Self-evolution to the form of God

[Machiavelli70]

This song, to me, is about decision. I'm semireligious, and to me the price of free will is the responsibility associated with the choices thereof. "Contemplate what I've been clinging to" suggests making a decision rather than inaction because of clinging to something. "Clearing out what could have been" is the excercising of Gevurah in opposition to Chesed -- the destructive nature of decision making. By making a decision, you annihilate all the possibilities that were and instead establish a reality.

The lyrics say to me that in order to evolve, in order to progress ourselves through life we must make decisions, to choose to live and to die.

[JTCrace]

I read your post a couple days ago and then I found myself at work today trying to formulate a solid definition for "decision."

"By making a decision, you annihilate all the possibilities that were and instead establish a reality."

That's fucking awesome. I wish I could have remembered that this morning in between making pizzas!

The reason I am concerned with this is that I am writing a paper on the Platonic dialogue, "Crito." I want to show that Socrates, by remaining in Athens and getting executed, is honoring his agreements. Contrary to what it seems, his stance is a powerful one.

In Scientology, there is the idea that reality is created by agreement. Upon quick reflection, this becomes pretty obvious. But, I was thinking that an agreement is a type of decision. Today I realized that a decision is the act of creating an identity; meaning that out of all of the available possibilities, I choose to identify with one. For instance, who or what should I have sex with? There are quite a few options/possibilities. I finally decide on household pets. I have now created for myself an identity: a household pet fucker. Despite the fact that this reality probably isn't that extensive, I am now a player within that world (reality). What's even more interesting is that this new world is within another world: the world of sexual beings. This world is within yet another world: the physical universe, etc.

James Carse, in his book "Finite and Infinite Games," says that one can have a finite game within a finite game. And one can have a finite game within an infinite game. But one cannot have an infinite game within a finite game.

A reality, as far as we can know, is always a somethingness of some kind. But this somethingness MUST come from a nothingness. But, what's really weird, is that this somethingness must also come from an all-thingness (infinity). Here we have encountered the "Paradox of the Extremes": the absolute of one thing also looks like the absolute minimum of that thing. Dammit, I wish I could get over that one!

Also, I think that yes, this song is about making solid, well-informed decisions in the present. But, to me, it's even more about discovering decisions made in the past. "When and why did I decide to 'cling' to this?"

If what you are saying is correct (and it looks that way), then at a certain point, before any realities were created, there was the Infinite--all possibilities. And from this was created various universes until you get to the one we all share. It looks like that at a certain point, Beingness individuated. The decision would look like: "I am me--and NOT you." Like we've established above, this decision can only come about if at a certain point: "I am me AND you." Many have said it is very possible to spot and resolve this decision. I'll tell you when I get there.

[Machiavelli70]

In my theology, the realization of "I am me AND you" is the achievement of Keter, and melding with the Universal Subconsciousness. As Leary says, "We are all the same consciousness experiencing itself subjectively." Once we can reintegrate ourselves (is that death?), we substitute "and" for "not" in that statement.

[deloney]

Ive found alot of connections between the Qabala and Tool. it almost screams at you to see the connection. although i think 46&2, as with many other tool songs, has many different levels of analysis, to me it is about evolution in every since of the word... not being held down by beliefs, fear etc.

[Machiavelli70]

For Qabalah, I've found it's not really some sort of metaphysically engineered amazing connection but more that logic and a bit of vagueness are the contents of it. Qabalah is presented to me more like a paradigm than an absolute truth.