this is good. I think you guys are getting down to the core of this posting actually. Its meandering towards a good solid place.

In my understanding it is illogical to ignore one's emotions. In this day and age we can count one's emotions to be actual chemical reactions, a bodily intellegence, a real reaction and processing of the scenarios in which we live. There for to ignore those emotions, to over-ride those physical responses is to literally cut ourselves short of our complete human potential. It is a peripheal vision, a sense, that we in the western world may have to eagerly cut ourselves away from to achieve a 'clarity' of mind.

On that basis... our beliefs, our spiritual or mystical relationships to our lives and the world around us do come from a very internal, a very relevant, and very factual place.

tre, the danger, that I think you are alluding to, and that I agree with, is that often we allow these internal and relevant emotions and arising beliefs/spiritual relations to be translated by external sources (such as clergy, books, etc) - that becomes irrational. Established and organized religions work to funnel a mass resevoir of human emotional and spiritual intellegence into a very closed set up simple mental categories. The same way politicians and looting authorities work to simplify the massive currents of world change into simple absolute concepts for unthinking individuals to accept and meander off into the darkness with.

It is my conclusion that spiritual and emotional intellegence is a very real thing, and despite all other contrary attempts can only be discovered, harnessed, and successfully expressed through individual pursuit.

I also conclude that 'Compassion' and 'caring' come about sincerely through excercised individuals whitnessing and relating to other excercising individuals in pursuit of that same or an equal ideal. Much the same way Rand was able to express Francisco's internal angst to see Rearden plodding along perpindicular to him in quest, but equal in valor. So we feel compassion often at the sight of a poverty stricken individual who's path we know is not ours to walk.

And with that, I will untie my cape, step down off the soap box, and go get myself a glass of juice.

happy festivus.