Quote:
Originally Posted by pamplemoose77
this analogy may come back to bite me in the butt, but it won't be the first time.
i have never been scuba diving. i have seen tropical fish in photos. i have seen tropical fish in aquariums. i have even seen tropical fish when snorkelling. i have never seen coral reefs from a depth of more than about 4 feet (i don't dive well with a snorkel, ok). i have never experienced what i would imagine to be an all-encompassing sense of wonder and freedom of swimming far below the ocean's surface...of seeing the oceanic world thru those new eyes. of feeling part of that world rather than an observer..
if i ever did go scuba diving, i would assume that there were some parameters to my new found freedom and experience in the water. i would assume that i would have some things to learn. i would assume that i would need a guide to teach me. i would assume that there were rules that i needed to abide by, rather they seemed "fair" to me or not. i would assume that my instructor wanted the best for me, and was not trying to just play favorites or deprive me of some great experience.. like the bends.. or whatever.
however, this wouldn't hamper my enjoyment of the experience. this would be part of the experience. i don't think that i would be down on the ocean floor fuming over the rules. i don't think that i would be down on the ocean floor fuming that somebody else got to see a prettier fish than mine. i would assume that their diving experience would in fact be different than mine. would it be any less fantastic for them than mine was for me? no.
would my experience be less meaningful than the next guys cuz i didn't see the same fish or have the same instructor? if my instructor taught me to clear my mask differently than the next guy, does that make it wrong? if my mask is hazy and i can't see things clearly, does that mean i'm not really a diver? if i face uncertainties and stumble along the way, should i give up diving?
again, i've never been scuba diving. so i don't think that i can fully wrap my head around the experience. but i can try to put myself in the other person's shoes and give them the decency and respect to see why diving might be a really great thing. even if my diving experience NEVER matched up with theirs.
i pretty well feel this way about my relationship with God. i will never be able to fully explain how it feels for me... what fish i see... why i learned from the instructor i learned from, etc, etc, etc.
but that doesn't stop me from diving into it
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I think the Pope (and the leaders of the worlds other major religions) might disagree with you. Allows too much room for self direction. Just look what happened when the church could not quash the reformation.
But you did make me want to get an aquarium.