There is no state; is there a spoon?

[eye2i2hear]

I didn't bring it into my last post but I wonder if revisiting this post is in any way relevant to one's consideration of that matter?

Is the redefining of that word (into a term?) yet another means of mental escape (justifying of further amusement)?

[eye2i2hear]

nonentity said:

I recommend for your consideration this excellent article by Stef. You don't want feelings to enter into it, but maybe that is all that is applicable. I'm not saying that's so, but Stef makes a very interesting point.

NonE, no, that "wooshing" sound you heard was not a black ops helicopter over your head-- rather it was this suggested read going right over my head. (honestly, my first inclination was to ask if you posted the correct link!? that bad, huh?!)

Could you perchance direct me a bit more in getting what I should've got?

--CoolEyeLuke

[not to any way mean to discount that Stefan indeed makes a very interesting point in that article; incidentally, I already had a saved copy of it on my 'puter prior to your posting it]

[NonEntity]

Well, let me see what I can do.

Okay, remember a few days ago when, in the Personal Messaging between the two of us, I couldn't for the life of me see the young woman in the picture, all I could see was the old hag? Well what if the minds of most of "us" (we humans) can only see our relationships with others as being within a hierarchical structure. In otherwords, the idea that "all men are created equal" is just like the young woman was to me, totally invisible. It doesn't matter how much you talk about her beautiful chin, her this and her that, I CAN'T SEE IT. So to use rational discussions to move the ideas of freedom forward with someone who's mindset can only see his place in the pecking order is like trying to debate with me on the hair style of the young woman WHO I CANNOT SEE.

I think that Stef is saying that we have to get people to first be able to see the young woman before wasting our time talking about her hair style. And then he further goes on to say that the structure of thought that builds that model (the hierarchical relationship model) is created when we are very young. That is pretty much where we have to look if we hope to make a change in society. Interestingly a writer in STR named Glen Allport seems to me to be saying the same things. He has even written a book on the subject called the Paradise Paradigm and built a website] to promote his ideas. I've just recently started to look into what he's written, so I can't tell you a lot except that it seems worth looking into.

If this was as obtuse as my article, come back and upbraid me and I'll see if I can do better.

- NonE

[eye2i2hear]

nonentity said:

... just like the young woman was to me, totally invisible.

So,
the old woman in this "picture" of Stefan's article (which for you is both the young and the old apparently) for me clears up just how, relative to my post questions regarding the individual(s) sitting in prison(s) (for no-victim "crimes") while I'm sitting "out" here as opposed to beside him-- where I'd most likely be if no longer paying any individual to be his master?? Bringing in here now as well, particularly those doing time as anpolitical prisoner(s)...?

Who's my daddy?

(compared to "Who's biatch is eye tonight, cellmate?"...)

[NonEntity]

Sorry 2i2, but I'm not following. I didn't follow your post about the prison either, so naturally it follows that I don't understand this question.

Maybe you're asking if you are guilty for the guy being in jail. Maybe you are feeling guilty that you are not in jail when he is. Maybe something else.

All I know is that life is not fair, that I can only do what I can do. I can see where people can make stupid decisions, myself included. I can see where things that I have done and sometimes still do are really not good things to do, and even might, under the right circumstances, deserve serious consequences for me. That just means I'm human.

Ideas are wrong, not people. People are just people. That doesn't mean you shouldn't defend yourself from bad ideas, but it also doesn't mean that retribution is, even if it feels good, feels appropriate, ever going to do anything but continue the cycle of pain and anger.

I try to avoid getting involved in situations where I will get hurt. I do this rather than trying to force the world to be a better world. Forcing the world to be better is a contradiction in terms. Only love can heal. That doesn't mean that it will. That doesn't mean that it can do it without pain and struggle. But it must come from within the individual. We each one of us controls our life. Naturally that does not mean that we have total control. Others can impact our lives and frequently do. But we are in control of how we will choose to deal with what the world presents us.

I'm not sure if this has any meaning or is in any way related to what you wrote, but it is what came out when I started typing...

- NonE