logansrun

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Posts by logansrun

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  30

  A thinking, reasoning person........

  by wordlywife in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the debate with my husband over my step-daughter's df has begun, just barely.

  he used a phase about me being "a thinking, reasoning person" and he doesn't understand why i don't "see" bible principles.

  i said that phrase is an insult to me, and then it went sour.

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  logansrun

  So, you really should be an emotional, illogical idiot?

  B.
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  127

  My thoughts on men who Body Build

  by kls in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my two son's are body builders and i am wonering if they think they can take on the world .

  last year my son was in a bar fight and got sucker punched in the eye which required 5 stiches ,now my 21 year old comes home with a huge black eye, the biggest i have ever seen trying to break up a fight.. .

  now both these people that got a good shot at my kids where men much smaller in stature and size and seemed to land good punches.

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  logansrun

  Or better yet, bodybuild and give up the silly idea of being "macho."

  B.
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  127

  My thoughts on men who Body Build

  by kls in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my two son's are body builders and i am wonering if they think they can take on the world .

  last year my son was in a bar fight and got sucker punched in the eye which required 5 stiches ,now my 21 year old comes home with a huge black eye, the biggest i have ever seen trying to break up a fight.. .

  now both these people that got a good shot at my kids where men much smaller in stature and size and seemed to land good punches.

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  logansrun

  I don't see any necessary connection between bodybuilding and getting into physical confrontations at all. It sounds like a lack of emotional discipline. If they bodybuild so as to appear "macho" that is different than getting into fights to appear "macho." You can do one without the other.

  B.
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  35

  Any Buddhists here? My sister is interested...trying to get info

  by Eyebrow2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my sister and i were talking, and she is interested in buddhism (h or no h?

  i have seen it both ways).. anyhoo...i am looking up some temples in the area.

  i told her she should visit one if she is interested and do some reading.

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  logansrun

  Re: Terry

  It's not so much just this response that get's me annoyed at Terry, it's the pattern of responses he has made on this forum ever since he joined. He pounds the same old Ayn Randian arguments over and over again with utter contempt for other ways of thinking and the utmost pompousness.

  That's okay, though. Like I said, I'm sure I'd like Terry if I met him. My worldview probably mirrors him more than he thinks. It's just the attitude which I find unappealing -- though, paradoxically, somewhat endearing as well. Terry's a big boy. He can withstand my criticisms.

  B.
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  35

  Any Buddhists here? My sister is interested...trying to get info

  by Eyebrow2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my sister and i were talking, and she is interested in buddhism (h or no h?

  i have seen it both ways).. anyhoo...i am looking up some temples in the area.

  i told her she should visit one if she is interested and do some reading.

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  logansrun

  Pole,

  No, the Websters dictionary is where I conveniently go to define a word, in this case, "metaphor." By your phrase "unverifiable metaphors" you either are stating that all metaphors are unverifiable (which is true, but pointless in trying to denigrate Buddhism) or that some metaphors are verifiable (which is false, in which case you misunderstand the concept of metaphor).

  B
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  35

  Any Buddhists here? My sister is interested...trying to get info

  by Eyebrow2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my sister and i were talking, and she is interested in buddhism (h or no h?

  i have seen it both ways).. anyhoo...i am looking up some temples in the area.

  i told her she should visit one if she is interested and do some reading.

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  logansrun

  Terry,

  First off, you're argument regarding poverty in Buddhist countries is a poor one. Why blame their belief system when there are other factors to consider, such as the extreme enviornment, political considerations, European imperialism, etc.? We've done objectively much better in the West from an economic and technological standpoint. Are you going to give credit to Christianity for that?

  As for explaining the nebulousness of Buddhist concepts -- and bear in mind that I agree that many Buddhist concepts are metaphysical gobledy gook -- let me try and explain the most important one: The Four Noble Truths.

  The First Noble Truth is that all life is suffering in the sense that there is much pain in life and it is unavoidable. We all grow old, get sick and die. Even the pleasurable things in life contain their germ of pain because we know all too well that the pleasure must indubitably end.

  The Second Noble Truth is that this suffering is caused by attachment, or selfish craving. We want things to be permanent, even life itself. This is where Buddhism is at odds with the Judeo-Christian tradition in spades. We demand, in a sense, that our bodies not get old, that the situations we enjoy in life not change, etc. But this is pointless and the root of our psychological disturbance.

  The Third Noble Truth is that there is a way out of this and that is through the cessation of selfish craving or attachment.

  The Fourth Noble Truth is that the way to detach from our desires is throught the Noble Eightfold Path which is a very practical, down-to-earth set of ethical principles by which we can obtain a happier condition in life and live in peace with others.

  There, was that so hard? Now, this is not to say that Buddhism, or even the concept of the Four Noble Truths does not have it's flaws. Taken literally to detach from life would mean not being bothered by the bad and not being attracted to the pleasures in life. Taken to it's logical extreme it is the biggest So What? in the universe. But taken in a more subtle way it provides a possible state of mind by which we are able to better handle losses in life. Later Buddhist thought would speculate how we can both enjoy life and not be so attached to this enjoyment that we cause ourselves to be disturbed. This could be exemplified in the phrase, "Hold on....lightly."

  Enough. My point is not that Buddhism is the "right religion" or that it does not contain heavy amounts of bullshit in it. It does. I simply feel that Buddhism has added quite a bit to the rich dialogue of philosophy through the ages. Einstein once commented that it was possibly the type of religion we need for our modern times. Perhaps.

  B.
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  35

  Any Buddhists here? My sister is interested...trying to get info

  by Eyebrow2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my sister and i were talking, and she is interested in buddhism (h or no h?

  i have seen it both ways).. anyhoo...i am looking up some temples in the area.

  i told her she should visit one if she is interested and do some reading.

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  logansrun

  He said that buddhist teachings boil down to sets of unverifiable metaphors.

  As opposed to a verifiable metaphor? Since all metaphors are an "application of a word or phrase to an opject or concept which it does not literally denote" they are, by definition, unverifiiable. (Websters)

  Or perhaps you have a problem with metaphoric language en toto. If so, then we must eliminate all poetry, large portions of literature, much of philosophy. Hell, lets burn all the paintings, tear down all the sculptures and forbid the playing of music while we're at it!

  B.
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  33

  My Brush with Nuclear History

  by Amazing1914 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  note: the following addresses a sensitive issue with mention of historical and some political references to give context.

  this post is deeply serious and is my heartfelt view concerning the christian spirit.

  in 1976, after assuring the fbi that i was not a communist, and cooperating with endless requests for information, i was given a classified security clearance.

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  logansrun

  Why didn't the US detonate an atomic bomb on an unihabited Japanese island to show them the extent of the obliteration that follows such an explosion? Who knows. The US government obviously seemed to view the Japanese as somewhat subhuman. Did they put Germans and Italians in concentration camps? I don't think so.

  I'm inclined to agree with the suspicions of some historians who speculate that Truman wanted to show the Soviets the extent of US power by nuking a couple thriving cities not far away from Russian terrritory.

  But..we'll never know, will we?

  B.
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  50

  I am NOT going to smoke a cigarette today

  by DanTheMan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  so there.. i have been smoking on and off since about 1999, and i'm tired of it.

  it's time to quit for good.. i will be revisiting this thread before i go to bed tonight, and i will at that time be able to post that i made it through the day without a single puff of tobacco smoke.

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  logansrun

  Dan,

  Best of luck! I strongly recommend finding a positive substitute for smoking. For example, if you tend to smoke to relieve tension and irritability you could try progressive relaxation of your muscles, deep breathing and meditation. Or, take up drinking.

  B.

  J/K about the drinking.
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  35

  Any Buddhists here? My sister is interested...trying to get info

  by Eyebrow2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my sister and i were talking, and she is interested in buddhism (h or no h?

  i have seen it both ways).. anyhoo...i am looking up some temples in the area.

  i told her she should visit one if she is interested and do some reading.

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  logansrun

  Generally speaking, Buddhism in the US is an individualistic pursuit. I would hardly liken it to actually joining a religion. In fact, some people question whether Buddhism even is a religion.

  Personally, I just wish people would worship me and be done with it.

  B.