thelerner

Let's see.. Why does it appear these attacks are on the increase? When you've been alive and reading the news as long as I have, you realize there's an ebb and flow to things. Even with terrorism, if you cognizant in the 60's and 70's there were huge spikes. Many of it now is the (hopefully) death throws Daesh (Isis), as they're losing land they're sending propaganda to sympathetic and stupid individual to commit murder on there behalf. I'd also point out that refugees are a weapon of modern warfare. Nations would be better off creating safe zones in war torn countries, then taking in 100,000's or millions. Diverting some of the billions spent on modern war equipment into fast, decent refugee sites in there own countries, would solve much of the horrors of the latest migration. Especially if it went beyond housing into life quality programs. Horribly at times with less terrorism there seems to full blown wars that create destruction and body counts that make terrorism seem almost benign. Not to mention we tend to only be aware of terrorism when its in the West, ignoring the constant threat some of the world lives in. Is empathy the right approach? Yeah, without having a basis on empathy you don't understand Whys. You end up fighting symptoms and not the disease. It doesn't mean you don't punish. It means you go beyond just punishing and look at the causes behind actions. Bad idea to live in a black and white world, where you elitist enough to conclude those who disagree with you are without morals. Very black and white. Instead of justice, you get rules, more rules and devolution into puritanical hypocrisy. Setting intelligent pragmatic laws within a live and let live framework, doesn't seem that offensive to me. Perhaps one day you'll live in your dream world, where tolerance and empathy are dirty words, and unbridled capitalism means businesses can get away with anything they want. Somehow I don't think it'll be the 'moral' utopia you think it will. What else.. "Rugged individualism, like capitalism, is used as a perjorative by collectivists. It's easy to massage the words into whatever form an attacker wishes effectively utilising the enemies strengths against them" Trotting out plot lines from Ayn Rand doesn't wash in real life. Most people admire rugged individualism. The best of them are live and let life people by there very nature. Its the small minded who are stuck judging and corralling people into there little boxes.

I read this and believe it: The more extreme one is, the more bias'd one sees the media. So right wing and left wing people wil both see (and show studies to prove) the media as bias'd against them, and extremist see it as conspiratorial.

advice.. seems like you've got the tools and the talent to have a profound time. .. so.. listen to the Beatles 'Let it Be' several times before the retreat and no beans a few days before.

News is secondary to the business of selling papers. Thus- it bleeds it leads.. sadly. Cause that what moves copy.

Delighted to have you here. It'd be great to have a thread explaining what the Taoist Sanctuary is. There is so much rich Chinese culture in California.

In truth I read the first page, then it seemed to dribble on and on painfully but I thought I got the jist. Once I got to where she's quoting her own made up character (Galt) as if he was an authority that backed her up, I thought this is silly going on..

Generally, people grow out of there Ayn Rand period. With life experience they recognize it as rationalizations for greed and selfishness. Some of that isn't bad, but unbridled it creates disasters for countries and for individuals, Ayn Rand herself was a bitter, nasty and later in life somewhat hypocritical, ie on accepting money from the government. Being a world class rationalist she wrote poetic descriptions of her 2 pack a day tobacco habit, poo pooing any science that disagreed with her.. until she got cancer. That is a neat allegory for Rand's philosophy. She's a poster child for how smart people can intellectualize themselves through long jargony rationalizations into believing whatever prejudices strikes there fancy. Places that try unbridled capitalism without rules and regulation end up polluted, spiritually and well physically. If you have permission to shit on others and the environment, some do and its not pretty. For me, its a question of finding the sweet spot where where intelligent regulations keep don't hinder the entrepreneurial spirit but protect workers rights and protect the environment. Economics played out in fascinating way on a small island, one very close to the Antarctic, I forget the name but it was small without many resources but colonized and lived on for the past 120 years. Thing is, the founder quickly and intelligently put down rules to keep property ownership in check, ie no one could buy up a majority. There were safeguards against 'unbridled' capitalism, a recognition that in a harsh environment they in it together. Not communism but limits. The island population has survived because of it. Too much wealth concentration leads to bad ends. Wealth is not bad, but too much concentration and money chases money and you lose the entrepreneurial spirit, monopolies and artificial money games crush it. Too much inequality and a country becomes ripe for revolution. Extreme poverty and wealth create problems and monsters.

I believe you confuse the word 'pathetic' with I have no answers to your questions so I'll launch into my favorite Ayn Rand speech. In many ways you are like a hard core communist. Clinging and praising a system that in your own words never existed.. except almost in the 19th century U.S, almost. But that's not what the discussion is about. (and I'll stop asking you questions since you bob and weave like a drunken mime) Killers; terrorists are strangely motivated by 'Justice', vengeance for the wrongs done to there people. That combined with labeling others animals, lack of empathy and tolerance is what makes terrorists. That is whats makes the worst things in the world. Labeling others animals (ie we kill and eat animals, we punish and incarcerate criminals) in the name of justice, forgetting empathy and tolerance, living in a black and white world. Creates horrible things. I'm not talking fantasy lands that never existed. I'm talking about today,

Beyond questions, look to the senior students in the class. How are they? They are most likely what you'll become. What is the wah within the class, the atmosphere and feeling during practice?

All I can say is perhaps one day you'll live a place without tolerance or pragmatism. Where intolerance and extremism reign; decisions based on fright and worst case scenarios. I don't think it'll be a good place. So.. what's your solution, exactly? When do you call someone an animal and take your non tolerant and non pragmatic stand to defend civilization? You understand we already lock up people who commit mass murder, right? Let's take the Nice case. You may have 20.. 30,000 people in a large city, men, woman, even kids who can be considered alcoholics? In your eyes, are they animals, and should be treated as such.. imprisoned?? killed?? What if you're accused of beating your significant other? Again, killed.. imprisoned for all petty crime? Is your 'perfect' society based on easy executing those who break the law or get caught doing it? Just how low do you go? Would you start by killing off anyone you consider alcoholic wife beaters? From there do you kill your way up, or down? Especially once you've thrown out understanding and empathy. Time after time many of us have pointed out your favored lasez fairez economic model exists in Somalia. Now I'd say your justice model is best represented by ISIS. Not pragmatic, not tolerant, very black and white, and very murderous. Totalitarian governments are famous for there brand of harsh justice. I'm not against laws or punishments. I just understand perspective. Justice shouldn't be dealt out by angry hot heads. Lynch mob actions are human but makes for very flawed justice. We need to beware of making new laws right after heinous crimes, because justice is hard. Unintended consequences real.

in my younger not so wild days, I decided to make my own fortune cookies. Carefully baking chocolate chip cookies with thoughtfully designed fortunes baked into them. I'll be damned if half the people didn't finish the cookies before I told'em stop, you're eating paper. Lesson: Wise man take small bites of life; you never know what you'll have to spit out.

Great choice. Have fun, be wise, cut clean.

Lets play a game (and try to stay on subject). This thread isn't about legendary Atlantis rather its an exercise to see how we'd create a modern Atlantis. A utopian town, of say.. 50,000 people. How would we test and elect our philosopher kings. How much power would we give them and what would the government look like? What would the area look like? The homes, streets, schools. What kind of economic system would we have it run on? Educational. What would we produce?

OMG, those things are REAL! Only visible through augmented reality devices!? In that case the clerics are right! We've gotta hunt these monstrosities, catch'em all. Perhaps after being butchered their meat can go to the needy. I hear the balls are the best part. And here's a melody for all my Saudi Arabian Fatwa Friends

What's the next level after? I'm in the 'Chop wood, carry water, do the laundry' camp. Course we're all individuals on our own path. In most traditions 'powers' tend to be seen as a distraction. Fine if taken as a marker along the way, but not as a goal, ie don't get too attached to them.

In Mo Pai but also in Buddhism we get things that seem trollish, yet one persons trolling is another persons passion. Hopefully all of us have gone through the ecstatic phase of finding the greatest thing on earth and if everyone practice it there'd be less gingivitis as well as peace and harmony on earth. For me, for a while it was Aikido, and I'm sure it was very trying time for those close to me. So for the mods the question is, how can they subtlety guide the passionate to write without the chauvinism of the troll. We probably have some good posts on it. We need to find the best ones and throw them into discussions before they get out of hand. maybe..

Indiscriminate anything is probably bad. The world is rarely black and white. Not to mention pure white can be as much a pain in the ass as black. I find people who see a mostly black and white are blinded to there own .. greyness because they live in such a binary world. I'd rather see rules based on pragmatism, skillful means and wisdom then hysterics on the end of civilization and coming moral decay. Hell in my city the trumpet was illegal because it could used for jazz and that was the music of the devil. Thirty year later it was rock and roll. I just saw an old photo of a woman dressed from head to toe at the beach, she was arrested for indecency because the outfit was deemed too tight. What I'm getting at is, its okay to have laws to protect people and property, but when people want to create laws based on there idea of often repressive decency, then I opt out. Karl, I take it you'll bring up.. what about, uh.., people who want to skydive naked without parachutes? Good strange extremist point there. I will agree with you that there are extremes that should be guarded against but in general live and let live makes for good living. Very Taoist too.

well.. My name Michael, literally means/asks 'Who is like God?', I believe the question is meant as a reminder, it ain't you. Personally, from my point of view, this is all way too much anthropomorphisizing God. God is big, above and beyond the totality of time and space. At best we're pieces within God's imagination. If you get inspiration from ye olde bible stories, great, but in my opinion the early stories are myths and parables, any great truth you pull from them, is your own. I consider later biblical stories legends- stories laid on, expanded and mythologize of real events through the eyes of a mystery school, ie interpreted through the lens that God is behind every event.

Too often people preach intolerance until they're the targets, then it considered injustice, because its they are the ones losing rights and being discriminated against. For me, set up intelligent rules and enforce them. Tolerate those who aren't infringing on your rights. Unless I'm being attacked in some way, Live and let live seems to be the best way to go about. The most judgemental tend to be the most unhappy. Living a life with a cluttered mind and yard stick always in hand, measuring, measuring. Better to chillax and accept. Be aware, even wary, if thats where your instinct points. Not afraid but willing to take actions. A picture above shows the Parthenon, comparing it to a modern apartment complex. In truth it should compare a modern building complex to the squabble/slum type area the average Roman lived in 2400 years ago (see HBO's Rome for historical view). To them, the modern building with indoor plumbing, running water, refrigeration would be miraculous, perhaps godlike. If you wanted to compare the Parthenon with something you'd it to a Church. Rome has many doozies, quite beautiful, filled with incredible treasures.

My uninformed opinion- seems to me long hair gives a boost to energetics (in an antennae kind of way). So why do monks cut it off? Because it's also a display of sensuality and possibly vanity, which is a no no.

..is the forum creating some sort of cloaks? I think there should be a vote on the designs and we should wait for winter before coming out with the full line. 'subtle sarcasm- perhaps too subtle

Nice to see how the haunting music score is made. I'm starting to slowly rewatch the series. Season uno. They're all so.. so.. so alive. if you haven't seen it, this is awesomely funny, not at first but once it gets rolling.

Krishna Das rocks. Had the pleasure of sharing a week with him at the Sivananda ashram. Great guy. Right music, good people.. the groove gets on.

I agree, but that is the start of over a dozen 30 page plus threads where the arguments go round and round, til they finally wind up in the Hundun Pit section.

I think I have once, but don't quite remember.