[Gem]

Originally Posted by 7luminaries

We are connected objectively and subjectively and what you might say degrees of connection vary. But this is essentially fact and doesn't speak to the subjective experience of liking or disliking (or whatever other experiential emotion or feeling applies).

IMO clearly the connection, no matter how tangential, is subjectively better when we connect with kindness and compassion.

I haven't seen the show and it may be interesting to see their depiction of the afterlife.

It's a silly comedic depiction, and the plot is also, but the subtext is all about the ethical dilemmas surrounding what is essentially right and good.

It strikes me that so often this topic is presented as a sort of false dualism, damned if you do and damned if you don't. Meaning it's not good to do good for a purely or primarily self-interested reason...and yet it's arguably even worse to do no good at all (presumably also due to self-interest/apathy).

There is still the issue of how goodness is associated with motive, so the pure selfish act as opposed the act to general benefit is merely a representation of why one does what they do.

Behavioural scientists would say we start with the former and hope that self-interest moves to an enlightened self-interest and eventually to a genuine regard for others. If not, at least you've learnt the please and thank you bits and can get on minimally in civil society. Which is a reasonable argument.

So all the hands-wringing seems to be saying that most don't really care about others but feel guilty about it, eh? Due partly but not only to a belief system.. IMO it's also due to rising levels of consciousness and thus, of ownership.

I.e., ownership brings awareness and folks are perhaps uncomfortably self-reflecting and are realising that for whatever reason (=things have changed within and without) they just can't quite get away from it. Or, it's not so easily ignored and put off as before.

...This is actually a telling comment on the state of society at the mo and it is interesting that this is the focus of this show, rather than on bells and whistles in the afterlife, LOL. And it's to be expected that a ratcheting up of one's conscience/consciousness will be inconvenient and bothersome for many folks.

Peace & blessings
7L

I guess in the show, the afterlife's good and bad places represent the consequence of actions, which can be seen as just desserts, but then again the notion of deserving is an issue of judgment... which really conforms to Christian ideas, but as the show goes on and the plot thickens, the quandry of judging in the right and correct way is brought into question...