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Post by artraveler on Sept 28, 2022 19:40:10 GMT -8
Truth is seldom simple, often it has a right and left hand, and moves on two feet. There are a lot of ways that can be taken; truth is what you say it is, truth is what the winner says it it is, truth changes with the times. I would say that truth is always a complex mix of absolute truth, and boldface lies and we choose how much of each to believe. Inside of every lie there is a truth, albeit a small one, and inside of every truth there is a lie, albeit a small one. It is the job of adults to determine which is which and act, our react accordingly.
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Post by kungfuzu on Sept 28, 2022 19:42:42 GMT -8
True enough. Joking aside, my basic observation in life is that there are virtually no black and white areas in the vast majority of human interactions. Everything is grey. This is particularly true in relations between states. No one is "all good" and very few are "all bad." Is there a God, or not? If so, which one is the true God? One's point of departure, or a priori position determines much as to what one decides to be good or bad. Believe me, I have seen many different such positions in my life across the globe. Some of them even made sense. This makes life complicated and sometimes difficult. In the end, I generally try to start from a "Western" point of view, mix that with FACTS and a somewhat statistical approach, attempting to determine percentages and odds regarding, good, bad and effects each will have down the road. That doesn't mean someone with a somewhat different starting point using the same facts is necessarily wrong. (Although, between you and me, they generally are. ) Unfortunately, absolute answers can rarely, if ever, be calculated. That said, I believe one must often act as if one is acting based on absolute truth. To constantly weigh, calculate and balance all one's actions based on grey areas and information is a short road to a mental breakdown or at least torporous inactivity. I think the best one can generally do is determine a sort of red thread as to values/morals and try to follow/let it guide one in life. If one does that, I think one's life can be judged, to a large degree, successful. I understand this type of thinking may sound less than comforting. Therefore, I well understand the comforts of religion, which gives some certainty and very comforting absolute answers to difficult questions.
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Post by artraveler on Sept 28, 2022 21:24:04 GMT -8
Everything is grey So very true. There is an old saying, "it seemed like a good idea at the time". Most of our decisions are based on this one saying. I married my first wife, broke up with her, enlist in the corp, joined CIA, and so on. The other old saying that governs our lives is, "you planned this?" Think how boring and uneventful life would be if all our plans worked and every idea was a good one. I have learned more from my mistakes than I ever learned from my successes. When the little green men come down and offer me a ride to a distant star, I'll go. Not without some regrets but my bag is packed.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
Posts: 11,045
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Post by Brad Nelson on Sept 29, 2022 7:00:43 GMT -8
Another way to say that is that Britain added to humanity's health and happiness with the industrial revolution. The French Revolution, however, has led to where Europe is today: A welfare state, unable and unwilling to reproduce itself, and teetering on the edge of the dissolution of that civilization.
I don't credit the French Revolution with anything positive. I'm very Burkian on my outlook on the Frenchtards.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
Posts: 11,045
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Post by Brad Nelson on Sept 29, 2022 7:02:04 GMT -8
I would say that when the truth is simple, the liars make it complex. When the truth is complex, the liars make it simple.
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