Please offer ..

[ylris611203]

This time I'll let the man who was MLK Jr.'s teacher answer your question, Chris:

In other words, I would probably be safe in assuming that the other person has a family too.

And therefore he/she would shot as quickly as he could.

I feel certain that Mahatma Gandhi had all of these same questions put to him many times before he was shot and killed, but he opted for non-violence anyway. Would you feel better if he had whipped out a pistol and shot his assassin? Would this have made our world a better place? Gandhi believed that:

Would the world have been a better place had he lived?

Your questions indicate that you are struggling with the problem of endlessly escalating violence, which is a good thing.

Not at all. Many people lost their lives in two world wars so that we could retain our freedom...............they all can't be wrong.

 

[StillILearn]

Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to discuss these things with you, Chris. During it I remembered a couple of things that I really needed to remember.

Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours.

- from "Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah"

 

[ylris611203]

Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to discuss these things with you, Chris. During it I remembered a couple of things that I really needed to remember.

You are quite welcome StillLearn, but would the world have been a better place had he lived?

 

[StillILearn]

Chris, I'm going to let you answer that question for yourself.

I'm also going to let you have the last word here.

 

[pontalba]

SIL,
Sometimes silence is the wise course.
That whole exchange reminds me of the saying that He who dies with the most toys.....dies anyway.

 

[ylris611203]

Chris, I'm going to let you answer that question for yourself.

I'm also going to let you have the last word here.

Thank you, but then I would be answering it from my perception which is yes it would have been better if he had whipped out a pistol and shot his assassin.

What I can't understand is why you think that a dead Mahatma Gandhi is better than a live one.

SIL,
Sometimes silence is the wise course.

Of course, but other times its not. And most times it will be interpreted that you just do not have an answer to give.

 

[Peder]

When, oh when, will the mature threads come?

 

[ylris611203]

When more people say what they mean and stop hiding behind, babble, silence,and quotes ......................

Woolf reminds us..."there is always a demon in us who whispers, 'I hate, I love,' and we cannot silence him."...In this book anyway I shall listen to him only when he whispers, "I love"...

 

[Peder]

I see..........

 

[pontalba]

When, oh when, will the mature threads come?

More accurately perceived as the (im)mature threads?

But otoh...../yawn/.

 

[ylris611203]

More accurately perceived as the (im)mature threads?

But otoh...../yawn/.

I find it quite hard to sit by and watch you both snipe at StillLearn like that. I have always enjoyed her threads and am pleased to have a friendly debate with her. I know she will not 'argue' beyond a certain point but it is interesting trying to get that one more response from her before we both move on to other topics.

It would be more productive if both pontalba & Peder, instead of sniping joined in or moved on to another thread
.

 

[pontalba]

I find it quite hard to sit by and watch you both snipe at StillLearn like that. I have always enjoyed her threads and am pleased to have a friendly debate with her. I know she will not 'argue' beyond a certain point but it is interesting trying to get that one more response from her before we both move on to other topics.

It would be more productive if both pontalba & Peder, instead of sniping joined in or moved on to another thread
.

Perhaps you should reread the posts in question.
There was never, ever any post directed to StillILearn in any way, shape or manner
If I must be perfectly clear, I felt that YOU, Chris302116 were picking and "sniping" at StillILearn.
If I must be perfectly clear, I meant that YOU, Chris 302116 were hijacking the thread with your remarks in posts # 59, 61, 66 etc.

Sorry I wasn't clearer in my intent. Perhaps that is clear enough.

 

[Peder]

I think Still knows who is sniping.

 

[Shade]

I was enjoying the discussion between StillILearn and chris, and I think that in a thread where only 12 posts out of 74 have been aimed at the original purpose of the thread, it's dubious to accuse anyone of hijacking it if it goes a little off-topic. Indeed, I think chris's points are more on-topic than the long series of exchanges between Still, Stewart and Moto earlier.

I'm open to correction if I've misinterpreted, but my interpretation of chris's comments was that he/she was simply questioning a blanket anti-war stance. Eg would the world be a better place now if the Allies in 1939 had not responded to Germany's aggression with their own aggression (or 'an eye for an eye')? And I'm sorry StillILearn has absented herself from further discussion as I think it's a discussion worth having. If she can be persuaded back I'd welcome that.

(My only concern about this tangent of the thread is not whether it's 'sniping' or 'hijacking' but whether it constitutes political discussion and breaches the rules. If the mods think so, perhaps they could clarify and I'm happy to abide by that.)

 

[Peder]

I'd be glad for anything that changed the tangent of the thread.

 

[StillILearn]

Omigosh, here I was missing all the interesting posts and now I have to run off without "offering" anything.

Let me think on this one a bit.

bbl

 

[ylris611203]

Perhaps you should reread the posts in question.
There was never, ever any post directed to StillILearn in any way, shape or manner
If I must be perfectly clear, I felt that YOU, Chris302116 were picking and "sniping" at StillILearn.
If I must be perfectly clear, I meant that YOU, Chris 302116 were hijacking the thread with your remarks in posts # 59, 61, 66 etc.

Sorry I wasn't clearer in my intent. Perhaps that is clear enough.

Having read posts Stuart #8 and #31 and Moto #9 in this thread I though that I would widened the discussion a bit by asking a question . The reason for the question……. this thread was about words and sometimes words on their own are not always enough.

StillLearn was happy to respond to the question but would not commit with a direct answer. I know her well enough to know that she will end the discussion when she wants to. And she is to much of a Lady to be rude to any of us.

Yes I know you were directing posts #67 and #70 at me, you just were not able to say so. But if I believe your comments were aimed at me but have ricocheted of StillLearn then others would to.

Discussion leads to debate, debate is all about words, while we are debating we are not fighting. But I detect aggression in your post, #72. Why don’t you go back to my question and give a response?

 

[StillILearn]

Let's all take a deep breath here; I wasn't trying to start a war.

Actually, I was smiling to myself when pontalba pointed out that sometimes "silence is the best course" because I was feeling as if I had just about run out of

"am·mu·ni·tion" (amÅyà nishÆÃn), n. information, advice, or supplies to help defend or attack a viewpoint, argument, or claim.

I am pretty much a pacifist by nature, and as such have had WWII held up as an example of a "just war" a couple of times before this. On the other hand -- the last person who called me a Lady is still recuperating in the hospital. (Just kidding, chris.)

A friend has called me a "pragmatic pacifist", but I don't know if I deserve such a distinctive title. I simply have this profound sense of agreement with what Michel Aoun said over in Sammeron's thread:

Let us proceed from the standpoint that all human life is equal, and that if there is a chance to save lives and to achieve the same ultimate result as may be achieved without the senseless killings, then let us by all means take that chance.

this page

We have been sending our children off to kill other people's children since the beginning of recorded time and I only wish we could spend a little more time trying to think of a better way to go about things rather than trying to justify that fact.

see pragmatic pacifism

I guess even pacifists come in different flavors.

 

[ylris611203]

-- the last person who called me a Lady is still recuperating in the hospital. (Just kidding, chris.)

That’s more like it.........have I found a little chink in the armour?

 

[muggle]

Actually, I was smiling to myself when pontalba pointed out that sometimes "silence is the best course" because I was feeling as if I had just about run out of
I tend to agree with pontalba, sometimes silence is the best.

I am pretty much a pacifist by nature, and as such have had WWII held up as an example of a "just war" a couple of times before this. On the other hand -- the last person who called me a Lady is still recuperating in the hospital. (Just kidding, chris.)
Now you tell me....after the bathroom episode.

A friend has called me a "pragmatic pacifist", but I don't know if I deserve such a distinctive title. I simply have this profound sense of agreement with what Michel Aoun said over in Sammeron's thread:

this page

We have been sending our children off to kill other people's children since the beginning of recorded time and I only wish we could spend a little more time trying to think of a better way to go about things rather than trying to justify that fact.

I couldn't agree more. What a wonderful world it would be if we could accomplish it.

If Lois Armstrong was alive today would he still be singing...."What A Wonderful World".