I also find this topic very curious, or interesting. It seems to coincide with a lot of thoughts that I've been having lately.
Tao Equus said:
Perhaps our singular lives are but multiple expressions of a 'master' life force.
Certainly I believe this, more and more as time passes. I also believe that as we commune ever more closely with who we are, we lose our sense of self as a separate individual and see our actions, thoughts, and potentials reflected all around us in other people, inert matter, and ideas. This is a funny line to walk though, because if you dive in too quickly or steer left or right a little too much, you may just end up in a cultural straghtjacket. But, that's a little digression.
presser-kun said:
I find this topic very curious.
How can we know the truth or falsity of any of this?
Perhaps you'll say that knowing is not the point, but I tend to think it is. Else why this question? Why this discussion?
Some would say spirit or soul is nothing more than consciousness' self-contemplation. Others, that it is the only reality.
Where does it come from? Where is it going?
Better to ask (if you believe) from where do WE come? Is not the spirit the real thing, and we the dream? Does it not draw us into existence with itself?
Fun things to think about, no doubt. And not to cast water on a lively discussion, how do these thoughts help me live my life tomorrow?
This is not meant as sarcasm, but an honest question. Or maybe my question is: Should I be concerned for more than my daily life/needs/wants?
Well! I've raised (and lowered) several things here. I'm curious to see what you all think.
Hi, press. I like your avatar, by the way.

I totally agree with you that spirit is the real thing and we are a dream within an omniscient spirit--if that is indeed what you are saying, rather than my interpretation-impression of what we [sic] are saying. Oops, I typed we, but meant "you."

Forgive me, I've had a few beers. Again, you've asked, "
How can we know the truth or falsity of any of this?" I'm not sure that we can, and furthermore, I'm not sure that that matters. Dig this:
What is truth? Is it personal or universal? I could tell you that I believe that I have a personal truth and am following it (although I may not have a very clearly-formed idea of what that exactly is). When I express my personal truth to the world that
appears external to me, it seems to effect that world in various ways--depending on the individual entity that I am interacting with at the time, perhaps. In other words, my actions effect the world and that world furthermore effects me and what decisions I may make later; a sort of boomerang effect if you will. I'm also fond of the term
feedback loop, especially when prefaced by the word positive:
positive feedback loop.
So. If I am able to tap into a personal (perhaps universal) truth within my own spirit and communicate that in a clear way to others, they will be affected (affected? effected? grammarians of the world, help me!) by my expression one way or another. I, in turn, am affected by their actions, right? But if, by the grace of Jeebus, I've tapped into a
universal truth--one that resonates not only with me, but with others, one that seems beautiful or just seems to make sense--then they may in turn tap into a facet of that universal truth and begin to express it in their own, individual way. Their "created spirit" will become a
creative spirit, interacting with me and the rest of the details of their "external" world in an intentional way--the intention being to fully express a divine potential within him-/herself and therefore affecting others, and ripening the divine aspects of all of physical "creation," or what some more politically-than-spiritually-inclined moral atheists might call, "This messed up ol' world of oil, holy war, and warfare."
"Hit somebody else, now hit somebody else," as the hip-hop group Digable Planets once expressed it. Truth? It's relative. What would you like to focus on? What kind of reality would you like to live in? Concentrate on that. What are you interested in? Work on that. Talk about it. Sing it. Bring it into being. Make it concrete. Create a beautiful sculpture from your cerebral ideals and airy-fairy values. Let's see if we can't unite this fractured world-soul and get beautiful. We could start simple, say by getting shows like COPS and all major news media off of the air once and for all. Maybe people will throw their TVs away and instead stay inside and meditate. Maybe they'll go for a walk or throw a community picnic, with all the neighborhood kids of every hue and color invited. Or maybe they'll keep their TVs, but watch Supernanny with their spouses, or watch Bob Ross paint lots of happy trees. I digress again.
I hope I haven't been too amorphous and vague, and I hope I didn't hijack the thread. Forgive me if I run off at the keyboard.
Peace, love, and language,
"Pathless"