For most of us, memories of our day-to-day events and those of the recent past have a familiar, mundane quality to them, but memories of our early childhood take on a brightly colored, almost magical quality. My Aunt once told me that this is because children come so recently from God. I wonder if this is true-
@mchill saidWhat do you mean by children have “recently come from God”?
For most of us, memories of our day-to-day events and those of the recent past have a familiar, mundane quality to them, but memories of our early childhood take on a brightly colored, almost magical quality. My Aunt once told me that this is because children come so recently from God. I wonder if this is true-
@mchill saidThis is because, psychologically, when people remember a painful event, they remember what happened (burning your hand on a hot stove, for example) and that is was painful, but the memory itself is not the pain (except in rare cases of trauma). Whereas, when people remember a happy event, the memory itself can make one feel happy again.
For most of us, memories of our day-to-day events and those of the recent past have a familiar, mundane quality to them, but memories of our early childhood take on a brightly colored, almost magical quality. My Aunt once told me that this is because children come so recently from God. I wonder if this is true-
The reverse also sometimes happens, in nostalgia, where people believe the past to have been better than the present. It isn't so. Most of the past was much the same as most of the present, but our memories play tricks on us.
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@mchill saidI wonder! Do you have any childhood memories of your own on coming from God?
For most of us, memories of our day-to-day events and those of the recent past have a familiar, mundane quality to them, but memories of our early childhood take on a brightly colored, almost magical quality. My Aunt once told me that this is because children come so recently from God. I wonder if this is true-
And how would your aunt know where children come from?
@pettytalk saidYou're missing the point here. This has nothing to do with my memories of coming from God or my aunt's exact knowledge of where children come from. This was just idle speculation based on the fact that most people's memories of their early childhood are slightly different than those of the recent past.
I wonder! Do you have any childhood memories of your own on coming from God?
And how would your aunt know where children come from?
@mchill saidMaybe not really an “idle speculation” for the spirituality forum then.
You're missing the point here. This has nothing to do with my memories of coming from God or my aunt's exact knowledge of where children come from. This was just idle speculation based on the fact that most people's memories of their early childhood are slightly different than those of the recent past.
@divegeester saidPut any label on it you want, it was just a discussion topic.
Maybe not really an “idle speculation” for the spirituality forum then.
@mchill saidLabel, what label? I was interested in discussing the bit where you wrote;
Put any label on it you want, it was just a discussion topic.
”My Aunt once told me that this is because children come so recently from God. I wonder if this is true-“
But you closed that spiritual angle down and backed away from saying you “wondered if it was true”.
@divegeester saidHow very 'wet blanket' of you.
Label, what label? I was interested in discussing the bit where you wrote;
”My Aunt once told me that this is because children come so recently from God. I wonder if this is true-“
But you closed that spiritual angle down and backed away from saying you “wondered if it was true”.
There is an interesting religious, doctrinal, philosophical point in play in this thread. Despite mchill not wanting to discuss it.
The OP author states that he wonders if it is true that “children come from god”. Do they?
The bible talks about (at least) three relevant aspects relating to this question:
1) children (offspring to be precise) being a reward
2) people are with god in eternity
3) God knew David before he was born
If we are with God in eternity and God knows us before we are born, then it follows that we all “come from God” and that this temporal existence is a juncture, a place where we exist briefly in time before returning to eternity.
The “children” term is largely irrelevant as in eternity there are no infants, just spiritual beings.
However “offspring” are a reward in this temporal life, so the notion of us all being in eternity before and after our temporal life and coming from god as “children” is a misnomer which conflates the phenomena of us each transitioning eternity to the temporal to eternity. with the idea that children are somehow wondering around in eternity waiting to be born.
Thoughts?
The post that was quoted here has been removedYou might enjoy a book called The Happiness Curve
https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Curve-Life-Better-After/dp/1250078806
It (the happiness curve itself, not the book) is also the subject of a multi-decade, cross cultural, (even cross species in some cases) global research endeavour which looks at correlations between age and happiness.
Spoiler: humans and some animals are most happy when younger and older. Apparently middle age sucks.