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As a young child, you always live here.
Later you leave me often.
But you always return, sooner or later.
I have no beginning or end.
I am infinite.
Therefore, if God exists,
God must live here, too.
Worry, doubt and fear are rarely found with me.
I only have two siblings.
If you are not with me, you are with one of them.


Note:

Added 3 more lines to the riddle.

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    $\begingroup$ As seen by the 16 answers below, there are a lot of valid and logically consistent answers to your riddle. A good riddle for Puzzling.SE should have one good answer. If it generates more than one good answer, it should be amended and constrained until it does. As it stands, I don't think this is a good riddle for Puzzling.SE $\endgroup$
    – Nick2253
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 17:35
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    $\begingroup$ @Nick2253 we don't know yet, maybe OP has an answer that really is superior to all the other guesses, even though some of them kinda fit all the clues. $\endgroup$
    – user3453281
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 18:21
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    $\begingroup$ Voted to close as broad as there's 16 answers already, many of which seem to fit well. I had thought the top voted one was the correct one when I read it. $\endgroup$
    – xnor
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 20:29
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    $\begingroup$ With the edit it's a good riddle. I can't find any other answer, which is a part of 3 all including opposites and where the first line always holds true. Nice riddle and good answer! $\endgroup$
    – Falco
    Commented Feb 17, 2015 at 16:48

15 Answers 15

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Now that you've added 3 more lines and reading the answer of this riddle made by you, I think that the answer is

The present

As a young child, you live here:

You live in the present

Later you leave me often
But you always return, sooner or later:

You start to think about your future and make plans. But some time or the other, you return to the present moment

I have no beginning or end
I am infinite

The present moment hasn't got a beginning or an end. It is boundless.

Therefore, if God exists,
God must live here, too.

God lives in the present moment.

Worry, doubt and fear are rarely found with me.

You worry,doubt and fear about something that is going to happen in the future ,not the present.

I only have two siblings.

The two siblings of the present moment is the past and the future

If you are not with me, you are with one of them.

If one is not thinking about the present, then he/she is definetely thinking about the past or the future.

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  • $\begingroup$ Bravo, you got it. You were not the first one with the correct answer, but since the other member did not explain, you get the award! Well done. One more explanation: Most adults spend much time everyday thinking about the past or future but not staying in the Now (the Present moment). However children naturally stay in the present more often, especially younger children. $\endgroup$
    – Michael Rize
    Commented Feb 17, 2015 at 4:47
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    $\begingroup$ Even with the added lines, I do not find this answer to fit better than Josh's. $\endgroup$
    – xnor
    Commented Feb 17, 2015 at 17:45
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    $\begingroup$ I don't pretend that, no. And I thought I already had made my metaphysical/philosophical argument. But I will attempt to elaborate. The present is not defined by its place in time, unless one chooses to do so. What we express in terms of a point in time as the present, moving along a timeline from past to future, is really a conglomeration of past experience and future plans, rather than itself. We take the experience of what is now the past as evidence of the present, when we have a good deal of evidence that what we call the past isn't a fully accurate representation of what "happened". $\endgroup$
    – BobRodes
    Commented Feb 17, 2015 at 18:53
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    $\begingroup$ We very often find evidence in the present that our memories were "wrong". Therefore, we do not really have irrefutable evidence that phenomena occur along a timeline. Something else is going on, and it's entirely reasonable to postulate that the whole concept of past/present/future timeline is some sort of illusion that masks our ability to perceive the infinite in every so-called moment. $\endgroup$
    – BobRodes
    Commented Feb 17, 2015 at 18:57
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    $\begingroup$ I really don't like this answer. I find a lot of inconsistencies and ad hoc or personally intepreted formulations (the infinity of present is a easily debatable concept; God being in the present is a religious driven theory; a young child can and obviously make plans on what he want to do, e.g. its plan is to play in the afternoon it is always in the future; and so on...). All of this ring a bell of a too broad question. $\endgroup$
    – Narmer
    Commented Feb 25, 2015 at 10:49
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My answer, however wrong it may be, is:

Imagination/imaginary world

As a young child, you live here:

You often live in your imagination, or imaginary world as a child

Later you leave me often / But you always return, sooner or later:

Your imaginary world diminishes as you grow older, but can return in the form of sleep/dreams

I have no beginning or end / I am infinite

Imagination is whatever you want it to be, impossible or not

Therefore, if God exists / God must live here, too.

This goes without saying, I think, but if God exists, God must still live in our imagination, as God is never seen.

This is my first time answering a puzzle here, so go easy on me!

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    $\begingroup$ I anticipated that someone would guess this, but there is a much better answer that does not offend the religious :-), nice try for your first attempt! $\endgroup$
    – Michael Rize
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 4:15
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    $\begingroup$ Thanks. :) I don't see it as offending the religious (I'm an ordained minister and fully devoted Catholic, as if that makes sense). I just speculated that you have to imagine that God is there, whether he exists or not. Now I'm super-curious the answer you have in mind, ha! $\endgroup$
    – Josh
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 4:28
  • $\begingroup$ I'm curious as well, but I really like this answer! $\endgroup$
    – rubik
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 10:06
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My answer is:

Wonder

As a young child, you live here.

All children, especially when very young, find most of the world wonderful

Later you leave me often.

As you grow up, you get sometimes frustrated, realist

But you always return, sooner or later.

Some things still marvel you, even when you're an adult

I have no beginning or end. I am infinite.

Not quite sure, but this may only mean "what is to be guessed is abstract"

Therefore, if God exists,

...Which I surely WONDER

God must live here, too.

God would have all the qualities of a wonderful being, therefore living in wonder

Edit: I actually had another solution, which was

Phantasy

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  • $\begingroup$ You are so close that I want to award you, because wonder lives only there, too. However, it is not quite the answer. $\endgroup$
    – Michael Rize
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 9:49
  • $\begingroup$ Well I think I got that then! $\endgroup$
    – Noldor130884
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 10:04
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Is it:

Darkness?

As a young child, you live here.

In your mother's womb

Later you leave me often.

Whenever the sun rises

But you always return, sooner or later.

At night

I have no beginning or end.

It's hard to define exactly where darkness begins or ends

I am infinite.

Anywhere without light will be dark - it's not limited.

Therefore, if God exists,
God must live here, too.

This is the only bit I can't really see a specific meaning for.

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    $\begingroup$ sorry, no. And you are not a young child or infant until after you are born. Otherwise you are a fetus. $\endgroup$
    – Michael Rize
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 3:25
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My answer is : Dream world

As a young child, you live here.

We always dream when we were young

Later you leave me often.

We rest lesser and lesser as the age goes, and we dream less

But you always return, sooner or later.

We always sleep ;)

I have no beginning or end.

Dream world has no beginning

I am infinite.

Dream world is limited only by your imagination

Therefore, if God exists,

God must live here, too.

If you see god, you must be in your dream

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Is it:

The Mind

As a young child, you live here:

You cannot speak, so you are for the most part, in your mind

Later you leave me often / But you always return, sooner or later:

In later life you become 'absent-minded'

I have no beginning or end / I am infinite

The mind is limitless

Therefore, if God exists / God must live here, too.

God must exist in the mind due to it's infinity

I do not know if I have formatted this correctly, sorry if not :(

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Is it

Real world

As a young child, you live here.

When we are young, no internet yet.

Later you leave me often. But you always return, sooner or later.

As we do right now, we leaving real world to internet. But later or soon we must back to real world.

I have no beginning or end. I am infinite.

Outer space.

Therefore, if God exists, God must live here, too.

It would be nice.

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    $\begingroup$ I actually like this answer. By definition of 'exist', IF something exists, it must do so in the real world, else it wouldn't exists at all. I would use a different reasoning for adults leaving the real world: Children live in the here and now, adults think about the future or past, and thus are lost in thought. $\endgroup$
    – Dorus
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 15:19
  • $\begingroup$ Damn, I was so close. $\endgroup$
    – Dorus
    Commented Feb 18, 2015 at 12:57
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As a young child, you live here.

children are innocent, their world is innocent world

Later you leave me often.

In youth people are less innocent and they are surrounded by less innocent people

But you always return, sooner or later.

As people grow older they again become innocent

I have no beginning or end.

Innocence is an abstract quality

I am infinite.

There is no limit to a person's innocence

Therefore, if God exists, God must live here, too.

Childhood innocent world was better compared to the real world in youth, God must live in better place

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  • $\begingroup$ This answer is on the right track, but not it. Very clever. $\endgroup$
    – Michael Rize
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 12:40
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Could it be

Curiosity

As a child you live here

Children are always curious

Later you leave me often But you always return, sooner or later.

Even as adults we are curious about new things

I have no beginning or end. I am infinite.

There is no limit to Curiosity

Therefore, if God exists, God must live here, too.

??? God is curious about humans? or we seek god through curiosity?

// Edit - Guess 2

Love

As a child you always have it, and growing up you tend to lose it but you will always come back to it. There is no conceivable end to it, and if god exists, surely god would embody it.

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  • $\begingroup$ Wow, another great answer, and very close. $\endgroup$
    – Michael Rize
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 14:19
  • $\begingroup$ @MichaelRize Hmm, second try. $\endgroup$
    – Kami
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 14:43
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Please note: this is a satirical answer and should not be taken too seriously :)

A possible answer is:

ignorance

As a young child, you always live here.

you don't know anything, you are ignorant

Later you leave me often.

you do learn something by chance while growing up

But you always return, sooner or later.

every time you learn something you also realize that you are more ignorant than you previously thought

I have no beginning or end. I am infinite.

ignorance is notoriously infinite

Therefore, if God exists, God must live here, too.

oops! :)

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    $\begingroup$ Oh, this one is great. I like it! Everything fits perfectly and the last part seems wrong and correct at the same time. $\endgroup$
    – Narmer
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 15:08
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    $\begingroup$ Also sooner or later can be a reference to slowly returning to ingnorance (senile dementia) $\endgroup$
    – Narmer
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 15:13
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Is it

The great unknown

As a young child, you always live here.

As a child, you barely know anything, so the great unknown is always there.

Later you leave me often. But you always return, sooner or later.

As an adult, we think we know a lot, but every now and then, you have that rare and fleeting feeling that there is so much you don't know.

I have no beginning or end. I am infinite.

The great unknown is not bounded.

Therefore, if God exists, God must live here, too.

God is practically the epitome of "the great unknown".

Alternate answers with the same reasoning:

Mystery or Yūgen

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My best guess is

River

As a young child, you live here:

A tadpole starts its life in a water body, river (though most frogs/tadpoles live in a pond/lake or well, there are few variants that inhabitate a river http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_river_frog).

Later you leave me often / But you always return, sooner or later:

A tadpole matures to a frog, leaves a river often but returns sooner or later.

I have no beginning or end / I am infinite

"For men may come and men may go, But I go on for ever"

Therefore, if God exists / God must live here, too.

God is omnipresent, and exists in a river too

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    $\begingroup$ Very creative answer, but no. $\endgroup$
    – Michael Rize
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 12:41
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Is it

The Sky

As a child you live here

Dream of flying

Later you leave me often

Back to earth, focused on life

But you always return, sooner or later.

Still dream as an adult.

I have no beginning or end. I am infinite.

The sky seems to go on forever in all directions. It is a sphere around the earth

Therefore, if God exists, God must live here, too.

Heaven is often referred to as being in the sky

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  • $\begingroup$ nice try, but no $\endgroup$
    – Michael Rize
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 10:56
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Is it

From whence you came? (or just the void?)

As a young child, you live here.

Could be womb/void

Later you leave me often.

When you grow up, you leave home.

But you always return, sooner or later.

Returning to visit home/family.

I have no beginning or end.

The "void" before you are born, the void after.

I am infinite.

The void has no known boundaries.

Therefore, if God exists, God must live here, too.

The void as well, since He is everywhere.

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  • $\begingroup$ No, sorry, but nice attempt. $\endgroup$
    – Michael Rize
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 14:27
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Just maybe...

Dependency? - But then maybe not. Read on...

As a young child, you always live here.

We are dependent as children, but do we actually live there?

Later you leave me often.

We become independent,

But you always return, sooner or later.

I suppose even a hermit well depend upon the environment.

I have no beginning or end.

Unless there is a prime cause, upon which everything else depends

I am infinite. Therefore, if God exists, God must live here, too.

Would God be considered a prime cause?

Hmm. I don't think I am quite right.

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