To Ashbo.

Thanks for the thought, but I'd consider the question of God existing to be a different matter then us knowing if we are real. (Either individually, or to confirm that others are real too). But I do think on the whole, people question God existing, so I see the God as part of the question of what is real. Some conversations about knowing God and being sure of our experiences have influenced this question of knowing if we are real or not.

If each of us can be certian that individually we exist. Then we can say that we are real. But that's usually as far as it goes for knowing what is real and what isn't. Everything thing else seems debatable. Goes into the aspect of "how do you knowing you didn't imagine it" kind of thinking which is usually argued by those skeptible of your experiences or your faith.

Take that same question and remove it from a conversation around God. How do you know you exist? By being able to think this counts as a confirmation. How do you know that anything else in your life is real, or if in essence you're living a lie.

To ALTRAV.

Some conversations go on a tangent and sway off topic a bit, but unless the conversation is specifically started for the subject of experiences while in a coma, near death experiences, or a topic on dreams in general, I'm not sure that there is an oppurtunity to talk about your experience without it being "off topic." With that in mind I'd say if you want to talk about it, it's a welcome side conversation in my opinion. The conversation has my intrest from other discussions where I saw you tell that you've brushed up against death on more then one occasion and come back. I know nothing about the experience to base questions off of to ask you though, except to ask, what put you in a coma, and what the dreams/nightmares consisted of. It's also of intreast because I was in a coma once also.

To Yuyustu.

"What am I?"
"Who am I?"
And "Am I a person?" Are the three questions you've posed. I'd say these are fine questions to ask when considering the topic as a whole. I doubt I will reach the same conclusions you have about God though, even after answering these questions. But for now, let's explore the topic based on these three questions. Your answers would be good too.

•What Am I?
-In general, I am human, born in a time a technological advance that computers and the Internet are used. In this both you and I share the same scope of who we are. Further explainations of being human and living our lives hopefully will have other overlaps between you and I. Simular sorrows, simular wants, needs, perhaps even simular joys experienced. However when it comes down to the details, that is where the real answers come together. If you'd like, you can answer the same questions either as ge serial answers or personal details that relate specifically to you.

-More specifically. I am an American man. 34 years of age born in the U.S. I have an average amount of schooling that has influenced who and what I am, from public schools to a few years in a community college. I am trained in only a few things and am lucky to have found a job that does not require special training or a special degree to delegate a new what as being a graduate of arts, medicine, or business. I am a man who is the youngest of three brothers. Married. Christian, but raise in the enviornment of two faiths.

(Continued)

(Continued)

I am 6 feet tall and blind on my left side. I am not alone, and I say this to recoginize all the help and support I've gotten throughout my life. I am a Taurus, (apparently that element of a what is an intreasting identifier for many people, saying they do this or that because of their sign, or say that another person's actions make sense because of their sign. Regardless if these are true or not, Taurus is another "what" to describe myself). I am me (instead of being confused with someone else, or with yourself).

-That answers more or less much of the what I am, by going into details that are identified by the past, present, or by biology. A much longer list of what I am not could also be raised, but I'd say the last statement that I am not someone else goes into that aspect. Who I am might go into more the element of who I choose to be. That is a harder question to go into in a general answer, but the most specific answer I've give here is that I am "Not_Now.Soon." Anything else about the who could be argued outside of our names. And that leads into the second part of the idea of being real.. Are you who you think you are or are you living a lie? For now I'll leave the who to just a name.

-As for being a person. What other options are there? I am human. All humans are people (plural) or persons (badly worded plural).

To Not_Now.Soon.

On reflection you are quite right to remove a belief in God as a proof of existence. A belief in God is a matter of faith, and many do not believe in anything for which there is no empirical evidence.
And we all can hold false beliefs - from the trivial to the profound.

What do you think then of this response:

Until such time as there is evidence to the contrary, what we perceive through our senses and become consciously aware of (acknowledging that much of what we perceive through our senses is filtered or "interpreted" by the sub-conscious)is reality.

Dear Not_Now.Soon,

Thank you very much for your response. Attempting to answer these questions is courageous and should be acknowledged.

As you see, when one begins to ponder who and what they are, the first layer that comes up is often our social identity, including things that we were told about ourselves by others. This is good, but it is only the beginning of the road.

The road ahead leads you deeper and often is scary and emotional to cross. I was saying that this road begins with the human and ends with the divine, but you need not believe me, in fact you better not believe me or anyone else for that matter, but instead ponder for yourself.

You asked: "Are you who you think you are or are you living a lie?"

It is not a lie since you are doing your best to tell the truth, but it is not the final truth either. How could you possibly be who you think you are when all you can think is thoughts? Your thoughts could be ABOUT yourself, but they are still thoughts. Would you say: "I am this thought" or "I am that thought"? Are you a thought? I think not...

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Dear Ashbo,

«Until such time as there is evidence to the contrary, what we perceive through our senses and become consciously aware of is reality.»

What we perceive and become consciously aware of through our senses, mind, memory, etc., is perceptions. Perceptions are useful for everyday living, but is reality made of perceptions?

If you seek to do well in life, then obviously you should pay attention to your senses, but if you seek the truth or reality itself, then you should not delude yourself that your perceptions are it.