#26
Posted: 1/5/05 at 1:18am
a big bada biffity bum bum BUMP for the most intellectually stimulating thread of the year.
It's Called A Bowler Hat — Page 2
#27
Posted: 1/6/05 at 12:01am
bump again!
doesn't anyone have anything else to say?
doesn't anyone have anything else to say?
#28
Posted: 1/6/05 at 12:47am
In history, we were talking about the beginnings of the view on progress.
How man came to see that they could improve thier lives during the Age Of Enlightenment.
I asked my teacher about scientific progression and social regression and he completely avoided the question.
He said he "needs time to think about that one"
I think it is just such a complex issue.
I'm not sure what I make of it.
How man came to see that they could improve thier lives during the Age Of Enlightenment.
I asked my teacher about scientific progression and social regression and he completely avoided the question.
He said he "needs time to think about that one"
I think it is just such a complex issue.
I'm not sure what I make of it.
"One no longer loves one's insight enough once one communicates it."
The opposite of creation isn't war, it's stagnation.
The opposite of creation isn't war, it's stagnation.
#29
Posted: 1/6/05 at 1:13am
I think we also have become a society of noise. We have to have some sort of noise all the time it seems. Whether that be actual noise or you use it as a synonym for all the junk in our lives. Ok forgive me for bringing this up, but at a monastery where several of my friends worked this past summer, they have what are called silent retreats. (No talking almost the entire time. You don't have to be Catholic to take them either.) My Religious Studies prof took one of these weekend retreats and it amazed her just how much noise we have in our lives. She was so impressed with how freeing it was that she went back to do an entire weeklong silent retreat. We have so much noise in our daily lives that is unneeded. The noise diverts our attention from basic courtesy, shortens our attention span, etc. Maybe this is just my crazy ramblings but I think it ties in with wht we are talking about here somehow. Maybe it's just that we've become so focused on the noise in our lives that everything else comes second to it. I was talking with a friend the other day and I was telling him about how I love the silence that a heavy snow brings. He was incredulous since I sing all the time that I said that. I was talking with another friend later and she agreed with me that it wasn't strange that I liked silence just as much as I liked singing. She said "The silence is just as much a part of the music as the noise." I think without the silence there is no music, just noise. So do you have noise in your life or music? Take from that what you will. (Most likely the ramblings of a crazy person. 
)
)
My avatar is a reminder to myself. I need lots of reminders...
Updated On: 1/6/05 at 01:13 AM
#30
Posted: 1/6/05 at 4:52am
That was beautifully said, Gunn.
And so very true. Noise has become such a part of our lives, that silence is deafening.
And so very true. Noise has become such a part of our lives, that silence is deafening.
#32
Posted: 4/7/05 at 5:19pm
This makes me think of several things, don't know if they're relevant, but oh well... a couple of years ago my niece, who lives in Costa Rica, was visiting me. After a couple of weeks, I asked her if she'd ever be interested in living in the USA. She looked at me with her eyes wide open and said "God No!". Then went to explain how we live our lives to work, work, work so we can buy nice cars, houses, etc. But we only get 2 weeks vacation and don't really take the time to chill. On the other hand, in CR, people work hard, but they work to have fun. To take time off. To go to the beach. To party. To spend time with their families. And yes, they are not as "developed" as the US, but they are having way more fun. This really made me think about things...
Different thought: yesterday I read how the company that owns Lego is selling off its parks and other businesses because they are loosing money. It seems kids are no longer interested in Lego. And that made me wonder... when I was a kid I loved Lego. It was so creative, made you think, problem solve, hand eye coordination. And you were working with your hands. Now kids don't like that, they want their video games (ok, I'll give you the hand-eye coordination) and not stimulate the mind as much. I know it's a generalization, and not all kids are like that. But the vast majority are.
Anyway... those were the two things this thread made me think about.
Different thought: yesterday I read how the company that owns Lego is selling off its parks and other businesses because they are loosing money. It seems kids are no longer interested in Lego. And that made me wonder... when I was a kid I loved Lego. It was so creative, made you think, problem solve, hand eye coordination. And you were working with your hands. Now kids don't like that, they want their video games (ok, I'll give you the hand-eye coordination) and not stimulate the mind as much. I know it's a generalization, and not all kids are like that. But the vast majority are.
Anyway... those were the two things this thread made me think about.
Happy, smile! Sad, frown! Use the corresponding face with the corresponding emotion! - Kate (Meg Ryan), French Kiss
#33
Posted: 4/7/05 at 5:22pm
I loved Lego as a kid!
I want to visit LegoLand!
I want to visit LegoLand!
#34
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:13pm
Gunn, when I was reading what you were saying about noise, I kept thinking how much I hate total silence, because it freaks me out. I'm not even capable of appreciating the silence- I even have to sleep with a fan going next to my bed for white noise. Maybe it's my talkative ADHD nature, but I've always associated silence with loneliness. We're so used to interacting with other people, hundreds a day, that we don't even know how to be by ourselves.
Like a firework unexploded
Wanting life but never knowing how
Wanting life but never knowing how
#35
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:18pm
And Another Hundred People just got off of the train...
#36
Posted: 4/7/05 at 8:33pm
I loved what gunn said about silence. I've never joined a retreat, but there have been times in my life when I've gone off somewhere for a stretch of time just so I can be alone and silent. Just me + lots of quiet places to walk + a pile of books. It's not something one can do easily because of the planning involved in order to do it, but I always came back feeling focused and energized after doing something like that. I think it's useful to do from time to time; when you take away outside distractions, it lets you focus inward.
One of the things that this thread brought up in me is how conflicted I am about the effects of westernization as it was discussed here. Yes, 'Welcome to Japan' in the context of PO is heartbreaking. And I hear people here all the time bemoaning the effects of westernization on the Asian cultures, etc. But part of that 'culture' has been the oppression of women, something I'm glad to see is being challenged. But of course there's the other side, too, as have been discussed earlier on this thread.
One of the things that this thread brought up in me is how conflicted I am about the effects of westernization as it was discussed here. Yes, 'Welcome to Japan' in the context of PO is heartbreaking. And I hear people here all the time bemoaning the effects of westernization on the Asian cultures, etc. But part of that 'culture' has been the oppression of women, something I'm glad to see is being challenged. But of course there's the other side, too, as have been discussed earlier on this thread.
#37
Posted: 4/7/05 at 8:47pm
It's actually been great living in Poland.
Yes I understand a bit of Polish, but not nearly enough to understand Television or Radio.
It's given me a lot of peace from Advertising, at the very least...
Yes I understand a bit of Polish, but not nearly enough to understand Television or Radio.
It's given me a lot of peace from Advertising, at the very least...
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