“Everything is made of light; everything is alive. The Great Mystery of life has little to do with intelligence. The universe is not an intellectual process. The intellect is helpful; but our hearts are the wiser part of ourselves.”
-- Mellen-Thomas Benedict
2007-10-25 10:43:10 · 25 answers · asked by Kallan 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The first sentence sounds like String Theory with a bit of a spiritual spin. So I like it because that's kind of hand-in-glove with my feelings . But the rest of it I disagree with. While it's true that the universe isn't an intellectual process, neither is it an emotional one. I think the best approach in life is to lead with your mind and consult your heart from time to time.
2007-10-25 11:35:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
More than a little off base - but that is the problem - there is just enough truth to make it sound good.
Obviously.. not everything is alive, the mysteries of life have a great deal to do with intelligence - What the heck does "The universe is not an intellectual process" mean? and the last sentence is just skewed - we need to think for ourselves when we see this stuff.
Be very afraid.
2007-10-25 10:48:37 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'd have to say I respectfully disagree. I like the first part of the quote, but I think that the great mystery of life has everything to do with intelligence, and I also think that if my heart were to be considered wiser than my intellect, I'd have made some pretty bad choices in my life.
2007-10-25 11:38:55 · answer #3 · answered by Linz ♥ VT 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Around the time Woody Allen ran off with his stepdaughter, who he seduced under Mia's nose, he made the following remark ( lifted from Pascal) to the press: "The heart has its reasons of which the mind knows nothing." Of course I don't believe his mind was what Allen thought with in reference to the girl, Soon Yi. I do believe however that some thought or precognition-whatever you might call it- was given to creating the universes. I also believe that in most situations reason must surmount or at least balance with emotion. Down through history there are numerous examples of wars and crimes, many too bestial to describe, committed by those who were reasoning with their hearts. The religious fervor of those involved in downing the Twin Towers is but one example. May we all be granted the ability to care for others but also the ability to really think before we act.
2007-10-25 11:16:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Light is energy, so the quote makes sense. It's very nice and I believe it to be true. What good is an intellect if you are not loved by at least someone or something?
2007-10-25 11:04:46 · answer #5 · answered by Jade 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I really like this quote and have never heard it before butit makes me think... and I like to think... I agree that everything is made of light because I've heard spiritual leaders refer to Love as Light, any energy as light, and God as light so that I can agree with. The rest works for me as well... after all, if we follow our hearts, we are choosing Love... when I over-think things, I tend to react on Ego - not love... when we extend energy out from a place of Love I'm always amazed and in awe of the outcome... when I let my ego get in the way, that's when things are harder than they should have been... Thank you for sharing this. I hope my opinions haven't offended.
2007-10-25 13:15:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's lovely and almost profound in a sense, but I disagree that intellect is merely helpful and that the heart is wiser. To me, a balance of both intellect and intuition is the wisest approach, for both are very essential human traits, we do possess those faculties afterall, for a reason, extremes of either one or the other is usually what leads to unwise decisions, in my opinion, balance is in the center.
But thank you for sharing this with us. :-)
2007-10-25 12:21:45 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
That is an interesting thought and quotation. I agree with the idea.
None of us knows really what the universe is, and we don't know where it is located.
When he says all are made of light, I think he means that the spirit creates the life force in our world, and one can see that as light.
I don't think the universe is necessarily a useful thing, as one reader commented. I think the idea is that the universe is .... it exists .... whether or not one finds it useful is irrelevant.
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2007-10-25 10:46:44 · answer #8 · answered by Lu 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
When we follow our 'heart', that is also a kind of intellectual process. Obviously, we don't think with our actual heart.
In other words, he needs to clarify what he means.
2007-10-25 17:59:11 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I disagree completely
* obviously I am not made of light, I am made of energy, but it is not necessarily of the electromagnetic spectrum
* A proton or a rock is not alive
* Our hearts pump blood, they have nothing to do with wisdom
* even metaphorically, I'll go with intellect for wisdom as opposed to "feelings"
the rest is ok
2007-10-25 10:45:13 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 8⤊ 1⤋