This assumption you are making here is just wrong. You need to study more or at least less biased history. Surely you are aware that Christians are the ones who persecuted and murdered more Jews than anyone else. Adolf Hitler was a Christian.
Well now. . , telling me that I have not studied enough is rather presumptive on your part since you know very little about me, so I would ask that you not be so bold or rude. It is better to ask for clarification rather than accuse. But I think we can continue nonetheless, since you have offered plenty of thoughtful meat, for which I thank you. . .
--I would suggest that we are defending equally defensible points which are not actually in conflict. You are quite right. There is little love lost between the various religions. For my part, I was merely pointing out that Jews and Christians, as I am sure you know, rely upon a shared story featuring all the same characters, places and chronicle of events right up until the end of the Old Testament. Such being the case, the two religions cannot escape a deep level of kinship. They MUST agree with one another about certain things. For instance, Moses, according to both camps, was real, as were his proclamations. One big one includes "god's" predictions with regard to Jews settling in Palestine, among other items, which is a requirement before the Second Coming can come about. In this way, political agendas as we are seeing them in the world become entangled and indeed are advanced by the drive, which I would argue many in power hold, to see Christ's return.
One other thing that you seem not to be getting. In fact it might even be the main misunderstanding here. Americans for the most part are just not religious. I know it can seem that way sometimes. Especially if you ever watch our political speeches or maybe even some of our movies. But this country has become much more secular than it used to be. Religion is just not an important force in peoples lives here. And the younger the generation the more likely it is to be true. I can't remember the last person I met that actually read the bible or who spends more than 1 day a year in church. They may say that they believe in Christianity but they live their lives just like an atheist would.
Well, this is subjective. I agree that American culture appears rather secular, but the fact that so many even know what the word 'Secular' means is indicative. I've met far, far too many Christians who blend in just fine in a day-to-day manner in secular culture, but when it comes to personal rhetoric and deeply held beliefs, I am routinely made very nervous. Living a secular life does not mean that one has not been a child victim of church mind-programming which can manifest as actual behavior in an instant given the right stimulus. The book series, "Left Behind," in that it has sold so many millions of copies offers a general example of the fascination Americans have with their religion. You would be served well, if you have not already done so, to explore the private beliefs of those in the political arena and in the pundit game, particularly those across the right-wing spectrum. There are certainly some dangerous views held by people of influence.
-FL
The most effective form of slavery exists when...
on
CCTVs Don't Work in the UK
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· Score: 2, Insightful
The number of posts here in support of England's CCTV system is amazing. --When you believe you can't fight something, it's easier to believe that you actually like it.
Morpheus: "The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it. "
So you are saying that George Bush is secretly Jewish? Am I hearing you right? You may as well say that George Bush is a Christian, and that is why he supports Muslim theocracies (which he clearly does in any case). Since they are both religions. So if George Bush were an atheist the US would not be a theocracy?
I will answer you, as of the three responses to my original post, yours is the only one with any sense of mental stability attached to it. The other two express only anger and fact-less blank rejection without any attempt at reason.
However, I am having trouble fully understanding you; George Bush IS a Christian. Being Christian means being intimately tied to the Jewish faith, but with the addition of another third of bible or so. As for supporting Muslim theocracies, you need to offer some examples of before I can properly respond. But guessing at your meaning, I might point out that Muslim theocracies also support the U.S., (Saudi Arabia and its ilk); and they do this for the same reasons the U.S. does it; out of political and material advantage. Unless you were intending to offer something I'm not getting, then I don't see how this is relevant to the idea that the U.S. is and always has been ruled by Christians.
The U.S. is also a theocracy. It is not in the constitution, but it is nonetheless a requirement if one is to hold any power in government. This is the reason Israel's genocidal behavior is being funded by the U.S. We all know this, but it's sometimes hard to see just how pervasive it is when we are right in the middle of it and every aspect of daily life is regulated by it. The sitting president is a 'born again' lunatic and despite any time-wasting "Who is Worse" comparisons, this fact remains a driving force in U.S. international doctrine. And I agree with you; theocratic governments with nukes is a bad idea.
But not just for this reason is critical discussion of the U.S. war machine entirely reasonable. The U.S. is the country which will be doing any invading, and it can be expected to fail to simply clip the head off the beast, but rather act to reduce all of Iran to rubble and chaos. I know decent, sane people who have family in Iran who will be destroyed if the U.S. government gets its way. I'd really rather not see this happen. --With the long history of American war mongering and corruption, to suggest that people remove discussion of the U.S. from the table simply because you want to grandstand with back-of-the-class, smart-alec "Look at how different and smart I am" nonsense chatter, is not realistic.
wake up the fuck up fools. THEOCRACY WITH NUKES=BAD IDEA. some of you, of course, won't wake the fuck up until you see a mushroom cloud, unfortunately
Even though Rice said the same thing more cleverly and with fewer explicatives, your comments remain on the level of a Fox News clip. Tie a rope around that ego of yours and smother it. It's both tiresome and dangerous.
After the last two wars were begun with the catastrophic results we've seen, and the evidence of endless manipulations and foul play openly available to the world, the reason that this is not categorically rejected is depressing. This is not a debate. This is a separation of the self-destructive fools from the rest of the population.
The Bush presidency dearly wants to invade Iran. They are also utterly incompetent and their intentions are self-serving. The U.S. has been lied to and bankrupted and there are still people who don't get it. In a democracy, I think you should not be allowed to vote if you can't tell the difference between an 'M' and a 'W'.
Wow. I figured despite my time and energy constraints, I owed it to this "unit100" individual to read anything he/it might have bothered to post. This I have done. And boy, I feel sick as the truth I'd been suspecting for a while makes itself increasingly apparent.
It can easily be seen that he/it is arrogant to a degree I would characterize as likely pathological. The number of flaws, the continued misunderstanding or apparent blindness to logical example, a stated purpose which seems to be made up as it goes along according to the needs of the moment, and a generally vile behavior, make me now wonder if the subject was in fact a properly functioning human being at all.
It would take all night to illustrate each and every example of the flawed thinking evidenced here, and all of the next morning to answer the many flawed questions posed. --And to an individual of this nature, that would be energy utterly wasted, --and it is why, I now suspect, the subject was inserted into my life at this critical time. --That is, to waste and diffuse energies which are at the moment sorely needed elsewhere. Interestingly enough, I've had several other heavy-hitter time-wasters horn into my life in the last twenty-four hours. It's been a real bug-shoot!
So Cheers all; I'm going to leave things here, but expect some form of rhetoric from this unity100 character in response to this post. Read whatever is offered at your own risk, but be certain to remember this toxic creep started by promoting mass suicide and continues to do so.Psychopaths are generally well-informed, very intelligent, and very good at sowing confusion and despair. However, over the course of the above dialogue, the endless logical problems are clearly evident to the observant reader. Stay focused and take care. You are loved.
Actually, I just checked my email; my work and social life both suddenly got busy over here which means I've run out of time to spend on you. --So good luck in your travels and know that opportunity doesn't knock just once; it's always pounding at the door!
its possible that your denial rate is increasing, as you are confronted with arguments that challenge your beliefs.
That's always possible and I apologize again and recognize my limitations in this regard.
i wont even comment on how utterly foolish, naive and inexperienced it is to try to establish a link between grammar, punctuation and capitalization and self serving personality.
Why not? I'd be curious to hear your reasoning. I'll say it again; people who deliberately make it difficult to understand what they say, on some level, don't want to be easily understood. How is that not selfish behavior? I make every effort to be clear in my statements, whereas I'm having to work rather hard to decipher your comments. Language background aside, you could quite easily be doing a better job. You can call my objections naive and inexperienced, but I think that's just an attempt to get away from the question by throwing insults, (which I will point out is in itself rather childish!) --But before you accuse me of trying to deflect the debate, let's return to the related subject at hand. ..
another extreme naivete. you can justify ANYthing this way. with that level of deterministic belief you dont even need to preach any of the 'bold and fearless and break establishment rules and make your own rules' stuff. dont even try to change your or others' perception through your mental state or whatever. you just need to accept whatever comes your way, because it is a) either you are paying karma, b) or you are going into debt for learning some wonderful learning experience.
You're playing into paradox again. Karma, whether you like it or not, is a function of reality. Do some research on the spiritual side, (contact the spirit realm directly or interview those who have), and you will be able to construct an understanding of how things work, and it will inevitably include the concept of Karmic balance. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is not there. I believe you've been trying to tell me the same thing with regard to how the 'rock-solid' deterministic world works. The difference is, the available research into the spiritual realm and quantum science in the physical, happen to agree with me in these two regards, whereas they do much to disprove your chosen view. In any case, as I've explained before, paradox is just a perceived stumbling block. Just because Karma dictates experiences, choice is still the over-riding factor. --Indeed, Karma is just a word to describe the balancing of negative versus positive experiences. That souls engage in these acts is based on their choice; they CHOOSE to come here to experience both sides of these various equations. --Like I said, people often find this concept very upsetting, but that doesn't make it go away.
excuse me, but negative philosophy and leanings do not care about karma, luck or whatever. if such a person tries to walk away, they get whipped and oppressed.
You have no basis from which to declare such a thing except old biases and pre-defined beliefs, and all I can do is encourage you to experiment with reality long enough to find the limitations of those views. I can tell you from experience that you have a grand and unexplored world before you should you but choose to look at it. Your choice.
just go to new york and walk into a back alley. youll see how fast that reality is gonna happen.
Why on earth would I want to walk into a New York back alley? Perhaps I am not making myself clear; to live successfully, you need three things; Awareness, Intent, and Will Power. Here's how it works. ..
1. I am Aware that New York back alleys exist in communities where fear and anger have taken firm root. 2. I Intend Not To Be Mugged, so I will use my Awareness to stay away from areas which I know are dodgy. 3. I will use my Will Power to make sure I stick to this plan.
It's really that simple. I'm not sure why you are objecting so fiercely.
Deliberately giving away Software without extracting the maximum number of dollars the market can bear? Giving Free Rides? Oh, I know. . , I know, but my friends, it gets even worse. Because as it turns out, many of these anti-American programmers are writing and giving away this free software from their very own home computers! The Workers owning the Means of Production? Well, I can tell you, I've never read a book on the subject before, but I HAVE dutifully absorbed enough state dogma to know that that spells COMMUNISM, and I object!
As red-blooded Americans, it is our DUTY to give huge corporations price-fixed monopolies over every last industrial sector. That's why we call it the Free Market!
Now, I know, some people say that this is hypocritical, and even schizophrenic, but I don't know what those words mean. What I do know is that when the little guy doesn't have to pay for a piece of bloated software, he can take that money and use it to buy OTHER products, which is the same as getting those other products for FREE! And that's theft in my book! Punishing companies which are not even connected to the software industry by buying their products with money they shouldn't even have! It's a blood-bath out there!
And what about the programmers? The computer specialists giving their work away for free? --They're shooting themselves in the foot! --Why, when they give away free software, they encourage millions of people who would otherwise not be able to afford to use computers, TO USE COMPUTERS. And when the market is bloated with so many users taking a free ride, who is going to take care of those computers? Who is going to write the millions of lines of unique code needed to maintain such a vast networked community? Who is going to help those corporations needing to capitalize on those millions of potential customers, whose pockets are brimming with all the money they didn't need to spend on word processors and operating systems? WHO will write THAT software, I ask you?
Yes, these open source programmers are a blight on the American economy. When people write software on their own computers and give it away in acts of neighborly good will and enthusiasm, America suffers. It SUFFERS, and I won't stand for it!
i dont find it interesting. im turkish and english is my second language. i myself have found it interesting to see you to use a 'grammar' card to make some kind of point (god knows to what extent), totally in lieu of what the subject is. what ? if my grammar was bad and i was an american or brit, would that make my arguments much less valid ? what does this irrelevancy you produced suggest to you about how such unsociable debating behaviour relate to the behavioural patterns of an individual ?
I just checked your original postings, and I must confess, your grammar usage was indeed similar there as here, so it is certainly possible that it is simply the increased number of sentences you are using which makes it seem as though your ability to communicate has been decaying. My apologies. --There is, however, a link between clarity of mind and clarity of expression and I always point this out to people when they attack; it is a fascinating recurring pattern; a diminished ability to communicate nearly always accompanies faulty thinking and decaying argument. I would not play the 'grammar' card if I did not honestly think it were relevant.
And speaking of which, is your shift key broken? (Don't worry, I will get back to the matter at hand, but this grammar stuff is actually relevant). --Clarity of mind and clarity of communication are linked; capitalization makes it easier for people to understand what you are writing, which suggests that those who do not use capitalization do not place importance on making themselves clearly understood, i.e., they are selfish communicators, and thus selfish thinkers. This may not be the case with you; perhaps you do not realize that clear communication is a form of giving or how capitalization plays a role, but it is nonetheless worth noting. --The whole point of our discussion is centered upon living boldly and outwardly versus retreating inwardly and fearfully. Those who are mostly aligned toward Service-To-Self on the available spectrum tend to be more lazy and less willing to spend energy on others. These people also generally wish that the world were served to them on a platter and pout and complain when it is not. Something to consider.
Okay. Back to the original point. ..
is this even an argument ? the world was very wide and people had legs in 19th century in america. how many slaves escaped slavery and made their way into an acceptable life ? whats the ratio of them to the generations that were born and died under slavery ? if you want to see how wide the world is, and what do your legs provide you, try dodging your gas bill this month. or evade taxes this year.
The blacks, I have little doubt, were paying off karma while their masters were going into debt; Both sides had entered into that agreement on the spiritual side in order to accrue experiences which ultimately, over many life-times, teach about love, and leaving early would simply mean having to re-enter the equation on whatever side karma demanded. If there was somebody with good karma in a slave situation, then s/he probably would have appeared to sail through life. I have no doubt whatsoever that such a person really could just get up and walk away unhindered. I see it in our society today; even coming from common beginning points, some people wallow in misery while others fly through life with enormous luck and success.
I don't own a car, so I don't have a gas bill. I deliberately make very little income, so after all the paper work is done, my taxes amount to approximately zero; sometimes the government even ends up owing me money. And yet all my material needs are met, and I live independently in what I consider great comfort and happiness. I can explore life to my satisfaction, and I've moved a couple of times to very different communities, both times finding exactly what I was looking for, (different types of freedom and social intercourse, all very positive). I love my work; I'd do it for nothing and often do, and yet I have nev
its a classic error to fall in such fallacies as to make believe yourself into 'you got to make it' despite everything. there is nothing 'state of mind' about getting whipped or a sword in your butt. they are all to 'state of nature'. and they take effect regardless of you fear them or not. you can replace modern day equivalents of these circumstances. just name your pick.
I find it interesting that your use of grammar deteriorates as you fight to impress with these kinds of arguments. What does that suggest to you about how such ideas relate to the thinking process?
Anyway. . . To answer your questions; How can you be whipped or impaled if you are not available for such abuse? The world is very wide and people have legs and brains. Social groups can alter the framework of acceptable behavior. The 'state of mind' I am talking about is that which allows one to see a full spectrum of possible paths and then to choose amongst them. It is true that the New Age movement would like people to believe that 'state of mind' can wish swords and whips out of existence in a puff of magic. I am not suggesting that this is true, so please do not mistake me in this. The New Age movement has taken the very valid idea of quantum probabilities and has twisted it into the silliness you are rejecting. There is, however, a quality of reality which does react to one's beliefs; in it's most simple iteration, if you believe you are stuck, you will not try to move. So no, you can't make swords and whips vanish, but you can navigate around them, and you can alter the framework in which they are used. Bullies will not bully if there is sufficient social pressure not to, and this can be as simple as several strong-willed people gazing sternly at the bully. I have seen this effect in classrooms.
its nothing tragic. what were tyler and the revolters to do ? they had london, they had maybe a few counties, but entire england was dotted with manorial estates, castles, mansions. they probably knew it was a matter of time the elite would muster enough resources and get back at them. just similar to any other revolt of the same kind.
Wat Tyler and the rebellion had the whole enchilada; they even had entire divisions of soldiers who had turned and marched with them. It was a very popular revolt. They hanged corrupt officials and burned court houses and military stations as they marched South; they took the Tower of London and killed several key political figures. They literally held all the power. --Certainly there might have been resistance later on had they assumed control, but that's the nature of war. The point I was trying to make was that they didn't want to assume control of themselves. --They were not thinking about repercussions from hold-out principalities or future battle strategies. They wanted a king and they wanted that king to be Richard II. They just wanted him to rule so that the tax abuses would go away. That was the problem. They still wanted to be slaves.
let me give you a wake up call - if there hadnt been major violent revolutions, you would still be subservient to a local lord.
I don't advocate such things because it is not advantageous to do so. (See my comments about living gracefully). --And there are other ways to proceed which have not yet been exhausted, but please do not think me afraid to act. --But I am now confused; are you suggesting that attempting to attain freedom IS preferable to killing yourself, or are you just being argumentative for the sake of it?
'butterfly effect' only exist in movies and quantum mechanics. social life does not have such 'butterfly effect's. the settled establishment always has millions of bumper fields to nullify any such butterflyish effect you or others put through. regardless of you understood that you could find solace in your small daily pleasures of life by eating a loaf of bread and drinking water in 12th century, you would still be a slave tied to land. the whip
Holographic technology turned into a functioning read/write data system? --Just the idea is SO totally cool! The linear storage we've seen to date has been like the Formula One race track of development, and people have come up with some very clever techniques to squeeze every scrap of use out of it, but really, we've been locked in two dimensions for all this time. Adding a third dimension is watershed stuff. Talk about blasting Moore's Law out of orbit!
Think about those early 10 megabyte hard drives. Take that form factor and blow it up over the same length of time and you get some crazy-huge numbers. A third dimension to play with? That's like going from DC to AC in terms of complexity and possibility. Interestingly enough, the establishment resisted AC as well. I half suspect that the math simply demanded more brain power than the old school engineers were willing or able to invest.
I remember the day when a roommate took the indoor cat out to the roof. The cat saw the sky for the first time and wet itself, flattened right to the ground and was basically reduced to a form of catatonia. After living in a one-floor apartment, (two-dimensional), being presented with a whole lot of up and down created a great deal of irritation.
slavery is not challenge. and you DO have to follow those contracts. in middle ages it was the law of the land, you either submitted to a local baron or escape into a city and commit crimes for subsistence or die of starvation, in modern times you have to obey the social contract society forces upon you. if you cant make your own rules, just like many peasant revolts tried but eventually were repressed, [. ..]
yes you have to take responsibility of your own life and then do what ? stop paying taxes ? go and try to apprehend some land somewhere and try to water it and farm ? what are you going to say when the property tax comes due ? how are you going to 'make your rules' when state planning authority comes and says they are going to do this and that with your land, or you cant use that source of water for irrigation ? huh ? start your own revolt ? and what are you going to do after it fails ?
I think it is a classic, (and I do mean CLASSIC) error to speak in such absolutes. --In believing that encountering a paradox means you cannot proceed. One of the major tests of our reality is in learning that paradox is just a state of mind; a barrier which can be bypassed with little effort. It's more a test of facing down fear.
There are always ways. Always paths between the systemic pillars. It is true, the Wat Tylers of the world generally lead to failure, but even Tyler made the error of not wanting to win sovereignty for himself and his followers, but instead wanting a king to rule over him, but just nicely. Thus, even after the king and all of London and the military were already basically toppled from power, the rebels instead of taking power, asked for changes and concessions from the existing authorities, and due to this, within a couple of days, lost all the ground they'd so quickly won, and wound up being hunted down and killed by the elites. Amazing and tragic.
No, the way is not through violent rebellion, I think, but through simply existing gracefully within the context available, and making changes in small ways which expand in butterfly-effect powers. This is how reality is truly shaped. In any case, ignorance is the real barrier. Anybody can find happiness and success if they understand these forces. It really works, and it can work for anybody. I've seen it in action, and use it as a general rule in my own life to great effect. Part of it lies in knowing that the people who make up authorities are just people. No law is absolute. No stature is anything but an agreement. There is always maneuvering room, and for those willing to recognize that laws are not chipped in stone, that they are not insurmountable walls, who are not constantly thinking up reasons to not act, can and do find success. But they don't teach these methods in schools; why would they?
there is no creation, or true joy in servitude. its slavery. even if its renamed and revised for 20th century standards.
Absolutely. But slavery is a form of agreement. Nobody has to be a slave, but it takes constant awareness and the willingness to make the unorthodox changes required to avoid and escape such scenarios. Doing that which makes sense even though all of societal collective thinking insists otherwise, requires courage, but it is the only real pathway out. To take an extreme example, the Jews who kept their eyes open were able to evade Hitler before things got out of hand. The problem is that most people seem to not want to look at the signs around them, preferring to live in states of wishful thinking. This is another form of laziness, and it has the great potential to lead to misery. There are signs around us right now, coming fast and furious, but to talk about them generally only earns one scorn and ridicule. But those who are willing to practice awareness have the tools to survive and indeed, to live quite happily if they are willing to jump into the adventure which is life. Killing yourself to avoid misery and m
It just occurred to me that all of this new garbage is going down while that jack-ass is still in the Whitehouse.
Can we all please just keep our heads for a few more months? If McCain can keep confusing his Shi'ites with his Sunis, then it might just be possible that any nonsense resulting from this kind of international friction will be less than globally lethal. I do not want to live in an Orwell novel because some jingoistic Chinese kid decides to take a pot shot at the wrong somebody. This could all get enormously dangerous far faster than anybody realizes.
Just take many deep breathes and count to ten as often as necessary. Yes, CNN is total bullshit. For a laugh, you should watch Fox! Many of us in the West have learned to recognize our own propaganda. If you, (the Chinese), can meet us half-way and reject the crap coming out of your own TV sets and classrooms, then we might all be able to survive the next few years without any nuclear exchanges.
If people can wait for a month, then the battery issue might clear up as Asus shifts to using Intel's Atom processor.
ASUS will also make some changes on the processor front with the Eee PC 900. It appears that early versions of the Eee PC 900 will continue to use the 900MHz Intel Celeron M processor. However, ASUS will be moving to Intel's Atom processors shortly after launch.
"From my view point, Diamondville is the better choice, because it uses the 45 nanometer processor. And price-wise it is very competitive. In my planning I will continue to use Intel's Diamondville," added [ASUS CEO Jerry] Shen. "And for the VIA one I think from the power point of view, Diamondville is still better. In May, these machines will be hitting the market."
Apparently, the Atom chews up a lot less energy than the Celeron. So perhaps a high-capacity battery in conjunction with this new Atom chip might set things straight, cuz until then, you're entirely right; if the battery life doesn't at least double, the Asus Eee 900 is likely to wind up gathering dust after the honeymoon.
if people killed themselves when exploitative social contracts were forced upon them, society would have to revise its contracts. everything would be totally different.
Yes, everybody would be dead.
There are always going to be challenges in life; there are always going to be villains and always exploitative social contracts created by greedy and self-centered people, but we do not have to agree to follow those contracts. Real power and happiness comes to those who recognize this and find the courage to make their own rules. The Universe rewards such people by offering them endless opportunities towards this end, but to follow that path requires effort and bravery. It sounds like you are hoping that the rule-makers will simply make nicer rules and take better care of you. They won't. They'll offer us anti-depressants and religion and television; this is in fact what has happened. The answer is to stop following. You have to take responsibility for your own life.
Knowledge is the key; the middle ages were the middle ages because most people simply didn't know what other options were available. The same holds true today.
Leaving the party in a snit rather than thinking and seeking and making life work properly is childish. Waiting for others to build a better world for you to live in is lazy and selfish. True joy comes from the act of creation which you cannot know if you wait for somebody else to create in your stead.
These events have been negotiated and sculpted through time so as to culminate in what we are seeing now; the purpose, I'm guessing, is to continue the endless cycle of 'divide and conquer'. When humans are in a permanent state of conflict, then the forces of darkness prevail. And there's so much at stake on the table today.
One Chinese fellow posted below with something smart, saying that it's all propaganda no matter what country you're in, but with things like the internet it is possible to do your own research. It is possible to think for yourself and not jump on any of the pre-fab bandwagons. If people work to educate themselves and not give into emotionalism, then we might have a chance. But if people go along with this media nonsense, then how long will it be before the "terrorists" are Chinese?
But if everybody in the middle ages had killed themselves, you wouldn't be here. And maybe that's your whole point. But if you fear life, then you will live in fear, and fear creates its own trajectory. You become what you give to life.
I'd estimate that approximately half of the human population is on the downward track, seeking oblivion because they find life to be just too much. They will find it, and I wasn't speaking to them. Only very rarely to souls do a 180.
So best of luck on your journey. May the winds carry you swiftly to wherever you are going, and may you have no ill effect upon those who are evolving.
The main character lives high on blood money and pretends to do good by having private WWWF matches with other selfish lunatics. --Oh wait. My mistake; the new villain is an open source guy being postered as a villain.
This story was written for neo-cons and their brain-numbed followers. Have a nice Summer.
Religion is certainly a method of controlling people through a false justification of oppression and cultural feeding.
This is why it is a good idea to question and think and to share thinking. Under the lens of rational thought, religion falters. To avoid thinking only leads to misery. Slavery is the condition which I think many of us are fighting. It can be argued, as you do, that even in the West, there is a great deal of 'enduring' going on, and in my mind, this is largely unnecessary and can indeed be avoided with the application of knowledge.
yea. lets say that you have been kidnapped in a touristic trip to middle east and sold to some sheik in a remote location in the desert as a slave. it still exists around those parts. what are you going to do if you have no hope of escape ? live it out just like people lived in middle ages, despite being in this wondrous and times of change ?
That's a rather strange argument. Are you saying people in the middle ages would have been smart to kill themselves so as to avoid living in the middle ages?
There have been far better suited arguments made to fit your purpose; "Let's say you're dying from irreversible and enormously painful cancer."
I'm not saying that suicide is wrong. But if you can avoid it, then that's probably better all around. There's no real right answer, but it's worth considering all the factors before deciding, remembering that if you're paying off sour karma, you're going to have to do it one way or another. Suicide just puts it off.
what one needs to do is to do the right thing, without deferring overblown importance to anything, being overindulged in anything or going to extremes.
True enough, but killing oneself is rather extreme. Putting the semantics of infinity aside, the battle is fought through all of us all the time, and these particular times are pivotal in deciding which way this beautiful world tips. We came here because we agreed that this was a battle worth winning, so I am speaking of course in terms relative to that shared agreement rather than from any ego-driven need to believe that our mountain is better than somebody else's. I tend to think that it's not so much the territory being fought over as it is the act of struggle itself; Existence or non-existence. Passion is a component of the creative principal, and the idea that nothing is important can be, I think, dangerously misleading.
The human monkey is a vehicle for the soul. Left to its own devices, it is an automatic, albeit complex machine which is a sort of bridge between states of existence. --That is, souls grow and need work to develop, and the human monkey is the vehicle for this process.
If there is no exertion of the Will, then the human monkey basically is just a reaction machine, responding to stimulus and being generally predictable in its behavior as demonstrated by the neurologists in the article. The Spirit sits between the mind and the body. If the spirit is not exercised, then the monkey is happy to run on autopilot, usually being selfish in nature, seeking pleasure, avoiding pain and thinking of no other individual other than itself unless in a manner to better attain pleasure and avoid pain. The psychopath is just a broken monkey which has learned how to feed on others but with a failure of its own survival circuits. (Psychopaths are very good at feeding, but their actions are ultimately self-destructive. Regular monkeys are more balanced and know how to survive better).
With the introduction of the soul, which as it grows learns how to care and feel for others, the whole equation becomes more complex and more interesting.
When you, as a soul, choose to be aware of the flow of instructions between mind and body, and decide to act in a manner different than that which would be automatic, then you are exercising your Will. This takes effort and the monkey and mind push back because it is no longer acting along the path of least resistance, as it were. But the monkey will obey, (that's what it's there to do), and through continued exertion, the spirit and soul grow and become strong and increasingly self-aware.
A note of interest. . . The point of alchemy is not, as I see it, about turning lead into gold; I think those are just metaphors for the creation and purification of the soul; the effort and resistance of exerting the Will creates 'heat'. In the various alchemical texts, repeated heating of the 'crucible' are described. With repeated heating, the soul is purified until enlightenment comes within reach.
Anyway, it seems to me that if one pays attention, then one can become ever more aware of the mind/body communication, (during the seven seconds indicated by the experiment under discussion?) Perhaps I am fooling myself in this, but that's the sensation I seem to experience when I observe my own mind in its workings.
over stressing of a 'hard won' spot in a 'priceless planet' is way too foolish.
as goes from what we can deduce from latest theories on quantum physics, existence is probably infinite and is going to go on forever, with infinite other universes dotting the dark space.
This is true to an extent, but does this mean that you do not value your time and efforts in any given activity? Why stress over anything? As it happens, there is a great deal of focus on the Earth at the moment because it is going through a rare change. It's a happenin' place, and we are among those who have a vested interest in the outcome. Some of us have lived a couple hundred lives here in preparation and training. It is important to remember that every battle counts. No planet left behind.
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Well now. . , telling me that I have not studied enough is rather presumptive on your part since you know very little about me, so I would ask that you not be so bold or rude. It is better to ask for clarification rather than accuse. But I think we can continue nonetheless, since you have offered plenty of thoughtful meat, for which I thank you. . .
--I would suggest that we are defending equally defensible points which are not actually in conflict. You are quite right. There is little love lost between the various religions. For my part, I was merely pointing out that Jews and Christians, as I am sure you know, rely upon a shared story featuring all the same characters, places and chronicle of events right up until the end of the Old Testament. Such being the case, the two religions cannot escape a deep level of kinship. They MUST agree with one another about certain things. For instance, Moses, according to both camps, was real, as were his proclamations. One big one includes "god's" predictions with regard to Jews settling in Palestine, among other items, which is a requirement before the Second Coming can come about. In this way, political agendas as we are seeing them in the world become entangled and indeed are advanced by the drive, which I would argue many in power hold, to see Christ's return.
One other thing that you seem not to be getting. In fact it might even be the main misunderstanding here. Americans for the most part are just not religious. I know it can seem that way sometimes. Especially if you ever watch our political speeches or maybe even some of our movies. But this country has become much more secular than it used to be. Religion is just not an important force in peoples lives here. And the younger the generation the more likely it is to be true. I can't remember the last person I met that actually read the bible or who spends more than 1 day a year in church. They may say that they believe in Christianity but they live their lives just like an atheist would.
Well, this is subjective. I agree that American culture appears rather secular, but the fact that so many even know what the word 'Secular' means is indicative. I've met far, far too many Christians who blend in just fine in a day-to-day manner in secular culture, but when it comes to personal rhetoric and deeply held beliefs, I am routinely made very nervous. Living a secular life does not mean that one has not been a child victim of church mind-programming which can manifest as actual behavior in an instant given the right stimulus. The book series, "Left Behind," in that it has sold so many millions of copies offers a general example of the fascination Americans have with their religion. You would be served well, if you have not already done so, to explore the private beliefs of those in the political arena and in the pundit game, particularly those across the right-wing spectrum. There are certainly some dangerous views held by people of influence.
-FL
Morpheus: "The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it. "
-FL
I will answer you, as of the three responses to my original post, yours is the only one with any sense of mental stability attached to it. The other two express only anger and fact-less blank rejection without any attempt at reason.
However, I am having trouble fully understanding you; George Bush IS a Christian. Being Christian means being intimately tied to the Jewish faith, but with the addition of another third of bible or so. As for supporting Muslim theocracies, you need to offer some examples of before I can properly respond. But guessing at your meaning, I might point out that Muslim theocracies also support the U.S., (Saudi Arabia and its ilk); and they do this for the same reasons the U.S. does it; out of political and material advantage. Unless you were intending to offer something I'm not getting, then I don't see how this is relevant to the idea that the U.S. is and always has been ruled by Christians.
-FL
But not just for this reason is critical discussion of the U.S. war machine entirely reasonable. The U.S. is the country which will be doing any invading, and it can be expected to fail to simply clip the head off the beast, but rather act to reduce all of Iran to rubble and chaos. I know decent, sane people who have family in Iran who will be destroyed if the U.S. government gets its way. I'd really rather not see this happen. --With the long history of American war mongering and corruption, to suggest that people remove discussion of the U.S. from the table simply because you want to grandstand with back-of-the-class, smart-alec "Look at how different and smart I am" nonsense chatter, is not realistic.
wake up the fuck up fools. THEOCRACY WITH NUKES=BAD IDEA. some of you, of course, won't wake the fuck up until you see a mushroom cloud, unfortunately
Even though Rice said the same thing more cleverly and with fewer explicatives, your comments remain on the level of a Fox News clip. Tie a rope around that ego of yours and smother it. It's both tiresome and dangerous.
-FL
The Bush presidency dearly wants to invade Iran. They are also utterly incompetent and their intentions are self-serving. The U.S. has been lied to and bankrupted and there are still people who don't get it. In a democracy, I think you should not be allowed to vote if you can't tell the difference between an 'M' and a 'W'.
-FL
It can easily be seen that he/it is arrogant to a degree I would characterize as likely pathological. The number of flaws, the continued misunderstanding or apparent blindness to logical example, a stated purpose which seems to be made up as it goes along according to the needs of the moment, and a generally vile behavior, make me now wonder if the subject was in fact a properly functioning human being at all.
It would take all night to illustrate each and every example of the flawed thinking evidenced here, and all of the next morning to answer the many flawed questions posed. --And to an individual of this nature, that would be energy utterly wasted, --and it is why, I now suspect, the subject was inserted into my life at this critical time. --That is, to waste and diffuse energies which are at the moment sorely needed elsewhere. Interestingly enough, I've had several other heavy-hitter time-wasters horn into my life in the last twenty-four hours. It's been a real bug-shoot!
So Cheers all; I'm going to leave things here, but expect some form of rhetoric from this unity100 character in response to this post. Read whatever is offered at your own risk, but be certain to remember this toxic creep started by promoting mass suicide and continues to do so. Psychopaths are generally well-informed, very intelligent, and very good at sowing confusion and despair. However, over the course of the above dialogue, the endless logical problems are clearly evident to the observant reader. Stay focused and take care. You are loved.
--I've got to go take a shower now. Brrr!
-FL
Cheers and thank-you for the fun work-out.
Bye!
-FL
That's always possible and I apologize again and recognize my limitations in this regard.
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i wont even comment on how utterly foolish, naive and inexperienced it is to try to establish a link between grammar, punctuation and capitalization and self serving personality.
Why not? I'd be curious to hear your reasoning. I'll say it again; people who deliberately make it difficult to understand what they say, on some level, don't want to be easily understood. How is that not selfish behavior? I make every effort to be clear in my statements, whereas I'm having to work rather hard to decipher your comments. Language background aside, you could quite easily be doing a better job. You can call my objections naive and inexperienced, but I think that's just an attempt to get away from the question by throwing insults, (which I will point out is in itself rather childish!) --But before you accuse me of trying to deflect the debate, let's return to the related subject at hand. .
another extreme naivete. you can justify ANYthing this way. with that level of deterministic belief you dont even need to preach any of the 'bold and fearless and break establishment rules and make your own rules' stuff. dont even try to change your or others' perception through your mental state or whatever. you just need to accept whatever comes your way, because it is a) either you are paying karma, b) or you are going into debt for learning some wonderful learning experience.
You're playing into paradox again. Karma, whether you like it or not, is a function of reality. Do some research on the spiritual side, (contact the spirit realm directly or interview those who have), and you will be able to construct an understanding of how things work, and it will inevitably include the concept of Karmic balance. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it is not there. I believe you've been trying to tell me the same thing with regard to how the 'rock-solid' deterministic world works. The difference is, the available research into the spiritual realm and quantum science in the physical, happen to agree with me in these two regards, whereas they do much to disprove your chosen view. In any case, as I've explained before, paradox is just a perceived stumbling block. Just because Karma dictates experiences, choice is still the over-riding factor. --Indeed, Karma is just a word to describe the balancing of negative versus positive experiences. That souls engage in these acts is based on their choice; they CHOOSE to come here to experience both sides of these various equations. --Like I said, people often find this concept very upsetting, but that doesn't make it go away.
excuse me, but negative philosophy and leanings do not care about karma, luck or whatever. if such a person tries to walk away, they get whipped and oppressed.
You have no basis from which to declare such a thing except old biases and pre-defined beliefs, and all I can do is encourage you to experiment with reality long enough to find the limitations of those views. I can tell you from experience that you have a grand and unexplored world before you should you but choose to look at it. Your choice.
just go to new york and walk into a back alley. youll see how fast that reality is gonna happen.
Why on earth would I want to walk into a New York back alley? Perhaps I am not making myself clear; to live successfully, you need three things; Awareness, Intent, and Will Power. Here's how it works. .
1. I am Aware that New York back alleys exist in communities where fear and anger have taken firm root.
2. I Intend Not To Be Mugged, so I will use my Awareness to stay away from areas which I know are dodgy.
3. I will use my Will Power to make sure I stick to this plan.
It's really that simple. I'm not sure why you are objecting so fiercely.
Deliberately giving away Software without extracting the maximum number of dollars the market can bear? Giving Free Rides? Oh, I know. . , I know, but my friends, it gets even worse. Because as it turns out, many of these anti-American programmers are writing and giving away this free software from their very own home computers! The Workers owning the Means of Production? Well, I can tell you, I've never read a book on the subject before, but I HAVE dutifully absorbed enough state dogma to know that that spells COMMUNISM, and I object!
As red-blooded Americans, it is our DUTY to give huge corporations price-fixed monopolies over every last industrial sector. That's why we call it the Free Market!
Now, I know, some people say that this is hypocritical, and even schizophrenic, but I don't know what those words mean. What I do know is that when the little guy doesn't have to pay for a piece of bloated software, he can take that money and use it to buy OTHER products, which is the same as getting those other products for FREE! And that's theft in my book! Punishing companies which are not even connected to the software industry by buying their products with money they shouldn't even have! It's a blood-bath out there!
And what about the programmers? The computer specialists giving their work away for free? --They're shooting themselves in the foot! --Why, when they give away free software, they encourage millions of people who would otherwise not be able to afford to use computers, TO USE COMPUTERS. And when the market is bloated with so many users taking a free ride, who is going to take care of those computers? Who is going to write the millions of lines of unique code needed to maintain such a vast networked community? Who is going to help those corporations needing to capitalize on those millions of potential customers, whose pockets are brimming with all the money they didn't need to spend on word processors and operating systems? WHO will write THAT software, I ask you?
Yes, these open source programmers are a blight on the American economy. When people write software on their own computers and give it away in acts of neighborly good will and enthusiasm, America suffers. It SUFFERS, and I won't stand for it!
-FL
I'm still laughing while typing this response. Thank-you!
-FL
i dont find it interesting. im turkish and english is my second language. i myself have found it interesting to see you to use a 'grammar' card to make some kind of point (god knows to what extent), totally in lieu of what the subject is. what ? if my grammar was bad and i was an american or brit, would that make my arguments much less valid ? what does this irrelevancy you produced suggest to you about how such unsociable debating behaviour relate to the behavioural patterns of an individual ?
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I just checked your original postings, and I must confess, your grammar usage was indeed similar there as here, so it is certainly possible that it is simply the increased number of sentences you are using which makes it seem as though your ability to communicate has been decaying. My apologies. --There is, however, a link between clarity of mind and clarity of expression and I always point this out to people when they attack; it is a fascinating recurring pattern; a diminished ability to communicate nearly always accompanies faulty thinking and decaying argument. I would not play the 'grammar' card if I did not honestly think it were relevant.
And speaking of which, is your shift key broken? (Don't worry, I will get back to the matter at hand, but this grammar stuff is actually relevant). --Clarity of mind and clarity of communication are linked; capitalization makes it easier for people to understand what you are writing, which suggests that those who do not use capitalization do not place importance on making themselves clearly understood, i.e., they are selfish communicators, and thus selfish thinkers. This may not be the case with you; perhaps you do not realize that clear communication is a form of giving or how capitalization plays a role, but it is nonetheless worth noting. --The whole point of our discussion is centered upon living boldly and outwardly versus retreating inwardly and fearfully. Those who are mostly aligned toward Service-To-Self on the available spectrum tend to be more lazy and less willing to spend energy on others. These people also generally wish that the world were served to them on a platter and pout and complain when it is not. Something to consider.
Okay. Back to the original point. .
is this even an argument ? the world was very wide and people had legs in 19th century in america. how many slaves escaped slavery and made their way into an acceptable life ? whats the ratio of them to the generations that were born and died under slavery ? if you want to see how wide the world is, and what do your legs provide you, try dodging your gas bill this month. or evade taxes this year.
The blacks, I have little doubt, were paying off karma while their masters were going into debt; Both sides had entered into that agreement on the spiritual side in order to accrue experiences which ultimately, over many life-times, teach about love, and leaving early would simply mean having to re-enter the equation on whatever side karma demanded. If there was somebody with good karma in a slave situation, then s/he probably would have appeared to sail through life. I have no doubt whatsoever that such a person really could just get up and walk away unhindered. I see it in our society today; even coming from common beginning points, some people wallow in misery while others fly through life with enormous luck and success.
I don't own a car, so I don't have a gas bill. I deliberately make very little income, so after all the paper work is done, my taxes amount to approximately zero; sometimes the government even ends up owing me money. And yet all my material needs are met, and I live independently in what I consider great comfort and happiness. I can explore life to my satisfaction, and I've moved a couple of times to very different communities, both times finding exactly what I was looking for, (different types of freedom and social intercourse, all very positive). I love my work; I'd do it for nothing and often do, and yet I have nev
I find it interesting that your use of grammar deteriorates as you fight to impress with these kinds of arguments. What does that suggest to you about how such ideas relate to the thinking process?
Anyway. . . To answer your questions; How can you be whipped or impaled if you are not available for such abuse? The world is very wide and people have legs and brains. Social groups can alter the framework of acceptable behavior. The 'state of mind' I am talking about is that which allows one to see a full spectrum of possible paths and then to choose amongst them. It is true that the New Age movement would like people to believe that 'state of mind' can wish swords and whips out of existence in a puff of magic. I am not suggesting that this is true, so please do not mistake me in this. The New Age movement has taken the very valid idea of quantum probabilities and has twisted it into the silliness you are rejecting. There is, however, a quality of reality which does react to one's beliefs; in it's most simple iteration, if you believe you are stuck, you will not try to move. So no, you can't make swords and whips vanish, but you can navigate around them, and you can alter the framework in which they are used. Bullies will not bully if there is sufficient social pressure not to, and this can be as simple as several strong-willed people gazing sternly at the bully. I have seen this effect in classrooms.
its nothing tragic. what were tyler and the revolters to do ? they had london, they had maybe a few counties, but entire england was dotted with manorial estates, castles, mansions. they probably knew it was a matter of time the elite would muster enough resources and get back at them. just similar to any other revolt of the same kind.
Wat Tyler and the rebellion had the whole enchilada; they even had entire divisions of soldiers who had turned and marched with them. It was a very popular revolt. They hanged corrupt officials and burned court houses and military stations as they marched South; they took the Tower of London and killed several key political figures. They literally held all the power. --Certainly there might have been resistance later on had they assumed control, but that's the nature of war. The point I was trying to make was that they didn't want to assume control of themselves. --They were not thinking about repercussions from hold-out principalities or future battle strategies. They wanted a king and they wanted that king to be Richard II. They just wanted him to rule so that the tax abuses would go away. That was the problem. They still wanted to be slaves.
let me give you a wake up call - if there hadnt been major violent revolutions, you would still be subservient to a local lord.
I don't advocate such things because it is not advantageous to do so. (See my comments about living gracefully). --And there are other ways to proceed which have not yet been exhausted, but please do not think me afraid to act. --But I am now confused; are you suggesting that attempting to attain freedom IS preferable to killing yourself, or are you just being argumentative for the sake of it?
'butterfly effect' only exist in movies and quantum mechanics. social life does not have such 'butterfly effect's. the settled establishment always has millions of bumper fields to nullify any such butterflyish effect you or others put through. regardless of you understood that you could find solace in your small daily pleasures of life by eating a loaf of bread and drinking water in 12th century, you would still be a slave tied to land. the whip
Think about those early 10 megabyte hard drives. Take that form factor and blow it up over the same length of time and you get some crazy-huge numbers. A third dimension to play with? That's like going from DC to AC in terms of complexity and possibility. Interestingly enough, the establishment resisted AC as well. I half suspect that the math simply demanded more brain power than the old school engineers were willing or able to invest.
I remember the day when a roommate took the indoor cat out to the roof. The cat saw the sky for the first time and wet itself, flattened right to the ground and was basically reduced to a form of catatonia. After living in a one-floor apartment, (two-dimensional), being presented with a whole lot of up and down created a great deal of irritation.
-FL
slavery is not challenge. and you DO have to follow those contracts. in middle ages it was the law of the land, you either submitted to a local baron or escape into a city and commit crimes for subsistence or die of starvation, in modern times you have to obey the social contract society forces upon you. if you cant make your own rules, just like many peasant revolts tried but eventually were repressed, [. . .]
yes you have to take responsibility of your own life and then do what ? stop paying taxes ? go and try to apprehend some land somewhere and try to water it and farm ? what are you going to say when the property tax comes due ? how are you going to 'make your rules' when state planning authority comes and says they are going to do this and that with your land, or you cant use that source of water for irrigation ? huh ? start your own revolt ? and what are you going to do after it fails ?
I think it is a classic, (and I do mean CLASSIC) error to speak in such absolutes. --In believing that encountering a paradox means you cannot proceed. One of the major tests of our reality is in learning that paradox is just a state of mind; a barrier which can be bypassed with little effort. It's more a test of facing down fear.
There are always ways. Always paths between the systemic pillars. It is true, the Wat Tylers of the world generally lead to failure, but even Tyler made the error of not wanting to win sovereignty for himself and his followers, but instead wanting a king to rule over him, but just nicely. Thus, even after the king and all of London and the military were already basically toppled from power, the rebels instead of taking power, asked for changes and concessions from the existing authorities, and due to this, within a couple of days, lost all the ground they'd so quickly won, and wound up being hunted down and killed by the elites. Amazing and tragic.
No, the way is not through violent rebellion, I think, but through simply existing gracefully within the context available, and making changes in small ways which expand in butterfly-effect powers. This is how reality is truly shaped. In any case, ignorance is the real barrier. Anybody can find happiness and success if they understand these forces. It really works, and it can work for anybody. I've seen it in action, and use it as a general rule in my own life to great effect. Part of it lies in knowing that the people who make up authorities are just people. No law is absolute. No stature is anything but an agreement. There is always maneuvering room, and for those willing to recognize that laws are not chipped in stone, that they are not insurmountable walls, who are not constantly thinking up reasons to not act, can and do find success. But they don't teach these methods in schools; why would they?
there is no creation, or true joy in servitude. its slavery. even if its renamed and revised for 20th century standards.
Absolutely. But slavery is a form of agreement. Nobody has to be a slave, but it takes constant awareness and the willingness to make the unorthodox changes required to avoid and escape such scenarios. Doing that which makes sense even though all of societal collective thinking insists otherwise, requires courage, but it is the only real pathway out. To take an extreme example, the Jews who kept their eyes open were able to evade Hitler before things got out of hand. The problem is that most people seem to not want to look at the signs around them, preferring to live in states of wishful thinking. This is another form of laziness, and it has the great potential to lead to misery. There are signs around us right now, coming fast and furious, but to talk about them generally only earns one scorn and ridicule. But those who are willing to practice awareness have the tools to survive and indeed, to live quite happily if they are willing to jump into the adventure which is life. Killing yourself to avoid misery and m
Can we all please just keep our heads for a few more months? If McCain can keep confusing his Shi'ites with his Sunis, then it might just be possible that any nonsense resulting from this kind of international friction will be less than globally lethal. I do not want to live in an Orwell novel because some jingoistic Chinese kid decides to take a pot shot at the wrong somebody. This could all get enormously dangerous far faster than anybody realizes.
Just take many deep breathes and count to ten as often as necessary. Yes, CNN is total bullshit. For a laugh, you should watch Fox! Many of us in the West have learned to recognize our own propaganda. If you, (the Chinese), can meet us half-way and reject the crap coming out of your own TV sets and classrooms, then we might all be able to survive the next few years without any nuclear exchanges.
-FL
Apparently, the Atom chews up a lot less energy than the Celeron. So perhaps a high-capacity battery in conjunction with this new Atom chip might set things straight, cuz until then, you're entirely right; if the battery life doesn't at least double, the Asus Eee 900 is likely to wind up gathering dust after the honeymoon.
-FL
Yes, everybody would be dead.
There are always going to be challenges in life; there are always going to be villains and always exploitative social contracts created by greedy and self-centered people, but we do not have to agree to follow those contracts. Real power and happiness comes to those who recognize this and find the courage to make their own rules. The Universe rewards such people by offering them endless opportunities towards this end, but to follow that path requires effort and bravery. It sounds like you are hoping that the rule-makers will simply make nicer rules and take better care of you. They won't. They'll offer us anti-depressants and religion and television; this is in fact what has happened. The answer is to stop following. You have to take responsibility for your own life.
Knowledge is the key; the middle ages were the middle ages because most people simply didn't know what other options were available. The same holds true today.
Leaving the party in a snit rather than thinking and seeking and making life work properly is childish. Waiting for others to build a better world for you to live in is lazy and selfish. True joy comes from the act of creation which you cannot know if you wait for somebody else to create in your stead.
-FL
One Chinese fellow posted below with something smart, saying that it's all propaganda no matter what country you're in, but with things like the internet it is possible to do your own research. It is possible to think for yourself and not jump on any of the pre-fab bandwagons. If people work to educate themselves and not give into emotionalism, then we might have a chance. But if people go along with this media nonsense, then how long will it be before the "terrorists" are Chinese?
-FL
I'd estimate that approximately half of the human population is on the downward track, seeking oblivion because they find life to be just too much. They will find it, and I wasn't speaking to them. Only very rarely to souls do a 180.
So best of luck on your journey. May the winds carry you swiftly to wherever you are going, and may you have no ill effect upon those who are evolving.
-FL
This story was written for neo-cons and their brain-numbed followers. Have a nice Summer.
-FL
This is why it is a good idea to question and think and to share thinking. Under the lens of rational thought, religion falters. To avoid thinking only leads to misery. Slavery is the condition which I think many of us are fighting. It can be argued, as you do, that even in the West, there is a great deal of 'enduring' going on, and in my mind, this is largely unnecessary and can indeed be avoided with the application of knowledge.
Alan Watts described it rather well, I think.
-FL
That's a rather strange argument. Are you saying people in the middle ages would have been smart to kill themselves so as to avoid living in the middle ages?
There have been far better suited arguments made to fit your purpose; "Let's say you're dying from irreversible and enormously painful cancer."
I'm not saying that suicide is wrong. But if you can avoid it, then that's probably better all around. There's no real right answer, but it's worth considering all the factors before deciding, remembering that if you're paying off sour karma, you're going to have to do it one way or another. Suicide just puts it off.
-FL
True enough, but killing oneself is rather extreme. Putting the semantics of infinity aside, the battle is fought through all of us all the time, and these particular times are pivotal in deciding which way this beautiful world tips. We came here because we agreed that this was a battle worth winning, so I am speaking of course in terms relative to that shared agreement rather than from any ego-driven need to believe that our mountain is better than somebody else's. I tend to think that it's not so much the territory being fought over as it is the act of struggle itself; Existence or non-existence. Passion is a component of the creative principal, and the idea that nothing is important can be, I think, dangerously misleading.
-FL
The human monkey is a vehicle for the soul. Left to its own devices, it is an automatic, albeit complex machine which is a sort of bridge between states of existence. --That is, souls grow and need work to develop, and the human monkey is the vehicle for this process.
If there is no exertion of the Will, then the human monkey basically is just a reaction machine, responding to stimulus and being generally predictable in its behavior as demonstrated by the neurologists in the article. The Spirit sits between the mind and the body. If the spirit is not exercised, then the monkey is happy to run on autopilot, usually being selfish in nature, seeking pleasure, avoiding pain and thinking of no other individual other than itself unless in a manner to better attain pleasure and avoid pain. The psychopath is just a broken monkey which has learned how to feed on others but with a failure of its own survival circuits. (Psychopaths are very good at feeding, but their actions are ultimately self-destructive. Regular monkeys are more balanced and know how to survive better).
With the introduction of the soul, which as it grows learns how to care and feel for others, the whole equation becomes more complex and more interesting.
When you, as a soul, choose to be aware of the flow of instructions between mind and body, and decide to act in a manner different than that which would be automatic, then you are exercising your Will. This takes effort and the monkey and mind push back because it is no longer acting along the path of least resistance, as it were. But the monkey will obey, (that's what it's there to do), and through continued exertion, the spirit and soul grow and become strong and increasingly self-aware.
A note of interest. . . The point of alchemy is not, as I see it, about turning lead into gold; I think those are just metaphors for the creation and purification of the soul; the effort and resistance of exerting the Will creates 'heat'. In the various alchemical texts, repeated heating of the 'crucible' are described. With repeated heating, the soul is purified until enlightenment comes within reach.
Anyway, it seems to me that if one pays attention, then one can become ever more aware of the mind/body communication, (during the seven seconds indicated by the experiment under discussion?) Perhaps I am fooling myself in this, but that's the sensation I seem to experience when I observe my own mind in its workings.
-FL
as goes from what we can deduce from latest theories on quantum physics, existence is probably infinite and is going to go on forever, with infinite other universes dotting the dark space.
This is true to an extent, but does this mean that you do not value your time and efforts in any given activity? Why stress over anything? As it happens, there is a great deal of focus on the Earth at the moment because it is going through a rare change. It's a happenin' place, and we are among those who have a vested interest in the outcome. Some of us have lived a couple hundred lives here in preparation and training. It is important to remember that every battle counts. No planet left behind.
-FL