On Sep 2, 1:02Â pm, "Kevin B. Murphy"
comcast.net> wrote:> OK. Â There are these things that help others understand what I'm about a
> person:
>
> 1) The statement: I'm deeply impregnated by the axiom that actions do not
> speak louder than words.
If by speaking we mean communication, then they certainly do. As
Vonnegut said, "You are what you pretend to be."
> 2) My conviction: I must remain true to my principle that I should not judge
> others based on their intelligence.
I agree that's a bad way to judge their basic human worth. However
feel free to rate them on their intelligence as you would on their
strength, agility, charm, flair, inner beauty, sex appeal, etc. You
can't help doing it, so you might as well be up front with yourself
about it.
> 3) My sworn oath: I willingly would endure the fires of hell to discover
> what the truth is.
Bad plan, Mr, Faust. If the fires of hell existed, avoiding them would
be the only thing that mattered.
Remember the story of the rabbi (or monk, &c.) who was visited by an
angel (&c) and, to reward his piety, was granted the choice of great
wisdom, irresistible sex appeal, or ten million dollars. He chose
great wisdom. "Granted!" said the angel, and disappeared in a puff of
smoke.
His followers stared in awe. Finally one asked, "Say something wise."
He said, "I should have taken the money."
> I swore that oath such a long, long, long time ago. I must have been 16 or
> 17 years old at the time. Â Oaths will haunt you for the rest of your life.
> They are not ever to be taken lightly. Â
I disagree. They should be taken lightly if you realize that they were
frivolous and that you are not letting anyone else down by breaking
them.
> I'm not addressing this issue out
> your need to have concern for me. Â There are cultures where the swearing of
> oaths are central to their perspective on life. Â Just to be perfectly honest
> about it, The Vietnamese and other eastern cultures scare me more than a
> little because I don't know what oaths they have sworn.
I live in a very multicultural area, so I have many friends,
neighbours and coworkers from far and near eastern cultures. I promise
you that most of them, if they have taken oaths at all, haven't sworn
anything that needs to scare you.
> --
> If you combine work with play then more work can be accomplished. Â Does
> anyone think Civilization is really cool!! Â I've never played online before.
Civ 2 was extremely cool.
