Dear Houellebecq,

Your account of the law regarding vagrants is indeed depressing.

Clearly, this government will persecute all men (and women) of God and all prophets. If Jesus was roaming in the wilderness, or Moses or Elijah, or if Buddha was meditating under the shade of a coolibah tree, then surely this evil government would capture them and bring them before a human judge to be asked about their residence and source of support.

All they could answer is: "God is my abode and my eternal support".

You wrote that "being part of society isn't optional":

- Well, if you do not agree to take part in it, then you are not part of it: they can take your body and shred it to pieces, but they can't touch your soul.

Dear Suzeonline,

I never downplayed anyone's birth experience, I only wish to classify such experiences in the correct category. No doubt that Poirot's experience was genuine and profound, uplifting, relieving and gratifying. However, according to her description, this was an emotional experience and not a spiritual one. There is of course nothing wrong and nothing little about emotional experiences.

Yuyutsu, what is a "spiritual" experience?

Yes, Yuyutsu, it's rather fascinating....perhaps you'd care to enlighten me further on what exactly it was I gleaned from my experience. I had no idea I was quite so confused as to the spiritual/emotional profundity of the situation. Obviously there could be no spiritual enlightenment from such a "close call" - how silly of me.

Btw, aren't you the guy who doesn't post anything that emanates from his own mind (thought processes) - only posting what you deem is channelled through you from God?

Dear Poirot,

The difference is that a spiritual experience is born from the spirit, from within, whereas an emotional experience is a reaction to external events and circumstances.

Yuyutsu,

That's where you and I differ. I don't believe our spiritual dimension is something hermetically sealed and separate from "life". I believe there is a connection between our inner spirit and its interaction with out material being/experience.

Dear Poirot,

"I don't believe our spiritual dimension is something hermetically sealed and separate from "life". I believe there is a connection between our inner spirit and its interaction with out material being/experience."

I agree that there is a relationship between spirit and life: Life is a product of the spirit. However, the spirit is not a product of life. The spirit is independent, life and its circumstances are dependent.

One might be confused by the erroneous, yet common, expression "to break one's spirit". Spirits do not break: what may shatter however in our experience, is our mind and our emotions.

To the extent that your experience comes from within, that it is independent of circumstances (often even despite of the circumstances), that it transcends them, then I consider it to be spiritual.