Posted by Elaine on August 21, 2000 at 21:58:43:
In Reply to: Re: Truth, the apple, religion, and unity. posted by Bill R on August 21, 2000 at 20:39:44:
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : ring ring ring ring!
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : RING RING RING!
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : ringalalinga ling!
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : RING RING RIN RAINGLAINGA RINNGGGGGLIIINGNGNGNGNGNGNGN!!!!
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : COME ONE, COME ALL!
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : dROP YOUR HURONS, SWEETIES, SINS, ALL BY TH WAYSIDE!
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : come to the TOWNE SQUARRE!!
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : aFTER A long long hiatus
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : AFTER A LONG AWOL
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : AFTER A LOOOOOOOOONGGGG CINDERELLA LIBERTY!!!!
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : our writer, EDITOR
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : OF THE PAX PAPERS
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : mME TGAT QUEENIE LAINIE
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : IS baaaAAAAAAAAAAAACK!
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : indeed the PAX PAPERS ARE THE
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : PREMIER READING PAPERS IN LOTMLAND!!!!!
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : come one, come all!!!
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : RINGALINGLALIIIIINNNGGGGG!!!!1
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : cLINGALINLIGNARINGLIANAGLINENringlalingalink!!!
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : Breathless TowneCrier
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : Man, if the TowneCouncil still refuses to give me a raise, and a lantern and new satin duds
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : I dunno what else I may dooooooo!!!!
: : : : : : : : : : : : : Fellow Lotm'ers,
: : : : : : : : : : : : : Being a scribe myself, as well as a journalist, editor, erstwhile book-critic and editor... I must tell you that the current issue (August, 2000) of THE PAX PAPERS, the Premier Reading Papers of LOTMland, just crossed my desk for review, and herewith I shall post my review:
: : : : : : : : : : : : : GOOD STUFF.
: : : : : : : : : : : : : REALLY REALLY GOOD STUFF.
: : : : : : : : : : : : : Pertinent. Eminently readable. Timely.
: : : : : : : : : : : : : GOOD STUFF.
: : : : : : : : : : : : : Enjoy reading it, thinking about, and DEBATING IT in our usual, zesty LOTMLand Board fashion.
: : : : : : : : : : : : : Warm regards,
: : : : : : : : : : : : : Vita
: : : : : : : : : : : : : \\\
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : IS
: : : : : : : : : : : :
: : : : : : : : : : : : "An EXCERPT FROM PAX PAPERS, BY ELAINE FEDERICI:
: : : : : : : : : : : : ....This brings us back to the real point of truth, the pertinent question of this article. No, the question is not 'What is truth?' but 'Who cares?' Indeed, indeed ... who cares? This is the real meat of the matter.
: : : : : : : : : : : : "Where you have a man, there you have a potential liar."
: : : : : : : : : : : : So said Aristotle. He'll have no argument from me, either....."
: : : : : : : : : : : : Message from Vita and our Ye Olde TowneCrier:
: : : : : : : : : : : : Let's show LOTMers care... there is much to debate in this issue of The Pax Papers!
: : : : : : : : : : : : Cordially yours,
: : : : : : : : : : : : The Publicant
: : : : : : : : : : : :
: : : : : : : : : : : Okay. Read it. Provocative, thought provoking, and thoroughly worth debating. However, not by me. I'm still trying to get over the thinly veiled reference to "shopping around" for a suitable religion, and am still trying to live down (in my mind at least) the borderline intolerant comments I made about one religion in particular. However, I whole heartedly encourage those of less volatility than I to read, think, and debate.
: : : : : : : : : : : Bill R
: : : : : : : : :
: : : : : : : : : : Dear Bill,
: : : : : : : : : : No, no, do not skirt the issue. Really. Hey, I am what many would call a Pagan (or a Lady Dervishe, or what have you) myself. Not atheist, mind you, but Pagan and several other terms. The difference is that atheists do not believe in God, Pagans (and Sufist, or Mevlana followers,or Alewites, meaning those who come under many different terms/descriptions/classifications while still adhering to the One Supreme God belief) do, and Pagans are wronged many times over when they are classified under Satan worshippers. : : : : : : : : : Well! It seems I have mis-assumed, and you have mis-assumed. : : : : : : : : : Debate? Okay. One thought. What is truth? Is truth not that which never changes because it IS truth? And if that is so, then man's religions, though meant to provide us enlightenment, must have little to do with actual truth - as religion evolves (changes) and therefore cannot BE truth itself? Only an attempt to understand truth? : : : : : : : : : Bill R : : : : : : : : ************ : : : : : : : : Oops! Pardon me! Am I in the middle of this thread? I was just looking for my dictionary. Don't mind me. Please, continue. I'm headed back to the Pax Papers. Wooohooo! I'm on the second paragraph. I can keep up. Really.:) : : : : : : : : Later... : : : : : : : : Dana S. : : : : : : : Dear Dana, : : : : : : : What say you re. Truth Having Many Faces? As many Truths as there are vantage/view points? an apple in the center of the table, being viewed by diners gathered around the rectangular table, does present different aspects of its being, does it not? I mean, at one angle, you see the spot with the worm peeping out, at another angle, you see its smooth shiny polished surface... at yet another, you see the green tinge on its peel, on the other, you spot the reddish blush.... : : : : : : : There is much to debate in TGAT L.'s "Papers", every paragraph is an individual springboard into "Debate" but this one, is sure to be a favorite... : : : : : : : It is 'political correctness," as well as... hmm, there is also goodwill in that statement, for while we are being politically correct, we are also trying not to light up the tinders upon the stake, we are also trying to I'd say, love each other without being interfered by The Truth... or ... hmmm, and this is a radical point: we are being chickens... : : : : : : : Scratching my head vigorously, I remain : : : : : : ************ : : : : : : How do we achieve unity? Well, let's see... Maybe we should have a common goal. A common goal unites people, right? If we want permanent unity, we will need a permanent goal. What 's the most permanent thing we can think of? Something unchanging, say, truth? Woops. There we are again. What's Truth? And is it THE Truth? Our Truth? Your Truth? My Truth? Well, let's say we agree on a main truth. Let's say it's that there is God. If we all agree that there is God, then why aren't we united? What exactly is it that keeps all those who believe the main truth form this unity? : : : : : : Dana S. : : : : : Yes, dear Dana, alas the elastic nature of Truth! : : : : : By the way, re. Reagan. Good point,a subject for another thread. A once upon a time strongly union person, his administration was enormously successful in busting the unions. Indeed, a subject for another time, and yes, there is a Six Degrees to LOTM hook, too. : : : : : So... Pax Papers.... any other interested parties in joining the discussion? : : : : ************ : : : : Why do you say Truth is confining? And "elastic"? No. I find the opposite to be true. Not KNOWING the truth is confining. I believe the opposite of truth is fear. Fear is confining. Not believing in anything, not trying to search for the truth causes the fluctuations in morals and...other stuff.:) Remember, the main truth is agreed upon for this discussion. There is God. So what's the problem? Is it in how each "free thinker" worships this GOD? Is it in the worshiping that we are united or in the Truth? : : : : Manohman, it's times like these that I wish I could string words together in some readable fashion...;) : : : : Dana S. : : : : : : Okay, I took the advise in the Pax Papers and gave this some thought. Truth is not elastic. It's our belief in what the truth is that is elastic. The truth never changes. The truth about Reagan is what it is. It will never change. It's what I know and choose to believe that changes. Now, we all believe there is Reagan. Are we united in that belief? No! Why? Because we don't all agree with Reagan. Even if we know everything there is to know about Reagan, believe everything said about Reagan, unless we all agree with Reagan we won't be united. Some will follow, some will not. That's the way it is with God, I think. Some know this about God, some believe that about God. Some don't give God much thought at all. Many don't agree with God. They don't follow. That's the major division. Unless you do away with free will, you will never have complete unity. The Truth is still there, though. The Truth will always be there. It will never change. It is what it is. What we believe about the Truth doesn't change it. I take great comfort in that. : : : Dana S. : : Dear Dana - : : If I may say, BINGO! You've just summed up in VERY exquisitely readable language every pertinent point. Truth is not elastic, our perspectives are. Truth is immutable, defined, absolute, and uneffected by our successful discovery or complete disregard. The apple Vita mentioned; it never changed. It was always the same as it sat on the table but those viewing it viewed it with obscurity & only saw a partial truth of the whole apple. The views were not the truths, the apple was the single truth. : : "Unless you do away with free will, you will never have complete unity." : : Correct. So, is unity still the 'highest principle' or is it too costly a compromise? : : : : However, what is Truth? It is NOT what one of those religions says it is in total. They add a piece. But only a piece of the "apple". So I believe. : Bill R Hi Bill, The key to 'good things' is in the striving for, the searching, the thinking ... and it's most definitely enriched by the discussion. Thank you ... Of clones, respect, differences, and consideration of ALL things & ALL ways, I agree. Elaine
: : : : : : : : : : I am not here to discuss Paganism, right now, I just threw that in as a metaphor. Though while we are on the subject of God, or Allah, or Dio or Yahweh, I would love to argue that God is
: : : : : : : : : : Roll up your sleeves, dust off your already-spic span polished keyboard, and join the debate!!!
: : : : : : : : : : Vita
: : : : : : : : : I never would have guessed that you were pagan, and your guess about my squeeky clean keyboard is totally wrong. This board is older than I am. It has enough dirt on it for a good sized garden to flourish.
: : : : : : : After we debate Truth and Unity, and how Truth is being Manipulated, Morphed, Disguised, used as a Guinea Pig, used to clone imperfect copies, etc etc....
: : : : : : : well, Pax Papers' this paragraph, really grabbed me and I am repeating it:
: : : : : : : ....Unity, from what I gather, is the ticket. That's the contemporary ideal, the cat's meow. But how? When? At what cost? We all quickly say we're all for unity, for no one really wants to say they're in favor of disunity but this unity remains undefined, meaningless and unchallenged. It's like saying, 'I'm against breast cancer' ... no one is actually for breast cancer but it feels good to buy anti-breast cancer stamps and declare we're against it. It doesn't mean all that much really. What is it we really aim to achieve? It seems to me, in my stubborn way of seeing things, that what we're really thinking is this; I want to be your friend and feel good about this friendship so, please don't bring up things we might disagree upon because though I like to call myself enlightened and open minded, the truth is, I won't forgive you for holding a differing opinion which will lead to my not really liking you, and of course, I might find myself to be less open minded than I care to admit. Can't we just be friends? Is this the real unity we want? Isn't this what we really mean when we speak of being tolerant? I'd much rather have my viewpoints challenged, probed, and tested than neatly, kindly tolerated without examination. .."
: : : : : : : And yes, here is another Truth: "....please don't bring up things we might disagree upon because though I like to call myself enlightened and open minded, the truth is, I won't forgive you for holding a differing opinion which will lead to my not really liking you...."
: : : : : : : hmmmm....
: : : : : : : No, I say we are trying to be peaceniks. You go worship Buddha or the fire God in your hearth, or the tree in your garden, and if I do not see it your way, I rather don't know about it so that I am not provoked by my very human weakness of torching you for your different views...
: : : : : : : Hmmm...
: : : : : : : Yes, the key to our survival as a species upon this planet, is Unity. How best to achieve it?
: : : : : : : Yr Hmbl and Obdnt Srvnt, Ye Olde TC
: : : : : Even God's Oneness, His/Her very existence, can be argued successfully within the confinements of Truth.
: : : : : I said God His/Her, because OK, God has created Man in his own image. Hmmm. Man is actually Man and Woman, therefore God is Man/Woman.
: : : : : I am not trying to be funny, here, though I might be digressing from the subject on hand.
: : : : : The subject is Unity, and the Truth is the means to achieve Unity.
: : : : : So we have to settle on a commonly seen, accepted Truth.
: : : **************
: : Elaine
: Actaully Elaine, some seem to be defining Unity as if it is a "hive" of Borgs. That is one - here we go - interpretation I suppose, but not necessarily what was meant nor what should be strived for. Differences exist and always will. When they don't and everyone becomes a clone of some "ideal" then shoot me cause I will be the abberant one who refuses. In short, what I was driving at was that no matter the differences - in color, religion, nation, clan, family, race whatever group you want to name that we discrimate as a group.....I never advocated one race of clones who think like Borgs - I advocated RESPECT for each other's group, and asked that mankind see the higher group to which we all belong and the commonalities we share by being in that group - and respect one another and work together to solve problems that affect mankind. Some took that to mean Utopia. Some say it is impossible. I don't. As long as we take the easy way out and say it is impossible then it is. But even if it were - so what? Striving for it, we become more tolerant and productive. Without giving up our differences - only the viewpoint that our difference matters more, or most, or is right and the rest wrong. Which, I might add, is why I am against religions in general. I have yet to study one that did not believe they were right, the "chosen" etc. At least amongst the major three: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.