Monday, 16. April 2007, 00:39:15
philosophy, ethics
I read this is a book. Would you like to comment on it?
Quote:
A snide remark gains you nothing, yet costs you much. A selfish act
brings no lasting value, yet attracts the enduring resentment of others.
A kind word, on the other hand, costs you nothing. And it can bring
about a lifetime of value.
What if, just once each day, you were to stop yourself before making a
cruel remark and replace it with a sincere word of encouragement? Such a
thing would cost you absolutely nothing, and yet it would bring real,
positive value to your life and your world.
Cruelty is a waste of precious time and energy. Kindness is an
investment which pays endless dividends.
If you desire a life of value, then do the things which bring true value,
as often as you can. Fill your moments with kindness, and fill your world
with value.
Read more...
Tuesday, 3. October 2006, 08:16:08
ethics, Illusion, Learn English, Miracle
...
What would your personal Heaven be like? 
Interesting question! 
First, set the environment to a natural green and colorful place with a mild range of temperatures and weather, surrounded be various interesting and challenging environments with exciting and dangerous aspects.
Inhabit the location with people and wildlife that are peaceful, varied and interesting. Inhabit nearby locations with other kinds of interesting and possibly dangerous people and wildlife.
Provide activities involving both mental and physical effort. Include various animal and vegetable lifeforms which are edible and nutritious. Perhaps some effort would be needed to obtain these and prepare them in gourmet styles.
Enable 'Out of Body' travel to any time or place that can be imagined with the possibility to temporarily inhabit the mind and body of the human beings who reside there, or enable the creation of a new body to inhabit if that is the norm for a particular environment.
Provide others people with whom close loving relationships can exist. Link the 'Out of Body' flight paths so that these 'soul mates' can visit interesting places together and enjoy challenging and emotional experiences together.
Provide 'Out of Body Flight Manuals and Brochures' before and during 'OoB' adventures that give some clues about how to behave in the chosen environments. These could be found be looking for media upon arrival with names such as 'Bible,' 'Koran.' 'Pearl of Great Price,' 'Book of Mormon,' 'Talmud,' 'Tales of Solomon,' or for the more adventurous 'OoB' traveler, 'Star Wars,' 'The Roman Empire,' 'History of the Ages,' 'A Clockwork Orange,' 'The Time Machine,' or 'War of the Worlds,' etc. etc.
Enable internal 'Self Homing' abilities which will help to focus the 'OoB' back to the true meaning of life, if the 'OoB' traveler gets too involved with the adventure and forgets who, what, and where he really is. Use common names such as 'Prayer,' 'Meditation,' and 'Wisdom,' so that the stresses inherent in any adventure can be relieved when necessary.
Provide a warm and loving return lounge which is very brightly lit so that it can easily be found by returning 'OoB' travelers. Include announcements for all friends and family of the return of an 'OoB' traveler so that they may go to meet them upon arrival. This will reduce the shock of transitioning back to the true reality after experiencing whatever adventure they have been through. Place some reminders of this 'Return Lounge' in several areas of each adventure locality with names such as 'The Light at the End of the Tunnel,' or simply 'The Bright Light.'
Allow the creation of 'Special Interest Groups' for those who are interested in developing skills in particular areas such as music, mathematics, communications and languages, transportation systems, education, scientific invention, or the like so that personal interests and abilities can be shared both in Heaven, and when group members wish to engage in a group outing via 'Group Out of Body Fairs.'
Enable 'Eternal Life' but provide the ability to change the outward appearance of each person so that they can try on sexual and physical attributes before venturing out on an 'OoB' adventure.
;-D Obviously this has nothing to do with the real Heaven and any similarities to the real Heaven are purely coincidental. No infringement of copyright should be presumed by the copyright owner should He happen to read this! 
The End? 
Saturday, 17. June 2006, 12:02:05
ESL, Learn English, ethics, New Zealand
Have you thought about
New Zealand?Start the Kiwi's sound and then open the link.
audio4.1.ram 
New Zealand
New Zealand has a jungle dwelling penguin!
Saturday, 17. June 2006, 10:33:35
adventure, childhood, emotions, ethics
...
Consider the bonsai. Such disfigurement on the altar of beauty. Yet the bonsai lives on and can even bear blossoms and fruit.
No matter what melancholy and misery you have suffered thorough your life, your life is not over, it is still growing. So, use your wonderful powers of concentration to trim away the thoughts that are painful, the feelings of melancholy, and the scars left by your misery. Trim away the thoughts that are holding you back from becoming the wonder that is your future self.
Did your teacher ask you to write a metaphor: "What would you do if you were young again?" If so, I'm sure it was thought provoking and gave you many ideas. You would do many things differently!
You are now at the beginning of the rest of your life. Now is the time to do things differently and change the person who you will be, into the person whom you should be. You know you can do it. But perhaps you endeavor to reach true romanticism (the exultation of feeling above intellect, or of hope above knowledge), suffering your pain and loneliness forever and maybe writing romantic poetry.
I believe in your intellect. Do you? You can raise yourself higher than you can imagine, if you apply yourself and let loose your fetters.
( Fetters are iron rings placed around the ankle to which chains are attached.)
Don't chain yourself! There are plenty of others who wish to do that already. Don't join them!
Sunday, 23. April 2006, 23:50:52
friends, emotions, philosophy, ethics
I wrote such a long reply to pilchbo that I decided to post it:
Hello
Long time to reply, sorry.
I just thought a little grumpiness was creeping in to your blog and thought I would re-direct your wasted energy. 
The signature I put on many of my letters and replies is "Miracles happen every day! Pay attention!"
You say that God lives within us. I must believe that you mean that this includes the " vehement, in-your-face, Newt-Gingrich-styled Republican" that is fueling some grumpiness on your part. Hmmm. I would guess that you are seeing this relationship as adversarial, when in fact it is cooperative. You and he are building some sort of miracle together if you can just relax and let your love guide your actions. Perhaps he needs something from you. Perhaps you need something from him. Perhaps you both need the same thing and your interaction is the attempt to bring it to fruition. The first rule applies here: Don't be afraid. If indeed God is working through the two of you to create this miracle then why not let the love light burn and let the miracle begin. I certainly don't know what the motivation is that is bringing you two into interaction. But no matter what it is, if you approach the interaction from the light of love rather than with anger or some other negative position, the experience will be in the direction that the miracle needs in order to come to fulfillment.
Pay attention to the reality of the moment. Find a way to accept the inner worth of someone who seems bent on driving you to a negative state. Ask yourself some questions during interactions with this person:
1. When will I see the path that leads to the miracle?
2. How long will it take ME to understand what needs to be said to this person to enable the miracle?
3. Can I pay attention to this person well enough to understand the real meaning in this moment?
4. What is the best outcome that can happen as a result of this interaction?
Love is a powerful force within us. But it is only through our interactions with others that the light of love can create miracles. Don't think that you can do it by yourself. Pay attention to those around you, and watch for the one who is there to create a miracle with you! Let your love shine out of your face to the other person and let the miracle begin!
Wednesday, 1. February 2006, 15:50:04
philosophy, ethics, friends
As I've Matured...
I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is
love them anyway, and live with missing them.
I've learned that one good turn makes two people happy.
I've learned that no matter how much I care,
people follow their own path.
I've learned that it is better to trust someone,
and don't worry that they will take advantage.
I've learned that whatever happens, it was someone's choice,
even if it wasn't mine.
I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to others -
everyone's soul has its own lessons to learn.
I've learned that depression is merely loneliness without hope.
A loving friend can rescue you.
I've learned that it is what is in your heart;
not what is in your words that matters.
I've learned that you can keep loving
long after you think you're finished.
I've learned to not worry about the things I can't control,
and not try to control everything I care about.
I've learned that good memories are better than bad memories,
and I try to keep the good ones in my heart.
I've learned age is no hindrance to my ability to love.
I've learned that I don't have to suffer for my mistakes,
I learn from them, and go on from there.
I've learned that our dreams can create our world,
IF love powers it all.
I've learned that intelligence comes in many forms,
and not all of them can be trained in school.
I've learned that your kids need more commitment than your spouse.
I've learned that there is a huge difference between genius and insanity.
Genius is 99% hard work. Insanity is as easy as child's play.
I've learned that the people you care most about in life
are not necessarily the ones who you 'should' care about.
I have found that people should have more faith in their dreams,
and less faith in their fears.'nuf said?
from 'Miracles Happen Every Day! - Pay Attention!'
by J. Miner.
Tuesday, 13. December 2005, 10:44:04
ethics, republic, politics as usual
Joni Mitchell, in her song "Chinese Cafe / Unchained Melody" sings about short sighted businessmen.
She is lamenting the acts of those who pave over little parks and rip off Indain land. But I was thinking that it is not short sightedness that is the problem, it is the social equation that we use that gives power to those with money.
I think society should be based on an equation that scholars have named a 'Republic.' It is complicated and goes something like this, written by the US War Department, November 30,1928, talking about government.
"Autocracy declares the divine right of kings; its authority can not be questioned; its powers are arbitrarily or unjustly administered. Democracy is the direct rule of the people and has been repeatedly tried without success. Our Constitutional fathers, familiar with the strength and weakness of both autocracy and democracy, with fixed principles definitely in mind, defined a representative republican form of government. They made a very marked distinction between a republic and a democracy and said repeatedly and emphatically that they had founded a republic."
The reason a republic works is that power is rooted in the people, focused and reflected through representatives, into laws, which then govern the people, in the best interests of the people as perceived by the people and interpreted by the representatives, who can be replaced in a peaceful way by the common people when the interpretations of the representative fail to work. A republic fails when the representative no longer represent the people, but instead are guided by something else. Being guided by philosophical ideal is the business of something scholars have named "ethics." Being guided by something else has many names, but one I am concerned with is called by ordinary people as well as scholars, "greed." The lowest common denominator of greed is called money, but the effect is interpreted by this writer as power which is misplaced.
A representative is given power from the people when he is elected to his post. When his power is deflected away from the best wishes of the people by greed, he is no longer being guided by a philosophical ideal. He is being guided by - in this example - greed. This behavior falls under the classification "unethical."
The result of unethical behavior is the failure of the republic. When a republic fails, it is usually replaced with a form of government that is even less responsive to the best wishes of the common people.
The lament, Miss Mitchell, is not about businessmen who are only being selfishly pragmatic. If advertising gets them what they want, they advertise. If bribery gets them what they want, they bribe. Businessmen don't want to bribe. Bribes are not tax deductible, and come right out of profits. They only use bribery because the person in power allows his use of power to be bribed.
The lament should be about the loss of the ethical behavior of the representatives of the republic, representatives who change the laws to allow the construction of another mall at the expense of a little park, to allow drilling for oil in all the wrong places, to allow continued degredation of the environment in general, and who, in general, believe that they know what is best for the common people, without asking them directly.
A republic will fail when the power of the representatives is no longer a reflection of the will of the people. But isn't a businessman a citizen too? Of course! But instead of one vote, he is voting with thousands of dollars, focused on just the one representative who has the power to help the business. A representative is only human. The only thing that can enable him to refuse the money from, and the obligations to the businessman is ethics. If all the representatives have become unethical politicians, then the republic has failed. It has changed into another form of government.
There is even a name for it: "rotocracy: government by those who control rotten boroughs." It would be funny if it weren't so sad.
There are no musicians singing in praise of our beloved rotocracy. On the contrary. The lyrics of Black Eyed Peas in Where is the Love? clearly link terror and murder with our rotocracy: "Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism but we still got terrorists here livin' In the USA, the big CIA, the Bloods and the Crips and the KKK.
Obviousely, if the singers equate the CIA to the KKK and street gangs, then they do not feel the they are being represented in the government of the USA. If the common people don't feel like they live in a republic, THEN THEY DON'T!
In the movie "Judge Dredd," the failure of the republic results in rotten boroughs where, within the walls separating society from the world ravaged by pollution, anarchy and chaos reign. In the movie, Dredd, played by Sylvester Stallone, is able, after much action and adventure, to save himself, but he is unable to save the republic. He can not lead them back toward a republic. He can only go back out into the mean streets where he says, in his wonderful snarl: "I Am the Law!"
All together now! (To the tune of 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone?')
Where have all the ethics gone? Long time passing. Where have all the ethics gone, long time ago?
Where have all the ethics gone? Gone to Money, every one. When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
WIDGETIZE