Anam

It's a very good and complicated topic and I have enjoyed reading the back and forth. One thing i have seen over the years is the rush to ''drop story'' or let go of beliefs, as I think this is seen by many as a fast route to conquering human suffering. And yet I do think (believe? ) we all stick to stories or stories about the dropping of story in one way or another, however subtle. I think the rush to drop belief (story) before a lot of work is done with the self is most likely premature. In a way the self work is the cultivation of a firmly rooted natural law, so that if ''belief'' is dropped there remains a natural pool of authentic goodness which sustains compassion and mercy and love etc. Otherwise there is the danger of coldness, merciless detachment, etc In this rush to drop story i see the dark roots of moral relativism. I may be misunderstanding what moral relativism is, but it seems to me to be a forced detachment from what is called reality, where we might say,for example, oh, nothing is good or bad, everything just is, etc., as a demonstration of how we have left the prison of beliefs. How can this be particularly useful? I don't appreciate moral relativism, I think it is an excuse to turn away from action, because of not being able to bear the amount of suffering in the world that our fellow beings and we ourselves sometimes endure. But it seems more and more common. I think there is plenty of time before birth and after death to be without 'belief', but while we are here we should probably find a worthwhile position, as close to the truth as we can presently understand. (Just offering a passing opinion, which is not fully worked out and is subject to change.)

Thank you all.

Just leaving a note to say I am here. Don't really know what to say about me. In general I formulate my ideas and my responses to others ideas better in writing than in speech and that is why I like to write (sometimes).