Is the Universe Friendly?

Agreeing that this is a friendly universe releases its power to cause it to be so. Free will provides us with the opportunity to create our own reality. The universe is composed of energy so why not use it to create peace, love and harmony? It's my choice and I believe that it lifts up all of humanity to make that same choice so we can live in harmony with each other, with Earth Mother and all of creation.

I think this is a friendly Universe ,I asked this simple question and all of them said is unfriendly,I keep thinking is friendly otherwise at the end we will be our own enemies

This passage describes well the results of a fear-driven perception. Having lived for some time on faith in a benevolent Creator who wants what’s best for me, I now have a body of evidence to back it up. The great fact for me is that it works, and I like the results.

Hi awakin.org webmaster, Keep the good content coming!

Here's the thing. I believe in World Peace. My whole life ONLY. Never war destruction. Or unrulyness acting out in Common persons. I'm not allowed near... Torturist nor do I negotiate with terriost. It's highly illegal for anyone to even know details about me unless a group of fully capable trusting persons unknowing in all ways of any persons existence that I have issues with. So it's inappropriate and considered surpassing abusive to any and all persons or beings connected to the grounds I walk. And the thing is when I report something like email,. The universe is NOT a friendly place because there is an Issue. BUT worst thing ever is the unknowing or unlaw following from the other party. It's more than a lower level Countries King or Common Person. It's simple persons law that's being failed to be implemented. That's money and sex transactions with technology. So many people NOT allowed to run things are and have money or like means or Currency and do. So even a wron... [View Full Comment] Here's the thing. I believe in World Peace. My whole life ONLY. Never war destruction. Or unrulyness acting out in Common persons. I'm not allowed near... Torturist nor do I negotiate with terriost. It's highly illegal for anyone to even know details about me unless a group of fully capable trusting persons unknowing in all ways of any persons existence that I have issues with. So it's inappropriate and considered surpassing abusive to any and all persons or beings connected to the grounds I walk. And the thing is when I report something like email,. The universe is NOT a friendly place because there is an Issue. BUT worst thing ever is the unknowing or unlaw following from the other party. It's more than a lower level Countries King or Common Person. It's simple persons law that's being failed to be implemented. That's money and sex transactions with technology. So many people NOT allowed to run things are and have money or like means or Currency and do. So even a wrong slight glace to my direction to closely is a Class Y felony with a One year prison sentences. They may not bond out. They man not do a percentage of their time. Period. What would I be teaching my daughter's if I allowed a super hero to punch me.?!.? I wouldn't be allowed wed to be called a Feminist. Would I? No famous victim connectio. With my name in history books would I? This reaction of mine influences others to know that I could speak for all living beings of the child ages. And money helps me take care of them too. I hold[Hide Full Comment]

Hello awakin.org webmaster, You always provide clear explanations and step-by-step instructions.

The universe was created for Gods pleasure. If you are friends with God then the universe is a friendly place for you.

This quote about the friendliness of the universe is never attributed which makes me doubt Einstein ever said this. Nowhere can you find where the quote came from. Sounds like folkloric BS!

I believe that the universe is friendly if you do the right kind of changes to the world.

I believe that the universe is friendly, I understand that some people would be scared or afraid of the unknown but there will be other "people" in the universe thinking the same about us on Earth. While we don't know what other "people" in the universe have or are planning to do, but as I was saying the idea of other "people" being out there is just new as it's only being thought of recently, but 50 years from now celebrities might be traveling to the Moon for vacation.

I believe the universe is a very unsafe place for anyone or anything. The biggest of my many reasons that the universe is not a safe place is that it's so mysterious and unknown. For example, many people are not scared of the dark itself. They are scared of what's in or could be in the dark. That's why you bring a light so you can see. But the universe isn't like that. No matter what you do you will never be able to know what's out there. Anot... [View Full Comment] I believe the universe is a very unsafe place for anyone or anything. The biggest of my many reasons that the universe is not a safe place is that it's so mysterious and unknown. For example, many people are not scared of the dark itself. They are scared of what's in or could be in the dark. That's why you bring a light so you can see. But the universe isn't like that. No matter what you do you will never be able to know what's out there. Another reason the universe is scary is that there could be more intelligent life forms out there that can take over our planet. Like my original point, we don't know what they're capable of. They could have weapons of mass destruction for all we know. The final reason why the universe is terrifying is the things that exist there like black holes and asteroids. What would we do if an asteroid came towards earth? What would we do if a black hole was heading towards earth? These are questions that we need answers for that we probably won't get anytime soon. I hope in the near future we develop technology to explore the universe and learn to counter whatever dangerous threats the universe throws our way. [Hide Full Comment]

Einstein spent a lifetime trying to explain the universe .... while at the same time struggling with religion and claiming to be atheist. Like most people he wanted 'meaning' to it all. Maybe the trick is not to need meaning .... The universe just 'is' and we need to 'fit' into it rather than 'fight' it all the time.
The question is not 'is the universe friendly' .... the question is, 'Are we friendly'.

Is it friendly? Perhaps we should Look at its ability to be friendlyv Unfriendly. Love is friendly, love is also this humans greatest resource of ability. As humans are rulers of this planet with their greatestability being love which is friendly then we should say Friendly leads Unfriendly 1-0 from what we can observe as humans

I think what is more important than whether Einstein actually said this is how we answer this question. Also how our answer to this question can affect the course of our lives.

How do we know that God does not play dice with the Universe?
Why do we need a purpose or a meaning?
Deciding that the whole Universe is friendly or unfriendly means we are judging upon whatever we decide is "friendly" or "unfriendly" (pleasant or harmful).
Why cannot be God just probability?

Hi. Would you be kind enough to provide the source of this quotation?
Thank you!

Choose to believe we live in a friendly Universe. Makes all the difference in the world.

My own opinion is that the universe is unfriendly. I say this based on my own experience of the universe. All societies that I know about are in the process of deconstructing themselves. All of the good that has been achieved in the past couple of thousand years is currently being undone by the collective evil of every Government on earth. So based purely on my direct experience of dealing with authority on earth alone, my conclusion is that the universe is hostile. If not then we can only hope that a proper benevolent alien civilization will invade earth and dispose of everyone currently helping to perpetuate the evil and claiming that "they're only doing their job". It's possibly a vain hope but we can't lose hope.

With the perception of every human is the frequency emittedto the Universe. The Universe is at our service , you think positively so do positive things come your way .

Our faith can sometimes be tested by events. It may indeed seem like God is playing dicebut we must reaffirm our belief in a benevolentGod whose work is manifest love.

Is the universe friendly? How you answer that question will determine how you live the rest of your life.

Einstein, as one of the most brilliant minds this world has ever seen, clearly understood the importance of interpretation and how it affects each individuals perception of the world. I don't think Einstein was suggesting that there is one answer to this question for the one universe we all exist in rather suggesting that each person must choose for themselves how to see their own universe and that this choice will essentially determine how their life will unfold. If a person decides that the universe they live in is friendly they will see the good much more than the bad, spend more time feeling positive emotions such as happiness, love, and gratitude and serve the world in a beneficial way. However if someone decides their universe is unfriendly they will feel the negative emotions such as jealousy, hatred, and fear and will make contributions to their world based on taking more for themselves or preserving what they already have.

It seems obvious to me that it is both. Duality is ubiquitous. And the most important question for humanity is the nature and character of the Creator, for the evidence of creation is overwhelming. A Bible believer knows that the creation is good, but cursed and that there is a terrible enemy opposing the good. Evil is very real, and the curse turns the planet on us with scarcity, predation, pestilence, and many threats of the environment. If, for example, you are alone in the Amazon or the Congo, you will not imagine the universe to be friendly. You will be much too busy just trying to stay alive.

Looks like Einstein borrowed this saying from the German G.E. Lessing who more or less. said, "If there was one question I would like to ask the Egyptian Sphinx (who supposedly knew everything), 'Is the universe friendly?'

Great little article. Thank you. I believe the world is a friendly place.

Onee-chan says that albert einsteinwatched hentai? Is that true?

I am 35 and have brain cancer. So I probably wont be alive much longer, Murphyslaw and all that. Yet I as a thinking feeling human think that the fact we can even ask this question is a proof of God, and may hint that the Universe may be sentient as it is capable of both good and evil and it loves randomness. I wouldn'tbe alive now if not for our scientific medicine and technology and its getting better and better so that hints at it being friendly as we will eventually understand the universe. .and as for God not playing dice?.....then why do dice exist. God does whatever he chooses. and his hand on all of us. I died during my first brain surgery and was conciousin another place with beings made of light. Doctors and atheists just say its chemicals released as you die. But why did I live against all odds when I called out to God. Im feeling great now so hopefully Ill beat it. But I think Einstein never said this and God has a plan and reason for everything and were not his victims... [View Full Comment] I am 35 and have brain cancer. So I probably wont be alive much longer, Murphyslaw and all that. Yet I as a thinking feeling human think that the fact we can even ask this question is a proof of God, and may hint that the Universe may be sentient as it is capable of both good and evil and it loves randomness. I wouldn'tbe alive now if not for our scientific medicine and technology and its getting better and better so that hints at it being friendly as we will eventually understand the universe. .and as for God not playing dice?.....then why do dice exist. God does whatever he chooses. and his hand on all of us. I died during my first brain surgery and was conciousin another place with beings made of light. Doctors and atheists just say its chemicals released as you die. But why did I live against all odds when I called out to God. Im feeling great now so hopefully Ill beat it. But I think Einstein never said this and God has a plan and reason for everything and were not his victims He loves us and we are here to fulfill his will.[Hide Full Comment]

The response given to Einstein by his associate was, "Who am I to tell God what to do?" I may not have that precisely correct.The Universe as far as I can tell is neutral. What I have been unable to reconcile is the obvious existence of "Evil" in the world. Having worked in the ER for many years, I've simply seen too much evidence of Evils existence to say it does not exist. Evil like the Universe seems to be no respecter of persons. I have watched tragedy come through the ER to every age and social class. I've put bodies of every age into cold morgue trays. I've seen senseless accident, purposeful abuse and sheer stupidity cause loss of life and limb. I focus on working on my own darkness in a Jungian like manner, hoping Jung was right that by doing so in some small way I help to redeem the darkness that lives inside us all. I watched a show, " What the bleep?" In it experiments were done pasting various works on jars of water. It seems that w... [View Full Comment] The response given to Einstein by his associate was, "Who am I to tell God what to do?" I may not have that precisely correct.The Universe as far as I can tell is neutral. What I have been unable to reconcile is the obvious existence of "Evil" in the world. Having worked in the ER for many years, I've simply seen too much evidence of Evils existence to say it does not exist. Evil like the Universe seems to be no respecter of persons. I have watched tragedy come through the ER to every age and social class. I've put bodies of every age into cold morgue trays. I've seen senseless accident, purposeful abuse and sheer stupidity cause loss of life and limb. I focus on working on my own darkness in a Jungian like manner, hoping Jung was right that by doing so in some small way I help to redeem the darkness that lives inside us all. I watched a show, " What the bleep?" In it experiments were done pasting various works on jars of water. It seems that writing love on the jars makes pretty ice crystals while writing hate produces sick looking ones. From that, I an agnostic took this: The Universe is as willing to make ugly ice crystals as beautiful ones and our only power here is to choose which we will write on the waters. I choose to try and write love but I am not at all sure the Universe cares one way or another.[Hide Full Comment]

Anything WORTH provIing cannot be proven nor disproven wherefore thou be wise. CLEAVE EVER TO THE SUNNIER SIDE OF DOUBT.
Lord Alfred Tennyson

I thought Einstein said the entire universe was created by A Random Act Of Violence. . My take on that which I have carried through life is that things are just random. walking down the street getting hit by a car. a plane dropping out of the sky. a black hole swallowing up stars. Getting shot. An earth quake. all random acts wrong place wrong time. being fearful will not help your situation. with mass media today. We are bombardedas humans with continual random acts of violence.. Random acts of kindness. Simply Random acts.. Now God and the teachings of the bible etc? Calculated? Random ? Debatable?

nice post thanks to you.

I researched to find if there is a source one can cite as validation that Einstein actually said this. It does not exist and it appears that it can instead be attributed to other people; not Einstein.

Are the quotations from an English language source?

 Is rebirth true?

 I think that if you are friendly to the universe, so the universe will be friendly to you.

 I believe Universe is order and order is peace. Everything is connected.

 I really enjoyed reading the comments here.  There is intelligence, passion and imagination in all of them.  I wish our political discourse could have some of the nuance, respectfulness and insight found here.  We do not need to see important, fundamental things the same way to be enlivened and nourished by the thoughts of others.  As to the question of order in the universe:  In a book called "Leadership and the New Science," author Margaret Wheatley includes a photo of a "three-winged bird."  It is a beautiful image of a graphed system of a million points.  At a mere one-hundred thousand points, we would see nothing but an apparently random set of dots- and even at five-hundred thousand points would not see a clear pattern. Only when enough points have been graphed do we see an amazing and beautiful pattern.  This may apply to directly to our understanding of the universe.  We are still at the beginning in some ways, seeing onl... [View Full Comment]

 I really enjoyed reading the comments here.  There is intelligence, passion and imagination in all of them.  I wish our political discourse could have some of the nuance, respectfulness and insight found here.  We do not need to see important, fundamental things the same way to be enlivened and nourished by the thoughts of others.  As to the question of order in the universe:  In a book called "Leadership and the New Science," author Margaret Wheatley includes a photo of a "three-winged bird."  It is a beautiful image of a graphed system of a million points.  At a mere one-hundred thousand points, we would see nothing but an apparently random set of dots- and even at five-hundred thousand points would not see a clear pattern. Only when enough points have been graphed do we see an amazing and beautiful pattern.  This may apply to directly to our understanding of the universe.  We are still at the beginning in some ways, seeing only randomness in many situations when deeper patterns and potential unity may exist beyond our limited comprehension. In any case, the world we know is full of beauty and terror, of pattern and accidents. We know enough to see we are not rivals in existence and should strive for the highest levels of love, cooperation and compassion of which we are capable.  And in the final analysis, we need a political definition of these things, a social contract that brings out the best in human beings.

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1. Keep in mind that if a person is a genius in the area of physics or chemistry for example, there is no reason to assume that such a person has all the answers to all of the questions in every area of thought.
2. Can the above quotation be positively ascribed to Dr. Einstein?
3.Are we all agreed on a definition of "God"? This is important. We cannot have a discussion unless we define our terms.Until we do, the quotation means nothing and any comments on the subject mean nothing.

 cool story bruh

 I love that quote. I have "proof" that not only is it friendly, its sum and substance is kindness. That is part of my thesis and the conclusion of my book "The Creation Code." I am looking for people to read and review my work. TRDavis

 There is actually a one word answer to the question.

We get what we expect. If you think negative thoughts, you will get negative responses. Guard your thoughts! 

 It is very clear that Einstein doesn't know either universe or man. The entire universe is a man. Don't think visible objects around you. Think first about yourself. Inside your body that entire universe is contained.

It is obvious to me that the universe is a friendly place - after all, we are living on the cushiest place in the known Universe. A system that is abundant, takes care of our needs and constantly balances and recycles Itself. What more evidence do we need? it's AWESOME. 

 What is the citation? I hear this quote quite often, by see no proof. If you can provide a source, please send it to me: MichaelDeanBogar@Gmail.com

My point of view is to look at the universe as a home, and i am sure we all love our homes and we do everything possible to make our home a better place to live! The Universe is a Home to our home, to me it is the Mother of my home. We have to love the Home of our home as much we love our mothers 
I love my Home, my mother, he provides all i need!
Let us educate our children to love and respect the universe!

 Einstein never said this. See Wikiquote, under subheading "Misattributed:"  

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein#Misattributed

"[T]he idea that the most important question we can ask is "Is the universe friendly?" dates back much earlier than the attribution to Einstein, for example in Emil Carl Wilm's 1912 book The Problem of Religion he includes the following footnote on p. 114: 'A friend proposed to the late F. W. H. Myers the following question: "What is the thing which above all others you would like to know? If you could ask the Sphinx one question, and only one, what would the question be?" After a moment's silence Myers replied: "I think it would be this: Is the universe friendly?"'

 Albert Einstein, the great physicist, is saying: what the predicament we are in demands is an act of faith. Not belief, which comes from the outside, but faith. Faith! The universe through his voice is saying: Have faith!
From physics to metaphysics, a deeply challenging passage.

What I understand this great scientist to say is that you cannot conclude from studying its laws that the universe is either friendly or unfriendly. From the strictly objective point of view of the scientist the universe has no manifest intention. Mentioning  randomness,  the author says that he sees it as 'non  essential'. Yet the  randomness observable in nature, cannot be accounted for scientifically, least of all philosophically. Or can it? Present day genetics see randomness (through recombination of genetic material) as both life sustaining and life threatening (new unknown viruses , etc.) That's a long way from Darwin's theory which saw evolution as following a direction of progress. Scientific knowledge does not answer the question of whether the univ... [View Full Comment] What I understand this great scientist to say is that you cannot conclude from studying its laws that the universe is either friendly or unfriendly. From the strictly objective point of view of the scientist the universe has no manifest intention. Mentioning  randomness,  the author says that he sees it as 'non  essential'. Yet the  randomness observable in nature, cannot be accounted for scientifically, least of all philosophically. Or can it? Present day genetics see randomness (through recombination of genetic material) as both life sustaining and life threatening (new unknown viruses , etc.) That's a long way from Darwin's theory which saw evolution as following a direction of progress.
Scientific knowledge does not answer the question of whether the universe is friendly or unfriendly. Scientific knowledge is a tool that can serve both survival or destruction. It's up to us to decide that the universe is friendly rather than unfriendly and it is the only sensible option if we want to learn more about its workings and its motives.  
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I really valued ijourney's take on this Einstein piece - the first steer given in the seed questions for reflection, because this is  the aspect of what Einstein is saying here that resonates with me the most: what we believe directs our behaviors, actions, creations. In my own work, I've grappled with the question 'What are my beliefs about human nature? After a long, challenging journey of about twenty years of conscious inquiry, I've landed with the belief that essentially says: the human spirit is intrinsically compassionate, collaborative and creative (I recently wrote about this: Our Direction is our Destination). Directed by this belief, I try to seek out and nourish the spirit in myself and in everyone around me. This belief is now a core component not just of my social change professional work, but of how I try to interact with people generally.  With the question 'Is the Universe Friendly?',  the prompt for us to become aware of ou... [View Full Comment] I really valued ijourney's take on this Einstein piece - the first steer given in the seed questions for reflection, because this is  the aspect of what Einstein is saying here that resonates with me the most: what we believe directs our behaviors, actions, creations. In my own work, I've grappled with the question 'What are my beliefs about human nature? After a long, challenging journey of about twenty years of conscious inquiry, I've landed with the belief that essentially says: the human spirit is intrinsically compassionate, collaborative and creative (I recently wrote about this: Our Direction is our Destination). Directed by this belief, I try to seek out and nourish the spirit in myself and in everyone around me. This belief is now a core component not just of my social change professional work, but of how I try to interact with people generally. 

With the question 'Is the Universe Friendly?',  the prompt for us to become aware of our fundamental beliefs, and the conclusion that 'God does not play dice with the universe', Einstein directs us to take responsibility for our creations. This idea front of mind, I cannot help but join up Einstein's conclusions with Gandhi's direction to 'Be the change you wish to see.' I'm increasingly getting the sense that we - social activists/changemakers - often let ourselves down by not digging deeply enough into our own beliefs and the corresponding behaviors and creations they are generating.

At the risk of perhaps repeating what Einstein's wisdom sets out above, I am inclined to observe that we easily forget the reality that if we are moving through the world thinking the world/universe is unfriendly, out to get us or simply doesn't care one way or the other - we are really thinking that our fellow human beings are unfriendly or uncaring. Believing this, we become defensive, afraid and aggressive. Driving change from this position - a position of fear, insecurity, doubt - takes us in circles - creates revolutions take us back to where we started. This is, after all, the danger of revolution - implicit in the word itself - which can refer to 'a turn that takes you back to its starting point.'  

I would like us - social activists - to give more time, space, energy over to checking in with our beliefs - what they are and if/how they align with our actions and our visions for the world. Social activists are no different than anyone else - that is, we all harbor beliefs that aren't always serving us and others well. What does serve us well is to do the work that brings those beliefs into consciousness. Einstein and Gandhi both call out to us to be more self-aware and with that awareness take greater responsibility for our creations - which, speaking of coming full circle, also brings us back to last week's ijourney post: Response vs. Reaction. 


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 The universe is a very friendly place full of love.  It is just that people forget and start doing mean stuff to each other.

Do we need to think in terms of an either friendly or unfriendly universe? When earthquakes and tsunamis happen on this planet, when tremendous tension and energy is released at the surface of its comparatively thin mantle. Just underneath, an abyss of magma in fusion! From such awesomely unfriendly premises life emerged and managed to sustain itself and evolve for millions  and millions of years. Science, which studies measurable phenomenas, claims to know barely 2 per cent of the observable universe: are these 2 per cent friendly or unfriendly? Still, it does its best to be predictive and to find proper tools, such as a seismic alert system, to minimize the impact  of 'unfriendly' natural catastrophes.  To decide that the universe is friendly is somewhat similar to the famous 'Pari de ... [View Full Comment] Do we need to think in terms of an either friendly or unfriendly universe? When earthquakes and tsunamis happen on this planet, when tremendous tension and energy is released at the surface of its comparatively thin mantle. Just underneath, an abyss of magma in fusion! From such awesomely unfriendly premises life emerged and managed to sustain itself and evolve for millions  and millions of years. Science, which studies measurable phenomenas, claims to know barely 2 per cent of the observable universe: are these 2 per cent friendly or unfriendly? Still, it does its best to be predictive and to find proper tools, such as a seismic alert system, to minimize the impact  of 'unfriendly' natural catastrophes. 
To decide that the universe is friendly is somewhat similar to the famous 'Pari de Pascal' : decide that God exists, you will feel better about life (or more in tune with it) and eventually you will be better off in the end if He does.
But  to know as the only observable fact that chaos, a certain randomness, is  part of the order of the universe does not deny this order; it makes it increasingly more difficult if not impossible to know.
If God, the Unknowable, according to religion, does not play dice with the universe then he might feel terrible about humanity doing so with it's own future.  [Hide Full Comment]

 What we think we believe is often different from what we have internalized as our working view. An easy way to self-check how we see the universe is to inquire as to whether we would really like to escape or "get out of here" through some element of our religious view. The Judeo-Christian mindset is quite strongly escapist -- and most of the world has been deeply influenced by this perspective. I suspect that if I truly believe the universe is friendly, or even neutral, then my intent will be to more and more fully interact with such an environment. If it is not friendly, then hell yes! Let me get out of Dodge any way I can and the sooner the better!

The universe is an infinite flow of creative energy that changes forms as it's usefulness diminishes or the actions of other energy around it changes it's form as it is connected to all other types of energy.  Almost like a giant recycle bin.  As humans, we have the choice of how we want to co-create with the energy that is present now.  The amount of inner awareness of this universal energy and the principles that seem to guide it, allow the human energy force a unique opportunity to observe the difference between reality and illusion, and subsequently love and fear.  As we as humans surrender to the fact that we do not control the workings of the creative universe, a sense of humility is realized and wonder that surrounds the love of what is.  It is what motivates us , excites an... [View Full Comment] The universe is an infinite flow of creative energy that changes forms as it's usefulness diminishes or the actions of other energy around it changes it's form as it is connected to all other types of energy.  Almost like a giant recycle bin.  As humans, we have the choice of how we want to co-create with the energy that is present now.  The amount of inner awareness of this universal energy and the principles that seem to guide it, allow the human energy force a unique opportunity to observe the difference between reality and illusion, and subsequently love and fear.  As we as humans surrender to the fact that we do not control the workings of the creative universe, a sense of humility is realized and wonder that surrounds the love of what is.  It is what motivates us , excites and fascinates us.  It makes violence, hatred and fear seam so useless in comparison.  It is time to move on or change our form, which ever the universe rolls with. [Hide Full Comment]

 The entire Einstein passage simply points to the silliness of the games the mind plays when it ponders the ineffable.  The fact that one of the greatest minds of our species  could not resolve the mystery of God nor transcend the illusion of "purpose" should encourage us all to abandon thinking and live in the open heart.  God is not a "thing".  He neither plays nor does not play dice.  The Universe is not a "thing".  It is neither friendly nor unfriendly.  Mine is the God of Job.  The unquestionable one who does not answer to you or to me.  The one upon whose will peace depends upon at times enduring, and bliss upon abandonment and adoration.  The Lord of Hosts.  May you find him here and now.

A true friend is one who acts for your benefit.  So before you can answer whether the universe is friendly, you must deeply consider both the nature of what benefits you most and the question of who or what "you" are. If your concept of self is individualistic, then achievements, ambitions, dreams, fame, power, possessions, pleasures, successes, etc are the things that seem to benefit you the most.  From this lens, the universe is a decidedly unfriendly place, as all of these things come into your grasp only fleetingly, with circumstance, people, or time ultimately snatching or shattering them all.  Most of us begin our journey's as true believers in an individualistic self, only to be repeatedly crushed or slowly sapped by the universe until we're thoroughly convinced that we've swallowed a flawed or incomplete picture. If you begin with the truth that all you have will be taken from you, then you are forced to re-evaluate your notion of self and... [View Full Comment] A true friend is one who acts for your benefit.  So before you can answer whether the universe is friendly, you must deeply consider both the nature of what benefits you most and the question of who or what "you" are.

If your concept of self is individualistic, then achievements, ambitions, dreams, fame, power, possessions, pleasures, successes, etc are the things that seem to benefit you the most.  From this lens, the universe is a decidedly unfriendly place, as all of these things come into your grasp only fleetingly, with circumstance, people, or time ultimately snatching or shattering them all.  Most of us begin our journey's as true believers in an individualistic self, only to be repeatedly crushed or slowly sapped by the universe until we're thoroughly convinced that we've swallowed a flawed or incomplete picture.

If you begin with the truth that all you have will be taken from you, then you are forced to re-evaluate your notion of self and self-benefit.  The interconnection and interdependence you witness from acceptance of the inescapable impermanence around you and inside you are a pleasant ways of saying that you will both eat and be eaten in every domain of your existence.  Your first food was your mother's body through nursing, and this eating and being eaten were filled with affection, joy, even pleasure for both.  If you can get past the guilt of eating and the fear of being eaten, you begin to touch the joy of witnessing the flow of life.  And the more you witness that joy, the more it seems to be the only thing that makes sense about who you are and why you're here.

The universe manifests you, maintains you for a while, and then mercilessly chews and crushes you until you have no choice but to burst with joy and wonder at every second and every square inch of the humming, buzzing symphony of existence.  And that chewing is probably the most friendly thing that's ever happened to you, even if feels like pain in every bite.[Hide Full Comment]

 The essential and fundamental error is to consider the universe to be separate from us, "the other".
We try to correct this error by asking whether it is friendly or otherwise.
This question springs from a false premise and hence deserves no consideration. Any answer would be a wrong answer as the question itself is wrong.
Albert Einstein the philosopher is going against Einstein the scientist.
We are part of the universe and not apart from it.
Philosophically we can also say, in the same breath, that the universe is within us.
God is also not an entity separate from the universe.
Philosophically the universe is seen as the body of God.

For me, the universe is friendly.  That doesn't mean it is all nice, all peaches and cream.  The universe is like the weather, like any person, like the unconscious, like me -- warm, cold, peaceful, sunny, violent, destructive, changing, full of surprises -- it is a mixed bag of all that is.  That's its nature.  It's free, uncontrolled.  It is bigger than me.  It's powerful.  I am part of it.  What's mine is to go with it, be responsive to it, work with it, appreciate it, enjoy it, respect it, learn from it.  In that frame, it is friendly.   It is me.  I am an expression of it.  To fight it is to fight me, and is to lose.  To realize I am part of it and work with it is to realize it is friendly, and grow.  As for randomness, I believe that all that is is interconnected -- the interconnectedness and intereffecting of all that is is beyond my ability to see, but I believe it is.  Random for me ... [View Full Comment] For me, the universe is friendly.  That doesn't mean it is all nice, all peaches and cream.  The universe is like the weather, like any person, like the unconscious, like me -- warm, cold, peaceful, sunny, violent, destructive, changing, full of surprises -- it is a mixed bag of all that is.  That's its nature.  It's free, uncontrolled.  It is bigger than me.  It's powerful.  I am part of it.  What's mine is to go with it, be responsive to it, work with it, appreciate it, enjoy it, respect it, learn from it.  In that frame, it is friendly.   It is me.  I am an expression of it.  To fight it is to fight me, and is to lose.  To realize I am part of it and work with it is to realize it is friendly, and grow.  As for randomness, I believe that all that is is interconnected -- the interconnectedness and intereffecting of all that is is beyond my ability to see, but I believe it is.  Random for me means no interconnectedness, means irrelevant incongruent happenings, and I don't believe that is the case.  I guess God does not play dice with the universe was Einstein's way of saying that the roll of the dice is random and that is not how the universe is or how God operates.  But the metaphor is faulty in that the way the dice land is the result of innumerable interrelated and interconnected factors, and thus not random (even if it looks that way).      [Hide Full Comment]

 Is universe friendly? I truly do not know the answer. I will try not even come up with an answer. 

 GOD= GENARATES INFINITE ENERGY,O=OPERATES WITH THIS ENERGY , D= DESTROYS, in hinduism we call it brahma,vishnu,mahesh,one god three function for our limited understanding,our lord is always SAT{TRUTH} CHIT{AWERNESS} ANAND{BLISS} with this solid faith I look at universe ,enjoy Nature and beauty in everything,his hands that paints the sky ,smile on childrens faces ,every seasons of nature and Life,some wise person said look for god within,than around you in family friends,and than every where in universe , when one has faith along this belief than we want have any question .God is every where so he does not  play dice with universe. as long as we have greed we will have war in and out all around us. How much money world spends on weapons and war in last one century ,half that money if we spend on needs of humanity ,?????????? Eternal can not be control by limited selfish mankind always love navin

 The following Einstein quote says much: "A human being is a part of the whole, called by us 'Universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest of mankind an optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security." Quoted in H Eves Mathematical Circles Adieu (Boston 1977). My study reveals that Einstein thought the universe and God were one. That is similar to Gandhi's notion: "If you don't see God in the next person you meet, it is a waste of time... [View Full Comment]  The following Einstein quote says much: "A human being is a part of the whole, called by us 'Universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest of mankind an optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security."
Quoted in H Eves Mathematical Circles Adieu (Boston 1977).
My study reveals that Einstein thought the universe and God were one. That is similar to Gandhi's notion:
"If you don't see God in the next person you meet, it is a waste of time looking for him further." gun these ideas similar to Einstein's idea that the true value of a human being can be found in the degree one liberates oneself from one's self (one's ego).
What appears to be random may simply be in order not yet found. I can't think of any of my beliefs I would change. Most most of my behavior is unconscious and I would like to better be generous and helpful, be patient and bear and forbear the wrongs of others, and be persevering, and use any wisdom I may have  for the benefit of everyone and everything. These notions are  elaborated on in the book, Einstein and Zen: Learning to Learn, Peter Lang Publisher, 2010.
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