But Bob…
Nick’s philosophy was clearly drawn out by himself:
Nick goes on and on and on and on and on in one thread after another:
Nick said himself:
Nick,
Go have a cookie. Better yet, go to the store today and buy a mirror.
Your words are empty Nick because your actions do not match them.
A
This is absolute nonsense. And coming from a moderator too.
Why can’t Nick express his opinion freely? He is not being offensive, merely stating his opinion that someone else’s view is a load of rubbish.
They are not “empty words”. Merely words that you have difficulty accepting. And it’s a bit rich to claim that Nick only wishes to “show his rightness and distain for others who do not agree with [him]”, since that’s pretty much what everyone does here.
This is another example of attempted censorship just because some people here can’t stand having an adult discussion without getting an ego massage at the same time.
Knowing is the key to life, and eternal life at that. And yes, that “knowledge” applies to you as much as it applies to me…
John 17:3
Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Bessy
At least I try to say something substantial. I don’t go on and on with some sugary hypocrisy to try and appear cute.
For once in your life try and think for yourself rather than follow popularity. You may find it rewarding. You may even learn something about music you never knew existed.
A
They most certainly do. If someone like myself starts to speak of the human condition as described by Plato and Buddha, it has been said long ago and rightfully so, that it would be severely ridiculed as happening now. This is proving the point.
It is a necessary but unpleasant thing to do otherwise religious philosophy has no meaning that separates it from secular humanism.
A little while ago there was a major exhibit of Russian art at the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan. A work by a talented ancestor of mine was included and flown in from Russia with other priceless works of art.
I went to visit it several times and on my last visit two Sufi Muslims noticed my intent interest and began talking to me since they said they admired the artist and asked my interest. I told them of my esoteric interests and how I find them in the painting and the fact that I was related. We became friendly. I joined them for lunch in the Museum Cafe. Even though I know quite a bit about esoteric ideas, these men were much more knowledgeable and I had quite a learning experience. I remarked that outside people professing to be Christian and Muslim are killing one another and we speak together in awe of something far greater than ourselves. They just smiled and said it is life…What is important is that we talk.
What saddens me is that the respect of conversation we had would be impossible here in the tone that has been established.
Acquiring the wrath of the “Great Beast” is to be expected when professing common sense. Simone recognized it with this powerful quip after being fired from a teaching position for marching with the workers:
Often this happens. The Great Beast becomes caught up with the problems of today so some of the real ideas scorned in the past start to leak out and become recognized by a minority.
Nothing I’ve ever said denies the importance of what I’ve always maintained as the importance of coming to grips with the human condition in the world and in ourselves. It is the beginning point of the essence of all the great traditions. Without that, spiritual philosophy becomes meaningless other than for consolation and self justification.
It is much better in my eyes to be obnoxiously dismissed than approved with sugar coating for writing “wonderful” thoughts. At least for me it has meaning and related to something real.
Actions speak louder than words Nick.
A
Stay out of what? Some meaningless little thread on eastern philosophy that will go over the same ground again and again while eveyone pats each other on the back marveling at your combined depth of insight.
You guys have elevated navel gazing to an art form and somehow think that there is something of “depth” here. Don’t make me laugh. These threads have nothing to do with spirituality. They are an intellectual game where everyone tries to outdo the other by talking in ever increasing circles of logic. They are not deep or meaningful and any depth you see in them is simply an illusion. You think I’m out of my depth, while I think the water is so shallow there is no need to swim.
2 Timothy 4
3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
Ned, it’s not the content of the thread that is out of your depth son. It’s the nature of the relationships.
A
Hi Ned
Thanks for the support. I’m glad you see it. At least this is only an Internet board but in real life people have been killed from this attempted censorship, Take it as a learning experience. It just goes to vivify for me my extraordinary experience with the two Sufi Muslims. They were completely above this sort of thing and yet if they were noticed on the street for some reason, they could easily just be blindly attacked by the “right” people for being part of the "wrong"ones.
I wonder if you realize that calling me “son” is an attempt to claim denegrate my position and claim superiority. Not quite the dispassionate stance of a good moderator. If you try this on a more fragile soul like Tentative, it may be taken as an abusive comment.
Tentative is twice my age, I could never refer to him as son but I will call him a grumpy old man.
I apologise though for calling you son, I was under the impression that you were half my age.
A
Brother Ned, Comrade, I see that now.
I know what people want, they want “freedom” more then they want sustainability.
Wouldn’t you prefer a socialism where people did things for the whole instead of doing things for themself? I think that you would. The problem is that people who want humanity to have a future more then wanting pleasure/freedom for themselves, these kinds of people are rare.
Right now it’s all about luxury, that’s what “life” is about right now and it’s a damned shame!
Oh well.
Take care, brother Ned.
I am so tiered of disunity and class struggle, but it is inherint within capitolism…
You have no idea how old I am so I doubt that your statement is correct. But your apology is accepted. However, I do think you need to work on your objectivity as a moderator around here.
The issue of censorship comes up again and again. Not just when people are abusive, but also when people simply say stuff that other people don’t like. Any forum like this should be careful not to place higher value on the ramblings of some people, over the ramblings of others. But I’ve seen it happen here time and time again. If someone doesn’t value the Tao, their views are usually not welcome and we get little jibes from people like Tentative telling us to get out of the thread. This is not a good sign if you are aiming to have free and open discussion. On the other hand if your plan is to generate 100 million backslapping threads on the Tao, then by all means keep going in the same direction. Sermon over.
Yeah, eat the rich, comrade!
Socialism is almost a biblical concept. You should read about the year of jubilee in the old testament. Possession are not owned, they are borrowed from God and have to be returned every 50 years. Would that we could practice it today in the old USA!
Just wondering…what denies us wisdom?
A
You may think it is out of Ned’s depth but perhaps it is really out of yours. You do not want to see that some take the love of wisdom seriously. Consider this quote from your sig:
If this were posted over the door entering a cancer ward, do you think it would be appropriate? I don’t think so. The treatments and concerns inside are not just play time. They are serious concerns about what it all means. There is a time for play but a time to come to grips with “meaning.” You do not appear to appreciate how meaningful discussion can help in dealing with the reality of the human condition. If you did, you would never post such a sentence.
Yes Nick.
A
Hi Nick,
Why not? Don’t you appreciate the good that a more lighthearted approach can have - even in the saddness of terminal illness? Having nursed people with terminal cancer, I can tell you that a playful attitude and humour does a lot to relieve tensions that can otherwise become unbearable.
Shalom
Hi Leda
Sleep. This same sleep that is referred to in the ancient traditions. It is this same sleep that doesn’t allow us to see the madness of the human condition. As was once said and I forget by who: “The fact that war exists is proof of our stupidity.”
Wisdom for us is putting madness into a higher perspective. Sleep denies us the drive to experience meaning at the level of wisdom… In this way we deny a natural hunger in favor of expressions of imagination helping us to mask it. it takes real courage to become open to reality and only a few will have it to try to live wisdom as the “Pearl of great Worth.” It seems so much easier to just go with the flow.
Hi Bob
But you left out the sentence following:
I am not insinuating at all that people have to be depressing. Heck, I do shows in cancer hospitals to lighten things up. But a sign on the door speaks of first importance. There are times when no one is around and all the natural concerns begin to enter that a person should not be told that the meaning of life and death is to play nice depriving them of participating in something genuine that by definition is not play but allowing “meaning” to enter…