their internal motivations? What were their external motivations? And did (or would) those external motivations ultimately have met with conflict with their internal motivations?
Springboard, great points. To our own selves we must be true first and foremost. Because of our programming, we don't always do this. At least I did not.
Meditation is at first a very selfish act. The motivation is to alleviate the pain from the conditioned mind.
The next motivation is to be free. It is selfish and yet it is not. There comes a point when you meditate because you "think" that you are giving others a gift. But this is not so. The only true gift that one can offer is oneself.
When one has relinquished all selfish desires, including the desire for freedom for self and others, then one is gifted with imperturbable peace, and just by being, impart stillness unto others.
Thank you for dropping by.
Love all you want - but do not covet. Why can this not be done? It would lend a touch of humanity to our culture. Sigh. Coveting seems to have become a right in the minds of so many. Sad.
Great hub by the way. Thank you!
Hi, BkCreative, this, loving all you want is the key to everything.
We were programmed to covet..:-)
Thanks for dropping by.
Wow! That was really amazing. You caught my attention through your title and I must say these questions are very tough to answer. But I musty say that the answers lie in the questions themselves. Liked your other hubs too. Joining your fanclub and would like to invite you to join mine. :)
Thanks couponalbum. Much appreciated. :-)
How gifted and intelligent you are. Your questions are not easy for me to answer. I wonder if we knew the answers how important knowing is to the way we live. When my son was taken from me, I wanted answers. I wanted to know why? I wanted to know also why these innocent, sweet children were left with no mother or father? I wanted answers. I wanted to be able to give answers to my grandchildren. I wanted to make some sense of it all. Even if I had the answers to my questions, what good does it do me? The situation is the same. Knowing, does not help. All that matters is love. Love is all that matters and the only thing that lasts. A wonderful hub, written by a wonderful woman!
Oh..you are too kind, vocalcoach.
I have written this story elsewhere but for you, I will do so again.
A widow in a village had a young son. The son was playing in the yard one day, he was just a boy. A poisonous snake came and bit the boy and he died.
The woman, in anguish, came to the Buddha and said "Please, this is a terrible mistake. Make him live again, for my husband had already been taken from me and now I only have my little boy. Please!!"
The Buddha then said to the woman "Then you must go and find me a mustard seed from a household that has not known any pain."
The woman left the boy's body with the Buddha, knocked on every door in the village asking for that mustard seed.
At night she came back to the Buddha, wearied.
The Buddha then asked her "Have you brought me a mustard seed?"
The woman answered "Oh world honored one, I have knocked on every door in our village and they do have mustard seeds but ALL of them have experienced pain."
The Buddha then said, go and ask the men to carry your boy's body to have him buried.
There is no answer that would satisfy any mother as to that question, vocalcoach.
I can assure you that the Buddha did what he did out of compassion..there is nothing else in him.
The story that I told you is thousands of years old...
I will tell you what I read in one of the discourses in Christianity books I read:
"We do not have the answers to some of our questions because we are not ready."
I hug you from afar and know that I KNOW how you feel and that my heart reaches out to you.
Much love,
Melinda
My goodness, the comments are as thought provoking as the questions you raise in the hub - much to think about.
Indeed RedElf, the comments are truly challenging. Thank you for dropping by and leaving a comment. Much appreciated.
Very interesting questions. I really wonder why buddha did not manifest world peace. I think he just ignited the idea of world peace in our mind and it is our duty to follow all the teachings of great leaders.Unless the majority of the current world leader will reach some kind of consensus about world peace, we won't get a peaceful world.Thanks you so much for posting some great questions :)
He could have. As the Dalai Lama now and as Jesus but to do so would violate free will.
We need enlightened leaders..but the enlightened ones would never do so.
Thank you for dropping by.
Definitely interesting things to ponder! Thanks.
Thank you kindly, CMCastro.
Great hub, here are my answers.
Q: Why did not the Buddha manifest world peace?
He did, others did not!
A: Why did Jesus Christ not take us all up when he ascended? It was not his job to do so! It's ours, within each soul!
Q: I am in love with someone else. Should I leave my husband/wife/lover?
This answer lay in whether one wishes to live a lie or truth.
A: How do you feel about it? It as in what?
Q: Why do people lie? out of fear!
A: What is a lie? It is a cover up!
Q: If there is a God and He/She/It is All powerful, why does He/She/It allow so much suffering in this world?
Whether there is a God or not, suffering is caused by man and not any god! suffering is of our own making!
A: Peace is within you. it is also an action when shared by our actions toward others.
Q: I am in love with someone who belongs to another. What should I do?
well, do you wish to cause pain in others lives? If not, then find someone else to love who is not with someone already!
Wow.. thanks so much!!
Why do people lie?
To give protection - to protect life, property and peace of the neighbors... That's the good side of telling a lie.
The God is superior.. Believe in His all good intentions and judgments and do whatever you can do to server the human race and our mother earth in the best way we can...
Enjoyed reading the questions and some of the comments.
Thank you, bandrocker. Much appreciated.
I like your philosophical thoughts! There are too many questions without answers. Eventually we realise that living does not mean finding the answers of all questions, but to appreciate the good and the beautiful.
Hi, Martie,
Thanks for coming and leaving a comment. And yes, I agree. We have to appreciate the good and the beautiful because by definition what we focus on expands and we get more of it.
Another wonderful hub Msorensson, again so full of wisdom with a loving sensitivity running through it.
Yes - questions - and answers - how important it is that we ask the right questions - so that we may uncover the Truth answers - we already know deep within. That's what I believe - that we spend most of our conscious time 'getting in our own way' so that we rarely discover that which we truly DO know of Truth inside. I'm working on it all - still!
Truth..ahhh...we have to peel layers upon layers of lies in order to arrive there...
Lies we tell ourselves, lies others have told us. Inside us is everything we are searching for.
Thank you for your comments.
Very interesting and thought provoking.
Thank you, twentyfive !!
I need to rest a bit! Whew! It's a long way down here! My scrolling finger got a cramp! You are so wise. I have not forgotten you! I will write a poem about Melinda some day!
Thank you, Micky :-)
Wow a great hub for inspiration. Thanks for writing it.
Thank you, Rhonda. Much appreciated.!!
I have to quote from one of your responders, such a superb answer: "There are so may different variables which will determine different responses from different people, so who is to say that one is correct and another not? I can only judge how I would react to a specific situation, but that does not mean that my reaction is the correct one :D"
This is so true. I choose seeking inner peace within ourselves. It is not easy to attain, but with acceptance and maturity in handling things, the process will be much more easier. The transition from being a kid and wailing into wanting something to becoming an adult knowing that not everything will be served on a platter and that we will have to attain it and accepting success and failure is all inter-linked and part of it. I just love the story, so what is your answer to the monk and the couple of hoodlums? In the story of the monks, they are protecting the lives of others and I think that's a pretty honorable thing to do. Oops, look at the time. Sorry for the rant. I like the way you write. Will come again.=)
Out of compassion for a mother lion who was dying of hunger because she was caught in a thicket and unable to move, having just given birth to two cubs, the Buddha, according to literature threw himself into the mother lion so she could feed the cubs. In that moment, the Buddha felt the desire of the lion to get out so she could feed the newborns. By that single act, again, according to the literature, the Buddha hastened his evolution many lifetimes.
In the Bible, when Jesus Christ said to offer the other cheek, it meant, I am stronger than you are, so give it to me, I can take it...this is how I now interpret it. It was not always how I thought it.
When a Zen Master asks the student a question, the answer is solely dependent on the state of mind of the student, so one student can answer with a smile,a nonsense grunt, an action.
The answer to your question is I do not know since I was not there. They did what they thought they had to do, and if the action is taken without attachment, then that action is right and complete.
A god will not throw himself in front of a truck, because it would create chaos in the mind of the participants of that particular scenario. On the other hand, he would not hesitate to sacrifice a whole continent. I was thinking of Sodom and Gomorrah, and in this context assuming it to have happened. I hope I answered your question. There are no right or wrong actions. It is only dependent on the state of mind of the one who is doing the act. On the other hand, the impeccability of a god lies in the fact that he will always be bound by ethics. An ethical being has to, first and foremost be strong.
The hub, the questions, the comments are all lifting the veils to show the reality from different angles which itself is thought provoking that a human being is really a masterpiece of the Great Maker, the Creator. Actions are to be adjudged by the motive or intention behind them. Surface evident and in depth vision, Disguise and device, Plotting and strategy are to be distinguished keeping in view all circumstances, which may be many and multiple, similar and dissimilar. A human can never be God. A creation cannot be a Creator. A finite cannot be infinite. Answers may be correct or incorrect. A Day of Judgment is to come.
May God bless all.
I so agree with you, munirahmadmughal. Human beings, if they only realize it are masterpieces of the Great Maker, the creator.
Thank you for your comment!!
I have learned that it is better to have no answer than to adopt an answer that is untrue. Thanks for your amazing post.
Thank you, Robert. I appreciate your reading and leaving your comment.
You always seem so wise, and I enjoy reading your work and your comments here at Hubpages.
So kind of you. Thank you, strictlydating.
AlexK2009 Level 4 Commenter 2 years ago
There are millions of questions with no answers. Evil in the world is one and whether we do have free will is another. If all questions had answers life might become boring