Posts by Xanthippe

My son who is 13 desperately wants to visit the UK. He's a railfan and is obsessed with the Flying Scotsman. I think he also believes he might meet up with some of his Minecraft friends.

I told him we could go when he graduates from High School. That's only 5 years away. I'd better start saving! - GreatTeacher

GreatTeacher ah yes steam locomotives, I can understand the attraction. There are dozens of railway museums, some with working steam locomotives in the UK.

http://www.heritage-railways.com/index.php

This one in the midlands does half-hour trips every weekend.

http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/

My wife and I bounced around UK a few years ago and totally enjoyed it. Castles, stately residences, pubs, the National Museum, cathedrals!Could have stayed a lot longer - stillin

stillin, yes I love castles, art, museums, architecture and pubs too! Rome was heaven for art and history I must say.

I hope we continue to get many US vistors to the UK. They are a masive boost to the economy and all those I've met have been extremely polite and incredibly enthusiastic - bemused

So do I bemused.

12

The Americans are back!

by Xanthippe in

jw
friends

today will be the third time this year there were american tourists at my local national trust stately home calke abbey, derbyshire.

nice to see they are coming back to visit the uk.

haven't been many around in my part of britain in the last few years.

Xanthippe

Doesn't seem like such an odd question or assumption for them to make after having only just having met the royal couple on board a commercial flight themselves. Who'd have thought that would happen? Maybe they wanted to find out if this is a more common occurance than one would have thought especially since since England is a small island country rather than a large continent - exwhyzee

exwhyzee do you really think I just wrote that the heir to the British throne and his wife were on a commercial flight and the couple at the next table in our restaurant just met them? At first I thought you were joking but you're not are you?

My daughter and I were on a plane when Buckingham Palace made the announcement to the press that William and Kate were having their second child. By lunch time the next day we hadn't had chance to see an English newspaper, the hotel TV only showed news in Italian and although I had just figured out how to log on to the hotel wifi on my ipad I was more concerned with finding directions to the Colosseum that looking at news.

I may come from a small island country but at least my reading comprehension is above first grade level.

12

The Americans are back!

by Xanthippe in

jw
friends

today will be the third time this year there were american tourists at my local national trust stately home calke abbey, derbyshire.

nice to see they are coming back to visit the uk.

haven't been many around in my part of britain in the last few years.

Xanthippe

Today will be the third time this year there were American tourists at my local National Trust stately home Calke Abbey, Derbyshire. Nice to see they are coming back to visit the UK. Haven't been many around in my part of Britain in the last few years. I wonder if it is because of 9/11?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calke_Abbey

We did see a few Americans in Rome. The day we visited the Colosseum, we were sitting in a restaurant opposite having lunch when the American couple next to us said something to my daughter about having a baby. She said she thought she'd eaten a lot of pasta but well!

Turned out they meant William and Kate which had been announced the previous day when we'd been on a plane, so they knew about it before we did. Then they asked her if she had met the royal family, in all seriousness. She thought it was so funny she had to text all her friends.

33

How Has Turning Athiest/ Agnostic Affected You?

by minimus in

jw
friends

many jws believed in god.

now many here, do not believe in a deity.

how has this affected you in your life?.

Xanthippe

In every situation I have to decide how to act, whether ethically, with compassion, or not. It's all up to me. I like it!

39

What is a morally upright life?

by jgnat in

is it relative, or do all human societies and cultures hold at least some things to be good?.

i don't think right and true is "universal" other than what is right and true for people.

a dolphin or a praying mantis may have alien perceptions of what is "good".

Xanthippe

The only way to get your conscience to tell you that you are worthy is to do what you think is worthy. Finding an entire group that thinks you are worthy, good luck with that! The rise of individualism has made that practically impossible, thank god! Be your own person but make friends who genuinely care about you.

39

What is a morally upright life?

by jgnat in

is it relative, or do all human societies and cultures hold at least some things to be good?.

i don't think right and true is "universal" other than what is right and true for people.

a dolphin or a praying mantis may have alien perceptions of what is "good".

Xanthippe

We have uniquely experienced that lack of social acceptance is not in fact death. Well those of us that have left the Watchtower have. We are quite able to notice that we no longer live in caves or mud huts and yet we do not want to feel bad among work colleagues, neighbours etc., even though we have to accept that 30% of people will just not like us according to sociologists. I was shunned, I did not die but I made my own ethical standards. As thousands of us have! Perhaps it is also about integrity, following through on what we have decided to believe ethically. Self respect has become important but I am not sure why. If I wait long enough someone will tell me

39

What is a morally upright life?

by jgnat in

is it relative, or do all human societies and cultures hold at least some things to be good?.

i don't think right and true is "universal" other than what is right and true for people.

a dolphin or a praying mantis may have alien perceptions of what is "good".

Xanthippe

I honestly don't know what a morally upright life is, it doesn't compute anymore. I just try to be good to people and do no harm. If that is simplistic then so be it.

The idea of sanctity evolving from learning not to eat tainted food is very interesting. Most things deeply entrenched in the human psyche are about basic survival.

When people ask 'is nothing sacred' I feel nothing is. Life is supposed to be sacred but this leads to refusing assisted death. We let humans suffer worse than dogs and cats. So no I don't think life or anything is sacred but I do understand the desire to be 'clean'.

This might be purely about hygiene and survival but I think we have an innate desire to feel that we are 'good'. Which again might be about social acceptance and therefore survival but I am not convinced of that. Guilt is a hugely destructive force in the human mind which leads me to think that there is more to feeling 'good' than mere social acceptance.

44

Why are alot of JW's Fascinated with Sci-Fi?

by NoMoreHustle in

i am still in & gradually fading.

i have always wondered why alot of jw's that i know are really into alot of sci-fi stuff like star wars, i robot, x-men stuff etc.

i mean they take it another level with this fantasy stuff.

Xanthippe

I loved the forbidden planet bigmac, saw the stage version too.

Hey Star Trek predicted mobile phones, tablets and credit cards. Some good themes too, what it means to be human etc.

27

What happy, wonderful thing happened to you since you left the "truth"?

by Jeannette in

more than one thing for me, but i have learned to enjoy festivals, and just enjoying free time.

it's not that the org wouldn't allow it, i just felt i shouldn't.

there are others, of course, and i really have been happier and good things have come my way since i left.

Xanthippe

My BSc in my forties.

My baby girl after pioneering and nearly leaving it too late.

My little house with a garden at last!

Florence, Paris, Niagara Falls, Rome, Lake Como, New York, Montreal, The Alhambra in Spain, Greek Islands.

Our first Christmas, poignant and lovely.

My daughter as Mary in the school nativity play aged five.

I couldn't choose just one. Thanks for asking Jeannette, I need reminding just how lucky I am.