Back when I was an English teacher, I'd often give classes my cosmic questionnaire. The questions introduced them to the themes that came up in poetry. The invisible forces question also differentiated the Believers from the non-Believers. The most common answer was "fate." Recently, an all-night Shavuoth study session dealt with this question: "Is the divine active in your life?" Answers ranged from "Of course, it's obvious," to this quote from Jewish philosopher, Richard Rubenstein: "We stand in a cold, silent, unfeeling cosmos unaided by any purposeful power beyond our own resources."
Ahhh -- the cold silent, unfeeling, indifferent cosmos. Is that where we stand - unaided by any power beyond our own resources?
I'd say, yes mostly, but I also think that our own resources are extensive, untapped, and mysterious and include resources for togetherness, cooperation, mercy, justice, and revelation.
I think that the biggest force in my life is ME. The way I was born and raised, the things I've done and the things that have happened to me make up who I am.
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