mindseye

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Posts by mindseye

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  70

  Zen's Rant on Ayn Rand - intelligent responses appreciated

  by Dogpatch in

  1. forum
  2. announcements

  check out http://youtu.be/_rtl0g851ic.

  this is also at the freeminds channel at:.

  http://www.youtube.com/user/freeminds?feature=guide.

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  mindseye

  I find it interesting how many ex-JWs are attracted to Rand's writings. I have a good friend who left the org and became attracted to her philosophy. I think there is something elemental in her philosophy that is very empowering to some ex-JWs. I find that since the Witnesses are a religion that supresses the individual to an unhealthy degree, those escaping that stranglehold are naturally attracted to a philosophy that pushes unbridled individualism.

  Yet most contemporary philosophers and academic departments don't take Rand very seriously, and for good reason. She was a mediocre writer, and an even more facile philosopher. Her philosophy is based off of a simplistic ethical egoism that doesn't take into account the complexities of living in a society. She confuses ambition and responsibility with ego-driven self-interest, and her main argument poses a false dichotomy between the individual and the collective. And despite her comments in the interview quoted by botchtowersociety, the results of such ethical egoism can be seen in the worst excesses of American capitalism (see the recent Wall Street crisis for an example).

  If one wants an empowering individualism without the simplistic social-political overtones, then go with the original: Nietzsche. Then graduate to 20th century existentialists like Sartre and Camus, who had more profound things to say about responsiblity, the individual, and his/her role in society.
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  29

  Anyone ever went from Athiesm to Theism?

  by Silent_Scream in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if so, how'd that happen?.

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  mindseye

  I went from theist to agnostic to almost-atheist, and now I'm evolving some kind of mystical approach to theism. I came across some ideas lately that have showed me that much in the whole theism/atheism debate consists of false dichotomies. We've been fed a bunch of crap from ideologues from both sides. Process theology, apophatic theology, and a number of other approaches to God have blown me away. And we don't have to choose between the scientific worldview - the evidence for evolution - and a theistic view. The two can coexist and even compliment each other.
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  20

  After one semester it's very easy to see why the society is so afraid of university education.

  by JonathanH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it is so antithetical to their way of doing things, and forces you into a state of mind they hate.

  it gets you out of whatever bubble you live in.

  you're expected to be an adult, which is the exact opposite of what the society wants from you.. in my english 101 class we have watched r rated movies, talked about religion, learned how to recognize and dissect propoganda and my professor openly states that his goal is to challenge our prejudices and ways of thinking.

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  mindseye

  Yes, college teaches one how to think, not what to think. And for those who fully embrace their education, it is a truly transformative experience. One of my favorite classes was an introduction to philosophy course. The professor was not the caricature of a religion-hating radical, but rather a liberal Christian. He accepted the evidence for evolution, and had a nuanced, metaphorical view of the Bible rather than a literal one. He encouraged those in the class, both the religious and atheistic/agnostic, to remain open to other ideas and ways of looking at things. That made me realize what the society really had to fear, for it is a closed system of thought rather than an open one.
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  6

  Steve Jobs Profound Thoughts on Death

  by mindseye in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was going to post this in the ongoing steve jobs threads, but these words were so profound i thought they deserved their own thread.

  growing up jw we were taught that we were supposed to live forever.

  death was bad.

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  mindseye

  I was going to post this in the ongoing Steve Jobs threads, but these words were so profound I thought they deserved their own thread. Growing up JW we were taught that we were supposed to live forever. Death was bad. But here, Jobs offers a different view, that death is what motivates us to live an authentic and valuable life. Here are his words:

  No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
  
  Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
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  12

  RIP Steve Jobs

  by mindseye in

  1. social
  2. current

  here's to someone who actually pushed the world in a positive direction.

  i do currently believe that progress is an overaching aspect of world history, and it is partially due to people like steve jobs.. godspeed, steve.

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  mindseye

  Star Tiger, I think we can do both efficiently. In fact I world argue that much new technology, like electric cars, are innovative due to environmental concerns. Another example: due to computers, we kill less trees. I think that may have been one Jobs biggest innovations, the possibility of an almost paperless world.
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  12

  RIP Steve Jobs

  by mindseye in

  1. social
  2. current

  here's to someone who actually pushed the world in a positive direction.

  i do currently believe that progress is an overaching aspect of world history, and it is partially due to people like steve jobs.. godspeed, steve.

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  mindseye

  Here's to someone who actually pushed the world in a positive direction. I do currently believe that progress is an overaching aspect of world history, and it is partially due to people like Steve Jobs.

  Godspeed, Steve
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  18

  Here Comes "The Sun"

  by MoneurMallard in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what are everyone's thoughts on the concept of a solar deity in relation to the jesus story?.

  now this is something i have entertained over the years, the stunning relationship of the solar myths and the way the gospels describe jesus' death and resurrection as compared with the roman saturnalia.

  it's odd that jw's are about to recognize that christmas doesn't originate with christ (thank god for that because i still celebrate christmas and don't care if it has anything to do with a religious figure or not, i celebrate it because i like the idea of giving people gifts, i love the smell of the trees, i love the lights, snow, all of it... i could care less if a thousand year old prophet in another continent thinks it's a "custom of the nations".... well i love america and it's a nation that deserves to be thankful for it's luck of the draw, and if it wants to mix customs and holidays, so be it..... your thoughts, fellow ex-socks?.

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  mindseye

  Yes, I have often thought about the similarity between the Jesus story and the sun myths. I have also often thought about how the idea of God may have originated with the sun.

  http://stellarhousepublishing.com/jesussunexcerpt.html
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  12

  AWESOME coincidence today in college!

  by TimothyT in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  last week was my first week in college on my new counselling course.

  last year i decided i wanted to join a course which would help me to understand my own sufferings and try to help others to do the same.

  we introduced ourselves to our class mates and i made it very clear to them all that i am gay and i was kicked out of the jehovahs witnesses and now im much happier.

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  mindseye

  Awesome story. Yes, once you leave everything opens up and you notice the beauty in people. Cool that you're taking a class that you're interested in too. I remember doing that for the first time and how great it was.
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  6

  Is higher education about worldly riches?

  by under_believer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  haven't posted on here in years, but this topic really gets my goat and i just had the "priviledge" of going to a special assembly day where the bethel speaker, john williams, strongly held forth against higher education.

  in particular, he stressed how higher education is all about greed and getting rich, and how knowledge puffs up, and that people who go to college are arrogant and selfish.. this is kind of a bad thing because this guy is a really strong, accomplished speaker.

  several times i found myself captivated by his delivery in spite of myself.. in response to the idea that somehow education is about getting rich, i would like everyone to take a look at these numbers from the us department of labor: http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm.

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  mindseye

  It's absurd to say that people who go to college are arrogant and selfish. Several of my professors in college - some of the most intelligent people that I know - are among the most humble people you could meet. A sign of real intelligence is when one realizes how little they really know - as you learn you realize how limitless everything is - and it fills a person with humility. But instead of using real life examples, the WT publications have cartoon stereotypes of college professors as pipe smoking pretentious eggheads (see the evolution book for an example).

  The argument that it's all about 'worldly riches' is also absurd. There are plenty of individuals who go into fields that are less lucrative simply because they have a passion for something. The Watchtower worldview is so small. It's a tragedy that many limit their experience due to this parochial thinking.
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  53

  Nov.15th WT - Quotes Dissing - Internet, Higher Education, Earning a Living

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as most of us here are aware the wt society is using the " kool-aid " , or witness only version as i call it - to indoctrinate and intimidate jw members through fear and guilt to avoid anything that takes their devotion and attention away from allegiance to the wt society's ambitions.

  so the wt society is amping up it's control methods once again in various articles in this issue as well.. first off - notice this quote from page 14 , paragraph 16 , regarding how " dangerous " allegedly the internet is.

  it states, " these desires ( of the world ) involve such things as promiscuity, prominence , and possessions.

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  mindseye

  Vigilant Christians refrain from using the world to the full with regard to higher education. Many people in this world consider higher education an indispensable stepping-stone to prestige and an affluent life.

  And what scares the WTS even more is that most of us consider higher education as an indespensable tool to learn new things and broaden our horizons. I've known people who take classes after graduating just to explore some new subjects. Of course the WTS doesn't want their followers to learn for learning's sake. They might learn about EVOLUTION or PHILOSOPHY, *gasp*. Or they might become more logical thinkers, which is bad news for the WT.