On average, people probably do live longer lives now, however it is debateable as to whether the quality of those years is greater or lesser than in previous times. The answer to that question depends on what culture one examines in the present day, compared to what culture in some previous time, and also, what is the station in life of those being examined. Compare a New York apartment dweller of today to someone who lived in exactly the same apartment 125 years ago, who has the better quality of life? Compare an employee of White Castle to a medieval scullery maid, who has a better quality of life? Compare an inner city crack-baby to, say, a native American child of almost any tribe 400 years ago, who has the better life now? What was the average quality of life for a Viking, compared with, say, Arab tribesmen of the 18th century?
gaiagirl
JoinedPosts by gaiagirl
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17
Is life any better now?
by onacruse inrecent conversations and threads prompt me to ask these questions:.
have humans evolved/developed/learned beyond what we were several thousand years ago?.
do you think life, in general, is better now?.
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Moral Maze: - Fur or Fig Leaves which would you wear?
by eyeslice inthe great fur debate has re-surfaced today with the news that nelson mandela wore a fur hat recently.
so here is the question would you ever wear real fur and are there moral implications here?
or are you more of a fig leaf person?
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gaiagirl
I'm a fan of clothing with is comfortable during excercise, so spandex in warm weather, and synthetic fleece garments over a wicking layer when its cooler. Both breath well and are also quite lightweight, it is easy to forget one is wearing anything at all.
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Cathedrals
by Peppermint insince leaving the jw?s i have developed a real appreciation of old cathedrals.
these places are beautiful and really took some building.
how boring and lifeless kingdom halls are in comparison.
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gaiagirl
I think it is fascinating how many cathedrals embody elements from pre-Christian faiths in their construction. Many have images of the Green Man, sacred trees, or mythological creatures carved into the decorative stonework. Some students of architecture have compared the high arched doors and windows with earlier temples intended to represent the yoni, or sacred feminine principle. Apparantly, the Old Path lingered on, and lingers on still.
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A New Publication
by TheEdge inwell - there seems to be so much pondering about what the future holds for dubism - armageddon dates prophesied?
been there, failed to fulfill that - don't think another one would be appropriate - laughable yes, but not appropriate.
how about a re-hash of ancient wt literature?
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gaiagirl
That raises the question of who would be raised from among the millions, even billions, who died never having heard of the WTBTS. For instance, Joan of Arc was burned in 1431 (for "crimes" which included hearing voices and wearing mens clothing). Would she be raised? And how would she react if she were? How about Giordano Bruno (who proclaimed that the stars were actually suns with their own worlds, just much further away) or Galileo. What about native Americans who died prior to hearing the "good news"? What about Australian Aboriginies, who have been living out their lives on their continent for over 40,000 years, but were only reached by the WTBTS within the last 100 years or so? Any of them coming back?
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Watchtower Magazine to be Published Monthly
by slimboyfat in.
i heard from my bethel contact that the magazines are to be published monthly from 2006 and 2007. only 12 mags a year, but 46 pages each with no colour illustrations.has anyone else heard about this cut back?
i also heard there is to be a new song book in the summer so that witnesses no longer sing about "sheep and goats" and other "old light".
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gaiagirl
I'm curious as what, specifically, does slim think is "made up"?
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Finish This Sentence....You Know you're a JW teenager If....
by doodle-v induring class the teacher asks "who all plan to go to college?
" and you shrink down in your seat in an effort to become invisible as everyone in the class raises their hand.
-doodle-v. your turn!
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gaiagirl
You get your first car, and it has FOUR DOORS, so it can be used as a 'service car'.
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Big News on Shroud of Turin
by Amazing1914 inyes, in 1988, jws were so happy to learn that carbon dating proved the shroud of turin was a fake from the middle ages ... yes, once again, jehovah's alleged organization was forward moving in its truth ... ahhhh ... but wait!
it turns out, that while the carbon dating was accurate, it was not understood that the 1988 test inadvertantly used a repair patch from the 1300's.
so, yes, the carbon dating would show this date.
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gaiagirl
A recent TV special on the Shroud of Turin showed how anyone can make their own Shroud. Simply get pretty dirty doing yardwork, or by failing to bathe for a while, then exercise for a few hours to get really, really sweaty. Wrap yourself in a clean linen sheet and remain motionless for 12 to 24 hours, allowing your perspiration and skin oiis to permeate the fabric. Remain motionless. After the fabric has absorbed your fluids, allow the stains to set for a few days/months/years and never allow it to be washed. You now have your own Shroud! The special actually showed someone do this, and the result was passable. They also showed someone make a primitive "photograph" using a camera obscura (a room with a tiny pinhole in one wall), plus a body hanging on a rope and a specially saturated linen on the wall as "film". This also worked passably well. The special also mentioned how the existence of the Shroud apparantly was unknown until the 1300's
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How people would see modern technology if you went further in the past
by IronGland inlast night, while lying in my pod meditating i began thinking about the following scenario: .
i'll imagine what my computer might look like to the more educated and mentally-agile members of past societies.. .
on my desk i have:.
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gaiagirl
Just a small correction to "In the 1900's, my bike would have been considered odd looking not because of the shocks, but because of the equally sized wheels.": The "safety bicycle", with equal sized wheels and chain drive to the rear was introduced in the mid-1880's, and gained dominance in the market within just a few years. The earlier "Penny-farthing" bicycle with the huge front wheel was already out of fashion by 1890, although a few continued to use them for a while longer. By 1900 the Penny-farthing was seen in sort of the same light that we now view a 386 computer running Windows 3.0.
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Even stranger than drunken Noah - why did angels want sex with women?
by eyeslice inthis is a sort of parallel thread to the drunken noah thread.
the genesis account of angels 'materialising' and having sex with women always worried me as a witness.
in all animals, man included, the sex drive is hormonal.
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gaiagirl
Actually, there are a number of accounts of goddesses who DID marry mortal men. Eos, goddess of the dawn fell in love with a handsome prince named Tithonus. She knew that, being mortal, he would eventually die, so she asked Zeus to grant him everlasting life. Zeus agreed, and she married him and brought him to her palace in the east, where they spent many joyous years together. However, Eos had forgotten to ask for eternal youth as well, so over time, strength slowly ebbed from Tithonus strong arms and legs, and his deep voice slowly changed to a chirp. He shriveled and shrank to a tiny, wizened old man, but he could not die. He became so small and weak that Eos placed him in a small basket, where he continued to shrink and wither until he turned into a grasshopper, chirping forever. In a related account, Eos sister, Selene was the goddess of the moon. She rides in a silver chariot through the night sky while her brother Helios rests. One night she saw a handsome shepherd named Endymion sleeping. She asked Zeus to grant Endymion eternal sleep, so that he would not age. Zeus granted Selenes wish, and he slept forever, visited by his heavenly lover each night, and having the most wonderful dreams imaginable. And what he dreamed was actually real, as Selene bore many pale, beautiful daughters.
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What did you do with your books?
by imnottheonlyone! ini am curious...what did you all do with your jw books and paraphanalia?
i carted mine around for years and kept them in boxes.
i was like afraid to do anything with them, even though i was sure i didn't want them.
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gaiagirl
I gave my collection of bound volumes to a zealous brother who was very new and trying to build his library. The "Aid Book" and some other large volumes were sold to a local used bookstore. The rest was discarded.