Position:Home>Philosophy> Khalil Gibran and 'The Prophet'. Does anyone know the meaning of: ..your

I think it means that they don't "belong" to you ~ they belong to themselves AND are a natural result of life itself's mandate to procreate!. It can be argued that that is our main purpose in life, as it is with all living things!. A plant in distress will use it's last energy producing seeds, ensuring the continuance of it's species!.

Of course there is free will, but most of us, being lusty creatures, will end up procreating!. Only of late, with advanced birth control and public acceptance (more and more, anyway) of non-traditional life-styles, have more people begun *choosing* to NOT procreate!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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i'm not familiar with this, but i would interpret it to mean that humanity is a whole, we are a specie, every individual should be responsible for everyone else!. all for one one for all typed thing!. so your children should not be favoured, they are not your children they are our children for all of us, and everyone else's child is yours that way also, they are the offspring of humanity, the evolution of the specie!. they belong to humanity!.

i think there is no meaning here in relation to free will of procreation, it is mostly just a comment about favoritism!.

it could also be a passage that means to say that children belong to the state such as they need to go and train for war or something like that too!. but i think if that would have been the case they would have used different wording for the 'Life's longing for itself!.' part!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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I think part of the statement is that our children are not our possessions any more than we are possessions of our parents!.

As to the issue of free will it is a highly controversial topic!.

Some say we are just machines that awareness has somehow got attached to!. A really good neuro scientist could strap you into a brain machine and read your thoughts before you think them and put thoughts into your head by stimulating parts of your brain!.

A famous atheist most likely Roger Penrose volunteered to have his brain washed with radiation that causes people to think they meet God!. Throughout the process one of his leg was shaking!. The shaken atheist claimed to have seen nothing, but I wander if his claims of seeing nothing are any more reliable that Sergent Schultz from Hogan's Heroes!.

Despite scientific evidence to the contrary I suspect that will does exist but that it is not entirely free!. E!.g!. an addicted smoker will find it harder to knock back a smoke than a non-smoker!. Likewise when we are hungry we are more inclined to eat cake, and choosing not to eat cake takes more will power!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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One statement can be interpreted in many different ways!.

My impression was from an anthropological viewpoint, which is that life wishes to continue by replicating itself, like a flame which 'lives on' but is never the same one entity!.

Given Khalil Gibran's name I'd assume he takes a more theological interpretation!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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!.!.!.it means you and your children are the children of the first seed!.!.!.
!.!.!.procreation will continue planned or in the heat of the moment!.!.!.
!.!.!.such is life!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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You think there is free will!. But, other forces, be it fate, love, etc, whatever really control your life!. And now a word from our sponsors!.!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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sounds like the childs environment is more of a parent and teacher to themWww@QuestionHome@Com

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