Seasons
This is a forum or general chit-chat, small talk, a "hey, how ya doing?" and such. Or hell, get crazy deep on something. Whatever you like.
Posts 345 - 356 of 6,170
Posts 345 - 356 of 6,170
I agree a bit with the whole treating kids like glass figurines thing only making matters worse. It gives kids a complex where they start to believe that they are in fact far more fragile than they are. There is also the common occurrence where kids who are sickly and weak get that way because of parental paranoia that doesn't let them play in the dirt, go outside when it's cold or wet or whatever. I mean that's how we develop an immune system.
Oh, and Crab, the reason to go to the moon first (apart from the fact that it's closer) is that it makes it far more cost effective to expand from there. A ship leaving the moon's gravity has to expend far less fuel getting out of the moon's gravity well than the earth's.
Oh, and Crab, the reason to go to the moon first (apart from the fact that it's closer) is that it makes it far more cost effective to expand from there. A ship leaving the moon's gravity has to expend far less fuel getting out of the moon's gravity well than the earth's.
Nothing, if they're not the be all and end all of existence. I've known a damn lot of stoners who didn't remember what it was like to be sober, and I think it's really stupid to get so wrapped up in drugs that you never think about anything else. Don't get me wrong, I got stoned and I would again if given the opportunity, but for me it just gets boring after a while. I dunno why most ppl don't seem to realize that it's more fun in moderation anyway.
The problem is when you get so obsessed with money and sex and drugs that other people aren't people, they're just things you can use to get money or sex or drugs. This is the era of the Shrine of Me. I can't have empathy for you if I don't even believe you're a person just the same as I am. It's like everyone thinks other ppl are just their dreams or something, without feelings or needs of their own. It makes it really hard to be a caring individual in a world of ppl who don't give a damn. But something these ppl don't seem to realize, and the main reason they'll never be happy, is that you're the only person you'll hafta live with for the rest of your life, so you might as well try to be the best person you can. And that doesn't mean amassing the largest collection of money and sex and drugs.
The problem is when you get so obsessed with money and sex and drugs that other people aren't people, they're just things you can use to get money or sex or drugs. This is the era of the Shrine of Me. I can't have empathy for you if I don't even believe you're a person just the same as I am. It's like everyone thinks other ppl are just their dreams or something, without feelings or needs of their own. It makes it really hard to be a caring individual in a world of ppl who don't give a damn. But something these ppl don't seem to realize, and the main reason they'll never be happy, is that you're the only person you'll hafta live with for the rest of your life, so you might as well try to be the best person you can. And that doesn't mean amassing the largest collection of money and sex and drugs.
Eugene - It's not that simple. Ideally, the two people would give a hopefully valid argument to which morality is right. If not, well, that, my friends, is an idiot.
Onyx - Your comments about teen are vastly hyperbolized. In some cases, it may be like that, but most of the parents in america know at least slightly better than that. I'm sure there's plenty of that to a smaller degree, but not too much like you said.
As for sex, money, and drugs: You're going off on a completely unrelated point; You're talking about addiction.
Also, related to that, Denis Leary once made a good point: "Happiness comes in small doses." I'm not into drugs, but as for sex and money, I'm all for that. Sure, they can lead some people into some bad situations, but that's the person's fault, and it's stupid to call sex and money evil because of that.
Onyx - Your comments about teen are vastly hyperbolized. In some cases, it may be like that, but most of the parents in america know at least slightly better than that. I'm sure there's plenty of that to a smaller degree, but not too much like you said.
As for sex, money, and drugs: You're going off on a completely unrelated point; You're talking about addiction.
Also, related to that, Denis Leary once made a good point: "Happiness comes in small doses." I'm not into drugs, but as for sex and money, I'm all for that. Sure, they can lead some people into some bad situations, but that's the person's fault, and it's stupid to call sex and money evil because of that.
I'm not saying they're evil. I'm not even saying the people who abuse them are evil. Misguided perhaps...I can't really think of an appropriate word. And yeah I know ALL teens aren't like that, I know there's SOME ppl regardless of their age who have morals, but it's not nearly as widespread as it used to be. What I'm talking about are the people who come in an IRC channel about AD&D or wicca and insult everyone in there for lack of anything better to do, and the ppl on games like Runescape who sit around swearing at everyone for no particular reason I can figure out. The only reason I can see for most of these ppl to act this way is that they don't give a shit about anything. I repeat, not everyone is like this, but play Runescape for a little while and you'll see what I'm saying about the ones who are.
And therefore your original lament which goes roughly: "it's clearly superior to be a moral agent, but I don't believe people in general will be, and so I wish they would at least get religion or something so as not to be so awful". Was that it? 
Actually it'd be nice to stick em all on an island & make em bitch at each other for a change, but you'd need a really big island. 
Let's just say I think they'd be a lot better off (and so would I) if they cared about SOMETHING, be it religion, family, work, or Elvis. And if they choose not to care about anything, I'd rather have as little to do with them as possible. (This is why I sit around on my ass all day instead of hanging out with ppl. ) Maybe I'm just stuck up, but it sure beats being totally miserable.
Let's just say I think they'd be a lot better off (and so would I) if they cared about SOMETHING, be it religion, family, work, or Elvis. And if they choose not to care about anything, I'd rather have as little to do with them as possible. (This is why I sit around on my ass all day instead of hanging out with ppl. ) Maybe I'm just stuck up, but it sure beats being totally miserable. 
I just wrote a message and got kicked off the website when I tried to post it. Maybe I can reproduce it.
Kirby,
On what basis would an argument for morality be made?
Everyone else, particularly Mr. Crab,
Let me be specific: I believe there is an absolute standard of morality that is not affected by people's opinion of it. To give an example: There was a tribe in I don't remember which rain forest called the Sawi. Their highest virtue was treachery. The heroes of their legends were men who had befriended someone, got the person to totally trust them, and then killed and eaten the unsuspecting victim (they were also cannibals). I say this activity was wrong, even though their entire society approved of it.
Kirby,
On what basis would an argument for morality be made?
Everyone else, particularly Mr. Crab,
Let me be specific: I believe there is an absolute standard of morality that is not affected by people's opinion of it. To give an example: There was a tribe in I don't remember which rain forest called the Sawi. Their highest virtue was treachery. The heroes of their legends were men who had befriended someone, got the person to totally trust them, and then killed and eaten the unsuspecting victim (they were also cannibals). I say this activity was wrong, even though their entire society approved of it.
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