Friday, May 6, 2011

Where does the good within me come from? (#826)

I am a man who likes to meditate and even pray to the universe for guidance and direction. Some call this religion and some call it spiritualism. I tend to think of it as all things. That aside, I have come upon the question of where do the good things within me come from. I know that I care about people as an instinctual process, so maybe that is the genesis of my better nature or goodness. More likely that is part of it and the other part(s) come from my connection to existence. Simply, that I do feel a connection to existence leads me to wanting to open a line of communication in some way that makes sense, hence the meditation and prayer. I know that the practice of things makes me more likely to respond in the practiced way. In other words, conditioning my responses helps me to an outcome I hope to achieve. I am molding my life toward thoughts and actions that line up with principles for living I have come to respect and admire. Virtues are the basis for my principles for living and exemplifying them is my goal. But I am still left with that nagging unknown of where does the goodness within me emanate from. At my core is it hardwired into my DNA? Is it just something that comes about through logic, emotion and cultural experiences? Does any of this really matter? I suppose it does since I want to know how I tick. What is it about me that defines my particular brand of goodness and how is that different from anyone else? I have more questions than answers for now but at least I am questioning my essence. If I find answers to my questions I hope to be better able to describe my place within existence and understand human nature to a deeper degree.

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