kurtbethel
Razziel
JoinedPosts by Razziel
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61
Do you think our society is on the verge of collapsing?
by jam innot to sound like the gloom and doom cult we were apart,.
but are we heading for an collapse in our society?.
iam sure we all are familiar with the signs that bring about.
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61
Do you think our society is on the verge of collapsing?
by jam innot to sound like the gloom and doom cult we were apart,.
but are we heading for an collapse in our society?.
iam sure we all are familiar with the signs that bring about.
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Razziel
My point is BOTH parties have played the middle class. They have distractred us with ancillary issues like abortion and gun-control, and divided us into a false dilemma of black-and-white thinking while the few at the top siphon off the top of the economy and steal us blind regardless of which party is in power.
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61
Do you think our society is on the verge of collapsing?
by jam innot to sound like the gloom and doom cult we were apart,.
but are we heading for an collapse in our society?.
iam sure we all are familiar with the signs that bring about.
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Razziel
As the average life expectancy increases, there are increased opportunities for the emergence of diseases of older age, including cancers.
It's all about quality of life. We've learned how to extend life, we still aren't especially learned in how to extend quality of life. Longevity on its own is a poor statistic. We are very adept at prolonging life for years using machines and intravenous concoctions. I personally do not look forward to living 10-15 years in a quasi-lucid state in a nursing home or managed care facility as my grandparents did. I hope and believe it's realistic that we will improve the quality of life for our elderly, especially if we get past some of our moral and ethical turpitudes.
There is really no such thing as death with dignity. But I respect those who choose to end their life while they are in full control of their mental faculties rather than live their last years in either perpetual pain, narcotics induced oblivion, or child-like dementia. And whether I'm 75 years old or 200 years old, I personally would never choose such a thing. And when that time comes, I've already made my peace and will do what I feel honorable, longevity statistics be damned.
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61
Do you think our society is on the verge of collapsing?
by jam innot to sound like the gloom and doom cult we were apart,.
but are we heading for an collapse in our society?.
iam sure we all are familiar with the signs that bring about.
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Razziel
We are simply following the natural progression of Civilization as I've posted time and time again. The US is on the decline, but like as not, we'll hang on for a few more generations as the dominant power before the hourglass flips. 50 years, even 100 years is a short time in history. Republicans aren't completely stupid. Having the strongest military and not being afraid to use it to protect commerce is key to having the strongest economy. In the mean time, the divide between rich and poor will exponentially worsen, and the middle class will continue to shrink over time regardless of if we elect Democrats or Republicans. This is mathematically inevitable because we refuse to recognize the effect of compound interest and tax accordingly.
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85
Scientific Careers and Race
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Razziel
"It's a way to say that all the members of a group are born stupid and there is just nothing they can do about it. They were born that way."
Yes for some people it is, I'm not going to defend that. And that's not what I said. The pendulum swings from one extreme to the other, and I don't think most people are moderate enough to understand what I'm saying or can look at the evidence objectively. They'll either use my words as an excuse for bigotry or dismiss my comments out of hand, so I'm stopping here. It's amazing how we can embrace our differences yet cannot embrace our differences.
Globalism is a great thing because someday perhaps in the distant future, we will all be one race, the human race.
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85
Scientific Careers and Race
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Razziel
"But in the meantime, too many talented people aren't getting the encouragement they need to meet their potential."
This is the key point from Billy. It's not about race or gender. It's about living up to your individual potential. There are soooo many talented people out there who are passed up for whatever reason and undertalented who are accepted for whatever reason. I don't like the good old boy system, but I don't like affirmative action and quotas either. I personally wish names or genders or the school you attended were not on resumes and applications. I want a society based on merit.
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Scientific Careers and Race
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Razziel
Individuals are the exception, groups are the rule. "Man has always been loath to accept his limitations. How much easier it is to deny the truth altogether - to imagine that Nature has given us all the same potential, and that a single act of will can suddently cause all limitations to vanish. As if Nature were just."
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Scientific Careers and Race
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Razziel
There are a very small percentage of geniuses from every race, culture, and gender. But to think that the only thing that separates one person from another is education, culture, and opportunity is wishful thinking and naive. It's not true in athleticism and it's not true in intellectualism either. And that is the politically incorrect answer.
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375
The Governing Body intends to announce significant changes in academic literature (DOCTRINES) - Brazil
by Dogpatch indear randall.
good morning!.
here is the daniel of brazil (former bethel).. this week at the forum of former jehovah's witnesses had an interesting news!
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Razziel
Did I miss something? That was just the standard instructions for the "special talk", the public talk given shortly after the memorial to invite new ones who came to the memorial.
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375
The Governing Body intends to announce significant changes in academic literature (DOCTRINES) - Brazil
by Dogpatch indear randall.
good morning!.
here is the daniel of brazil (former bethel).. this week at the forum of former jehovah's witnesses had an interesting news!
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Razziel
I reread dgp's translation (thanks for that) and will speculate some more. Perhaps they are rushing the KMS by 1st quarter 2013, so the Elders will be prepared when it gets dropped on everyone else at the 2013 DC's. These are usually followed up with a print WT to be studied in the Fall. When I read "significant doctrinal changes" I think they want to change one doctrine in particular, but to change one, they have to adjust some other doctrines too, to keep the beliefs consistent. And to me that limits what it could be even further.
I think we both overestimate and underestimate the GB. We overestimate them as shrewd businessmen and underestimate how much they might sincerely believe they're doing God's work. I think they'd spend every last dollar on literature if it was still effective, they've been losing money for decades in foreign countries on literature and kingdom halls with absolutely no payback because they were bringing in new members hand over fist. If they cut expenses or guilt trip members into donating more in one country, it's just so they can blow the proceeds in another country where it's more effective in bringing converts. They sit on a billion dollars of real estate because they needed the property at the time, and happened to benefit from 50 years of market appreciation, not because they're all Warren Buffet's in disguise.