Well, that's all there is to buddhism. I think each reader just interprets the writings and figures it out himself. Keep your eye on the broad horizons, no?

As for cosmic relationships, I can't see any. All I know is that the world is full of chaos and misery. People must band together to bring a semblance of consistency in a crumbling world. My only hope in a such a wretched idea is that we can take actions to ensure the survival of humanity until some of us are able to figure a means to end the suffering and introduce the beginning of 'heaven' on earth. Perhaps it is arrogant to believe that it is man who will bring about this change, but that's the picture in my head and I'm stickin' to it.

"The gods kill men as wantonly as children kill insects."

Exactly. I shall strive to be otherwise.

I was about to kill that insect in my kitchen last night when I had this profound epiphany. It's like I'm making miniscule steps on an infinite path toward enlightenment... the cosmic relationship of things seem to suddenly be more solidly apparent to me.

But I'm not buddhist. Obviously.

Though I HAVE been reading the manga "buddha" lately (huge comic about the life of buddha, made by the same guy who did astroboy)... I dunno. Maybe that's it.

Like the other day I was delivering water and I got out of my van and I saw this field full of those "horse-tail" weeds and I thought it was beautiful. So I picked one of them and stuck it in the dash of my van. But having picked it, I felt I spoiled it's beauty.

Possibly... worse comes to worse I'll just go insane.

Do you think you'd survive the experience of realising the whole terrible truth? Rather than imagining a scenario where you lose your life for the sake of the 'truth', what if you lose your spirit? Your will and motivation?

Also, what is the price of such truth? To what end will you pursue this truth? To the ends of the earth? Will you obtain it at a cost to yourself or others? What of the prices that you cannot appreciate or comprehend?

Quoting form some source I can't remember right now:

"The gods kill men as watonly as children kill insects."

Or something like that. I'm going to say Nietzche. Second though Nietzche always thought that god was dead and it was only thru our own action that we could achieve things, so not Nietzche.

And yes the arguement of living in ignorant bliss or knowing the whole terrible truth and deciding what to do with it. Horrible truth every time.

i remember watching this news item on CBC about this guy who lost his hearing in one ear because a fly or something flew into it - like deep enough that it fucked something up. Since then i've revised my rules about flying buzzing insects, and i will kill them every time. if it's a bug's life or my hearing i say BRING THA LITTLE MUTHAFUCKAZ ON!!!
heh, Bug's Life.

er... that should be "benevolent".

but that's just it, bugs don't have the mental capacity to know that their life has been saved. Nor does a human being necessarily have the mental capacity to see their own life being saved on a cosmic scale. Nonetheless, after contemplating the bug metaphor, would you not hope that whatever cosmic forces ruled your own life would be beneveolent enough to refrain from killing you out of sheer laziness? What other reason is there for killing the bug as opposed to taking it outside? Laziness. It's easier to end another living creature's life than save it. And in what respect can you say one life is worth more than another's?

I find it difficult to kill a bug anymore.

I definately think Al should invent a 13-sided die. Just because it would be very cool.

And, anonymous, I don't think that bugs have the mental capacity large enough to conceptualize a god. I think things like suddenly being moved outside just happen and they just continue along. Actually sounds kinda nice, if you ask me.

Go Al! Do it!

By the way, what's with all this 'judgemental' business over dice? What if you stumbled upon someone rolling an electric 10000 sided dice that constantly changed numbers on all sides? What then? WHAT SAY YOU!?! JUDGE ME DAMN YOU!

Oh, I do think an electric die would be neat to have. You can roll it yourself and watch the electric version spin as well! Then, maybe without you knowing, when you spin that die, you spin your life.

EDIT: MWA HAHAHAHAHAHA...HAHAHAHA.... Good afternoon.