Always use "so's your face" and "only on Tuesdays" in as many conversations possible
the best smiles are the ones you lead to
Written by: Andrealee
Sethis, why is only the big picture important?
Written by: Neon Shaolin
'I don't care if the world is going to , I'll be dead by then...
Written by: Stone
Sethis you can make a difference by involving other people in your eco-friendly and green life. Get other people involved, start a community project. Simple!
Written by: FireTom
IMHO to accept reality, the status quo AS the ultimate good, as perfection and to act according to the present and to those circumstances without any attempt to "improve" anything, might be a very interesting concept (certainly not a new one) don't you think?
Written by: ickleMatt
Awareness is not assuredness; be suspicous of those who are so sure that they have 'the truth' for they will be willing to step on many to maintain their version of the truth.
After much consideration, I find that the view is worth the asphyxiation.
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I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"
jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley
"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"
jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley
Always use "so's your face" and "only on Tuesdays" in as many conversations possible
"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"
jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley
Always use "so's your face" and "only on Tuesdays" in as many conversations possible
"God *was* my co-pilot, but then we crashed, and I had to eat him..."
Written by:
why is only the big picture important?
Written by:
In a world of 6 billion (or more by now, something like 6.2) then the difference between one person (me) and 10 (the maximum number of people I might get to have a sustained interest in living an eco-friendly life) is somewhat academic. It still won't make a difference.
Written by:
whatever we say is just rhetoric, and as we talk about it and say what we think nothing is achieved.
Written by:
Regarding your choice of doing what you want to do and helping to make the world a better place. This is a false choice
Written by:
Real progress (forget technology) is the development of a mass consciousness that new forms of government and companies are possible. It isn't optimistism making me say this it is a realisation that this is the destiny of human kind
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.
Nietzsche
the best smiles are the ones you lead to
Written by: FireTom
My point is: Striving and aiming at something illusionary is causing suffering. I am certain that even the Dalai Lama is suffering from pathologically becoming "a better person". I am certain that Jesus did NOT regard himself a saint and that Buddha had strong doubts when he died.
We are comparing ourselves with wo/men who we regard as the "ultimate good" and are making attempts to follow their footsteps, in order to BECOME someone - instead of realising who we actually already ARE. This is a ratrace, as is every other.
To stop, sit back, relax and to open the eyes and see...
To see what is actually really there, right in front of you...
To recognise who is in front of you and to behave in the appropriate manner - not to aim for anything, just because it's what is necessary...
To enjoy doing just THIS - I am certain that this is as much difference as the world needs right now.
Written by: FireTom
It's a merry go round and will never end - therefore continue the cycle of "Samsara".
Written by: FireTom
Progress - in whatever direction and motive - has been the cause of great suffering in the past and present. It's the focus on some illusionary goal under which collateral damage is justified and even necessary...
Written by: Dream
Written by: mjk............etc
whatever we say is just rhetoric, and as we talk about it and say what we think nothing is achieved
"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"
jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley
"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"
jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley
Written by:
Written by:
'Regarding your choice of doing what you want to do and helping to make the world a better place. This is a false choice'
For most people this isn't the case. Risking arrest on actions which bring no personal benefit is not what many people would choose to do with their time.
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Your right and therefore they don't, however plenty of people do - so the protests continue. What was your point again?
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" I flew to India to work do some work on human rights, flying is one of the worst things you can do for the environment - should I not fly and therefore not help to promote human rights in India? Life is full of hard decisions.
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many people would rather go to events like Falmouth and Play even if it means getting in a car than staying at home because its better for the environment."
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i'm not neccissarily adovcating inaction, just suggesting that its no more or less harmful than action.
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if everyone was as inactive and passive as me there would be much less trouble in the world
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things do happen on a macro level, which then affect large scale things. But, there is no guidance or collective goal so while some people may work for positive change on one thing, other people might work for positive change which negatively affects the other groups positive change, so all these groups competing to get their own ideals, at the same time as making their views better, make other views worse.
i think its wrong to just look at all the good change and say 'glad it happened' without seeing that THAT good change affected other potential good change.
This is why small scale things are so ineffective on a grand scale, they perpetuate the small scale by undercutting other small scale groups. so while you may think that they do make change on a grand scale i question how effective that change is, its just one small groups ideas getting popular, which is no different to a politican creating 'change'.
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.
Nietzsche
Written by: dream
it displays an alarming tendency to divorce yourself from reality in order to justify your apathy
Written by: dream
Written by: mjkBut they aren't. So being passive and inactive simply means you have no voice in the changes that occur around you. The desire to let other people rule for you is one of the central tenets of fascist philosophy
if everyone was as inactive and passive as me there would be much less trouble in the world
Written by: dream
Please could you rewrite this with some clarity and examples as to what you are talking about... try to avoid terms like big/small micro/macro good/bad without giving us a context in which to understand them.
Written by: icklematt
Have you ever thought that maybe you are super priviledged to be able to be as inactive as you say you are. What about those who are oppressed in the world? Do you advocate that they should be more inactive?
"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"
jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley
Written by: Mr Majestik
yes, i conceed that i am priviledged to be able to be inactive. yet that very inactivinty causes me great troubles, sometimes i just wish i had something to do so i wouldnt think about my inactivity. but there in lies the REAL problem, that being "why?".
Written by: dreamWritten by: mjk
i'm not neccissarily adovcating inaction, just suggesting that its no more or less harmful than action.
I suppose you could possibly argue this on the basis that inaction from Hitler, Pol Pot etc would have been less harmful than action... However it displays an alarming tendency to divorce yourself from reality in order to justify your apathy.
"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"
jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley
"God *was* my co-pilot, but then we crashed, and I had to eat him..."
Written by: andrealee
How to measure it? Why would you want to measure it? But if you did, I am not really sure how to approach that. I'll think on it...
"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"
jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley
Written by:
Regarding your choice of doing what you want to do and helping to make the world a better place. This is a false choice
Written by:
your statement doesn't hold true for the vast majority of people
Written by:
What I'm saying is that it CAN hold true
Written by:
I won't let this go cause I think its important
Written by:
Can YOU not grasp that there are as many ways to work for a better world as there are people in the world
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.
Nietzsche
Written by: icklematt
If you stop and observe your thoughts, see how they flow independent from the self. Stand back from your thoughts and see how they change according to things happening in your life. See anger rise up and watch it flow away again. Do not become anger just see it and watch it go. This is the beginning of awareness. Through this you will begin to be aware of the impact of thoughts on yourself and others.
Written by: icklematt
Therefore the more aware you become the more you know you are making the 'right' judgment. (This is a crude way of putting it because in awareness right and wrong disappear and you cease to make judgements. But more about that later, if you want)
"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"
jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley
"God *was* my co-pilot, but then we crashed, and I had to eat him..."
Written by:
Personally I have the highest respect for the Dalai Lama, but whilst others ("normal"/ ordinary people) would forgive themselves for getting upset and loose their temper, he would clearly critisize himself for the same.
If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh
Written by: SethisWritten by: dream
your Manichaean methodology suffers taxonomical difficulties
And in English this means...?
As far as I'm aware, I think the world has reached "Critical Mass" with regard to what could have been done to save it. Too many polluters, too many people valuing short term over long term gains. Blame it on whatever you want (the advancement of technology and the rise of capitalism are two of my favourites) but I don't think it's possible to salvage this planet in time to prevent it's destruction.
Governments (the only people with real power to change anything) are doing nothing. About the only thing that could save us would be an instant and dedicated change WORLDWIDE to renewable energy sources i.e. if there was an immediate policy to provide every single building with a wind turbine and a few solar panels each and abolish the national grid or equivalent.
Maybe also a move to make recycling the default, rather than the "Green option". It should be mandatory and normal to put your waste into 3 different bins, and not the exception.
Burying rubbish solves nothing, let's not have any more of that "Landfill" sillyness, eh?
But it won't happen. It would cost too much, and people are too lazy. They don't care that the world is going to hell in a handbasket so long as their own little corner is quiet and peaceful. All this hype about terrorism, and bird flu, and other piddling little stuff. It doesn't matter. Inside about 100 years it's all going to be academic, because we're going to have real problems surviving as a species.
Enjoy the planet while you can. Help your kids enjoy the planet while they can. Go see some beautiful lands, and some stunning life. The world is still beautiful (for the moment) and it's my plan to see what I can of it before I die, hopefully I'll be able to show some of my kids it.
(On a side note, tigers will probably not exist when I have kids. Think about that. There will be no tigers left in the world. They will be myth. A note in a biologist's handbook. Quite apart from upsetting Calvin, I can't imagine a world without the familiar stripes... The same goes for a number of other species. The world is dissolving at the seams, and we're going to watch it on TV)
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