the insane things that occur to people who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time is scary and creepy to me.
a little girl is holding her teddy bear and as a coincidence is tragically on that same street when a bunch of gang-bangers decide to stage a gun fight because someone looked cross-eyed at one of their girl friends (you mamy insert any other bullshit reason here), so they start shooting and the little girl is shot and killed because she is innocently in their cross-fire.
when captured and arrested, the gang-bangers says they are "sorry" for snuffing out the life of that little girl.
Randy:
Harsh dogz is kind a funny. This made me chuckle:
Why did you capitalize Country? This invokes suspicion...)
I can't help wondering from your comments, though, if you still consider yourself a believer? Some of your comments lately seem down right atheistic in nature. Just say is all....
Well, either way, I think you're a cool guy.
the insane things that occur to people who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time is scary and creepy to me.
a little girl is holding her teddy bear and as a coincidence is tragically on that same street when a bunch of gang-bangers decide to stage a gun fight because someone looked cross-eyed at one of their girl friends (you mamy insert any other bullshit reason here), so they start shooting and the little girl is shot and killed because she is innocently in their cross-fire.
when captured and arrested, the gang-bangers says they are "sorry" for snuffing out the life of that little girl.
I think the most logical choice is one except I would modify it.
There is no god, we are left here on our own, and everything we do matters (at least to someone).
I can see why you would follow with the conclusion that nothing matters, and in one sense that is correct, if by mattering you mean: makes a difference to whether we all eventually die or not.
But perhaps there are more ways to matter than just living forever. Everything we do can make a difference in our own or someone elses life in the present moment, even if that difference is temporary.
Your story of the girl was a perfect example. Does it matter in the long term scheme of the universe (if there is one) that she's gone, like so many before her? Maybe not. And one day, everyone who ever knew her will also be gone. But it DOES matter right now to her parents and those who loved her and knew her, not to have the comfort and joy of having her around in their lives.
A wise man told me a story once, of an old man on a beach where hundreds of starfish had washed up and were drying and dying in the sun. He was picking them up and tossing them back into the water. Another man came along and asked him why he was bothering? They were all going to die eventually anyway, so what did it matter to save one or two now? The old man looked at him, picked up another starfish, threw it into the water and said, "It matters to that one."
... may you all have peace!.
there's been such a lot of "ruckus" on the board lately (well, not a lot in comparison to the entire board, but a lot for some of us - lololol!
) that i wanted to give you all something that might help you feel a little "lighter"... and remind you of who you are.
OK, I surrender.
I thought it would be uplifting to defend the poor McDonald's employee (someone's gotta do it). Apparently not everyone on this thread thought my perspective was uplifting. But it was uplifting to me and those who agreed with me. I guess SOME couldn't see it because their hearts were dark and the light of Cog isn't in them.
I'll move along now and find my true people.
Peace be to you, Shelby, my dear.
A slave, just a slave
i have heard from some credible sources that any alcohol consumption is technically not good for you as our digestive system is not designed for fermentation intake.
i have read studies that say the same thing.. how much credence do you give the concept that any alchohol is technically not good for you?.
-sab.
I've read newer research that says even small amounts of alcohol can damage the brain. However, good news. The effects are reversible for moderate drinkers when they stop. But not quite as reversible for heavy drinkers.
... may you all have peace!.
there's been such a lot of "ruckus" on the board lately (well, not a lot in comparison to the entire board, but a lot for some of us - lololol!
) that i wanted to give you all something that might help you feel a little "lighter"... and remind you of who you are.
Whether the giver intended to or not, an issue of heart importance was put in the conscience of some people in that restaurant.
Journey On:
You may believe that, but no one on this thread, including yourself, has anyway of knowing what is in the minds and conscience of those onlookers in the restaurant, unless they spoke with the other people in the restaurant and were told by them and were being told the truth. This thread alone gives evidence of how different are the meanings that peoples minds can give to the same event. I believe that "meanings" are sometimes derived from previous experiences and what we are conditioned to believe about those experiences.
The brain often jumps to conclusions (base upon past experiences). It is often an efficient short-cut method. Otherwise we would have to relearn everything each day anew. However, the brain is also often mistaken in the conclusions it jumps to because it does not have all the facts in the present and it mistakenly tries to apply past learning to a present situation where it it doesn't fit. Aye there's the rub....
... may you all have peace!.
there's been such a lot of "ruckus" on the board lately (well, not a lot in comparison to the entire board, but a lot for some of us - lololol!
) that i wanted to give you all something that might help you feel a little "lighter"... and remind you of who you are.
Obviously, you are wrong again, Shelby, because I DID start at the begnning and read every post.
Not everyone found your story uplifting. That's the chance you take when you post on a PUBLIC forum. They simply told you why they didn't find it uplifting. Part of what the man did was uplifting (feeding the homeless), part of what he did wasn't to some, (ordering McDonald's employees to serve banned man without having all the facts). I daresay a few of those employees might not have found the experience uplifting either.
I was not the first person to note this either. I was the 4th person. (See, I do take note of the details.)
I believe the judging did start with you. The whole purpose of this thread was judging. Your friend judged McDonald's managers actions in banning the man as wrong before he ever walked into that restaurant. You judged your friends actions in feeding homeless man as good deed and your friends actions in confronting McDonald's employee and ordering them to serve the man as a good deed.
Some, did not agree with YOUR judgement and said so. They judged your friends behaviour differently than you judged it.
YOU then judged everyone who didn't agree with your friend and you as "crazy", "mean", "heartless" and "dark".
If our words reveal what is in our hearts, then take ownership of your own words. According to your own logic, those words emanate from you so they reveal more about you than they do the people you attribute them to.
I did make a judgement about your friends behaviour. I think insisting the hungry man enter the restaurant when he knew he was banned and ordering the staff to serve him, when your friend was not in possession of the facts, was out of line. The hungry man could have verbally or physically abused that very girl at the counter the day before. I'm not saying he did, because I have no way of knowing and your friend had no way of knowing either. Therefore he was ignorant and presumptuous. The staff did know and made their decision base upon their experience, so there was no reason for your friend to be "agitated" with them or "almost lose it".
You and others CHOSE... NOT to see the point of my thread... that a good deed was done... but to see the "BAD" in the doing of that deed. Why? Because... YOUR EYE IS NOT SIMPLE... and so the "light" IN you... is dark. Just as YOU stated:
More judgements from you about my eyes and my light. My eye works the same as everyone else's does, as a lens, and no one has any "light" inside them. If the light you are speaking of is a figurative term for "awareness", then I will inform you of what I'm aware of as only I can know what I perceive. I perceive the helpfulness in the deed of feeding the homeless man. I noticed no "others" taking issue with that deed. I perceived that the deed of bringing the man into the restaurant when he seemed sheepish (synonym for embarrassed) was not helpful to him. I perceive that the deed of ordering the employees to be insubordinate or serve the man was not helpful to them. A few others perceived that also. Perhaps you are right, it is because we are not "simple" but aware of the complexities of human behaviour and its motivations. That is not necessarily a bad thing. I would say that being able to "see "the subltle complexities and greater details of a situation is a sign of having greater degree of light/awareness, not a lesser.
I think the only thing that reveals about my heart is that I don't like it when people order others around to serve their own agenda without having all the facts. I also don't like it when people put words in my mouth I didn't say, and change their story after the fact because they have to be right at any cost (including the cost of the facts and logic). If that makes me crazy, mean and dark in your estimation, then so be it, I embrace what YOU call darkness. I think that is twisting the meaning of those words, as well, but that's a judgement call, isn't it?
By the way, the heart is a pump. Human behavioural response to stimuli originates in the brain. If the heart beats faster (as when agitated) it is because it is flooded with chemicals from the adrenal glands, in response to directions from the brain, (usually the limbic system where our primal "fight or flight" responses originate).
So, all your judgements about people's hearts have no basis in reality. They are just stories your brain has told you in response to stimuli. In this case, the stimuli is another story your friend has told you and the stories posters have told you about their brain responses to his story.
Kind of puts the whole thing in perspective, doesn't it?
i have heard from some credible sources that any alcohol consumption is technically not good for you as our digestive system is not designed for fermentation intake.
i have read studies that say the same thing.. how much credence do you give the concept that any alchohol is technically not good for you?.
-sab.
That's probably because they're less stressed. However, it still doesn't mean it's good for you. It's a two edged sword. It does lower your blood pressure which is good if you have high blood pressure. Antioxidants in red wine are good for you. The problem is the alcohol itself, in any quantity is an irritant to the digestive system and the liver. It also kills brain cells in even small amounts and can cause alcoholic dementia in larger amounts.
I mean, you could live longer but if you have alcoholic dementia, or even less brain cells, can you really say that's a good thing?
... may you all have peace!.
there's been such a lot of "ruckus" on the board lately (well, not a lot in comparison to the entire board, but a lot for some of us - lololol!
) that i wanted to give you all something that might help you feel a little "lighter"... and remind you of who you are.
Outlaw: I'm sure Shelby is a very kind and loving person, most of the time. I'm sure her friend is too. Some people have even said that about me at times.
I, and not only I, did not find the WAY her friend carried out his good deed very kind or loving. I, for one, don't find her condescending, judgemental words on this thread or the other one she started on the same topic, very kind or loving. EVERYONE gets an inflated ego sometimes, even me. Hard to believe, I know!
... may you all have peace!.
there's been such a lot of "ruckus" on the board lately (well, not a lot in comparison to the entire board, but a lot for some of us - lololol!
) that i wanted to give you all something that might help you feel a little "lighter"... and remind you of who you are.
Shelby, again I will say that you are so dishonest and twist people's words and your own in your attempts to prove that you have some sort of special insight into other people's hearts.
Not one person on this thread expressed any problem with your friend feeding a homeless guy. They had a problem with him ordering the McDonald's staff to go along with his agenda, without regard for their rights. For you to keep saying that was the argument is intellectually dishonest. It is also dishonest for you to keep implying McDonald's banned the man because he was hungry and homeless or not dressed properly.
I do know McDonald's policies on banning people and hungry, homeless, and not dressed properly do not get anyone banned. People get banned from the restaurant for being violent towards staff or other customers, being verbally abusive to staff or other customers, vandalising the premises, being loud and disruptive to staff and/or customers, shooting up in the bathroom, having sex in the bathroom, stealing and any other illegal activities you want to throw in there. If the man was banned, it was for something of that nature, probably repeated behaviour, and your friend had no right to interfere as he did not know. The staff and the managers did know.
"Ego" has nothing to do with one's heart. Ego is a term used to refer to the public image we present of ourselves, or have of ourselves, our role/identity if you will. I did not judge his heart. I judged his behaviour as out of line. He may have very well have had the best of intentions in his heart, the way he presented himself in public was obviously ego driven whether he even realized it or not.
As for my heart, the only thing that I revealed, is that I don't like it when people go around ordering others around to follow their agenda, when they have no right to do so, and when they do not have all the facts. I don't care how good their intentions were. It is presumptuous and ignorant. Just like your attempts to read my heart are presumptuous and ignorant.
Is it my ego that keeps me arguing with you on this thread to try and prove my point. Absolutely. You see, I can admit it. I call a spade a spade. I'm not passive aggressive like you. I notice you started another thread on this topic with some passive aggressive digs at "some" people, who are still blind just like those in the WTBTS. Why don't you just come right out and name who you are talking about? You also judge all the people who disagreed with you as ones who don't want to help the unfortunate. What bullshit. You don't have a friggin clue how much anyone on this site gives to the homeless or to other charities. Or do you have some special psychic powers to know that too? You just simply judge that all who disagreed with you must be uncharitable people.
Bottom line, your friend wanted to help the homeless. Good deed. He did it in a needlessly confrontational and self-aggrandizing way when he could have chosen not to. Ego. People noticed and pointed it out, you didn't like it, so you started judging and putting down everyone who didn't agree with your assessment of the situation. Even bigger ego! Period.
... may you all have peace!.
there's been such a lot of "ruckus" on the board lately (well, not a lot in comparison to the entire board, but a lot for some of us - lololol!
) that i wanted to give you all something that might help you feel a little "lighter"... and remind you of who you are.
I agree with you that sometimes there is a time and place for civil disobedience. For instance when a law is ethically wrong and harmful to someone.
However, McDonald's is a private establishment, not a civil one, so your analogy doesn't apply. The patrons are guests of the establishment, and legally the restaurant has the right to refuse service to people who do not abide by the rules of the establishment that are set for the comfort and enjoyment of the majority of customers as is true of any restaurant as long as they do not violate anyone's civil rights. McDonald's policy of banning disruptive customers is not responsible for the homeless man going hungry. Doubtless, it is his own life choices and behaviour. Still, that is no reason for someone who wants to show compassion not to do so.
Your friend could easily have fed the man without any of the loud, bullying behaviour towards the McDonald's employees. Since, your friend did not know why the man was banned, he has no way of knowing whether the banning was just or not, so no reason to disobey the ban. The man told him he was banned and he insisted the man go into the restaurant, even though he was sheepish about it. If that isn't looking for a confrontation I don't know what is?
Yes, I do consider what he did to the young girls at the counter bullying.
Why do I care? My son is a manager at McDonald's. He is regularly assaulted, verbally and at times physically, by angry and obnoxious customers of all sorts. I shared this story with him and he said he would have asked your friend to leave as well as the other man.
Why did I open this thread. As I said, looking for an interesting story or topic. You're right I didn't know it would be on the topic it was. So what? I responded to the topic I found. I came looking for nothing and responded to what I found. Why did you post it only to those of God and Israel? Trying to create an exclusionist group? This is a public discussion forum and EVERY thread is open to EVERYONE on this forum and you very well know that.
It is only your own hugely inflated ego that allows you to think you can see my heart. You cannot see it, but you do judge, judge, judge it. I don't judge your friends heart or yours. Only his behaviour and yours. His was bullying and confrontational. Yours was dishonest. I did not edit "I"m sorry" out of my post. If you added it in, by mistake because it was left over from someone else, I accept that. It was still a self-serving mistake which allowed you to lecture me on what I should be feeling. Don't know how you can arrive at that conclusion without condescending to be the judge.
As I mentioned, my son works at a Mcdonald's in an area rife with homeless drug addicts and prostitutes. I give handouts to them all the time. I also support a program that gives intensive long term care to help them get off the streets. I manage to do all of this with my atheistic black heart and without ever getting agitated with young McDonald's employees who are just doing their job. Everyone has to be accountable for the consequences of their behaviour, including the homeless, hungry, addicted, or whomever.
Question: If your friend's good deed made him feel so good, why did he say he left feeling agitated? He insisted that they serve the man, and they served the man, so he got what he wanted and the hungry man got fed. So what is there to be agitated about? Is it possible that he had got himself worked up into a self-righteous anger that Mcdonald's was refusing to let someone in their restaurant without ever knowing the reasons why?
