CB> Is there a strict defenition of the above term? 
nope. not here anyway. 
 CB> Because, as far as I can see, *No one* will ever be able to know *for 
 CB> sure* until they die as to wether there's an afterlife or anything... 
Does that depend on how far you can see Chris?  Like the Zen koan 
that says that those who say, dont know, those who know, dont say. 
 
 CB> I guess what I really *want* to know is, do you think its possible to 
 CB> ever Know for Sure Anything? 
But to say anyway... 
 
The Bagavad Gita says that God can make a form; just as you can 
draw a form on this screen, he can draw one in three dimensions so 
that you think it is 'real'.  He can animate the form; such forms 
are Avatars.  Now, you have a form, but you are not the form, the
form is *your* avatar.   So, if you are familiar with Star Trek, 
you will have a pretty good idea when I tell you that we are *all* 
avatars on a Holodeck. 
 
 CB>... and everyone is merely a figment of their imagination... 
Imagination is necessary, but not sufficient.  If there are parts 
of the Holodeck that you do not perceive, do they exist? That is 
not exactly the question.  Do they *matter*? If there are, it does 
not matter to *me*.  By the Holodeck analysis, they can exist now, 
or they can cease to exist, -except as the software that generated 
the forms must exist, so on that basis, they exist.  Thus, whether 
that unperceived part exists or not, does not matter to *me*. 
 
Thus also, I see that the world has evidence that suggests it is a 
few billion years old, and the universe shows light that looks to 
be several billion years old.  Whether they are in fact, is not
the question, but to act as if they *were*, allows you to have a 
more coherent system to organize the facts you do perceive. 
 
 CB> In a nutshell..."Why"? 
Because in creating the universe, God gets to watch; we are here 
to entertain him with the stories of our lives.  Of course, you 
may enjoy the show too; I do.  Try not to be too boring. 
___ 
 * OFFLINE 1.58 * You finally know what women want- you aint got it anymore. 
--- Maximus 3.01
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