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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/28/2009 12:49:35 PM | No offense op, shug, Dukky, but are you having a bi polar manic moment???
Such insightful bliss, can be insight, but then other times it is a sign your meds are wearing off...
When I get into such mindful insight, and find great feelings of joy of being impoverished, as well as how wondrous and loving "downs kids" are, I know it is a good sign I may be slipping into a little mania... Just checking here...
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/28/2009 2:02:03 PM | Thanks for looking in on me, but no...I'm fine...I've been "like this" for a long time now (years). I just found myself thinking how happy everyone could be if they had the realizations I've had. It finally dawned on me that people don't have to reach "nirvana" to be happy; that only shows you the WHY of things. All anyone really needs to know is that true happiness is a consequence of a generous and giving spirit. To be truly good is to either have one or behave as though you did. I guarantee that such behaviour will give you one and make you a happy person in the bargain.
It logically follows that if enough people could only make this small change in themselves, the earth itself would move to accommodate them. If you can't believe it could be that easy to change the world...well maybe this is where having a little faith comes in. 
(a little beer wouldn't hurt either...)  | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/28/2009 11:12:25 PM | like, should a preachers mortgage on his house that is the best one in the congregation, be paid by his preaching?
sorry, might start that post. | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/28/2009 11:21:20 PM | Dukky I hear ya...
I can remember years back with my son when he was nine, he was a little guys so he could ride the "trailer bike" which made my bike and that part a tandem bike.. We and the doxie in my back pack were breezing along in such fine complete balance that we could whip past dogs in the yard, and not be noticed until we were pasted...
We turned in a video game, for exchange of money and he bought another one. Then we had free water from taco bell, and a couple cheap tacos to get back home on...
We were ridding a long this common hwy, that bikers frequent and as people past us. they seemed to look at as in sort of a pathetic, how sad can ya get, it is litely raining and you three on on a bike...
WE WERE IN BLISS... We had the warmth, and cooling spray of light rain, and were enjoying seeing all the sites that can't be seen at 55 mph. We felt like the lucky ones, while they were trapped with their windows up, as the scent of hay, wild flowers, and rain tickled our noses...
A stop at an old apple tree retrieved a couple apples, and we were off again, just enjoying the country side, and nature as it slowly passed us by...
Life can speed ahead to often, where much is missed because everyone is in a hurry, forgetting that the world, and nature can provide fine scents, and enjoyable scenery...
Yes, there is the dark side of nature, but sometimes it is a much need process that leads to more life....
Since that time I learned to reflect to the universal conscious mind my hopes and desires, never anything bigger than I would return back in favor of the earth, and humanity...
Sometimes just a smile, and a small song can bring a surprise of joy to someone that is feeling down. A simple gesture of sharing the plentiful of a well tended garden, can bring a little bit of healthiness to one who is stuck with what is put on the grocery shelves...
Joy is that simple, if you don't fear you are giving to much of yourself, you will be amazed at the over abundance that is given back... Only fear of sharing what you have as extra, keeps an emotional poor person poor... | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/28/2009 11:51:15 PM | What if no one wants to read it?
I would think that any artist should be most concerned if no one wants to download or view their art, even for free.
If it's a social concience that is of concern... then where is the greatest value?
Would you read it, if someone else wrote it?
For me? I'd publish it on the net. it's far cheaper that way to have no one read it.
GL | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/29/2009 12:05:44 AM | | Dude just sell the book at the price it took to make and distribute. Make 1000 books, if it cost you $1 to make 1 book, sell the book for $1. Well what if you don't sell all 1000 books and the distributors want compensation? Easy, stop writing books about Sadomasochism. That's sick and disgusting, man. Well what if you sell all 1000 copies and they want more. You make more books on Sadomasochism to keep up with supply and demand. Well what if you become impoverished because you were retarded enough to make books that no one wants and you can't sell them? Quit your day job and go figure out another way to benefit your selfish ego. But didn't you want to benefit society? No, there was no mention of you wanting to benefit society. You were only concerned about yourself not benefiting from others by creating a product that still doesn't help society in any way. You give money to the book makers, the book makers give that money to the government they're leasing the land from, the government gives that money to cities that require aid, the city gives that money to state workers, the state workers give that money to their employees, the employees foolishly buy your book, and the cycle results in a net gain of 0. Society does not benefit from your book on Sadomasochism. | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/29/2009 9:58:04 AM | I think this guy thinks too much.
Do what you want. None of the choices presented are unethical. Either take the money and pay your bills, or don't take the money and get some other job and pay your bills. Better yet, take the money and pay for counseling so you can get over your guilt about being compensated for your work. | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/29/2009 3:30:41 PM |
What if no one wants to read it?
Then I guess the guy is either a lousy author, or an unknown with a lousy marketing strategy.
what if you become impoverished because you were retarded enough to make books that no one wants and you can't sell them? Quit your day job and go figure out another way to benefit your selfish ego.
Is that the advice you would have given to Vincent van Gogh about his painting? If it had been, are you glad or sorry he didn't listen to your advice?
But didn't you want to benefit society? No, there was no mention of you wanting to benefit society.
Two things: Yes, I would like society to benefit from my existence, but that has nothing to do with either the hypothetical author, his book, or it's subject matter. That's why there was no mention of wanting to benefit society; it isn't relevant to the question, which is one of ethics. It was a question posed for YOU to fill me in on what YOU would do; what YOU would consider ethical. It wasn't request for advice; I already know what I would do and there is no ethical dilemma posed for me. I just wanted to guage what others would consider ethical.
You were only concerned about yourself not benefiting from others by creating a product that still doesn't help society in any way.
That is an erroneous value judgment about me based on false assumptions you have made regarding the question.
I think this guy thinks too much.
Should an ethical man not be concerned if he finds himself in an ethical dilemma? Should he follow his heart, or be "pragmatic"?
take the money and pay for counseling so you can get over your guilt about being compensated for your work.
Why should he discard his ethics, then hire a counsellor to "soothe" his guilty conscience for making the inauthentic choice? | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/29/2009 3:42:46 PM |
Joy is that simple, if you don't fear you are giving to much of yourself, you will be amazed at the over abundance that is given back... Only fear of sharing what you have as extra, keeps an emotional poor person poor...
That was a very profound insight you had...If you follow your own advice, you will be happy all your life.  | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/29/2009 4:26:59 PM |
That was a very profound insight you had...If you follow your own advice, you will be happy all your life.
Thank you Dukky, have you ever heard of the author Og Mandino??? He writes incredible uplifting books... They are never very long, and give insight to living life filled with joy of what you have.
I have my own personal journal book, Kate's life as an millionaire, one of the wealthiest women I know...
Yesterday I had picked my cuccs, and some other veggies from the community garden I have helped create, and teach others how to grow wonderful organic veggies, and also help people use them in ways that they are healthy and taste great...
I had a HUGE bucket of cuccs, so I was giving them away, because who needs that many cuccs...LOL usually it is Zuquinnie people are giving away...
I am an artist, and also a university student, finishing her Bachelors, and Starting her Masters..
When I was younger I was horribly abused, and felt I had nothing to give, in fact I was told I had nothing to give...
You mention Van Gogh often, did you know his ear was cut off by a man he was in love with, and he was embarrassed therefore he created the story he cut it off for a love???
Interesting tidbit...
My artistic hero is Di Vinci, because he was multitalented in many areas, and I have that same knack... OF COURSE nothing as great as him, but that is ok, because life doesn't have to be like another's to be worth living...
Despite all my schooling it isn't about making the all mighty buck, but rather learning to be the best humanitarian worker that I can be... It is to easy to look past others that are down on their luck, and think pffffftttt how pathetic is that...
Sometimes an encouraging word, a helping hand, or even listening to THEIR story, can enrich both of our lives...
I don't begrudge the down days, because they remind me to look at what I have in my life, and usually it is just a reminder at all that I have, and that if something is missing, then I need to figure out what I need to do to bring that part of life into balance...
Use your home grown wisdom, and write your book... Give credit were credit is due, and that falls under your resources... If special thanks is due, then put it at the beginning, that is where some people by pass those that helped inspire your work... Meh, some of us know to read that, to have insight on who gave inspiration...
Most of all, put the most positive thoughts out, that this is a book that others have been looking for... As that one movie states, if you build it, they will come... If you write it, they will read, especially if it contains the words they are needing to hear....
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/29/2009 4:40:14 PM | I think this guy thinks too much.
Whenever someone says I think too much, my usual reply is that I make up for the people who don't think at all.
It is a full time job.
(Yes Dukky, we can trade shifts.)
Funny, I had a conversation, in which I said this very same thing, to a friend earlier...
We can offer him the third shift...
Well what if you become impoverished because you were retarded enough to make books that no one wants and you can't sell them?
Gosh, I hate it when people use the word retarded, in a derogatory statement.
It implies a handicap, where a person is viewed as less than. | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/29/2009 4:44:29 PM |
I guess the question is, do you think anyone is entitled to have the government impose laws which ensure that person profits from his chosen profession? You are entitled to whatever you can get someone to pay for the work you do.
I don't think government should impose laws. I'm more inclined to think the people should be making the laws and the government should be adhering to them. With regard to profiting from one's work, I have no argument with that at all, but I think it's obscene to have people with IQ's lower than carrots running(?) nations for the interests of people who control the economies of nations by virtue of a "birthright" that basically gives them total economic control.
I'd like to see a new paradigm for society where it really is true that all men (and women) are born free and equal, wherein we all pull together to work for the betterment of BOTH society and self. I'd like to see if it is possible to build a society that doesn't discount brilliance in favour of "marketability", a society where people do what they want, instead of what they have to do to "earn their keep". The society of which I dream would have supplied Vincent van Gogh's needs and allowed him to paint without the torment of being unappreciated in his time and having to decide between painting supplies and food. It would recognize that the achievement of a society lies in its art and its science; it would recognize people on their own merits, not their net worth or the family they were born into...Oh Geeze!...I'm ranting again!
Our production is so much higher than our needs for sustenance, and probably an order of magnitude greater than it was only a hundred years ago (which was considered a prosperous time). Why then is the median standard of living in such decline? Why are both parents required to work for a living with the kids becoming "latchkey kids", when only a few decades ago, one parent could comfortably support a family of four, while the other looked after their kids?
You are very right; a man should profit by his work...EVERY man should (and would if I had anything to say about it).
We all produce so much more than we need, but don't see it because it is taken away before we can see it. We are then left to feel that we have to work harder to earn our keep before we become "useless eaters" at retirement. (that is currently being corrected, say goodbye to most of the retirement funds - how else can we keep the "boomers" working?)
A tune keeps playing in my brain..."take what you need and leave the rest..."
Whoo...I'm feeling winded...I need a beer... | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/29/2009 7:52:45 PM | What would I do and why?
I would donate all profits from the book to a charity if I truly believed that accepting royalities was against my ethics. Otherwise, the publisher would reap the profits and I would prefer that the profits benefit society, rather than increase shareholder profits.
The world of which you long for is from what I can remember of grade 10 history (and that was a while ago) is pure communism, where everyone is equal, everyone works for the benefit of everyone and everyone has what they need. A utopian society.
Would it be a nice world to live in? Of course it would for a time but are we meant to have that kind of world here in this existence? We would be able to appreciate it but later generations might not. We experience good because we have a concept of what evil is.
Spiritually enlightened people (such as you appear to be) know that life is better when you come from love towards everything and do not allow fear to live within you. You realize how fortunate you are because you remember a time before when you were not so fortunate. That is the gift this life has to give to someone who wants to receive it...it is our purpose (at least that is my belief). | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/29/2009 8:56:30 PM | We experience good because we have a concept of what evil is.
I would say we APPRECIATE good because we know evil, and you might be right about that appreciation waning over generations, but I don't really think so. I think living in a society with so much good around you (the EXPERIENCE of good) would only make evil all the more intolerable when it occurs (and I'm sure it would). In fact I'm counting on that intolerance of evil to continue to the perpetuation of good in the coming centuries.
Justice doesn't occur in nature, it comes from us. Volcanoes, tsunamies, hurricanes and car accidents don't discriminate. They are "equal opportunity" killers, taking saint and sinner alike, sometimes to die horribly. There isn't much we can do about that, so Utopia won't be paradise, but there should be no need to put up with figures of false authority enslaving us economically, or lying to us to get us to kill our brothers & sisters, by setting up phony differences to make us fear or hate them so they can profit by the blood sacrifice.
Each of us has in him (or her) a sense of fairness and a desire for fair play (no cheating, killing, robbing, etc). Is it real? If it wasn't, why would we have courts, or judges? We have in our hearts the ability to create a truly just society, where the laws are made and enforced by the people, and our servants, the administrators (formerly known as "leaders" and "authorities") had bloody well better abide by them or there will indeed be hell to pay.
I would think after several thousand years of being sucked in by many varieties of control and power games that we will finally learn from our history and move our civilization to the next level...Utopia. Peaceful?...for the most part. Just?...invariably, the rights & obligations will be so simple and well defined there will truly be no excuse for not abiding by law, unless one is truly insane. Good?...that will be up to us, our children and their children after them, but I suspect that living in a society where goodness, sharing and plenty are the orders of the day, it will be damned hard to regress, or get to sucked in by some con man, promising a "better life." they will know by then that's how we got sucked into the last several thousand years of unjust societies. | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/29/2009 9:15:48 PM |
I would think after several thousand years of being sucked in by many varieties of control and power games that we will finally learn from our history and move our civilization to the next level...
I agree with you but we don't usually so history repeats itself until we finally get the damn message and start doing something different. If I look at my own life, I've been insane sometimes (doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result). I stopped being insane when I started doing things differently...it was really that simple. I got the message eventually and made changes and now my experiences are better than they have ever been before in my life.
Humanity on a grand scale is still doing some of the same stupid things it has done for millenia expecting to achieve a different result (insanity). If you take war for example....what exactly does it solve permanently? Answer....nothing really. WWI ended and Germany was left in ruins and nobody really cared...felt that Germany deserved it. Few years later, along comes Hitler and WWII. When WWII ended, that was when the allies realized they couldn't just leave Germany in ruins, they had to help to rebuild it. We still have conflict though......is it really necessary? Personally I don't think so but much of the conflict that exists in our world today is a result of intolerance and fear. What this world needs most of all right now is tolerance and respect for differences that exist between us and some old fashioned lessons in the importance of sharing....
For the most part humanity has decided what is good and fair and will defend those principles. Why do some people not get that and insist on acting aggressively? Don't lose heart though, we are evolving but at a pace that is way too slow IMO.... | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 7/29/2009 9:30:44 PM |
Don't lose heart though, we are evolving but at a pace that is way too slow IMO...
As a passionate man, I never lose heart. I describe myself much the same as a friend recently did... as an optimistic humanist.
I have observed the "pace" of human social evolution picking up over the last few years...more & more of us are mutating into the future species... Homo Utopius. | |
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| What would you do and why?
Posted: 8/10/2009 11:02:41 PM | flip a coin...and stop creating a problem that isn't there.
Is it worth living on the streets - or starving for art, over such an earth shattering decision?
I'd flip a coin. | |
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