Posts by GentlyFeral

There are many myths which specifically refer to a time when "men and animals lived in peace" or "when animals and men could talk together". The ones I recall (dimly) are African and Native American. Despite racking my brains, I can't give specific examples right now. I don't remember any of them involving apes, though that may just be due to selective transmission on the part of the people who translate the stories and compile the books. The Native American ones, of course, come from places where there aren't any apes, or haven't been since humans arrived there.

Of course, this doesn't explain South America, but I don't know South American mythologies very well. I do know that when you get into talking-animal religious stories, you're treading in shamanistic/visionary territory, and there all bets are off.

Gently Feral

9

strangest/horrifying dream....

by wonderwoman77 in

last night i had the weirdist dream...i had a dream that i was going to be euthinized.

in my dream i was diagnosised with a brain tumor and somehow my mom had got me to sign a paper that i would agree to get the procedure.

but they were not 100% sure i would die if i did not have it.

GentlyFeral

WonderWoman,

Don't assume that the dizzy spells are a brain tumor. I'm a clerk/secretary in a medical office, and last time I saw the word "dizziness" on a test report, it was a thyroid test. It could be any one of a large number of not-acutely-fatal conditions.

The control issues in the dream are pretty scary, though. I do wish you luck. And strength.

GentlyFeral

41

What Do You Think is the Most OVERRATED movie?

by gilwarrior in

i few days ago i stated a post asking people what movie they considered underrated.

well, now i am going to the other side of the spectrum.

what do you think is the most overrated movie?.

GentlyFeral

borgfree disses:

Everything from Woody Allen

...Except Sleeper.

GentlyFeral

41

What Do You Think is the Most OVERRATED movie?

by gilwarrior in

i few days ago i stated a post asking people what movie they considered underrated.

well, now i am going to the other side of the spectrum.

what do you think is the most overrated movie?.

GentlyFeral

Titanic, despite the fact that I have the hots for King Leo, and despite the fact that I've only seen the TRAILERS.

Leo can act IF he has a good script and good direction. He was so helpless in this one that even the tiny little bits they clipped for the trailers made him seem like a theatre school dropout.

Feh. If you want to see Leo work, watch Marvin's Room or What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

Gently Feral

67

Spirits/Entities - A question for all.

by Nemesis in

i would like to ask a question if i might: how do ones here view spirits?

(not the alcoholic kind) i have left the org.

now for at least 5 years, although i did go to the memorial last year, but not where i used to go to the hall; i was not df or da.. .

GentlyFeral

SixofNine proposed:

If somehow, you could murder people without hurting them or anyone, we wouldn't call it evil, now would we?

MegaDude replied:

As an example, whether the Nazis gave painless injections to the Jews to exterminate them, as opposed to methods they did use, we would still call it genocide, wouldn't we?

Megadude, I think you've missed the point here (a logical fallacy called the "straw man"). I don't believe Six was referring merely to physical pain.

I'll take the liberty of rephrasing Six's argument as I understood it: "If we could kill people without doing them or anyone linked to them any HARM, would we still perceive killing as evil?" WRT your analogy of genocide, let's assume that in such an nth-dimensional world, genocide would not be the result.

OK, I've got it now: where no HARM results, is an action evil?

THIS is one of the most important reasons for changes in moral standards; changing perceptions of harm and benefit.

Gently Feral

69

Does Looks Really Matter?

by butalbee in

does looks really matter in love?

would you go out with someone who was not physically attractive if he/she had a big heart on the inside, a great personality, lot's of things in common with, etc...i guess i'm asking what's more important to you the person on the exterior or who he/she really is underneath?.

lara

GentlyFeral

Would you go out with someone who was not physically attractive if he/she had a big heart on the inside, a great personality, lot's of things in common with, etc...

Yes. I can say this with confidence because I've done it.

I find it much more difficult to offer my graying, fat, acne-scarred self to someone prettier than I am. I assume s/he won't be interested.

But a couple weeks ago at the orgy, someone told me, "You have beautiful tits. I thought you should know."

Gently Feral

"There were cockroaches of course,
but very clean cockroaches."
-- Julia Vinograd

10

Newbies: what your future may be.

by refiners fire in

jw
friends

i been out of the org a full 20 years.. what progress have i made?.

well, im not angry anymore at the org.i dont even hate the gb.

i learnt a lot from reading all those old watchtowers about mind control.

GentlyFeral

Refiners,

Good things that have happened:
Ive paid my house off, and we sit quite comfortably, but God, my life is so ordinary. Im disappointed that this is as much as I seem able to achieve.

So your problem is not poverty, but lack of meaning and/or splendor?

The first step in being able to direct your own life is to find out what you want. There's no point in getting An Education until you have some idea of what you want to know. This is why they don't let you declare your major until you've had two years of general courses -- which are supposed to be exploration time.

So I'm not going to suggest any self-help book. I will suggest a course of exploration. Read anything. Study anything. If something doesn't pan out, drop it! You don't have time to waste on anything boring or pointless or incomprehensible.

And look hard at how you define success. Glance at the careers of famous poets. A few examples: William Carlos Williams was an unknown country doctor -- and a poet. Allen Ginsberg was a college dropout and was brought up on obscenity charges because of his most widely-known work, Howl. Arthur Rimbaud, in his late teens, wrote a few dozen poems that changed French literature forever (and English-language and South American, too!), and then gave up writing forever. Died young, of cancer. And I haven't even mentioned the other arts, or politics, or the careers of activists.

Find out what's important to you -- what causes or wonders you would die rather than give up -- and then do art or politics or neighboring about it.

And good luck!

Gently Feral

P.S. I haven't gotten over the poverty yet; still living pretty much hand to mouth, and I'll be fifty in a few years. But, hey, isn't it about time to start planning for that second career, even though I missed the first one?

67

Spirits/Entities - A question for all.

by Nemesis in

i would like to ask a question if i might: how do ones here view spirits?

(not the alcoholic kind) i have left the org.

now for at least 5 years, although i did go to the memorial last year, but not where i used to go to the hall; i was not df or da.. .

GentlyFeral

Nemesis,

I agree with Adonai438's advice to "test the spirits," but otherwise I don't see any particular irrefutable-ness about the Bible's cosmology at all. Spirits can be friendly, well-intentioned, and helpful without having any connection with Jesus. I know this from experience.

I'd like to pause here to concede that Nathan Natas is right. However, the objective reality of our spirit friends is irrelevant. Suffice to say that you have the opportunity to make imaginary friends in high places.

Two books I've found helpful, though not flawlessly accurate, are:

The Way of the Shaman, Michael Harner -- available through Amazon.com (new) and half.com (used). This is about how to manage your contact with spirits. You may find his methods awkward; don't hesitate to adapt them if necessary. Best advice from this book: only deal with the spirits that are happy to see you and meet you graciously. Trust your instincts.

Fifty Years in the Feri Tradition, Cora Anderson -- available from the author. A reminiscence about her shaman/priest husband, rather than a manual of spiritual practice. Post in this thread if you want her address, and I'll email you; but I'll tell you right now that the most valuable lesson you can learn from this book is that it is permissible and possible to dismiss hostile spirits and to argue with God.

Good luck!

Gently Feral

"There were cockroaches of course,
but very clean cockroaches."
-- Julia Vinograd

34

The Great Liquor Quiz

by Beans in

jw
friends

this is in response to our district overbeer!

thanks valis!.

please list your fav poisen!.

GentlyFeral

Single malt scotch good. Can't afford anything better than Glenfiddich, which is good enough to make me happy.

Bushmills Irish whiskey is also good.

Capt. Morgan's Rum.

Dry red wines are getting friendlier all the time.

Bourbon bad. Tastes like Very Superior Old Pale cough syrup.

And then, of course, there's weed. Haven't yet met a batch I didn't like. Wish it were legal, then it would probably be cheap enough to make ganja tea.

Quadreena, my bohemian son tells me he knows of a moonshine-absinthe subculture. Where do you get absinthe?

Gently Feral