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White Eurocentric Male

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Everything posted by White Eurocentric Male

  1. I not a business-man but I would like to develop something Betsy said. I would say COMPETENT and CONFIDENT. Doing something you love, becoming better and better also knowing your worth. If you know your stuff, if you studied the file others just glanced at, show it, make it known. If in a meeting you have a personal opinion and can back it up with facts, say it, don't be mute. You don't have to be in the spotlight to have succes, however, people have to know your strenghts. If you don't have many social skills you can develop them, like I do by joining the local Toastmasters, or you can compensate by developping your othter talents.
  2. Similar story John had a parrot who always talked foul language. John tried everything, polite talking, shouting at the parrot, menaces … nothing worked. He talked about it to his parish priest. The priest said: my parrot is always praying. Send yours over I’m sure mine will have a good influence on yours. Soon said, soon done. The put the two parrots together. John’s parrot kept on talking dirty, the priest’s parrot kept on saying Hail Marries. Suddenly John’s parrot had a good look at the priest’s parrot and saw it was quite an attractive female. He approached her and said “hey gorgeous, how about me giving you some good time.” The priest’s parrot looked up to heaven and said “Thak you God, finally you have answered my prairs”.
  3. I think euthanasia, ending life when it becomes unbearable trough some disease or choosing to die swiftly instead of a long agony is life affirming. It's choosing quality of life over time. In some rare other occasions suicide can be life affirming. I'm thinking of Socrates, who could easily be saved if he gave up his philosophy or Seneca who tried to educate Nero but failed and was ordered to kill himself. That's the only two historical cases I can think of. Other suicides are mostly pointless. If people want to kill themselves because life has no meaning, they should check their premisses. Why does life seem meaningless? What is it that gives your life meaning and why doesn't it work any more?
  4. The reasons why people join the military are diverse. Let's assume for an instant these soldiers joined because of the "right" reasons according to this altruist. I suppose we are talking of the US military. So they joined to protect the US and things they believe it stands for. So they did actually did volunteer to fight for things of benefit to their country, themselves or their family. We can even stretch this to include some parts of foreign policy of the US such as helping out in peace missions of the UN. But I doubt the number of military would be that high if the obejective would be the liberation of every corner of the earth. Military see themselves as the people to rely on when war is unavoidable. That doesn't mean their leaders have the right to dispose of their lives as they care fit. Interesting point about altruism. Those soldiers altruism is explained by the fact they obey orders without questioning. The ideal altruist : the robot. I totaly agree with the part of the tactics. Huh??? To quote Patton: 'You all think you are here to give your life for your country, well forget it. You job is to make sure the poor bastard on the oppisite side loses his life for his country'. Those soldiers volunteered to be in the military. To wage war. They know one of the consequences is getting killed or being an invalid for the rest of their lives but are willing to take the chance. They did not sign over their life to be cannon fodder to be staked in a war roulette. This is not altruism any more but the cry of a high priest for human sacrifice Then along came Darwin. Survival of the FITTEST. FITTEST = the best adapted to the environment. The best equipped to deal with the immediate reality. This is not necessarily the strongest in the physical sense. Man never lived in this state of nature. There always have been small groups acting together to augment the chances of survival for the members of that group. This evolved into bigger and complexer societies with incresingly better chances for survival. The modern democratic nations-states of today assure the best life expectancy ever recorded in history. Nature and human selfishness are the cause of societies, not it's enemies. What happend to the weapons of mass distruction? Wasn't this what this war was about? Soldiers on the other side are highly altruistic too, fighting for a moslim world where the Divine Law written by the messager of God (may his Name be blessed by Allah) will be followed by all men as brothers. Their cause may even be greater because they are figthing our greed, loose sexual morals, abuse of alcohol etc. So it's a case of the altruistic fighting the altruistic. To begin with, I suspect your mother had fun at your conception I suppose you are a wanted child. She probably wanted a child to love, to give things like a good education, moral sense and stuff she learned from her mother. Basically your mother wanted eternal life trough you and your children. Not her physical life but 50% of her genes and all the moral values, traditions and ideas she could pass on. This is really hard-wired in our brain, from the most primitive animal so it's done without thinking.
  5. Is humor an emotion? Laughter is, but humor? I would think humor is a complex art designed to create laugther. Hence your apparant problem. Laughter has direct beneficial effects. This is one possible rational cause: the conscient production of hormones that make you feel good . There actually is physiological proof laughter has a positive impact on physical processes.
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