Karl

The opposite. The worst violence has been perpetrated against people when free speech was denied. Essentially freedom is denied. Anyway I've wasted far to much time giving oxygen to this subject.

Prejudice like calling anyone that disagrees with you 'small minded people' you mean ? ;-) Would you accept someone calling you 'psychologically disturbed' ? Isn't that precisely what you would describe as discrimination ? It's ok for you to be offensive, but no one else. This has been my point all along, that we all make judgements and that's fine unless it's abusive. (Forum rules applying of course). That seems like hypocrisy to me. It's dead easy to get obsessed with minority behaviour, when it's really the person that should be judged. Let's be open minded, remain judgemental, but not abusive.

"Among the recently introduced anti-LGBT legislation is a pair of bills in Nevada that would allow individuals and businesses to use religion to challenge or opt out of laws, including laws that protect LGBT people from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. Similar legislation was also recently introduced in Montana and is still pending in Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, Texas and elsewhere." There should never have been any laws forcing individuals and businesses to accept LGBT. It's there that there is a problem, but you won't see it. It is a right for a private person to discriminate against anyone they care to discriminate against. This need be nothing more than a refusal of a job application, or a refusal to serve. Completely different to public sector/government housing, employment etc which is the state enacting discrimation when it has a monopoly. In that case the state should be forced to accept anyone as long as they are suitable in terms of skills. However, we have had this discussion before so I don't expect you will change your mind.

Were you the inspiration behind Principle PC on South Park ?

Not just modern times Junko-wet nurses were very common prior to the invention of baby formula.

Perhaps he didn't quite frame it because it's one of those things where you know there's a con but you can't quite figure out what or how. However it was clear to me that his intention was to root out the cheerleaders. Of course if you are a cheerleader you aren't going to be best pleased you just got your collar felt. Causing offence/or feeling offended does not affect anyone's rights. Initiating physical force either directly, or by proxy certainly does. Progressives fall into the latter group. Their aim is not to liberate but to enslave.

It's really none of our business BES. I think if people want their genitals altered and can find a surgeon to carry out the work then it has diddly squat to do with me. I think it might be more of a problem with males wanting to pretend to be full females-interestingly that it is the feminista that really get objectionable when the subject of transvestites using women's facilities rears its head. What I do object to is companies and individuals being forced to accept transvestites-or anyone else-by law. That is a use of violence perpetrated by one group against another and that is intolerable.

The 'progressives hobby' is how I read it. This isn't about someone's preferences, but about the people using it to bash peaceful, moderate people over the head, to bludgeon them into accepting any kind of thing without daring to object. It's trying to force an issue that most people don't really care less about and make it into a bowling ball to get their shouty, preachy little voices heard. They want to get the Government to dance to their tune and the rest of us better shut our mouths and get with the program. It doesn't matter if it's gender, gays, global warming or any other non threat-you can always find a progressive with their silly little placards screaming and spitting like a psychopaths. Yet no one can be allowed to dispute, offer an argument or an opinion without been accused of bigotry, racism, micro-aggression, personal offence, oppression, shame, Nazism, or trespassing on their 'safe spaces'. They take an inch and another inch until they can finally get their way and install full on communism.

It does if he's the kiwi husband I know ;-) Women are just better at raising children, men are better at cars, sheds and beer. We definitely make far better Dads than Mothers. Its in our genes- and if it isn't it our genes it jolly well should be.

Part 9 the perceptual level as a given. Chronologically there are two stages of sensory awareness. The first being pure sensation as we experience when we are babies. These sensations are irreducible state of awareness caused by stimulus of the sense organs. Over time we integrate the sensations of thousands of sensation of thousands of encounters with entities until we put them together to form an indivisible whole. Rand defines perception 'is a group of sensations automatically retained and integrated in the brain of a living organism, which gives it the ability to be aware, not of a single stimuli, but of entities, of things". The important philosophic point is that 'direct experience' means the perceptual level of consciousness. Beyond the infant stage of life, leaving aside conceptual knowledge, is our awareness of entities. Starting from perceptual fact we formed a conceptual vocabulary. We cannot re-experience the state of the infant, we can only conclude that the world in which we found ourselves would have been chaotic. That chaos isn't given to us as adults. It is a much more sophisticated inference from what is given:the perceptual level. Chronologically sensation precedes perception and perception conception, but epistemologically the perceptual level comes first. There are philosophers such as Hulme who deny the perceptual level, giving the sensation stage epistemological primacy. These men seek to determine whether the fact of entities can be established by inference from it. It would appear to be a dead end as nothing can be inferred from disintegrated sensations. It would be the chaos experienced by the infant and without the perceptual mid section there could be no kind of conception. It would be like pink noise inferring music and that music inferring a specific composer. It is the perceptual level that must be regarded as the given. We must have music before we can identify the type and composer. That doesn't mean that the perceived entities are metaphysical primaries-that is a problem for science-it means the grasp of entities is a metaphysical primary. The integration of sensations into precepts is automatic-just like the production of blood cells-philosophy has no claim here as that is the realm of the neuro scientist. There can be no advice where man is powerless to choose his course of behaviour. Where a more complex kind of integration from precepts to concepts, then volition is a part and philosophy has a lot to say in that area.

I know one.

I used the word 'awakening' because that's how it is commonly referred. The 'one with everything empathy' is how it seemed. You must remember I've been at this spiritual lark for quite a few years so you do pick up the lingo. This is only an internal experience of course. The world hasn't changed even if our view of it seems different. The senses still perceive what they always perceived but we develop a greater awareness of what we are perceiving. We are more aware of the world around us and how we are interacting with it. It is an introspection of how one feels and how everyone else feels which makes for vastly increased empathy. Why this occurs I don't know. Perhaps it's just the result of age changes in our hormone/synaptic/chemical balance. We still can't figure out migraine, Alzheimer's so perhaps the neuro biologist will get around to explaining it. We get all kinds of neurological changes at puberty as well as physical-it's a time we are acutely aware of, as are our parents-but we are living longer than we once did and no one is all that concerned about further neurological change unless it's directly related to neurosis or disease.

Reading can be fun, I read that.

Not officially since 1995 although I wouldn't disagree. I tend to think animals move which applies to bacteria.

And less bigotry aimed at people who wish to express their opinions within the rules of the forum.

My NLP training kicks in when you say that. Often discovered that those with time 'on their side' or 'put things to the side' either worked, or their parents worked in some occupation where time was important. Often this was in industry. Those that put things behind them were in the professions, farmers, gardeners or some occupation where time was less critical.

Yes, the same experience and more than once. I call it awakening for lack of knowing what else to call it. It's an expansion of awareness as compared to a narrower focus on life. It's similar to the difference between target fixation and widened vision. It usually results in a feeling of bliss, love, creativity, greater empathy, change, deeper connection with nature, less bother about what people think. It can also be a bit floaty and disconnected. It does give a feeling of empowerment as if you are a real wizard which does increase awareness of coincidences-only because you become more aware of them. It's as if someone slowed down life and you get to notice millions of things-including the most incredibly subtle, micro things-but it's relational. You don't notice these things until you begin to notice these things.

bacteria, chromista and Protozoa

Thats a shame, it was a good comment.

Awakening is a fairly common and entirely natural phenomena. It can feel both overwhelming and sublime. It is expansive in a way which is not disputed-at least not by me as I experienced it. I can't speak to your discoveries regarding the increasing efficacy of your work. Change is change, however it occurs, I've witnessed some marvellous things- I've even done some marvellous things with therapy clients-but I've never seen a miracle. I like honest people who are proud of their achievements and morals. 'Humble' suggests potential for altruistic tendencies, or a level of self-hatred. It depends how you define it. I don't like braggarts because they have usually done nothing and have the morals of an alley cat. A quiet confidence is perhaps what you mean ? Yet, I find those kind of people are suddenly passionate and outspoken when they at their labours.

Yes I am and califlowers but not the computers themselves but the people using them.

I'm known for it. A real big wooden spoon but always done in a way that gets a laugh out of my victim :-) occasionally I get a slap around the head for my wind ups, but mostly a laugh, even if its at myself for deserving it :-)

I applaud you for saying so and differentiating. Now, to play devils advocate somewhat. What does it mean to be human ?

Observed what ? I find it interesting that all these humble people seem very moved to write books, produce websites and run seminars to prove their innate humbleness. India is full of gurus just hoping no one gives them a bean so they can disappear in humbleness. Then there's the enormously humble churches, monasteries and the like, that's before we come to all the humble people on this forum sharing their beliefs and ideas in the hope that no one notices. Hmmm humble you say ? Well if they were you would never have heard of them. It would be an utter contradiction.

It was a bit of fun BES, but by making it serious you will invite me to wind you up and I already know you bite. :-)