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Walmart pulls violent game displays, will still sell guns
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 9, 2019:
The guns that Walmart sells are strictly hunting rifles and shotguns. They have long stopped selling the AR15 style rifles with large-capacity magazines. And If I remember correctly they no longer sell pistols.
...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 9, 2019:
@greyeyed123 There is a basic problem with this idea that taxpayers are supporting corporations by giving SNAP to part-time workers. The workers NEED and want those part-time jobs. Without those jobs even MORE tax money would be shelled out, and many of the people would be living on the street.
I asked a question above and it was ignored. I have a neighbor who sometimes does day labor and he receives SNAP. If I hire him occasionally does that mean that I am cheating the taxpayers because of his SNAP payments and that I should be made to hire him full-time? The idea is ludicrous.
I never watch Fox and I know nothing of this Tucker guy, but I do have some basic common sense about economics.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 9, 2019:
The guns that Walmart sells are strictly hunting rifles and shotguns. They have long stopped selling the AR15 style rifles with large-capacity magazines. And If I remember correctly they no longer sell pistols.
...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 9, 2019:
@greyeyed123 There is a basic problem with this idea that taxpayers are supporting corporations by giving SNAP to part-time workers. The workers NEED and want those part-time jobs. Without those jobs even MORE tax money would be shelled out, and many of the people would be living on the street.
I asked a question above and it was ignored. I have a neighbor who sometimes does day labor and he receives SNAP. If I hire him occasionally does that mean that I am cheating the taxpayers because of his SNAP payments and that I should be made to hire him full-time? The idea is ludicrous.
I never watch Fox and I know nothing of this Tucker guy, but I do have some basic common sense about economics.
Walmart pulls violent game displays, will still sell guns
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 9, 2019:
The guns that Walmart sells are strictly hunting rifles and shotguns. They have long stopped selling the AR15 style rifles with large-capacity magazines. And If I remember correctly they no longer sell pistols.
...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 9, 2019:
@greyeyed123 OK, so in that sense I was writing an apology, but I’m not convinced that she was using the word in that sense. She compared it to apologizing for rape, which would be be the regular kind of apology for an offense.
Of course there is right-wing media propaganda. I am not coming from that kind of platform and I never look at such stuff knowingly.
However, facts are facts and they can be ferreted out and verified. Hyperbole and exaggeration based on envy, fear and grievances stirred up by the media should always be answered with true assertions. The truth is that Walmart compensates it’s regular employees as well or better than similar retailers. If you click on the link you’ll see what I mean. The fact that they use part-time help means nothing except that by hiring those folks they are throwing them a lifeline. It is extremely disrespectful of people to think that they would work for a company when it was not in their best interest to do so.
If you want to generate REAL poverty and homelessness start shutting down these dreadful Walmart’s.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 9, 2019:
The guns that Walmart sells are strictly hunting rifles and shotguns. They have long stopped selling the AR15 style rifles with large-capacity magazines. And If I remember correctly they no longer sell pistols.
...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 9, 2019:
@greyeyed123 OK, so in that sense I was writing an apology, but I’m not convinced that she was using the word in that sense. She compared it to apologizing for rape, which would be be the regular kind of apology for an offense.
Of course there is right-wing media propaganda. I am not coming from that kind of platform and I never look at such stuff knowingly.
However, facts are facts and they can be ferreted out and verified. Hyperbole and exaggeration based on envy, fear and grievances stirred up by the media should always be answered with true assertions. The truth is that Walmart compensates it’s regular employees as well or better than similar retailers. If you click on the link you’ll see what I mean. The fact that they use part-time help means nothing except that by hiring those folks they are throwing them a lifeline. It is extremely disrespectful of people to think that they would work for a company when it was not in their best interest to do so.
If you want to generate REAL poverty and homelessness start shutting down these dreadful Walmart’s.
Walmart pulls violent game displays, will still sell guns
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 9, 2019:
The guns that Walmart sells are strictly hunting rifles and shotguns. They have long stopped selling the AR15 style rifles with large-capacity magazines. And If I remember correctly they no longer sell pistols.
...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 9, 2019:
@SeaGreenEyez Apologize??? What did I write that could possibly be construed as an apology? Are you alright?
You seem very fixed in your opinions, probably because of left-leaning media propaganda. I doubt if you’ll read this but here it is and I am through with this conversation.
https://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/working-at-walmart
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 9, 2019:
The guns that Walmart sells are strictly hunting rifles and shotguns. They have long stopped selling the AR15 style rifles with large-capacity magazines. And If I remember correctly they no longer sell pistols.
...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 9, 2019:
@SeaGreenEyez Apologize??? What did I write that could possibly be construed as an apology? Are you alright?
You seem very fixed in your opinions, probably because of left-leaning media propaganda. I doubt if you’ll read this but here it is and I am through with this conversation.
https://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/working-at-walmart
Walmart pulls violent game displays, will still sell guns
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 9, 2019:
The guns that Walmart sells are strictly hunting rifles and shotguns. They have long stopped selling the AR15 style rifles with large-capacity magazines. And If I remember correctly they no longer sell pistols.
...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 9, 2019:
@SeaGreenEyez The Walton family does own half of the stock, which means that they are very wealthy indeed. Their wealth however is not causing anyone else to be poor. Their assets are largely reinvested in ventures around the world—ventures that create real wealth for humanity. In terms of goods and services I doubt if the Waltons actually consume much more than the average person. They are, in fact, instrumental in creating much more real wealth than they consume.
If all the Walton assets were confiscated and redistributed just in the US, each American would receive about $500. It is certainly causing envy in some circles and some people are greedily licking their chops in anticipation.
That is some kind of twisted logic that says Walmart is costing the American taxpayers by hiring part-time workers. I sometimes hire a neighbor to do day labor, and he also gets SNAP are you saying that I am costing the American taxpayers the amount of his SNAP payments? That makes no sense. By hiring part time workers Walmart spreads wealth to more people. No one is making people work at Walmart.
BTW, I know some people who work at Walmart and they are full-time workers—have been for years and they like their jobs. New hires might be part-time for awhile, but you can bet they wouldn’t hire on if it wasn’t in their interest to do so. To think otherwise is very disrespectful.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 9, 2019:
The guns that Walmart sells are strictly hunting rifles and shotguns. They have long stopped selling the AR15 style rifles with large-capacity magazines. And If I remember correctly they no longer sell pistols.
...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 9, 2019:
@SeaGreenEyez The Walton family does own half of the stock, which means that they are very wealthy indeed. Their wealth however is not causing anyone else to be poor. Their assets are largely reinvested in ventures around the world—ventures that create real wealth for humanity. In terms of goods and services I doubt if the Waltons actually consume much more than the average person. They are, in fact, instrumental in creating much more real wealth than they consume.
If all the Walton assets were confiscated and redistributed just in the US, each American would receive about $500. It is certainly causing envy in some circles and some people are greedily licking their chops in anticipation.
That is some kind of twisted logic that says Walmart is costing the American taxpayers by hiring part-time workers. I sometimes hire a neighbor to do day labor, and he also gets SNAP are you saying that I am costing the American taxpayers the amount of his SNAP payments? That makes no sense. By hiring part time workers Walmart spreads wealth to more people. No one is making people work at Walmart.
BTW, I know some people who work at Walmart and they are full-time workers—have been for years and they like their jobs. New hires might be part-time for awhile, but you can bet they wouldn’t hire on if it wasn’t in their interest to do so. To think otherwise is very disrespectful.
Walmart pulls violent game displays, will still sell guns
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 9, 2019:
The guns that Walmart sells are strictly hunting rifles and shotguns. They have long stopped selling the AR15 style rifles with large-capacity magazines. And If I remember correctly they no longer sell pistols.
...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 9, 2019:
@Carin “They” are a corporation owned by shareholders. If you have a managed retirement fund you are probably a Walmart owner.
A lot of those local shops needed to be put out of business. Often at Walmart I can get twice the product for half the cost. Through economy of scale products can be sold for much less, bringing real wealth to ordinary people.
Walmart pays the prevailing wage. If all those employees were grossly underpaid wouldn’t they quit and find work elsewhere? Do you really think mom and pop businesses pay their help more?
Rather than enrich a handful of small-town merchants I prefer to shop where prices are lower and I can share in the profits.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 9, 2019:
The guns that Walmart sells are strictly hunting rifles and shotguns. They have long stopped selling the AR15 style rifles with large-capacity magazines. And If I remember correctly they no longer sell pistols.
...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 9, 2019:
@Carin “They” are a corporation owned by shareholders. If you have a managed retirement fund you are probably a Walmart owner.
A lot of those local shops needed to be put out of business. Often at Walmart I can get twice the product for half the cost. Through economy of scale products can be sold for much less, bringing real wealth to ordinary people.
Walmart pays the prevailing wage. If all those employees were grossly underpaid wouldn’t they quit and find work elsewhere? Do you really think mom and pop businesses pay their help more?
Rather than enrich a handful of small-town merchants I prefer to shop where prices are lower and I can share in the profits.
I came across an older opinion piece by Graham Lawton (Executive Editor of 'New Scientist') and ...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 8, 2019:
Atheism per se is not a religion, but many people who call themselves atheists have a materialist/reductionist world view not supported by science to which they cling with a religious-like fervor.
Not believing in religious dogma is such a trivial thing. I don’t understand making that your ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 9, 2019:
@yvilletom It would depend on the definition of spiritual. When I say spiritual all I mean is having deep awareness, appreciation and reverence for the profound mystery of existence. The implications of being consciously aware in reality are truly staggering IMO.
I personally do not believe in magic or the supernatural. Just because we humans don’t understand our situation is no need to label things as supernatural. Everything is natural but the basis for reality is over our heads. In our everyday living all that we experience is just our own nervous systems, and it is very difficult or impossible to understand ultimate reality beyond the senses. Though physicists have glimmers of insight, physics does not even address, much less answer the deep questions of “why”.
The only alternative world view that I can think of is one of abject and total bewilderment. Science is a very valuable and important pursuit but there are questions that are beyond science in its current form.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 8, 2019:
Atheism per se is not a religion, but many people who call themselves atheists have a materialist/reductionist world view not supported by science to which they cling with a religious-like fervor.
Not believing in religious dogma is such a trivial thing. I don’t understand making that your ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 9, 2019:
@yvilletom It would depend on the definition of spiritual. When I say spiritual all I mean is having deep awareness, appreciation and reverence for the profound mystery of existence. The implications of being consciously aware in reality are truly staggering IMO.
I personally do not believe in magic or the supernatural. Just because we humans don’t understand our situation is no need to label things as supernatural. Everything is natural but the basis for reality is over our heads. In our everyday living all that we experience is just our own nervous systems, and it is very difficult or impossible to understand ultimate reality beyond the senses. Though physicists have glimmers of insight, physics does not even address, much less answer the deep questions of “why”.
The only alternative world view that I can think of is one of abject and total bewilderment. Science is a very valuable and important pursuit but there are questions that are beyond science in its current form.
Public high school scheduled to hold 'Back to School Worship Service.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 7, 2019:
According to other news sources the event was not sponsored by the school and none of the teachers or staff was involved. It was a Sunday event organized by community members for the public and had nothing to do with the school except that it was held in the school gymnasium. The event has been held...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 8, 2019:
@greyeyed123 [ county school superintendent ]
“...Barnett said the social media post did not constitute sponsorship.
“The Board is not promoting this event, but rather has permitted an announcement of the event on the school Facebook page just as it permits others to provide information about community events,” Barnett said. “The ‘us’ in the Facebook announcement refers to the organizers of the event, not the school or the school board.”
As you say, the Facebook announcement might cross the line. Only a court could decide, but it is something that could easily be remedied for future events. Apparently the event was allowed, and it was heavily attended.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 7, 2019:
According to other news sources the event was not sponsored by the school and none of the teachers or staff was involved. It was a Sunday event organized by community members for the public and had nothing to do with the school except that it was held in the school gymnasium. The event has been held...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 8, 2019:
@greyeyed123 [ county school superintendent ]
“...Barnett said the social media post did not constitute sponsorship.
“The Board is not promoting this event, but rather has permitted an announcement of the event on the school Facebook page just as it permits others to provide information about community events,” Barnett said. “The ‘us’ in the Facebook announcement refers to the organizers of the event, not the school or the school board.”
As you say, the Facebook announcement might cross the line. Only a court could decide, but it is something that could easily be remedied for future events. Apparently the event was allowed, and it was heavily attended.
Public high school scheduled to hold 'Back to School Worship Service.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 7, 2019:
According to other news sources the event was not sponsored by the school and none of the teachers or staff was involved. It was a Sunday event organized by community members for the public and had nothing to do with the school except that it was held in the school gymnasium. The event has been held...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 8, 2019:
@DenoPenno That is your opinion but are there laws to that effect? In many small towns the school building is a multi-use facility for use by the public when school is not in session.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 7, 2019:
According to other news sources the event was not sponsored by the school and none of the teachers or staff was involved. It was a Sunday event organized by community members for the public and had nothing to do with the school except that it was held in the school gymnasium. The event has been held...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 8, 2019:
@DenoPenno That is your opinion but are there laws to that effect? In many small towns the school building is a multi-use facility for use by the public when school is not in session.
Ethics is the attempt to rationally establish morality and to distinguish moral rules that can be ...
dare2dream comments on Aug 7, 2019:
The non sequitur here is moral relativism is not nihilism.
Moral preferences can be rationalized but only *subjectively* and are not absolute.
People with different morals do not have to be deliberately malicious.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 7, 2019:
@BeerAndWine Sounds good.
dare2dream comments on Aug 7, 2019:
The non sequitur here is moral relativism is not nihilism.
Moral preferences can be rationalized but only *subjectively* and are not absolute.
People with different morals do not have to be deliberately malicious.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 7, 2019:
@BeerAndWine Sounds good.
Ethics is the attempt to rationally establish morality and to distinguish moral rules that can be ...
dare2dream comments on Aug 7, 2019:
The non sequitur here is moral relativism is not nihilism.
Moral preferences can be rationalized but only *subjectively* and are not absolute.
People with different morals do not have to be deliberately malicious.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 7, 2019:
@BeerAndWine what if someone was preparing to set off a hydrogen bomb in a large city and you had him in your gunsight. Would you pull the trigger? Technically it would be murder.
dare2dream comments on Aug 7, 2019:
The non sequitur here is moral relativism is not nihilism.
Moral preferences can be rationalized but only *subjectively* and are not absolute.
People with different morals do not have to be deliberately malicious.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 7, 2019:
@BeerAndWine what if someone was preparing to set off a hydrogen bomb in a large city and you had him in your gunsight. Would you pull the trigger? Technically it would be murder.
There is much evidence linking mass murder with psychiatric drugs.
DavidNoel comments on Aug 7, 2019:
I never heard that before, I know the Las Vegas shooter was a heavy user of Klonopin, and he showed typical signs of psychosis that are linked to the use of Benzodiazepines; do you know of other shooters who had this problem.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 7, 2019:
I was just looking at that site I referred you to and it argues just the opposite of what I thought.
There are sites that argue both ways, but my confidence is shaken. I am now leaning away from the idea that psychiatric drugs are a major cause of mass murder.
DavidNoel comments on Aug 7, 2019:
I never heard that before, I know the Las Vegas shooter was a heavy user of Klonopin, and he showed typical signs of psychosis that are linked to the use of Benzodiazepines; do you know of other shooters who had this problem.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 7, 2019:
I was just looking at that site I referred you to and it argues just the opposite of what I thought.
There are sites that argue both ways, but my confidence is shaken. I am now leaning away from the idea that psychiatric drugs are a major cause of mass murder.
Who’s married to one?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 7, 2019:
Having differences of opinion shouldn’t adversely affect relationships, in fact such differences are important and desirable. Our opinions are a small part of who we are.
What is difficult is where the parties are extreme and stubborn in their opinions and refuse to seek middle ground.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 7, 2019:
@JacobMeyers Yep, like on this forum.
But here we are agreeing—damn! :-)
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 7, 2019:
Having differences of opinion shouldn’t adversely affect relationships, in fact such differences are important and desirable. Our opinions are a small part of who we are.
What is difficult is where the parties are extreme and stubborn in their opinions and refuse to seek middle ground.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 7, 2019:
@JacobMeyers Yep, like on this forum.
But here we are agreeing—damn! :-)
There is much evidence linking mass murder with psychiatric drugs.
DavidNoel comments on Aug 7, 2019:
I never heard that before, I know the Las Vegas shooter was a heavy user of Klonopin, and he showed typical signs of psychosis that are linked to the use of Benzodiazepines; do you know of other shooters who had this problem.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 7, 2019:
There’s a lot about it online. Here’s a list that looks reliable.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Langman/publication/308226489_Tally_of_Shooters%27_Use_of_Psychiatric_Medications_and_Substance_Abuse/links/57ded28908ae4e6f184c2f24/Tally-of-Shooters-Use-of-Psychiatric-Medications-and-Substance-Abuse.pdf?origin=publication_list
DavidNoel comments on Aug 7, 2019:
I never heard that before, I know the Las Vegas shooter was a heavy user of Klonopin, and he showed typical signs of psychosis that are linked to the use of Benzodiazepines; do you know of other shooters who had this problem.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 7, 2019:
There’s a lot about it online. Here’s a list that looks reliable.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Langman/publication/308226489_Tally_of_Shooters%27_Use_of_Psychiatric_Medications_and_Substance_Abuse/links/57ded28908ae4e6f184c2f24/Tally-of-Shooters-Use-of-Psychiatric-Medications-and-Substance-Abuse.pdf?origin=publication_list
Mass shootings. Perhaps it's a societal issue like obesity and religion?
JasonTomerlin2 comments on Aug 6, 2019:
For the visual people.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 6, 2019:
@JasonTomerlin2 Thanks. The news media makes money by keeping people stirred up and scared.
JasonTomerlin2 comments on Aug 6, 2019:
For the visual people.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 6, 2019:
@JasonTomerlin2 Thanks. The news media makes money by keeping people stirred up and scared.
Mass shootings. Perhaps it's a societal issue like obesity and religion?
JasonTomerlin2 comments on Aug 6, 2019:
For the visual people.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 6, 2019:
Can you give a link to your chart? It won’t focus on my iPhone.
JasonTomerlin2 comments on Aug 6, 2019:
For the visual people.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 6, 2019:
Can you give a link to your chart? It won’t focus on my iPhone.
Glock/Paper/Scissors
Allamanda comments on Aug 6, 2019:
But the root of the problem IS guns. I agree with almost everything else, but there's no justification of this statement. Guns, availability, cheapness of, and attitude to, ARE the differences. Everywhere else has drugs, videogames, disaffected youth, unemployment, TV, and a much greater lack of ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 6, 2019:
@Allamanda Back in the fifties some people had pump shotguns that would hold seven shells. One of those loaded with buckshot would have played major havoc but I don’t remember anything like that happening.
I doubt if there’s the support to outlaw hunting rifles and shotguns.
Allamanda comments on Aug 6, 2019:
But the root of the problem IS guns. I agree with almost everything else, but there's no justification of this statement. Guns, availability, cheapness of, and attitude to, ARE the differences. Everywhere else has drugs, videogames, disaffected youth, unemployment, TV, and a much greater lack of ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 6, 2019:
@Allamanda Back in the fifties some people had pump shotguns that would hold seven shells. One of those loaded with buckshot would have played major havoc but I don’t remember anything like that happening.
I doubt if there’s the support to outlaw hunting rifles and shotguns.
There is much evidence linking mass murder with psychiatric drugs.
SimplyJaneen comments on Aug 4, 2019:
Okay, so let's say there is a link. What should be done about it? Considering we currently have an administration that wants to dismantle healthcare including mental health care. One SHOULD be under the care of a doctor while on psychotropic medications because they are not a one size fits all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 5, 2019:
@SimplyJaneen I know one person who is open about using an anti-depressant and he depends on that very much.
Most guns are intended for hunting, and hunting is very ingrained in our culture. Also a lot of people just like guns, which I relate to but don’t know why. I agree that it should not be possible for violence-prone people to legally own firearms.
SimplyJaneen comments on Aug 4, 2019:
Okay, so let's say there is a link. What should be done about it? Considering we currently have an administration that wants to dismantle healthcare including mental health care. One SHOULD be under the care of a doctor while on psychotropic medications because they are not a one size fits all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 5, 2019:
@SimplyJaneen I know one person who is open about using an anti-depressant and he depends on that very much.
Most guns are intended for hunting, and hunting is very ingrained in our culture. Also a lot of people just like guns, which I relate to but don’t know why. I agree that it should not be possible for violence-prone people to legally own firearms.
There is much evidence linking mass murder with psychiatric drugs.
ShadowAmicus comments on Aug 5, 2019:
Talk to kids from when they are small, and as teenagers let them start to drink beer, have safe sex, steadily ease into living a normal life and they may not get quite so screwed up. Talking therapies always work better than medication
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 5, 2019:
I agree wholeheartedly.
ShadowAmicus comments on Aug 5, 2019:
Talk to kids from when they are small, and as teenagers let them start to drink beer, have safe sex, steadily ease into living a normal life and they may not get quite so screwed up. Talking therapies always work better than medication
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 5, 2019:
I agree wholeheartedly.
There is much evidence linking mass murder with psychiatric drugs.
Matias comments on Aug 5, 2019:
That may be an important aspect, but certainly not a decisive one, given that these kinds of drugs are prescribed more or less freely in all modern societies, including France (world champion in the category "antidepressants") or Germany. But there is only one Western country where mass ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 5, 2019:
I was just looking at usage rates in various countries and I am forced to agree. Though our rate is higher, it’s not all that much higher than other western countries, and it’s very close to the rates in Canada and Australia.
For children though, the US rate is much higher—three times that of other countries.
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=5880138=1
Even at that, our problem Is not explained completely, because there are not anything like a third as many shootings in the other countries. In the other countries mass shootings are very rare.
Matias comments on Aug 5, 2019:
That may be an important aspect, but certainly not a decisive one, given that these kinds of drugs are prescribed more or less freely in all modern societies, including France (world champion in the category "antidepressants") or Germany. But there is only one Western country where mass ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 5, 2019:
I was just looking at usage rates in various countries and I am forced to agree. Though our rate is higher, it’s not all that much higher than other western countries, and it’s very close to the rates in Canada and Australia.
For children though, the US rate is much higher—three times that of other countries.
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=5880138=1
Even at that, our problem Is not explained completely, because there are not anything like a third as many shootings in the other countries. In the other countries mass shootings are very rare.
There is much evidence linking mass murder with psychiatric drugs.
Amisja comments on Aug 5, 2019:
Psychiatric drugs? What rubbish science. There are 100s of medications for mental health conditions and 100s of ways to take each one. For serious conditions such as schizophrenia caution and hopefully careful monitoring should follow each and every prescription. I can see a potential link with some...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 5, 2019:
7.5% of American children were prescribed the drugs in 2014. That could be the root of our problem.
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/directors/thomas-insel/blog/2014/are-children-overmedicated.shtml
Amisja comments on Aug 5, 2019:
Psychiatric drugs? What rubbish science. There are 100s of medications for mental health conditions and 100s of ways to take each one. For serious conditions such as schizophrenia caution and hopefully careful monitoring should follow each and every prescription. I can see a potential link with some...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 5, 2019:
7.5% of American children were prescribed the drugs in 2014. That could be the root of our problem.
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/directors/thomas-insel/blog/2014/are-children-overmedicated.shtml
There is much evidence linking mass murder with psychiatric drugs.
Bobbyzen comments on Aug 4, 2019:
Why is there not more discussion of banning assault weapons?
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 4, 2019:
There is continuous talk about banning assault weapons but this subject has been swept under the rug.
Bobbyzen comments on Aug 4, 2019:
Why is there not more discussion of banning assault weapons?
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 4, 2019:
There is continuous talk about banning assault weapons but this subject has been swept under the rug.
There is much evidence linking mass murder with psychiatric drugs.
SimplyJaneen comments on Aug 4, 2019:
Okay, so let's say there is a link. What should be done about it? Considering we currently have an administration that wants to dismantle healthcare including mental health care. One SHOULD be under the care of a doctor while on psychotropic medications because they are not a one size fits all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 4, 2019:
One option might be the outright ban of some or all of the drugs for new patients, or severe limits on dosages. There is some concern that the drugs are ineffective anyway although in some cases they make unruly people easier to control, at least temporarily. At the same time, I’m sure that many people rely on the drugs and it would not be possible or desirable for them to stop usage.
If it is determined that society simply cannot do without these drugs, then at least, for new prescriptions, there could be laws requiring an inspection to ensure that the proposed user did not have access to deadly weapons for the duration of usage. In other words, you would need a license to take the drugs, Such a step might burden many people unnecessarily.
It is a difficult question.
SimplyJaneen comments on Aug 4, 2019:
Okay, so let's say there is a link. What should be done about it? Considering we currently have an administration that wants to dismantle healthcare including mental health care. One SHOULD be under the care of a doctor while on psychotropic medications because they are not a one size fits all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 4, 2019:
One option might be the outright ban of some or all of the drugs for new patients, or severe limits on dosages. There is some concern that the drugs are ineffective anyway although in some cases they make unruly people easier to control, at least temporarily. At the same time, I’m sure that many people rely on the drugs and it would not be possible or desirable for them to stop usage.
If it is determined that society simply cannot do without these drugs, then at least, for new prescriptions, there could be laws requiring an inspection to ensure that the proposed user did not have access to deadly weapons for the duration of usage. In other words, you would need a license to take the drugs, Such a step might burden many people unnecessarily.
It is a difficult question.
Split Brain Patient - Both Atheist & Christian! - YouTube
Happy_Killbot comments on Aug 2, 2019:
We have more than enough evidence demonstrating that the brain is what allows us to do what we do, think what we think and act as we act, but nobody wants to accept that the brain and therefore the mind is the result of physics, and subject to all the rules and laws of our reality.
We cling to ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 3, 2019:
@Happy_Killbot Wouldn’t taking those actions be a demonstration of free will?
Happy_Killbot comments on Aug 2, 2019:
We have more than enough evidence demonstrating that the brain is what allows us to do what we do, think what we think and act as we act, but nobody wants to accept that the brain and therefore the mind is the result of physics, and subject to all the rules and laws of our reality.
We cling to ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 3, 2019:
@Happy_Killbot Wouldn’t taking those actions be a demonstration of free will?
Split Brain Patient - Both Atheist & Christian! - YouTube
Happy_Killbot comments on Aug 2, 2019:
We have more than enough evidence demonstrating that the brain is what allows us to do what we do, think what we think and act as we act, but nobody wants to accept that the brain and therefore the mind is the result of physics, and subject to all the rules and laws of our reality.
We cling to ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 3, 2019:
Robotic people have attempted to dominate many times but their regimes always come to naught.
Happy_Killbot comments on Aug 2, 2019:
We have more than enough evidence demonstrating that the brain is what allows us to do what we do, think what we think and act as we act, but nobody wants to accept that the brain and therefore the mind is the result of physics, and subject to all the rules and laws of our reality.
We cling to ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 3, 2019:
Robotic people have attempted to dominate many times but their regimes always come to naught.
Split Brain Patient - Both Atheist & Christian! - YouTube
JeffMesser comments on Aug 2, 2019:
meh, I'm not convinced. I still see a seer. There's a viewer to cause the objectivity and vendatics completely undermine every split brain scenario this guy wants to propose because he doesn't consider a singular consciousness rendered thru the physical filter.
Quite honestly it's hard to take a ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 3, 2019:
Perfect Jeff! Great response.
JeffMesser comments on Aug 2, 2019:
meh, I'm not convinced. I still see a seer. There's a viewer to cause the objectivity and vendatics completely undermine every split brain scenario this guy wants to propose because he doesn't consider a singular consciousness rendered thru the physical filter.
Quite honestly it's hard to take a ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 3, 2019:
Perfect Jeff! Great response.
Do you think that some things are unforgivable or do you think that some people should be given a ...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 1, 2019:
To forgive is to come to the realization that your negative judgement of someone was incorrect. Forgiveness is about you and your happiness. It is not about the extending of a pardon to the person who wronged you.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 1, 2019:
@K9Kohle789 I know EXACTLY what you mean and I’ve used those same words.
You have no choice but to somehow deal with what’s being thrown at you. Self defense is a duty. You can realize that the person is just making mistakes and that their actions are not sins against god almighty. By not condemning them in your mind you keep the upper hand—you keep your sanity and happiness. If they are hurting you, run away. If what they are doing is illegal have them charged. Get a restraining order—do something effective. Wallowing in anger and pain will kill you.
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 1, 2019:
To forgive is to come to the realization that your negative judgement of someone was incorrect. Forgiveness is about you and your happiness. It is not about the extending of a pardon to the person who wronged you.
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 1, 2019:
@K9Kohle789 I know EXACTLY what you mean and I’ve used those same words.
You have no choice but to somehow deal with what’s being thrown at you. Self defense is a duty. You can realize that the person is just making mistakes and that their actions are not sins against god almighty. By not condemning them in your mind you keep the upper hand—you keep your sanity and happiness. If they are hurting you, run away. If what they are doing is illegal have them charged. Get a restraining order—do something effective. Wallowing in anger and pain will kill you.
"Spiritual not religious" I know this subject has probably been beat to death but having just come ...
lerlo comments on Aug 1, 2019:
Update:
Here is the response when I asked her if she's not religious what or who she prays to:
Hi,
Thanks for the honesty. Too bad our lifestyles clash!
I'm in a 12-Step program. The fundamental premise of all of them is that you need to find a power greater than yourself to solve your ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 1, 2019:
She sounds like a very courageous and honest person with a lot of intelligence and warmth. Too bad she can’t come onto this forum where she is being maligned and scorned to defend herself. Did she give permission for her message to be aired?
lerlo comments on Aug 1, 2019:
Update:
Here is the response when I asked her if she's not religious what or who she prays to:
Hi,
Thanks for the honesty. Too bad our lifestyles clash!
I'm in a 12-Step program. The fundamental premise of all of them is that you need to find a power greater than yourself to solve your ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 1, 2019:
She sounds like a very courageous and honest person with a lot of intelligence and warmth. Too bad she can’t come onto this forum where she is being maligned and scorned to defend herself. Did she give permission for her message to be aired?
"Spiritual not religious" I know this subject has probably been beat to death but having just come ...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 1, 2019:
Your definition:
re·li·gion
/rəˈlijən/
noun
1.
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods:
A human is a particular species of organism, homo sapiens. Do you sincerely think that there is no power in the universe greater than that ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 1, 2019:
@lerlo She sounds honest and courageous, also intelligent, and she writes well. I could do worse for a teacher. :-)
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 1, 2019:
Your definition:
re·li·gion
/rəˈlijən/
noun
1.
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods:
A human is a particular species of organism, homo sapiens. Do you sincerely think that there is no power in the universe greater than that ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 1, 2019:
@lerlo She sounds honest and courageous, also intelligent, and she writes well. I could do worse for a teacher. :-)
"Spiritual not religious" I know this subject has probably been beat to death but having just come ...
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 1, 2019:
Your definition:
re·li·gion
/rəˈlijən/
noun
1.
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods:
A human is a particular species of organism, homo sapiens. Do you sincerely think that there is no power in the universe greater than that ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 1, 2019:
@lerlo Nothing wrong with the definition. It’s a great definition. Did you even read what I wrote?
WilliamFleming comments on Aug 1, 2019:
Your definition:
re·li·gion
/rəˈlijən/
noun
1.
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods:
A human is a particular species of organism, homo sapiens. Do you sincerely think that there is no power in the universe greater than that ...
WilliamFleming replies on Aug 1, 2019:
@lerlo Nothing wrong with the definition. It’s a great definition. Did you even read what I wrote?
Religions: Mutualists, commensals or parasites?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@Triphid You say many of the same things I say, especially about being one with nature. You sound almost spiritual. Spirituality is not necessarily about a belief in gods or the supernatural
I already said what I think spirituality is. You must not have read it.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@Triphid You say many of the same things I say, especially about being one with nature. You sound almost spiritual. Spirituality is not necessarily about a belief in gods or the supernatural
I already said what I think spirituality is. You must not have read it.
Is their a reason why ‘toilet’ seems to be a taboo word and replaced by ‘bathroom’ which, ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 31, 2019:
A toilet was actually a dressing table before prudish people adopted the word to mean a room for excreting. It gives new meaning to the phrase “cleaning out one’s drawers”, don’t you think? “Toilet” has a frenchy sound to it that makes it less offensive.
Why is it that some germanic...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@Allamanda So those snooty Normans didn’t want to hear obscene babbling from the low-life underclass.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 31, 2019:
A toilet was actually a dressing table before prudish people adopted the word to mean a room for excreting. It gives new meaning to the phrase “cleaning out one’s drawers”, don’t you think? “Toilet” has a frenchy sound to it that makes it less offensive.
Why is it that some germanic...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@Allamanda So those snooty Normans didn’t want to hear obscene babbling from the low-life underclass.
American Kids Need Reality, Not Religious-Based Education
davknight comments on Jul 31, 2019:
It seems to me that American kids need an hour a day each, in history, geography, social studies, and civics. That would leave an hour a day for mathematics, and an hour of English.
Forget PE. And make them learn cursive writing!
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@Triphid Actually I agree, and that’s what I meant. We need less of the glorified school teams made up of top athletes and more individual lifetime fitness for everyone.
I wanted to be athletic but it’s not in my blood. Walking and biking are things I can do casually. Although very non-athletic I rode a bicycle with camping gear on a 5000 mile tour when I was 65, something those high school jocks of whom I was so jealous could not begin to do at that age.
davknight comments on Jul 31, 2019:
It seems to me that American kids need an hour a day each, in history, geography, social studies, and civics. That would leave an hour a day for mathematics, and an hour of English.
Forget PE. And make them learn cursive writing!
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@Triphid Actually I agree, and that’s what I meant. We need less of the glorified school teams made up of top athletes and more individual lifetime fitness for everyone.
I wanted to be athletic but it’s not in my blood. Walking and biking are things I can do casually. Although very non-athletic I rode a bicycle with camping gear on a 5000 mile tour when I was 65, something those high school jocks of whom I was so jealous could not begin to do at that age.
Religions: Mutualists, commensals or parasites?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@Triphid Sounds great!
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@Triphid Sounds great!
The public debate is dominated by a single problem, climate change, for which there is no solution ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
The earth’s temperature is rising at the rate of 0.13C/decade. At that rate it will be 115 years before that 1.5 degree rise is upon us. No one knows if the 0.13C/decade rate will continue but I doubt if 1.5 degrees would have catastrophic effects—likely it would hardly be noticed. It would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@thinktwice So far I don’t think anyone in Miami has been displaced. Maybe in Venice. If your house is only a few feet above mean high tide flooding during high tides should be expected. That in itself is nothing to fear
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
The earth’s temperature is rising at the rate of 0.13C/decade. At that rate it will be 115 years before that 1.5 degree rise is upon us. No one knows if the 0.13C/decade rate will continue but I doubt if 1.5 degrees would have catastrophic effects—likely it would hardly be noticed. It would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@thinktwice So far I don’t think anyone in Miami has been displaced. Maybe in Venice. If your house is only a few feet above mean high tide flooding during high tides should be expected. That in itself is nothing to fear
The public debate is dominated by a single problem, climate change, for which there is no solution ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
The earth’s temperature is rising at the rate of 0.13C/decade. At that rate it will be 115 years before that 1.5 degree rise is upon us. No one knows if the 0.13C/decade rate will continue but I doubt if 1.5 degrees would have catastrophic effects—likely it would hardly be noticed. It would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@thinktwice https://dailycaller.com/2016/07/10/miami-is-sinking-but-that-doesnt-mean-sea-levels-are-rising/
http://www.drroyspencer.com/2018/05/sea-level-rise-human-portion-is-small/
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
The earth’s temperature is rising at the rate of 0.13C/decade. At that rate it will be 115 years before that 1.5 degree rise is upon us. No one knows if the 0.13C/decade rate will continue but I doubt if 1.5 degrees would have catastrophic effects—likely it would hardly be noticed. It would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@thinktwice https://dailycaller.com/2016/07/10/miami-is-sinking-but-that-doesnt-mean-sea-levels-are-rising/
http://www.drroyspencer.com/2018/05/sea-level-rise-human-portion-is-small/
American Kids Need Reality, Not Religious-Based Education
davknight comments on Jul 31, 2019:
It seems to me that American kids need an hour a day each, in history, geography, social studies, and civics. That would leave an hour a day for mathematics, and an hour of English.
Forget PE. And make them learn cursive writing!
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
In my opinion PE is very important, as important as mathematics science and English. Those other subject need not be taught every term.
davknight comments on Jul 31, 2019:
It seems to me that American kids need an hour a day each, in history, geography, social studies, and civics. That would leave an hour a day for mathematics, and an hour of English.
Forget PE. And make them learn cursive writing!
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
In my opinion PE is very important, as important as mathematics science and English. Those other subject need not be taught every term.
[alternet.
oldFloyd comments on Jul 31, 2019:
I believe that is why Jimmy Carter step down from the Baptist convention.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
The Southern Baptist Convention has adopted some very liberal resolutions and has nothing to do with Christian Nationalism or White supremacy.
oldFloyd comments on Jul 31, 2019:
I believe that is why Jimmy Carter step down from the Baptist convention.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
The Southern Baptist Convention has adopted some very liberal resolutions and has nothing to do with Christian Nationalism or White supremacy.
Religions: Mutualists, commensals or parasites?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@Triphid Yes, you are talking about iron-clad belief in supernatural, magical beings, who supposedly created the world and control our everyday affairs. That is one kind of religion, but that is not spirituality in my mind. To be spiritual is to be deeply aware of the staggering implications of existence and to live in awe, appreciation and reverence.
To turn away from church dogmas is a very courageous and intelligent decision but to live your life in anger toward religion has no effect on religion but it causes you to be unhappy. Cultivate spirituality and you’ll see joy and value in every moment of conscious awareness.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 31, 2019:
@Triphid Yes, you are talking about iron-clad belief in supernatural, magical beings, who supposedly created the world and control our everyday affairs. That is one kind of religion, but that is not spirituality in my mind. To be spiritual is to be deeply aware of the staggering implications of existence and to live in awe, appreciation and reverence.
To turn away from church dogmas is a very courageous and intelligent decision but to live your life in anger toward religion has no effect on religion but it causes you to be unhappy. Cultivate spirituality and you’ll see joy and value in every moment of conscious awareness.
Religions: Mutualists, commensals or parasites?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@Triphid Me too. Count me in with the latter. If anyone tries to impede your drive toward human knowledge, understanding and comprehension, pay them no mind. They have a right to their opinions but they can’t make you listen.
Here’s a quote I thought you might enjoy.
NIELS BOHR (from Wikiquote)
For a parallel to the lesson of atomic theory regarding the limited applicability of such customary idealizations, we must in fact turn to quite other branches of science, such as psychology, or even to that kind of epistemological problems with which already thinkers like Buddha and Lao Tzu have been confronted, when trying to harmonize our position as spectators and actors in the great drama of existence.
* Speech on quantum theory at Celebrazione del Secondo Centenario della Nascita di Luigi Galvani, Bologna, Italy (October 1937)
I go into the Upanishads to ask questions.
* As quoted in God Is Not One : The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World and Why Their Differences Matter (2010), by Stephen Prothero, Ch, 4 : Hinduism : The Way of Devotion, p. 144
*
The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer. But that does not mean that it is not a genuine reality.
Nowadays, the individual seems to be able to choose the spiritual framework of his thoughts and actions quite freely, and this freedom reflects the fact that the boundaries between the various cultures and societies are beginning to become more fluid. But even when an individual tries to attain the greatest possible degree of independence, he will still be swayed by the existing spiritual structures — consciously or unconsciously.
Religion helps to make social life more harmonious; its most important task is to remind us, in the language of pictures and parables, of the wider framework within which our life is set.
Statements of Bohr after the Solvay Conference of 1927, as quoted in Physics and Beyond (1971) by Werner Heisenberg
* I feel very much like Dirac: the idea of a personal God is foreign to me. But we ought to remember that religion uses language in quite a different way from science. The language of religion is more closely related to the language of poetry than to the language of science. True, we are inclined to think that science deals with information about objective facts, and poetry with subjective feelings. Hence we conclude that if religion does indeed deal with objective truths, it ought to adopt the same criteria of truth as science. But I myself find the division of the world into an objective and a subjective side much too arbitrary. The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@Triphid Me too. Count me in with the latter. If anyone tries to impede your drive toward human knowledge, understanding and comprehension, pay them no mind. They have a right to their opinions but they can’t make you listen.
Here’s a quote I thought you might enjoy.
NIELS BOHR (from Wikiquote)
For a parallel to the lesson of atomic theory regarding the limited applicability of such customary idealizations, we must in fact turn to quite other branches of science, such as psychology, or even to that kind of epistemological problems with which already thinkers like Buddha and Lao Tzu have been confronted, when trying to harmonize our position as spectators and actors in the great drama of existence.
* Speech on quantum theory at Celebrazione del Secondo Centenario della Nascita di Luigi Galvani, Bologna, Italy (October 1937)
I go into the Upanishads to ask questions.
* As quoted in God Is Not One : The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World and Why Their Differences Matter (2010), by Stephen Prothero, Ch, 4 : Hinduism : The Way of Devotion, p. 144
*
The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer. But that does not mean that it is not a genuine reality.
Nowadays, the individual seems to be able to choose the spiritual framework of his thoughts and actions quite freely, and this freedom reflects the fact that the boundaries between the various cultures and societies are beginning to become more fluid. But even when an individual tries to attain the greatest possible degree of independence, he will still be swayed by the existing spiritual structures — consciously or unconsciously.
Religion helps to make social life more harmonious; its most important task is to remind us, in the language of pictures and parables, of the wider framework within which our life is set.
Statements of Bohr after the Solvay Conference of 1927, as quoted in Physics and Beyond (1971) by Werner Heisenberg
* I feel very much like Dirac: the idea of a personal God is foreign to me. But we ought to remember that religion uses language in quite a different way from science. The language of religion is more closely related to the language of poetry than to the language of science. True, we are inclined to think that science deals with information about objective facts, and poetry with subjective feelings. Hence we conclude that if religion does indeed deal with objective truths, it ought to adopt the same criteria of truth as science. But I myself find the division of the world into an objective and a subjective side much too arbitrary. The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that...
Motive and the ability to hurt multiple people in less than a minute.
TheoryNumber3 comments on Jul 30, 2019:
How about we redefine the NRA as a terrorist organization so as not to continue to enable these nut cases. You're right. Who cares WHY they did it. Let's take away HOW!
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@TheoryNumber3 With that I agree.
TheoryNumber3 comments on Jul 30, 2019:
How about we redefine the NRA as a terrorist organization so as not to continue to enable these nut cases. You're right. Who cares WHY they did it. Let's take away HOW!
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@TheoryNumber3 With that I agree.
Motive and the ability to hurt multiple people in less than a minute.
TheoryNumber3 comments on Jul 30, 2019:
How about we redefine the NRA as a terrorist organization so as not to continue to enable these nut cases. You're right. Who cares WHY they did it. Let's take away HOW!
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@TheoryNumber3 In allocating resources it is important to think with our intellects rather than with our emotions.
TheoryNumber3 comments on Jul 30, 2019:
How about we redefine the NRA as a terrorist organization so as not to continue to enable these nut cases. You're right. Who cares WHY they did it. Let's take away HOW!
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@TheoryNumber3 In allocating resources it is important to think with our intellects rather than with our emotions.
The origins of religious mysticism
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 30, 2019:
Interesting analysis. Odd isn’t it, that Christianity, coming from the East, has come to be associated with the West, while Hinduism was established mainly by Aryans. The Bhagavad Gita resonates with me deeply while the Bible seems alien, cruel and unsophisticated.
The ancient Indians retained ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@Allamanda Maybe he means that chanting, meditating, etc. give measurably positive results and that the eastern traditions required no belief and are not about belief. Therefore the eastern religions were more “scientific”, even though they were formulated before the advent of science as we know it.
Another factor here is that the school of Hindu thought, Advaita Vedanta was not set forth as a religion, but as philosophy, psychology and metaphysics, addressing the deepest and most profound enigmas of existence. While not science per se as we know it, it represents the highest form of human thought at the time IMO, and in some ways it has not been surpassed.
The Bible, in comparison, is not scientific in the least and does not address the deep mystery of conscious awareness, personal identity, and ultimate reality. To require belief in such an assortment of unbelievable mythology reveals the shallow perspective and lack of awareness of early church leaders and the simplicity of their followers.
What the hell DID you mean Jeff?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 30, 2019:
Interesting analysis. Odd isn’t it, that Christianity, coming from the East, has come to be associated with the West, while Hinduism was established mainly by Aryans. The Bhagavad Gita resonates with me deeply while the Bible seems alien, cruel and unsophisticated.
The ancient Indians retained ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@Allamanda Maybe he means that chanting, meditating, etc. give measurably positive results and that the eastern traditions required no belief and are not about belief. Therefore the eastern religions were more “scientific”, even though they were formulated before the advent of science as we know it.
Another factor here is that the school of Hindu thought, Advaita Vedanta was not set forth as a religion, but as philosophy, psychology and metaphysics, addressing the deepest and most profound enigmas of existence. While not science per se as we know it, it represents the highest form of human thought at the time IMO, and in some ways it has not been surpassed.
The Bible, in comparison, is not scientific in the least and does not address the deep mystery of conscious awareness, personal identity, and ultimate reality. To require belief in such an assortment of unbelievable mythology reveals the shallow perspective and lack of awareness of early church leaders and the simplicity of their followers.
What the hell DID you mean Jeff?
The origins of religious mysticism
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 30, 2019:
Interesting analysis. Odd isn’t it, that Christianity, coming from the East, has come to be associated with the West, while Hinduism was established mainly by Aryans. The Bhagavad Gita resonates with me deeply while the Bible seems alien, cruel and unsophisticated.
The ancient Indians retained ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@Allamanda I am totally confused. What premise are you talking about?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 30, 2019:
Interesting analysis. Odd isn’t it, that Christianity, coming from the East, has come to be associated with the West, while Hinduism was established mainly by Aryans. The Bhagavad Gita resonates with me deeply while the Bible seems alien, cruel and unsophisticated.
The ancient Indians retained ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@Allamanda I am totally confused. What premise are you talking about?
The origins of religious mysticism
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 30, 2019:
Interesting analysis. Odd isn’t it, that Christianity, coming from the East, has come to be associated with the West, while Hinduism was established mainly by Aryans. The Bhagavad Gita resonates with me deeply while the Bible seems alien, cruel and unsophisticated.
The ancient Indians retained ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@Allamanda “The point is prayer and rituals have a biological basis for focusing thoughts which alters probable actions and feelings. No mystic explanations necessary.”
That seems plain to me, and it’s stated in a simple, elegant way much better than my summary.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 30, 2019:
Interesting analysis. Odd isn’t it, that Christianity, coming from the East, has come to be associated with the West, while Hinduism was established mainly by Aryans. The Bhagavad Gita resonates with me deeply while the Bible seems alien, cruel and unsophisticated.
The ancient Indians retained ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@Allamanda “The point is prayer and rituals have a biological basis for focusing thoughts which alters probable actions and feelings. No mystic explanations necessary.”
That seems plain to me, and it’s stated in a simple, elegant way much better than my summary.
Motive and the ability to hurt multiple people in less than a minute.
wordywalt comments on Jul 30, 2019:
I agree. It simply would not happen if assault weapons, all semi-automatic weapons and pistols were not available to the public. That is the compelling, pure and simple fact.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@wordywalt Your answer does not address the questions. It is you who are deflecting.
wordywalt comments on Jul 30, 2019:
I agree. It simply would not happen if assault weapons, all semi-automatic weapons and pistols were not available to the public. That is the compelling, pure and simple fact.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@wordywalt Your answer does not address the questions. It is you who are deflecting.
Motive and the ability to hurt multiple people in less than a minute.
TheoryNumber3 comments on Jul 30, 2019:
How about we redefine the NRA as a terrorist organization so as not to continue to enable these nut cases. You're right. Who cares WHY they did it. Let's take away HOW!
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@TheoryNumber3 That’s 0.003 percent of the US population, statistically equal to zero. If the object is to keep people alive there are many other causes that would be more fruitful.
TheoryNumber3 comments on Jul 30, 2019:
How about we redefine the NRA as a terrorist organization so as not to continue to enable these nut cases. You're right. Who cares WHY they did it. Let's take away HOW!
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@TheoryNumber3 That’s 0.003 percent of the US population, statistically equal to zero. If the object is to keep people alive there are many other causes that would be more fruitful.
Motive and the ability to hurt multiple people in less than a minute.
wordywalt comments on Jul 30, 2019:
I agree. It simply would not happen if assault weapons, all semi-automatic weapons and pistols were not available to the public. That is the compelling, pure and simple fact.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
What about the Boston Marathon bombing? And wouldn’t a Molotov cocktail be even more deadly than a firearm in some cases?
wordywalt comments on Jul 30, 2019:
I agree. It simply would not happen if assault weapons, all semi-automatic weapons and pistols were not available to the public. That is the compelling, pure and simple fact.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
What about the Boston Marathon bombing? And wouldn’t a Molotov cocktail be even more deadly than a firearm in some cases?
Motive and the ability to hurt multiple people in less than a minute.
TheoryNumber3 comments on Jul 30, 2019:
How about we redefine the NRA as a terrorist organization so as not to continue to enable these nut cases. You're right. Who cares WHY they did it. Let's take away HOW!
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
Wouldn’t the murderers simply employ some other method, as did the Boston Marathon bombers? A simple Molotov cocktail thrown in a theater might be more deadly than a firearm.
TheoryNumber3 comments on Jul 30, 2019:
How about we redefine the NRA as a terrorist organization so as not to continue to enable these nut cases. You're right. Who cares WHY they did it. Let's take away HOW!
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
Wouldn’t the murderers simply employ some other method, as did the Boston Marathon bombers? A simple Molotov cocktail thrown in a theater might be more deadly than a firearm.
The public debate is dominated by a single problem, climate change, for which there is no solution ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
The earth’s temperature is rising at the rate of 0.13C/decade. At that rate it will be 115 years before that 1.5 degree rise is upon us. No one knows if the 0.13C/decade rate will continue but I doubt if 1.5 degrees would have catastrophic effects—likely it would hardly be noticed. It would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@jerry99 “Their short-term revisions also barely change their long-term forecast of West Antarctic disintegration. If emissions keep rising, they warn that global sea level could rise by more than 26 feet by 2300."
That’s almost 300 years, plenty of time to adapt. Besides that it’s impossible to predict such a thing with certainty.
http://www.drroyspencer.com/2018/05/sea-level-rise-human-portion-is-small/
Fear comes first and then anger. Without fear there’d be no anger. Without the wallowing in untrue ideas there’d be no fear.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
The earth’s temperature is rising at the rate of 0.13C/decade. At that rate it will be 115 years before that 1.5 degree rise is upon us. No one knows if the 0.13C/decade rate will continue but I doubt if 1.5 degrees would have catastrophic effects—likely it would hardly be noticed. It would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 30, 2019:
@jerry99 “Their short-term revisions also barely change their long-term forecast of West Antarctic disintegration. If emissions keep rising, they warn that global sea level could rise by more than 26 feet by 2300."
That’s almost 300 years, plenty of time to adapt. Besides that it’s impossible to predict such a thing with certainty.
http://www.drroyspencer.com/2018/05/sea-level-rise-human-portion-is-small/
Fear comes first and then anger. Without fear there’d be no anger. Without the wallowing in untrue ideas there’d be no fear.
Religions: Mutualists, commensals or parasites?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@Triphid In order to get it you have to accept the fact that our perception of reality is based on nothing but symbols. Ultimate reality beyond the senses is not understood in terms of our space/time/matter model and any questions framed by that model are meaningless from a cosmic perspective.
That fact is an integral part of science, accepted by physicists since the time of Faraday and Maxwell.
Thanks for a stimulating discussion. My bedtime.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@Triphid In order to get it you have to accept the fact that our perception of reality is based on nothing but symbols. Ultimate reality beyond the senses is not understood in terms of our space/time/matter model and any questions framed by that model are meaningless from a cosmic perspective.
That fact is an integral part of science, accepted by physicists since the time of Faraday and Maxwell.
Thanks for a stimulating discussion. My bedtime.
The public debate is dominated by a single problem, climate change, for which there is no solution ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
The earth’s temperature is rising at the rate of 0.13C/decade. At that rate it will be 115 years before that 1.5 degree rise is upon us. No one knows if the 0.13C/decade rate will continue but I doubt if 1.5 degrees would have catastrophic effects—likely it would hardly be noticed. It would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@jerry99 I guess we see it in different ways. If you want to be afraid that’s your choice—I choose to be calm. Can you name a single person who has been displaced by rising sea levels?
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/01/sea-level-rise-may-not-become-catastrophic-until-after-2100/579478/
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
The earth’s temperature is rising at the rate of 0.13C/decade. At that rate it will be 115 years before that 1.5 degree rise is upon us. No one knows if the 0.13C/decade rate will continue but I doubt if 1.5 degrees would have catastrophic effects—likely it would hardly be noticed. It would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@jerry99 I guess we see it in different ways. If you want to be afraid that’s your choice—I choose to be calm. Can you name a single person who has been displaced by rising sea levels?
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/01/sea-level-rise-may-not-become-catastrophic-until-after-2100/579478/
Religions: Mutualists, commensals or parasites?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@Triphid You are right of course that the concept of Universal Consciousness is speculation only. My point is that there is evidence that points in that direction, evidence that for you, obviously is not conclusive, and that is OK. Each person will have a different reaction. I lean toward the idea.
In the first place, Universal Consciousness is not an object, a “thing” out there somewhere or a human-like entity that grants favors. The idea is that reality is made out of or is integral with consciousness and that we collectively along with everything else ARE that consciousness. This is not something supernatural or magic, rather it is a part of nature that is not clearly understood.
The universe doesn’t give a rat’s ass about a disadvantaged child. Nature is working perfectly—all that matters is the continuum of life. Look at nature with your intellect rather than with your emotions and you’ll see that things are on course.
Max and I can handle just about any question you ask, :-) but it’s not just us. Here’s Edwin Schrodinger:
“Consciousness cannot be accounted for in physical terms. For consciousness is absolutely fundamental. It cannot be accounted for in terms of anything else.”
Study John Wheeler with his participatory anthropic principle, and David Bohm with his implicate order. Especially read about the Conscious Realism of cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman. Roger Penrose also has some new ideas about consciousness.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@Triphid You are right of course that the concept of Universal Consciousness is speculation only. My point is that there is evidence that points in that direction, evidence that for you, obviously is not conclusive, and that is OK. Each person will have a different reaction. I lean toward the idea.
In the first place, Universal Consciousness is not an object, a “thing” out there somewhere or a human-like entity that grants favors. The idea is that reality is made out of or is integral with consciousness and that we collectively along with everything else ARE that consciousness. This is not something supernatural or magic, rather it is a part of nature that is not clearly understood.
The universe doesn’t give a rat’s ass about a disadvantaged child. Nature is working perfectly—all that matters is the continuum of life. Look at nature with your intellect rather than with your emotions and you’ll see that things are on course.
Max and I can handle just about any question you ask, :-) but it’s not just us. Here’s Edwin Schrodinger:
“Consciousness cannot be accounted for in physical terms. For consciousness is absolutely fundamental. It cannot be accounted for in terms of anything else.”
Study John Wheeler with his participatory anthropic principle, and David Bohm with his implicate order. Especially read about the Conscious Realism of cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman. Roger Penrose also has some new ideas about consciousness.
Religions: Mutualists, commensals or parasites?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@Triphid Did I make a claim? What I said is that there is evidence. It is your duty to examine all the available evidence with an open mind. I have no duty to prove a solitary thing and if you are waiting for a proof from me you’ll be waiting a very long time.
There is no proof and this issue is not about belief or disbelief. The spirit of science is to have an open mind.
Max Planck said in 1944, "As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter".
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@Triphid Did I make a claim? What I said is that there is evidence. It is your duty to examine all the available evidence with an open mind. I have no duty to prove a solitary thing and if you are waiting for a proof from me you’ll be waiting a very long time.
There is no proof and this issue is not about belief or disbelief. The spirit of science is to have an open mind.
Max Planck said in 1944, "As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter".
The public debate is dominated by a single problem, climate change, for which there is no solution ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
The earth’s temperature is rising at the rate of 0.13C/decade. At that rate it will be 115 years before that 1.5 degree rise is upon us. No one knows if the 0.13C/decade rate will continue but I doubt if 1.5 degrees would have catastrophic effects—likely it would hardly be noticed. It would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@jerry99 No reasonable person denies that temperatures have been rising. If temperatures are rising it is inevitable that in some years the record will be broken. It is a rather short record however and that is hardly reason for alarm.
Every time there is unusual weather it is blamed on climate change, but actually those weather anomalies have been occurring forever.
I agree that it will be a great day when fossil fuels are no longer needed, but frankly, I am not afraid.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
The earth’s temperature is rising at the rate of 0.13C/decade. At that rate it will be 115 years before that 1.5 degree rise is upon us. No one knows if the 0.13C/decade rate will continue but I doubt if 1.5 degrees would have catastrophic effects—likely it would hardly be noticed. It would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@jerry99 No reasonable person denies that temperatures have been rising. If temperatures are rising it is inevitable that in some years the record will be broken. It is a rather short record however and that is hardly reason for alarm.
Every time there is unusual weather it is blamed on climate change, but actually those weather anomalies have been occurring forever.
I agree that it will be a great day when fossil fuels are no longer needed, but frankly, I am not afraid.
It always fascinates me how religious bigots are easily offended by any criticism levelled at their ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
What fascinates me is that those making the most noise in promoting evolution think that evolution is a simple and easily understood process of mutation and natural selection as was taught in schools.
Undoubtedly life-forms have evolved, but the process is by no means fully understood.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@PontifexMarximus Same thing. Both are bogus.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
What fascinates me is that those making the most noise in promoting evolution think that evolution is a simple and easily understood process of mutation and natural selection as was taught in schools.
Undoubtedly life-forms have evolved, but the process is by no means fully understood.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@PontifexMarximus Same thing. Both are bogus.
It always fascinates me how religious bigots are easily offended by any criticism levelled at their ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
What fascinates me is that those making the most noise in promoting evolution think that evolution is a simple and easily understood process of mutation and natural selection as was taught in schools.
Undoubtedly life-forms have evolved, but the process is by no means fully understood.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@PontifexMarximus So far as I know no scientifically designed survey has been made. However anyone can look at a myriad of online articles and see what I am talking about.
Commonly evolution is only a cover for promoting a personal philosophy of materialism. Anyway very many people get it wrong.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/mar/19/evolution-darwin-natural-selection-genes-wrong
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 29, 2019:
What fascinates me is that those making the most noise in promoting evolution think that evolution is a simple and easily understood process of mutation and natural selection as was taught in schools.
Undoubtedly life-forms have evolved, but the process is by no means fully understood.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@PontifexMarximus So far as I know no scientifically designed survey has been made. However anyone can look at a myriad of online articles and see what I am talking about.
Commonly evolution is only a cover for promoting a personal philosophy of materialism. Anyway very many people get it wrong.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/mar/19/evolution-darwin-natural-selection-genes-wrong
How many atheists do you know and consider them to be a "good" friend?
BestWithoutGods comments on Jul 29, 2019:
Here in the Bible Belt, it's rare to meet a thinking person (atheist). :(
I have three good friends who are atheists, but only one lives here.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@BestWithoutGods Yes, I agree. Some thinking people pay no mind to the myths but they think deeply about the mystery of reality and our place as conscious beings.
BestWithoutGods comments on Jul 29, 2019:
Here in the Bible Belt, it's rare to meet a thinking person (atheist). :(
I have three good friends who are atheists, but only one lives here.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@BestWithoutGods Yes, I agree. Some thinking people pay no mind to the myths but they think deeply about the mystery of reality and our place as conscious beings.
How many atheists do you know and consider them to be a "good" friend?
BestWithoutGods comments on Jul 29, 2019:
Here in the Bible Belt, it's rare to meet a thinking person (atheist). :(
I have three good friends who are atheists, but only one lives here.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
Do you sincerely believe that anyone who is not an atheist is not a thinking person? Is your opinion about religion the only correct one?
Some of the most brilliant and creative people throughout history have not been atheists.
In the South 5% say they are atheists or agnostics while for the country as a whole it’s 7%. Big deal.
https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/#geography
BestWithoutGods comments on Jul 29, 2019:
Here in the Bible Belt, it's rare to meet a thinking person (atheist). :(
I have three good friends who are atheists, but only one lives here.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
Do you sincerely believe that anyone who is not an atheist is not a thinking person? Is your opinion about religion the only correct one?
Some of the most brilliant and creative people throughout history have not been atheists.
In the South 5% say they are atheists or agnostics while for the country as a whole it’s 7%. Big deal.
https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/#geography
Remembering dreams only occurs if you wake immediately after or during a dream.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2019:
I fly all the time in my dreams, sometimes with the help of artificial wings, sometimes in small airplanes. Also sometimes I can jump up to amazing heights. When running I can leap forward and skim along the ground for a hundred feet or so.
Maybe it’s just collective memory from man’s early ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@K9Kohle789 Sometimes I do wonder about that. I think that our waking hours are ephemeral and unreal also, so if that is the case any spirit traveling would be just more of the same illusion.
In my opinion we don’t actually have spirits, rather our bodies are observed and sometimes overseen by Universal Consciousness.Our true and higher SELF is one.
It’s just an intuitive idea.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2019:
I fly all the time in my dreams, sometimes with the help of artificial wings, sometimes in small airplanes. Also sometimes I can jump up to amazing heights. When running I can leap forward and skim along the ground for a hundred feet or so.
Maybe it’s just collective memory from man’s early ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 29, 2019:
@K9Kohle789 Sometimes I do wonder about that. I think that our waking hours are ephemeral and unreal also, so if that is the case any spirit traveling would be just more of the same illusion.
In my opinion we don’t actually have spirits, rather our bodies are observed and sometimes overseen by Universal Consciousness.Our true and higher SELF is one.
It’s just an intuitive idea.
Religions: Mutualists, commensals or parasites?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 28, 2019:
@Triphid That “burden of proof” concept doesn’t hold water. There is no burden of proof. The existence of God can neither be proven nor disproven. Besides that, there’s no such thing as an airtight proof to begin with. The only “burden” if there is one, is for each person to look at the available evidence with an open mind. After doing that they might spontaneously begin to lean one way or the other, or they might remain undecided. “Burden of proof” is a bit of pseudo legal jargon with no real application. You are not sitting on a jury waiting to be persuaded. If you are waiting for proof you’ll sit there ‘til doomsday.
There is all sorts of evidence pointing to the existence of a higher intelligence in the universe, call it what you wish. There’s the fact that anything exists in the first place. There’s the enigma of conscious awareness and personal identity. There’s the unexplained appearance of life with its amazing complexity. There’re the expert opinions of physicists. It is easy to discredit the myths propagated by some religious groups but that does nothing to disprove the existence of God.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 28, 2019:
@Triphid That “burden of proof” concept doesn’t hold water. There is no burden of proof. The existence of God can neither be proven nor disproven. Besides that, there’s no such thing as an airtight proof to begin with. The only “burden” if there is one, is for each person to look at the available evidence with an open mind. After doing that they might spontaneously begin to lean one way or the other, or they might remain undecided. “Burden of proof” is a bit of pseudo legal jargon with no real application. You are not sitting on a jury waiting to be persuaded. If you are waiting for proof you’ll sit there ‘til doomsday.
There is all sorts of evidence pointing to the existence of a higher intelligence in the universe, call it what you wish. There’s the fact that anything exists in the first place. There’s the enigma of conscious awareness and personal identity. There’s the unexplained appearance of life with its amazing complexity. There’re the expert opinions of physicists. It is easy to discredit the myths propagated by some religious groups but that does nothing to disprove the existence of God.
When religion conflicts with science it holds no credibility.
think-beyond comments on Jul 27, 2019:
The problem is not whether there is a God. The problem is what is ascribed to God. Heaven? Certainly not Hell! Jesus? The Bible? Those things have nothing to do with Whatever there is. How we interpret this whole thing is really left to the individual. In the meantime there is life: your life; my ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 27, 2019:
Beautiful response!
think-beyond comments on Jul 27, 2019:
The problem is not whether there is a God. The problem is what is ascribed to God. Heaven? Certainly not Hell! Jesus? The Bible? Those things have nothing to do with Whatever there is. How we interpret this whole thing is really left to the individual. In the meantime there is life: your life; my ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 27, 2019:
Beautiful response!
‘Science does not try to undermine religion – religion is simply irrelevant to science’
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2019:
I like Reville’s assessment.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/science-would-be-well-advised-to-avoid-picking-fights-with-religion-1.3884880?mode=amp
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 27, 2019:
@Emerald I try not to judge the whole group by the actions of a few. There’s a lot of good people who are Christians.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2019:
I like Reville’s assessment.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/science-would-be-well-advised-to-avoid-picking-fights-with-religion-1.3884880?mode=amp
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 27, 2019:
@Emerald I try not to judge the whole group by the actions of a few. There’s a lot of good people who are Christians.
Religions: Mutualists, commensals or parasites?
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 26, 2019:
@Triphid I don’t think so. Religion is a human behavior pattern while humans are organisms. The virus analogy falls way short. It’s like saying that barking is a virus that infects dogs—it makes no sense. It’s like saying that banks are viruses because if people stopped using banks banks would die off. Schools would die off if people stopped going to school. If people stopped saying they were atheists atheism would die out. Therefore atheism is a virus.
The making of vicious attacks on religion by calling them viruses, mental illnesses, etc. is something pretty irrational, offensive and fruitless. Maybe you can explain to me why it is that atheists claim they are merely withholding belief and have no “burden of proof” and then turn around and proselytize and attack those with different opinions.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 24, 2019:
For the virus analogy to hold up you would have to think of the host and the virus as being distinct from each other, like two separate organisms. I’m not sure if that is correct because religion is a behavior pattern exhibited by most societies. They are so enmeshed as to be inseparable.
You ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 26, 2019:
@Triphid I don’t think so. Religion is a human behavior pattern while humans are organisms. The virus analogy falls way short. It’s like saying that barking is a virus that infects dogs—it makes no sense. It’s like saying that banks are viruses because if people stopped using banks banks would die off. Schools would die off if people stopped going to school. If people stopped saying they were atheists atheism would die out. Therefore atheism is a virus.
The making of vicious attacks on religion by calling them viruses, mental illnesses, etc. is something pretty irrational, offensive and fruitless. Maybe you can explain to me why it is that atheists claim they are merely withholding belief and have no “burden of proof” and then turn around and proselytize and attack those with different opinions.
‘Science does not try to undermine religion – religion is simply irrelevant to science’
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2019:
I like Reville’s assessment.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/science-would-be-well-advised-to-avoid-picking-fights-with-religion-1.3884880?mode=amp
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 26, 2019:
@Shouldbefishing Religion is a way of life, conducted by individuals. Many or most religious people embrace science. Science is the pursuit of knowledge about nature, and is conducted by trained scientists. About half of US scientists say they believe in some sort of God concept.
When religious organizations teach unscientific dogmas they are in error. When individuals claim that science can explain the deep unanswerable questions about reality, they are wrong. Otherwise, there need be no conflict between religion and science.
KIP THORNE: (Nobel Prize winning physicist)
"There are large numbers of my finest colleagues who are quite devout and believe in God [...] There is no fundamental incompatibility between science and religion. I happen to not believe in God."[13]
(Wikipedia)
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 26, 2019:
I like Reville’s assessment.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/science-would-be-well-advised-to-avoid-picking-fights-with-religion-1.3884880?mode=amp
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 26, 2019:
@Shouldbefishing Religion is a way of life, conducted by individuals. Many or most religious people embrace science. Science is the pursuit of knowledge about nature, and is conducted by trained scientists. About half of US scientists say they believe in some sort of God concept.
When religious organizations teach unscientific dogmas they are in error. When individuals claim that science can explain the deep unanswerable questions about reality, they are wrong. Otherwise, there need be no conflict between religion and science.
KIP THORNE: (Nobel Prize winning physicist)
"There are large numbers of my finest colleagues who are quite devout and believe in God [...] There is no fundamental incompatibility between science and religion. I happen to not believe in God."[13]
(Wikipedia)
The Great Reckoning
From a vantage point in the not-too-distant future Andrew J.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 25, 2019:
“...and their tool the main stream media as collaborators in an agenda of perception management and false narratives engaged towards keeping us entrapped in a failing capitalist system to benefit the ruling class of the Westernized world.”
I think your campaign is based on a false narrative ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 25, 2019:
@dare2dream Staying flat sounds good enough to me. Enough is enough—there’s no reason for more and more consumer goods.
I favor state capitalism. It would be hard to implement.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 25, 2019:
“...and their tool the main stream media as collaborators in an agenda of perception management and false narratives engaged towards keeping us entrapped in a failing capitalist system to benefit the ruling class of the Westernized world.”
I think your campaign is based on a false narrative ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 25, 2019:
@dare2dream Staying flat sounds good enough to me. Enough is enough—there’s no reason for more and more consumer goods.
I favor state capitalism. It would be hard to implement.
The Great Reckoning
From a vantage point in the not-too-distant future Andrew J.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 25, 2019:
“...and their tool the main stream media as collaborators in an agenda of perception management and false narratives engaged towards keeping us entrapped in a failing capitalist system to benefit the ruling class of the Westernized world.”
I think your campaign is based on a false narrative ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 25, 2019:
@dare2dream It doesn’t matter what wages are or how much money rich people have. All that matters is what goods and services people can afford, and that is at an all-time high in world history. People who want to smash “capitalism” are deluded and are treading on thin ice.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 25, 2019:
“...and their tool the main stream media as collaborators in an agenda of perception management and false narratives engaged towards keeping us entrapped in a failing capitalist system to benefit the ruling class of the Westernized world.”
I think your campaign is based on a false narrative ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 25, 2019:
@dare2dream It doesn’t matter what wages are or how much money rich people have. All that matters is what goods and services people can afford, and that is at an all-time high in world history. People who want to smash “capitalism” are deluded and are treading on thin ice.
Generally, as perhaps too often said before, I'm a broad church skeptic, and have little interest in...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 25, 2019:
There are various kinds of religions and some of them really are very beneficial IMO. All religions must serve some purpose or other to their members or they wouldn’t exist.
Good point about the snobbery. I do not agree with the doctrines of traditional Christianity, and I do feel a bit ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 25, 2019:
@Fernapple Whew! I was very worried and scared. :-)
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 25, 2019:
There are various kinds of religions and some of them really are very beneficial IMO. All religions must serve some purpose or other to their members or they wouldn’t exist.
Good point about the snobbery. I do not agree with the doctrines of traditional Christianity, and I do feel a bit ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 25, 2019:
@Fernapple Whew! I was very worried and scared. :-)
I started a retail job in the inner city a couple of months ago.
bobwjr comments on Jul 25, 2019:
You live in the bible belt to be expected religion runs their lives and thoughts
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 25, 2019:
Too broad a brush.
bobwjr comments on Jul 25, 2019:
You live in the bible belt to be expected religion runs their lives and thoughts
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 25, 2019:
Too broad a brush.
The god of the gaps will never die, so long as personal subjectivity prevails.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
Anyone alive is living with the mysterious. Whether or not they are facing mystery.depends on their honesty and courage.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 24, 2019:
@Triphid To me our relationship with reality feels very positive—extremely positive in fact. While we don’t really know anything except superficially, we do possess conscious awareness, a gem of infinite value. The implications of our awareness are absolutely staggering—existence is a grand miracle beyond compare. We should logically be celebrating every second with reverence, joy and glee. Yes, we are in darkness, but it is a dazzling darkness of the utmost promise.
And the scientific and technological knowledge that we have amassed, while superficial is still something deserving of pride and joy as well as practical application. That kind of knowledge is great and beyond the horizon lies something a thousand times greater.
In the book “Reality is not What it Seems” by physicist Carlo Rovelli, one learns that time does not exist. Time is an illusion needed by our limited minds to organize sensory input. And particles of matter are events, interactions between covariant quantum fields. Space is not the smooth infinite expanse of our imagination but it is composed of a finite number of granules.
It is clear to me that no one knows the meaning of the existence concept. If you are thinking of that in negative terms, think some more.
KL2HK
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
Anyone alive is living with the mysterious. Whether or not they are facing mystery.depends on their honesty and courage.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 24, 2019:
@Triphid To me our relationship with reality feels very positive—extremely positive in fact. While we don’t really know anything except superficially, we do possess conscious awareness, a gem of infinite value. The implications of our awareness are absolutely staggering—existence is a grand miracle beyond compare. We should logically be celebrating every second with reverence, joy and glee. Yes, we are in darkness, but it is a dazzling darkness of the utmost promise.
And the scientific and technological knowledge that we have amassed, while superficial is still something deserving of pride and joy as well as practical application. That kind of knowledge is great and beyond the horizon lies something a thousand times greater.
In the book “Reality is not What it Seems” by physicist Carlo Rovelli, one learns that time does not exist. Time is an illusion needed by our limited minds to organize sensory input. And particles of matter are events, interactions between covariant quantum fields. Space is not the smooth infinite expanse of our imagination but it is composed of a finite number of granules.
It is clear to me that no one knows the meaning of the existence concept. If you are thinking of that in negative terms, think some more.
KL2HK
The god of the gaps will never die, so long as personal subjectivity prevails.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
Anyone alive is living with the mysterious. Whether or not they are facing mystery.depends on their honesty and courage.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 23, 2019:
@AtheistReader @Triphid @AnneWimsey:
Our perception of reality is symbolic only, based on our artificial model of matter moving through space and time. Behind this illusory perception is ultimate reality which we can not perceive directly or understand. This is not some woo woo idea. It is established science and has been since the time of Faraday and Maxwell. A few glimmers of the reality beyond our senses might be had by physicists and modeled by mathematical equations,
From a cosmic perspective our questions about existence are meaningless. According to quantum gravity theory there’s no such thing as time, particles of matter are events rather than things, and space is not the smooth infinite expanse that we imagine.
Clearly we don’t even know what existence is—the concept might have no meaning. All of our experience and knowledge depends on conscious awareness which is a profound mystery. We don’t know what we ourselves are.
Whatever understanding we have is limited in scope and superficial.
“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind." Albert Einstein
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
Anyone alive is living with the mysterious. Whether or not they are facing mystery.depends on their honesty and courage.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 23, 2019:
@AtheistReader @Triphid @AnneWimsey:
Our perception of reality is symbolic only, based on our artificial model of matter moving through space and time. Behind this illusory perception is ultimate reality which we can not perceive directly or understand. This is not some woo woo idea. It is established science and has been since the time of Faraday and Maxwell. A few glimmers of the reality beyond our senses might be had by physicists and modeled by mathematical equations,
From a cosmic perspective our questions about existence are meaningless. According to quantum gravity theory there’s no such thing as time, particles of matter are events rather than things, and space is not the smooth infinite expanse that we imagine.
Clearly we don’t even know what existence is—the concept might have no meaning. All of our experience and knowledge depends on conscious awareness which is a profound mystery. We don’t know what we ourselves are.
Whatever understanding we have is limited in scope and superficial.
“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind." Albert Einstein
Last call finds us all
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 23, 2019:
@callmedubious I said “tend to be”. Of course not all war veterans are conservatives.
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 23, 2019:
@callmedubious I said “tend to be”. Of course not all war veterans are conservatives.
Last call finds us all
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 23, 2019:
@callmedubious Fixed it—thanks.
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 23, 2019:
@callmedubious Fixed it—thanks.
The god of the gaps will never die, so long as personal subjectivity prevails.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
Anyone alive is living with the mysterious. Whether or not they are facing mystery.depends on their honesty and courage.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 23, 2019:
@AnneWimsey Hey, if you read my bio you’ll see that I attend Unity.
No one has answers to those deep questions. All we can hope for is awareness, not answers or understanding.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
Anyone alive is living with the mysterious. Whether or not they are facing mystery.depends on their honesty and courage.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 23, 2019:
@AnneWimsey Hey, if you read my bio you’ll see that I attend Unity.
No one has answers to those deep questions. All we can hope for is awareness, not answers or understanding.
Last call finds us all
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Deiter I am what I am, neither too old nor too young. I don’t care if some of my words are out of fashion as long as I’m understood. For example, I would not have said “rosebud”. For me it’s “spring chicken”.
You might be stereotyping, or maybe not. I’m nothing like your father. I voted for Obama and I support him to this day, even though I disagreed with some of his policies. I have both liberal and conservative values and nowadays I vote libertarian whenever possible. I’ll never vote for D.T.
Although garbage is not the politest word to use, I am very disgusted with the national news media because from my perspective they are mistaken about a lot of things, and they seem to be trying to create discord, constantly trying to divide our country by fostering grievances pertaining to race, religion, section of the country, economic status, etc. As an Alabamian I have spent most of my life reading and hearing reports about my state that were untruthful or exaggerated. Helpful support and criticism is one thing but a continuous campaign of stereotyping, demonization and scapegoating fall into a different category.
True liberalism is a great thing. I love Obama, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, etc. because they exhibit actual liberal characteristics. True liberals extend respect and love to all, and they seek middle ground. We all have both liberal and conservative values IMO.
Thanks for giving me a chance to vent. It’s about bedtime for this old guy.
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Deiter I am what I am, neither too old nor too young. I don’t care if some of my words are out of fashion as long as I’m understood. For example, I would not have said “rosebud”. For me it’s “spring chicken”.
You might be stereotyping, or maybe not. I’m nothing like your father. I voted for Obama and I support him to this day, even though I disagreed with some of his policies. I have both liberal and conservative values and nowadays I vote libertarian whenever possible. I’ll never vote for D.T.
Although garbage is not the politest word to use, I am very disgusted with the national news media because from my perspective they are mistaken about a lot of things, and they seem to be trying to create discord, constantly trying to divide our country by fostering grievances pertaining to race, religion, section of the country, economic status, etc. As an Alabamian I have spent most of my life reading and hearing reports about my state that were untruthful or exaggerated. Helpful support and criticism is one thing but a continuous campaign of stereotyping, demonization and scapegoating fall into a different category.
True liberalism is a great thing. I love Obama, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, etc. because they exhibit actual liberal characteristics. True liberals extend respect and love to all, and they seek middle ground. We all have both liberal and conservative values IMO.
Thanks for giving me a chance to vent. It’s about bedtime for this old guy.
Did you believe in ghosts ?
Fernapple comments on Jul 22, 2019:
No, but I do believe in spirits, I am in regular communication with Jack Daniels and Johny Walker.
( And if you think that is just a joke, then I have to point out that these things share the same name, because these primitive beliefs go back so far into the past, that they really do come from a ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Jnei uh, you are rather a long way off for that. What makes you want to live so far away, off beyond the waters?
Fernapple comments on Jul 22, 2019:
No, but I do believe in spirits, I am in regular communication with Jack Daniels and Johny Walker.
( And if you think that is just a joke, then I have to point out that these things share the same name, because these primitive beliefs go back so far into the past, that they really do come from a ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Jnei uh, you are rather a long way off for that. What makes you want to live so far away, off beyond the waters?
Last call finds us all
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Deiter You seem to have been totally indoctrinated by the hateful slanted garbage put out by the news media.
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Deiter You seem to have been totally indoctrinated by the hateful slanted garbage put out by the news media.
Last call finds us all
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Deiter Ha, you aren’t all that young yourself. Besides that, there are many, many young people who lean toward conservatism. Conservatism is not some mental disorder brought on by age.
If you think that your political opinions are the only correct ones then you are the one who is close-minded. Many people call themselves “liberals” but have no liberal characteristics.
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Deiter Ha, you aren’t all that young yourself. Besides that, there are many, many young people who lean toward conservatism. Conservatism is not some mental disorder brought on by age.
If you think that your political opinions are the only correct ones then you are the one who is close-minded. Many people call themselves “liberals” but have no liberal characteristics.
Last call finds us all
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@SaucyCheryl I disagree. :-) We will never see eye to eye on EVERYTHING.
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@SaucyCheryl I disagree. :-) We will never see eye to eye on EVERYTHING.
Did you believe in ghosts ?
Fernapple comments on Jul 22, 2019:
No, but I do believe in spirits, I am in regular communication with Jack Daniels and Johny Walker.
( And if you think that is just a joke, then I have to point out that these things share the same name, because these primitive beliefs go back so far into the past, that they really do come from a ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Jnei Oops, goes to show that I don’t know much about liquors. Thanks for your correction.
Fernapple comments on Jul 22, 2019:
No, but I do believe in spirits, I am in regular communication with Jack Daniels and Johny Walker.
( And if you think that is just a joke, then I have to point out that these things share the same name, because these primitive beliefs go back so far into the past, that they really do come from a ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Jnei Oops, goes to show that I don’t know much about liquors. Thanks for your correction.
Last call finds us all
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@SaucyCheryl Baloney!
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@SaucyCheryl Baloney!
Last call finds us all
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@rogueflyer That definition does not preclude open-mindedness. Open-mindedness might be having an open mind to keeping things as they are. Almost everyone wants to preserve some things—many things actually. I’m sure you want to preserve our right to vote, to free speech, etc.
Life has taught many of us not to feel sorry for others. You might view that as callous, but it is actually rational and beneficial. To be effective a person has to allocate resources and energy in an unemotional way. We learn to accept pain and loss as an investment in a greater good.
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@rogueflyer That definition does not preclude open-mindedness. Open-mindedness might be having an open mind to keeping things as they are. Almost everyone wants to preserve some things—many things actually. I’m sure you want to preserve our right to vote, to free speech, etc.
Life has taught many of us not to feel sorry for others. You might view that as callous, but it is actually rational and beneficial. To be effective a person has to allocate resources and energy in an unemotional way. We learn to accept pain and loss as an investment in a greater good.
The god of the gaps will never die, so long as personal subjectivity prevails.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
Anyone alive is living with the mysterious. Whether or not they are facing mystery.depends on their honesty and courage.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Triphid That’s not the kind of limitation I mean. There is a built-in, fundamental limit to what humans can comprehend with our rational methods. Reality is not the way it seems, and unless there are basic changes in science there will be deep questions that can not be answered. Whoever thinks they fully understand the world is wearing a blindfold.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
Anyone alive is living with the mysterious. Whether or not they are facing mystery.depends on their honesty and courage.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Triphid That’s not the kind of limitation I mean. There is a built-in, fundamental limit to what humans can comprehend with our rational methods. Reality is not the way it seems, and unless there are basic changes in science there will be deep questions that can not be answered. Whoever thinks they fully understand the world is wearing a blindfold.
Last call finds us all
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@SaucyCheryl I looked at your first link and find it insightful and unbiased. Of COURSE there’s a difference in the way we think, and one way is not right while the other is wrong. We need both.
"People embrace political conservatism (at least in part) because it serves to reduce fear, anxiety, and uncertainty; to avoid change, disruption, and ambiguity; and to explain, order, and justify inequality among groups and individuals,"
Yep, and I see that as a very powerful tool. Nothing wrong there. There’s nothing desirable about anarchy and chaos. One reason that war veterans tend to be conservative is that they were forced to learn how to make hard decisions, to act for the overall good even if some people get hurt. Medical doctors are the same.
We can have different opinions and still have mutual respect and friendship, aye?
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@SaucyCheryl I looked at your first link and find it insightful and unbiased. Of COURSE there’s a difference in the way we think, and one way is not right while the other is wrong. We need both.
"People embrace political conservatism (at least in part) because it serves to reduce fear, anxiety, and uncertainty; to avoid change, disruption, and ambiguity; and to explain, order, and justify inequality among groups and individuals,"
Yep, and I see that as a very powerful tool. Nothing wrong there. There’s nothing desirable about anarchy and chaos. One reason that war veterans tend to be conservative is that they were forced to learn how to make hard decisions, to act for the overall good even if some people get hurt. Medical doctors are the same.
We can have different opinions and still have mutual respect and friendship, aye?
Last call finds us all
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
Ha, the author seems to suggest that conservatives are close-minded, and it’s because we old folks have lost some of our faculties and need structure. The author looks awfully young in his picture.
I disagree that conservatives are more close-minded. Conservatives, both young and old, have a broader perspective, seeing value where others see only evil. Conservatives are practical and can prioritize while others push blindly ahead in pursuit of partisan causes.
There are a lot of close-minded “liberals” out there and many of them are quite young. Maybe they’ll grow up.
SaucyCheryl comments on Jul 22, 2019:
I wholeheartedly agree with this article.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mr-personality/201410/why-are-older-people-more-conservative
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
Ha, the author seems to suggest that conservatives are close-minded, and it’s because we old folks have lost some of our faculties and need structure. The author looks awfully young in his picture.
I disagree that conservatives are more close-minded. Conservatives, both young and old, have a broader perspective, seeing value where others see only evil. Conservatives are practical and can prioritize while others push blindly ahead in pursuit of partisan causes.
There are a lot of close-minded “liberals” out there and many of them are quite young. Maybe they’ll grow up.
The god of the gaps will never die, so long as personal subjectivity prevails.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
“God of the gaps” is a ridiculous concept invented by atheists in their never-ending quest to disparage the religious. Religion does not attempt to explain reality. Religion is about awareness, appreciation and reverence.
If atheism is simply the withholding of belief and there is no ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@AtheistReader, @Cherie4444 Anyone can write stuff down whether it makes sense or not, or whether it is just imagination. To write down that God created the world explains absolutely nothing about reality. If some church group wants to latch on to biblical myths and claim that they are literally true, that is their right, but that is not the true spirit of religion. That’s my opinion anyway.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
“God of the gaps” is a ridiculous concept invented by atheists in their never-ending quest to disparage the religious. Religion does not attempt to explain reality. Religion is about awareness, appreciation and reverence.
If atheism is simply the withholding of belief and there is no ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@AtheistReader, @Cherie4444 Anyone can write stuff down whether it makes sense or not, or whether it is just imagination. To write down that God created the world explains absolutely nothing about reality. If some church group wants to latch on to biblical myths and claim that they are literally true, that is their right, but that is not the true spirit of religion. That’s my opinion anyway.
The god of the gaps will never die, so long as personal subjectivity prevails.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
“God of the gaps” is a ridiculous concept invented by atheists in their never-ending quest to disparage the religious. Religion does not attempt to explain reality. Religion is about awareness, appreciation and reverence.
If atheism is simply the withholding of belief and there is no ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@AtheistReader Sure, anyone can be deeply aware and have appreciation and reverence. Church groups are nothing but shells. People with the spirit of religion are deeply aware and reverent whether they say they are religious or not.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
“God of the gaps” is a ridiculous concept invented by atheists in their never-ending quest to disparage the religious. Religion does not attempt to explain reality. Religion is about awareness, appreciation and reverence.
If atheism is simply the withholding of belief and there is no ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@AtheistReader Sure, anyone can be deeply aware and have appreciation and reverence. Church groups are nothing but shells. People with the spirit of religion are deeply aware and reverent whether they say they are religious or not.
The god of the gaps will never die, so long as personal subjectivity prevails.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
Anyone alive is living with the mysterious. Whether or not they are facing mystery.depends on their honesty and courage.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@AtheistReader Yes, Mystery is the unknown. Many people prop themselves up with the notion that they know and understood reality, but no one really does except superficially. Science is great but it is very limited.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
Anyone alive is living with the mysterious. Whether or not they are facing mystery.depends on their honesty and courage.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@AtheistReader Yes, Mystery is the unknown. Many people prop themselves up with the notion that they know and understood reality, but no one really does except superficially. Science is great but it is very limited.
Secular Churches Rethink Their Sales Pitch - The Atlantic
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
If I were younger and forced to live in a city I’d join a soccer club, a bicycle club, and some sort of philosophical discussion group. Taking college courses can be very rewarding and provides social contact. I think that to mean much social contact has to be incidental to the main interest.
...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@PBuck0145 Maybe not. Muslims are a minority world-wide. Besides, the overwhelming majority of Muslims are peace-loving and tolerant. IMO we should not judge one fourth of the world’s population based on the actions of a few radicals.
I am more afraid of the Antifa and radical atheistic anarchists.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 22, 2019:
If I were younger and forced to live in a city I’d join a soccer club, a bicycle club, and some sort of philosophical discussion group. Taking college courses can be very rewarding and provides social contact. I think that to mean much social contact has to be incidental to the main interest.
...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@PBuck0145 Maybe not. Muslims are a minority world-wide. Besides, the overwhelming majority of Muslims are peace-loving and tolerant. IMO we should not judge one fourth of the world’s population based on the actions of a few radicals.
I am more afraid of the Antifa and radical atheistic anarchists.
Did you believe in ghosts ?
Fernapple comments on Jul 22, 2019:
No, but I do believe in spirits, I am in regular communication with Jack Daniels and Johny Walker.
( And if you think that is just a joke, then I have to point out that these things share the same name, because these primitive beliefs go back so far into the past, that they really do come from a ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
Thanks for your patronage of American products. :-)
Fernapple comments on Jul 22, 2019:
No, but I do believe in spirits, I am in regular communication with Jack Daniels and Johny Walker.
( And if you think that is just a joke, then I have to point out that these things share the same name, because these primitive beliefs go back so far into the past, that they really do come from a ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
Thanks for your patronage of American products. :-)
Open Letter: To my Trump-supporting family. - My Daughter's Army
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
It’s that falling sky mentality whipped up by the news media. Boring stuff.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Mofo1953 From Wikipedia:
“...under Obama the Department of Homeland Security built family detention centers in Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Texas.[32][33][34] Unaccompanied children were kept in holding cells, separated by age and gender while appropriate placements were found.[35][36]”
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
It’s that falling sky mentality whipped up by the news media. Boring stuff.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Mofo1953 From Wikipedia:
“...under Obama the Department of Homeland Security built family detention centers in Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Texas.[32][33][34] Unaccompanied children were kept in holding cells, separated by age and gender while appropriate placements were found.[35][36]”
Open Letter: To my Trump-supporting family. - My Daughter's Army
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
It’s that falling sky mentality whipped up by the news media. Boring stuff.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Mofo1953 I didn’t vote for Trump and he’s not my idol. He is however the president, legally elected, and I support the American people and respect their choice.
My response was not even directed to you.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
It’s that falling sky mentality whipped up by the news media. Boring stuff.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 22, 2019:
@Mofo1953 I didn’t vote for Trump and he’s not my idol. He is however the president, legally elected, and I support the American people and respect their choice.
My response was not even directed to you.
Open Letter: To my Trump-supporting family. - My Daughter's Army
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
It’s that falling sky mentality whipped up by the news media. Boring stuff.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@Mofo1953, @OpposingOpposum So you are saying that I have an amazing amount of entitlement and callousness and that I am a narcissist.
Wow! Harsh. Your personal attack is a perfect example of the filth being flung by the left, replete with an air of moral and intellectual superiority, and it is the attitude that is likely to get Trump re-elected, because the American public is not as stupid as you believe.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
It’s that falling sky mentality whipped up by the news media. Boring stuff.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@Mofo1953, @OpposingOpposum So you are saying that I have an amazing amount of entitlement and callousness and that I am a narcissist.
Wow! Harsh. Your personal attack is a perfect example of the filth being flung by the left, replete with an air of moral and intellectual superiority, and it is the attitude that is likely to get Trump re-elected, because the American public is not as stupid as you believe.
Open Letter: To my Trump-supporting family. - My Daughter's Army
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
It’s that falling sky mentality whipped up by the news media. Boring stuff.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@OpposingOpposum, @Mofo1953 That is exactly what GW Bush said to justify his destruction of Iraq.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
It’s that falling sky mentality whipped up by the news media. Boring stuff.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@OpposingOpposum, @Mofo1953 That is exactly what GW Bush said to justify his destruction of Iraq.
Open Letter: To my Trump-supporting family. - My Daughter's Army
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
It’s that falling sky mentality whipped up by the news media. Boring stuff.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@OpposingOpposum Where was all this angst during the Obama years when the very same policies were in effect? It’s political propaganda pure and simple.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/reason.com/2019/06/27/actually-joe-biden-and-the-obama-administration-deported-more-people-than-trump/%3ffbclid=IwAR2M8qvsfzY8YsvxE2jLxvUtEWa1Gm7c9JwCZoeP3BdG2T66iKgjBAgTqYM
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
It’s that falling sky mentality whipped up by the news media. Boring stuff.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@OpposingOpposum Where was all this angst during the Obama years when the very same policies were in effect? It’s political propaganda pure and simple.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/reason.com/2019/06/27/actually-joe-biden-and-the-obama-administration-deported-more-people-than-trump/%3ffbclid=IwAR2M8qvsfzY8YsvxE2jLxvUtEWa1Gm7c9JwCZoeP3BdG2T66iKgjBAgTqYM
Open Letter: To my Trump-supporting family. - My Daughter's Army
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
It’s that falling sky mentality whipped up by the news media. Boring stuff.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@OpposingOpposum Trump is the devil. Life on earth is over. We are going to have a civil war, etc. etc.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
It’s that falling sky mentality whipped up by the news media. Boring stuff.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@OpposingOpposum Trump is the devil. Life on earth is over. We are going to have a civil war, etc. etc.
Religion has been credited with creating trust in our prehistoric human societies, eventually ...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
I doubt if the prehistoric tribes knew they were doing religion, and I’m not sure if what we call religion had much to do with morality. Wolf packs have morality and as far as I know they are not religious. I think the tribal elders had more to say about what behavior was acceptable than the ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@Spongebob Prior to agriculture human groups were very small, perhaps as small as a wolf pack, and that would be for nearly all of our time on earth.
Maybe Harari has it wrong. In “Gilgamesh”, said to be the world’s oldest book, religion plays a role but not like you are describing as far as I can see anyway.
Thanks for your post.
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 21, 2019:
I doubt if the prehistoric tribes knew they were doing religion, and I’m not sure if what we call religion had much to do with morality. Wolf packs have morality and as far as I know they are not religious. I think the tribal elders had more to say about what behavior was acceptable than the ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@Spongebob Prior to agriculture human groups were very small, perhaps as small as a wolf pack, and that would be for nearly all of our time on earth.
Maybe Harari has it wrong. In “Gilgamesh”, said to be the world’s oldest book, religion plays a role but not like you are describing as far as I can see anyway.
Thanks for your post.
When did I start to hate summer?
Jnei comments on Jul 21, 2019:
I detest summer. I hate the heat, I hate the humidity, I hate the flies, I hate people going on about how great it is and I hate sweaty men walking around in public with no shirts (I really don't care if you work out every day, I still don't want to see your nipples and armpits when I'm doing my ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@Jnei How are they different than hands? Those same hairy guys that have hairy feet have hairy hands but you have gotten used to seeing their hands. Marry one of’em and you’ll see lots of hair.
:-)
Jnei comments on Jul 21, 2019:
I detest summer. I hate the heat, I hate the humidity, I hate the flies, I hate people going on about how great it is and I hate sweaty men walking around in public with no shirts (I really don't care if you work out every day, I still don't want to see your nipples and armpits when I'm doing my ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@Jnei How are they different than hands? Those same hairy guys that have hairy feet have hairy hands but you have gotten used to seeing their hands. Marry one of’em and you’ll see lots of hair.
:-)
God is great only when you're dumb...
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2019:
Depends on your concept of God.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@SukantoSirkar You have not explained what consciousness is or how it works. Your description is circular. No one alive knows.
http://consc.net/papers/facing.html
https://bigthink.com/the-universe-may-be-conscious-prominent-scientists-state.amp.html
You are mixing together bodily sentience and deep conscious awareness. They are different. A robot can be made sentient by giving it detectors for seeing, hearing, etc. A robot can be switched off or disassembled and it loses its sentience, just as does an organic body. A robot however does not, can not, and probably will never have deep conscious awareness, no matter how many switches are turned on and off. Conscious awareness can not be defined or measured—it can only be experienced.
Here are some opinions from some of the greatest scientists who ever lived:
Max Planck said in 1944, "As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter".
"Nobel Prize–winning physicist Eugene Wigner says that “the very study of the external world led to the scientific conclusion that the content of the consciousness is an ultimate reality.”" from "Mind to Matter: The Astonishing Science of How Your Brain Creates Material Reality" by Dawson Church, Dr. Joe Dispenza
Edwin Schrodinger:
“Consciousness cannot be accounted for in physical terms. For consciousness is absolutely fundamental. It cannot be accounted for in terms of anything else”.
Sir Arthur Eddington:
“The universe is of the nature of a thought or sensation in a universal Mind... To put the conclusion crudely — the stuff of the world is mind-stuff.
“We are no longer tempted to condemn the spiritual aspects of our nature as illusory because of their lack of concreteness.
“The scientific answer is relevant so far as concerns the sense-impressions... For the rest the human spirit must turn to the unseen world to which it itself belongs.”
WilliamFleming comments on Jul 19, 2019:
Depends on your concept of God.
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@SukantoSirkar You have not explained what consciousness is or how it works. Your description is circular. No one alive knows.
http://consc.net/papers/facing.html
https://bigthink.com/the-universe-may-be-conscious-prominent-scientists-state.amp.html
You are mixing together bodily sentience and deep conscious awareness. They are different. A robot can be made sentient by giving it detectors for seeing, hearing, etc. A robot can be switched off or disassembled and it loses its sentience, just as does an organic body. A robot however does not, can not, and probably will never have deep conscious awareness, no matter how many switches are turned on and off. Conscious awareness can not be defined or measured—it can only be experienced.
Here are some opinions from some of the greatest scientists who ever lived:
Max Planck said in 1944, "As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together. We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind. This mind is the matrix of all matter".
"Nobel Prize–winning physicist Eugene Wigner says that “the very study of the external world led to the scientific conclusion that the content of the consciousness is an ultimate reality.”" from "Mind to Matter: The Astonishing Science of How Your Brain Creates Material Reality" by Dawson Church, Dr. Joe Dispenza
Edwin Schrodinger:
“Consciousness cannot be accounted for in physical terms. For consciousness is absolutely fundamental. It cannot be accounted for in terms of anything else”.
Sir Arthur Eddington:
“The universe is of the nature of a thought or sensation in a universal Mind... To put the conclusion crudely — the stuff of the world is mind-stuff.
“We are no longer tempted to condemn the spiritual aspects of our nature as illusory because of their lack of concreteness.
“The scientific answer is relevant so far as concerns the sense-impressions... For the rest the human spirit must turn to the unseen world to which it itself belongs.”
When did I start to hate summer?
Jnei comments on Jul 21, 2019:
I detest summer. I hate the heat, I hate the humidity, I hate the flies, I hate people going on about how great it is and I hate sweaty men walking around in public with no shirts (I really don't care if you work out every day, I still don't want to see your nipples and armpits when I'm doing my ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@Jnei Beauty or ugliness is in the eyes of the beholder. Why is hair on our feet worse than hair on our heads?
Actually I can’t remember ever seeing a really hairy foot.
Jnei comments on Jul 21, 2019:
I detest summer. I hate the heat, I hate the humidity, I hate the flies, I hate people going on about how great it is and I hate sweaty men walking around in public with no shirts (I really don't care if you work out every day, I still don't want to see your nipples and armpits when I'm doing my ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
@Jnei Beauty or ugliness is in the eyes of the beholder. Why is hair on our feet worse than hair on our heads?
Actually I can’t remember ever seeing a really hairy foot.
When did I start to hate summer?
Jnei comments on Jul 21, 2019:
I detest summer. I hate the heat, I hate the humidity, I hate the flies, I hate people going on about how great it is and I hate sweaty men walking around in public with no shirts (I really don't care if you work out every day, I still don't want to see your nipples and armpits when I'm doing my ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
Ha, funny.
We guys get treated to the sight of the bare legs of fat women. Quite a spectacle!
Jnei comments on Jul 21, 2019:
I detest summer. I hate the heat, I hate the humidity, I hate the flies, I hate people going on about how great it is and I hate sweaty men walking around in public with no shirts (I really don't care if you work out every day, I still don't want to see your nipples and armpits when I'm doing my ...
WilliamFleming replies on Jul 21, 2019:
Ha, funny.
We guys get treated to the sight of the bare legs of fat women. Quite a spectacle!
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