Posted by Gunnar on May 24, 1999 at 08:10:30:
In Reply to: excellent post, and my thoughts on longing for the Union posted by Trixie on May 23, 1999 at 21:07:48:
: For me, at least, the "longing" for god (in an abstract way, perhaps as the Good, the Source of Love, kind of like Jerry said) has less to do with fighting mortality and more to do with seeking an Eternal Union, which is what I think humans REALLY are looking for. That longing, for a oneness, propels some of us into relationship after relationship, searching for a permanent sense of oneness, of dissolving of personal boundaries, that the first sense of falling in love brings. I am of the mind, lately, that this sense of oneness has to do with our early imprinting as infants, when we WERE truly ONE with mother, with the world, when we had no boundaries. We had no sense of our aloneness. If mother was dependable and loving, we miss that oneness, without ever realizing what it is that we are missing.
Upon reading your comments, I can't help but acknowledge that you must be right, that it is not just a longing for immortality. Immortality can't have much appeal unless we also have some promise of being able to love and be loved in the hereafter, and being a part of something bigger than ourselves. I can't imagine being truly happy without that, whether during our mortal existence or afterwards (if there is an afterwards).
Gunnar