Fed up? Feel free to vent here, and get it off your chest!

Paco Dennis said:
Something I want to "get of my chest". I get snagged around rhetoric that is not true that is used to convince people of a blatant lie. It is my problem, but one in which I find very hard to ignore. When I get snagged I try to expose the context of the lie, which usually creates controversy/arguments. I have been trying to let these things not bother me and just let them pass by. Is that really the best idea? Don't we need to stand up for the truth?

Now there are some really big issues that we are very divided. Most everything can become a divisive issue if we want to get into that kind of conversation, or we could try to understand the issue at hand, rather than hand out cherry picked examples to give the argument weight. Those cherry picked things can be truthful, but they are not the bigger picture. It becomes regressive because someone is arguing a point that is highly suspect. That is what gets me.

I must respond with arguing for context and the bigger picture. From now on though I am not going to bite... thanks @RadishRose for the nudge...you have the best solution to my nagging problem. Boy do I feel better just getting all that weight I feel off my chest when trying to make the world a better place. :)
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Hey, come join us in the hot tub. We are not supposed to talk politics in the hot tub but if no one objects it happens. I love it when someone has a different point of view and we question each other and therefore learn from each other. If nothing else it is a great exercise of communication skills when people are committed to being reasonable and avoiding emoting.

We do need to stand up for the truth, but determining what that is is not so easy. I think a big problem is either or thinking, true or false. Many times the issue is not about facts but perspective. From our different perspectives things can look different. Or the truth is this AND that. Yes abortions are terrible, but they can be necessary. Yes, government control can cause a problem but things could be worse without it. How do we work with the bigger picture for better results?

This is the first time in history that there has been so many long-lived people and I think that might lead to better awareness because of what our years of accumulated information does to how we think. We have broader perspectives as we accumulate more knowledge.
 

Mobilman44 said:
There is some validity about the "Big Lie" working, as evidenced by history. Typically all it took was a loud voice, constant repetition, and reminders everywhere (i.e. bill boards, newspapers, etc.). This was a driving force in Germany's 1930s, various "dictatorships", and yes, even here in America.
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I am reading George L. Mosse's book "The Crisis of German Ideology- INTELLECTUAL ORIGINS OF THE THIRD REICH. According to him, Nazism may have been started by Romanticism
"a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the individual."

However, there was also a lot of religious fanaticism that led to many years of religious wars when Catholicism became too weak to defend against Protestantism and many Protestant denominations not only competed with each other, but they killed each other.

I want to add, when I read an old book about eugenics, I saw a big problem with unrealistic expectations of technology. Human beings have worked for a better world since we first started telling stories. It is our desire for a perfect world that gets us into trouble. Bottom line is the Christian mythology with a focus on sin, heaven and hell, may be our big lie if the truth is how much care and how much we want a better reality. What if love is our driving force?
 
jpstrap said:
This is getting so off the mark, it's becoming funny. I happen to LIKE women. I know you probably cannot fathom that, but it's always been the case with me. Feminism, in my view, has taken the woman out of her natural role as child bearer and family maker to a place that is inconsistent with the idea of the family unit. Just my opinion and I am not seeking any discussion here.
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Would like being a woman and being restricted in what you can do and forever being dependent on a man? What if the man becomes an abusive alcoholic and avoids working for a family home and other needs?

I am extremely thankful for government assistance programs because I did not marry as well as my family thought and if knew what I know now, I would have put my ability to support my family above other things. Birds make better mate choices and they don't lay eggs before the nest is built.
 

<Putting on Kevlar vest, helmet and running shoes..>

My vent subject is the amount of male bashing some women do on this site. My impression is women bash a lot more than men. When I say male bashing I mean comments aimed in general at all men. Not just at your lazy drunk ex husband, etc.

I can tell you things about some individual women that are pretty bad. But, overall, there is a ton of great gals out there. And I am enjoying them. 😉
 
Brookswood said:
<Putting on Kevlar vest, helmet and running shoes..>

My vent subject is the amount of male bashing some women do on this site. My impression is women bash a lot more than men. When I say male bashing I mean comments aimed in general at all men. Not just at your lazy drunk ex husband, etc.

I can tell you things about some individual women that are pretty bad. But, overall, there is a ton of great gals out there. And I am enjoying them. 😉
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I don't understand generalized bashing. Some men are wonderful, some not so much. Ditto women, children, teenagers and people of various generations.
 
Vida May said:
I want to add, when I read an old book about eugenics, I saw a big problem with unrealistic expectations of technology. Human beings have worked for a better world since we first started telling stories. It is our desire for a perfect world that gets us into trouble. Bottom line is the Christian mythology with a focus on sin, heaven and hell, may be our big lie if the truth is how much care and how much we want a better reality. What if love is our driving force?
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You mean like when Jesus said, "As I have loved you, so you must love one another.?"

And when Jesus gave this example of how to treat others? "“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

Isn't that about caring and wanting a better reality? Isn't that using love as a driving force?
 
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Della said:
You mean like when Jesus said, "As I have loved you, so you must love one another.?"

And when Jesus gave this example of how to treat others? "“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

Isn't that about caring and wanting a better reality? Isn't that using love as a driving force?
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My opinion of parables like these greatly supports that which Ghandi is reputed to have said. When reading the red text passages in my Bible (purportedly the words actually spoken by Jesus), my heart tells me these are the right ways to live.
A lot of the other stuff, not so much. And what many/most "Christians" say and do? Definitely not so much.

The parable you quoted reminds us what true caring looks like. The priest and Levite, both practicing religious Jews, ignored the injured man (implied to be Jewish, based on his journey), but the Samaritan (from a tribe mostly shunned by Jews as being of impure blood and somewhat pagan), was the true kind, compassionate neighbor.

I saw far more who behaved like those priests and Levites when I attended Christian churches. The Samaritans were all too few and far between. I could truly count them on one hand. Kind of sums up why I left organized religion.

Ghandi on Christians.jpg
 
Tried to do a blankets laundry, but one lone woman had every washer, and every dryer, claimed & running. May not want to do laundry this afternoon as it is so beautiful and hot outside, in the nineties, my kind of weather!
 
StarSong said:
My opinion of parables like these greatly supports that which Ghandi is reputed to have said. When reading the red text passages in my Bible (purportedly the words actually spoken by Jesus), my heart tells me these are the right ways to live.
A lot of the other stuff, not so much. And what many/most "Christians" say and do? Definitely not so much.

The parable you quoted reminds us what true caring looks like. The priest and Levite, both practicing religious Jews, ignored the injured man (implied to be Jewish, based on his journey), but the Samaritan (from a tribe mostly shunned by Jews as being of impure blood and somewhat pagan), was the true kind, compassionate neighbor.

I saw far more who behaved like those priests and Levites when I attended Christian churches. The Samaritans were all too few and far between. I could truly count them on one hand. Kind of sums up why I left organized religion.

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Likewise, I admire Gandhi and consider him one of greatest people to ever live and he is a Hindu. Over the centuries the Hindu countries have been extremely warlike. I like Gandhi but many Hindus are very unlike Gandhi.

The national religion of a country is not always reflected in the things the country does. More often the country's actions reflect the ambitions of it's leaders much more than the teachings of the religion.

During WWII the Japanese POW camps were considered the cruelest of all the countries. Yet Buddhism is an exceptionally peaceful religion. I would never think that all Buddhists, or all Japanese, were like the soldiers who fought in that war.

Humans, whether atheists or religious tend to be selfish and flawed. I don't blame Buddha or Christ or Mohammed for the actions of their followers.

I don't go to church to worship Christians, I go to worship Christ.
 
All probably true, @Della. However, I can only speak for myself. I live in the US, where hypocritical Christians abound. How citizens in other countries deal with folks who likewise twist religion is up to them.

Me? I avoid them like the hating plague I've learned they often are.
 
QR codes. Dammit, now even my insurance carrier says I should scan their QR code to take me to a site where I can pay a medical bill. Noped right on outta there, called a pay-by-phone number, and when the Kaiser website asked me to provide feedback for the site, I let 'em have it.

Enough is more than enough. I've been technologied to death.
 
Georgiagranny said:
QR codes. Dammit, now even my insurance carrier says I should scan their QR code to take me to a site where I can pay a medical bill. Noped right on outta there, called a pay-by-phone number, and when the Kaiser website asked me to provide feedback for the site, I let 'em have it.

Enough is more than enough. I've been technologied to death.
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I avoid QR codes and adding apps to my phone also. Go to a restaurant and there's a QR sign on the table. Supposed to scan that to see the menu, then order. Then they want a tip? Spare me.

I walk up to the counter and tell them I don't do QR codes, please show me a menu. I get a menu, order and pay at the counter. No choice? I'm outta there. Apps and QR codes add trackers to your phone. No thanks.
 
Muskrat said:
The wind. The blasted blasting dust blowing wind. Now i feel so much better
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I remember the wind and dust when living in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. I hated it! We'd tape the windows shut and still got fine sand everydamnwhere indoors! And the incessant howling wind...ugh. Funny, but venting about it never made me feel better;)
 
As the sun goes down and darkness edges in, we find the trashy rat's brood enjoying the evening across the street with no supervision
Chair and end table in the road. Have a seat ...

F0IKokR.jpeg
 
Della said:
You mean like when Jesus said, "As I have loved you, so you must love one another.?"

And when Jesus gave this example of how to treat others? "“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

Isn't that about caring and wanting a better reality? Isn't that using love as a driving force?
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No
 
Vida May said:
No
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No, I do not mean those quotes. I mean the history of Christianity and the superstition and fear of the past that gave the Catholic church a lot of power, and the fact that at least since Sumer and ancient Egypt all religions attempted to transmit the same good values.

We did not have a God of love until our bellies were full and the more we learn from science the better we can overcome the evils that made our lives short and full of suffering. Believing Jesus about it not being necessary to wash our hands and thinking it is demons that make us sick, was one of the worst aspects of the Dark Ages following the destruction of pagan temples that were places of learning. Are you interested in history and the good of others?
 
Della said:
The national religion of a country is not always reflected in the things the country does. More often the country's actions reflect the ambitions of it's leaders much more than the teachings of the religion.
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Wow! I am studying the Renaissance and Reformation. One of the Great Courses.

What you said is perfect for the Christians back in the day. The Reformation years were terrible years of superstition, wars, and chaos. Without science and technology they could not resolved their problems and people starving to death was common. So many children died before the age of three, they were not given names until they were 3 years. "In medieval England, life expectancy at birth for boys born to families that owned land was a mere 31.3 years." Old age isn’t a modern phenomenon – many people lived long enough to grow old in the olden days, too
I imagine that would be less for serfs who didn't own land and there were more serfs than land owners.

However, those who lived 25 years could expect to have 50 years of life. That means many people died very young and few had long lives. In a population with few young people, the mentality is going to be different than if most people live 50 years of longer. At 31 years people have gained an important stage of maturity and research tells us people are more likely to be superstitious at a younger age. So what is apt to happen if someone finds a witch in town or they are told they must defend their kingdom from people who live far away?

We like to think God favors the US and Christians, but our blessings are more about our living conditions than the will of a God. Having good farmland and favorable weather, knowing something about science, and having microscopes and telescopes increase what we can know. What if we understood the real reasons for doing well or poorly as well as some people know their Bibles? Then we might not think the US has done better than Hindus because the religions are different.
 
Naturally said:
As the sun goes down and darkness edges in, we find the trashy rat's brood enjoying the evening across the street with no supervision
Chair and end table in the road. Have a seat ...

F0IKokR.jpeg
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Good grief... I would be very upset if that house was opposite me... what a state !... and those poor little kids, look how overweight they are ?bet they're being fed cheap fatty food...

What is on the old wreck on the left , is that cardboard ?
 

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