Rant: Politics and Idealism

*agrees with everything Satya said, even the Indigo is Switzerlandish*
 
Satya said:
I'm getting tired of hearing this argument...

"Why should I even try to make a difference when its not like I could really change anything?"

I'm going to say this once and I hope people take it to heart.

You can't change anything! The only thing you can change is yourself!

But guess what? When you are in your 80's and you are looking at your decrepit self in the mirror, what memories are you going to have? Are you going to remember taking a stand for what you believed in when you were young or idealistic or are you going to wonder why you let your cynicism and apathy win? If you aren't willing to take a stand for yourself and what you believe in, then why would you ever expect anyone else to take a stand for you? '

Politics is opinion. That is all it is and all it ever will be, but if you aren't wiling to stand up for your opinion, then your opinion was worth shit to begin with. And no offense to the type, but INFJs seem to be masters at making shit of their opinion just because they can't conceive of a way to make it reality. All you have to do is speak up and share it, but if you are too damn afraid of ruffling feathers then don't be surprised when you are full of regrets when you are old for never having valued what you believed.
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"If you aren't willing to take a stand for yourself and what you believe in, then why would you ever expect anyone else to take a stand for you?"

Exactly, why should we stand for anything?

I'm quite comfortable with that, even in my 80's I guess.
 
"If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything" - actually was NOT said by Malcolm X, but by Reverend Dr. Peter Marshall, a preacher.

I'd say:

If you don't stand for something, you won't become dogmatic. Being opinionated, just for the sake of it, can even be harmful. I also don't view humans to be political animals as some natural order. To me, the most change to be made is through studying, research, experimenting and informing others. Winning debates is much less effective on the long run.
 
Satya said:
I'm getting tired of hearing this argument...

"Why should I even try to make a difference when its not like I could really change anything?"

I'm going to say this once and I hope people take it to heart.

You can't change anything! The only thing you can change is yourself!

But guess what? When you are in your 80's and you are looking at your decrepit self in the mirror, what memories are you going to have? Are you going to remember taking a stand for what you believed in when you were young or idealistic or are you going to wonder why you let your cynicism and apathy win? If you aren't willing to take a stand for yourself and what you believe in, then why would you ever expect anyone else to take a stand for you? '

Politics is opinion. That is all it is and all it ever will be, but if you aren't wiling to stand up for your opinion, then your opinion was worth shit to begin with. And no offense to the type, but INFJs seem to be masters at making shit of their opinion just because they can't conceive of a way to make it reality. All you have to do is speak up and share it, but if you are too damn afraid of ruffling feathers then don't be surprised when you are full of regrets when you are old for never having valued what you believed.
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DITTO, DITTO, DITTO!!! IMO a big problem is that many of us political idealists think changing things requires control over national government policy, when in fact nearly all sustained, permanent change starts LOCALLY, by winning over the hearts and minds of individuals in one's local community. That is, change must start at the level of civil society.

Be the change you want to see in the world.
 
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TaylorS said:
DITTO, DITTO, DITTO!!! IMO a big problem is that many of us political idealists think changing things requires control over national government policy, when in fact nearly all sustained, permanent change starts LOCALLY, by winning over the hearts and minds of individuals in one's local community. That is, change must start at the level of civil society.

Be the change you want to see in the world.
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Well said.
 
The way to change is to shed your ignorance and to help others shed theirs.

Turn off the TV, maybe you will find life.
 
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Jim Morrison: 'they've got the guns, but we've got the numbers'
 
muir said:
Jim Morrison: 'they've got the guns, but we've got the numbers'
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Hehe, we have guns too. I dare them to come take mine...

Just try....
 
There's guns and there's guns!

Iraq thought they had guns!

I think the shootings at Kent State in the US and on 'Bloody Sunday' in the UK was proof that the power elites will shoot their own people to get their way
 
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Satya said:
All you silly people's clinging to your guns and Bibles. :m075:

Who wants those when we got all the liquor and pot? :mlove2:
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I never cared much about guns until last year. Now I feel a basic need to have something just in case everything falls through. Not really an apocalyptic inclination, but rather being better off safe than sorry.

I hope you don't take my statement and inference to be as horribly simplistic and ignorant as it may sound. I simply refuse to hand over my political rights to a government that seems to have no interest in my own well being.

Then again, I am confident in my own responsibility and ability to handle a weapon and to secure it from those who don't.

If the entire world could ruin all weapons except the most rudimentary I would be all for it, but that isn't the case. Just the mere knowledge of how to build a gun seems to make that concept completely impossible. The best route in my mind is to embrace the technology, understand it, and respect it to the best of our abilities.

I don't intend to cause needless rebellion, nor do I intend to lay down and be 'owned' outside those I love.
 
If we get rid of our guns it leaves us open to alien attack.
 
Anybody that learns some basic CNC and has some gunpowder can make a gun. At what point and how much energy do we exert to try to control something that can't be controlled? If someone fully intends to kill someone, they are going to kill them. It might be easier for someone to shoot another from 100 yards without actually seeing the effects up-close, but why do they feel that way in the first place? Is it because they are ignorant? If they can't get the gun, I know of some pretty badass bows that can shoot a good range, crossbows aint bad either. Where does it stop?

What is the root cause of why we seek to kill one another? I merely suggest forgoing the band-aid and solving the root cause.
 
Satya said:
Because we are human.

Good luck fixing that.
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I have not killed anyone, does that make me not human? If I die without having killed someone, does that make me inhuman?

I would think there are influences external to ourselves that could be said to govern the rate and tendency to kill others.

If I was surrounded by 15 people (and no one else) that provided me with everything I need, would I kill them?

If I was surrounded by 15 people (and no one else) that obstructed me from everything I need, would I kill them?

I do not kill someone simply because they are human, nor do I kill them simply because I am human.
 
Actually, I posted a thread a while back about how I hated being a "self-aware" idealist, which means I still am fully aware of my visions but also aware of how I can make them a reality.

But you know what? You're right.

The thing is, it's easy to get discouraged when it seems like no progress is being made, and sometimes it even seems as though everything is in a regressive state. I certainly do want to make a difference - even if it seems like the best I can do is nudge the world in that direction. It's something I struggle with.
 
NeverAmI said:
I have not killed anyone, does that make me not human? If I die without having killed someone, does that make me inhuman?

I would think there are influences external to ourselves that could be said to govern the rate and tendency to kill others.

If I was surrounded by 15 people (and no one else) that provided me with everything I need, would I kill them?

If I was surrounded by 15 people (and no one else) that obstructed me from everything I need, would I kill them?

I do not kill someone simply because they are human, nor do I kill them simply because I am human.
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But because you are human, you have the power to kill. Killing a natural thing. Can it be a bad thing, yes, but it's natural. Part of being an animal is having the power to defend and secure what is needed for further survival, and killing sometimes is necessary. I think what you're getting at though, is we're one of the only species on earth that organizes into groups that plots the destruction of other groups based merely on their existence.

Other animals 'war', but we're the only species that looks to exterminate. If we could figure that one out...well I'd be really surprised.
 
Believe it or not, there are very very serious people, with, otherwise, very serious arguments, who would say, wait, no guns, what about the aliens??

Mind you, they even seem eager to invent aliens, for real, just to have some bugbear for the kids, and for the economy.


Satya said:
Because we are human.
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Then I unsubscribe. I'm joining the dolphins. They can do lots of complex things humans can't.
 
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I truly do think something outside of our own planetary existence, a universal struggle, is really the only thing that will really cause the world to unite. That is, until we completely understand the human mind and can prove it beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Probably not in my lifetime.
 
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