In human existence, a question commonly asked is, "Who am I?" This question is the heart of the quest for the Self. This is a quest which may take a lifetime, sometimes longer, to fulfill. One path, of self-discovery, is when people turn to their surroundings in their search. In turning to their surroundings, people are able to see their Selves by the things around them. In observing the surroundings, people may, not only, find their Selves, but establish their Selves. This path, however, is not the only way people search for the Self. Another path is when people turn to something higher than themselves for answers. This path is lined with the hope the answers can be given by the, "something higher." These two paths represent two preceding …show more content…

The Self's association with God seems much more involved than a simple acquaintance; the Self is an offspring of sorts. In my view, as the relationship between the Self and the Absolute is explored, then more can be understood about how contact with the Absolute directs the Self in its search.
The amount of contact the Self has with the Absolute is something difficult to measure, due to the individuality of the Self. There are the two extremes of the spectrum, those who have much contact with the Absolute, and those who have little contact. There are also all of those in between the two extremes, who fill the rest of the spectrum. The amount of contact does not change the fact that there is a relationship between the Self and the Absolute. The amount of contact can determine how the one progresses in the search for its true Self. If, for example, there is more contact with the Absolute, then the search for the Self can have more direction, and the contact can speed the discovery process.
Contact can be made in a variety of ways, and different religious ideologies have different methods. A similar idea, in each religion, is a form of withdrawal and meditation. A Christian community, not unlike the one in Das Gemeindekind, would call this prayer. A simple algebraic formula would be: prayer + time = amount of contact with God. Although this may be my simplistic view, it is a starting