Posts by maxwell

33

Do you believe in free will?

by sleepy in

jw
friends

.

do you believe in free will?and if you do can you explain how it works?.

i can't see how free will could work.our motivation for doing things good or bad seems to come from a mixture of genes and enviroment, and through a long and complicted process cause us to perform all the actions we experience in life.when we feel a prompting to do something ,eat sleep have sex etc, this is accomplished by our body using chemicals in our bodies to give us a feeling that we then act upon.the degree to which these chemicals prompt us is related to genetic makeup and environment.. so some people have a bigger desire to eat than others because they lack the chemical stimulation that tells them to stop eating.or some will eat less (often when ill) because the chemicals that prompt you to eat are lacking.in normal life lots of over factors will be involved to like say an important phonecall at lunch time .if your brain feels the information from that call is important enough it will send out different chemicals that will cause you to attend to that situation first if serious enought.. knowledge can modify how our bodies react to certain situations, for example a child may see an icecream van and run into the road because his body has yet to learn of the danger of running into a road.when taught how foolish this by a nasty experience or hopefully , taught about the dangers by its parents, then the body will send out a meesage to look at the road first.. our bodies tell us which ideas are good and bad according to the information it holds and we react accordingly.we can fight desires but the will to do so is caused by other desires which are prompted by the body.. to have true free will neither our genes or enviroment could effect what we decide to do.. we have to be able to do things irespective of what promting we recive from our bodies or what information we have learnt and has thus modified our bodies response.. maybe there are but i can not think of any situation where or actions or reactions can not be explianed by genes mixed with environment (often in a very complicated way).nor can i understand how free will could work,unless free will is just a random action which could not be free will in the true sense.. if there is no free will then if there were a god and we are judged on what we do then this is entirely unfair as we really have little say in what we do in life.

maxwell

I have to vote for free will also. Humans have instinct (for example breathing), desire (for example, desire to eat, sleep, have sex), and the ability to reason. Reasoning allows us to override our instinct and desires in situations where we feel that it is necessary. Animals have instinct and desire also, but they don't have the reasoning capacity to make a moral judgement. A cheetah can't for example say, well I'm not going to hunt in this area because I know the population of my prey is starting to get near extinction. The carnivore's intinct and desire will cause it to hunt until there is no food and then go somewhere else. Neither can it make moral judgements such as thinking in fairness it should share some of its hunting territory with another cheetah (That's just a rough example, I'm not a biologist or zoologist). Humans on the other hand suppress desires almost everyday. I desire that cake, but my reasoning tells me that I don't need it. Or I might decide that I will take the consequences of overeating. But it is a decision that is up to me.

Certainly environment and genes are big factors. Genes may give one a predisposition to certain desires or even instincts. Environment gives us the knowledge we can use to reason with. Still I think 90% or more of what happens to me now is really up to me. I can't see placing responsibility on someone or something else.

4

Effects of no time, overcrowding, urban living?

by Country Girl in

jw
friends

in a very quirky web site: www.johntitor.com a "supposed time traveler" from the year 2036 appeared in a newsgroup and on various web sites.

as the weeks went by, various people began questioning him about his physics, time travel, future world events, and thoughts about our time.

one of his more interesting posts that i found absolutely fascinating because it mirrored very closely my own thoughts, was this:.

maxwell

I think my dad would probably agree cities are too crowded. When we were growing up, he used to say he hated the city. And he did something about it. When I was about 9, we moved out of the city. They still live on their almost 9 acres of land. He had a job outside the city for a while, but now he has to work inside the city.

I think the city provides the opportunity for more violence (more people more potential victims and temptation for the criminal), but there are other causes for higher violence in cities like greater numbers of people in poverty and without jobs. These people may have to look at people who are privileged more often since everyone is crowded together and some decide they will get material things also by any means possible including taking from those privileged or taking from those in same situation that they are in. Definitely flawed thinking that I don't sympathize with at all, but it happens.

As far as driving, when I do choose to drive in the city, that's fine with me. Most of the streets in this city have a 25 mph speed limits which is quite calming. It's when I start to use the freeways to go out toward the suburbs that I see the most dangerous behaviour and I try to stay out of the kamakaze drivers' paths. When I stayed with my parents and drove into Memphis everyday, there was a time when driving would really get me, but one day I decided my psyche didn't need that, and neither did I need to die in car if I could help it. I try not to worry about being first now or my "right of way" as long as I am safe. Some people get inside the steel box and become different people. They're whole identity becomes big steel box and they see other big steel boxes, not other people. Most of the time I ride a bicycle now anyway. Never a traffic jam on that and often other cyclist and I will exchange a "good morning" or "hi" since there's no glass or steel preventing us from hearing each other.

91

Do You Vote and/or Get Involved In Politics Now?

by minimus in

jw
friends

just curious.....

maxwell

Funny you should ask that now. Just last night I was checking out the requirements to register to vote. Looks pretty easy. All I have to do is fill out a one page registration form and mail it in at least 30 days before the election. The only reason I haven't filled it out and mailed it in yet is because I'm debating whether I want to affiliate myself with a party so that I can participate in the primary elections. I will probably register as an indepent, and I can always change party later, so it will be mailed off very soon.

If I were more outgoing, I could actually imagine myself in one of the Neighborhood Advisory positions. They are non partisan positions that make reports and recommendations to the city council members which are, of course, partisan positions.

24

Are You A Non-Practicing Jehovah's Witness?

by minimus in

jw
friends

that's how my wife described herself to her sister, niece and former bible student yesterday.

maxwell

Not at all, but I've heard about someone using that term before. However, I thought that the person was simply someone who had attended a KH but never had gotten baptized.

15

My FIFTH anniversary is on Saturday....

by LDH in

jw
friends

hi guys!

i've been trying to keep up with all of your lives, but i've been so busy lately.

i just wanted to share my good news .i'm sure most of you have been married for a lot more than 5 years, so it might not be that big of a deal for you...but read on.. i wanted to hold out some hope for non-jws who are married to a jw (whether active or passive.

maxwell

Happy Anniversary!

10

9-11 Patriot DaY

by ApagaLaLuz in

a presidential proclamation designates sept. 11 as a national day of prayer and remembrance and as patriot day.

tomorrow is the 2 year anniversary of that tragic day.

take a moment tomorrow to remember where you were when it happened, and appreciate those close to you.

maxwell

I must have been getting ready for work when the first plane hit WTC. I didn't have any news on so I had no idea what was going on. I left for work on my bike about 9:15 and parked my bicycle outside my work building at about 9:45. My office building is less than a mile from the Pentagon. When I got to work, I noticed a darker than usual cloud in the distance above another building in the direction of the Pentagon. Saw a few people outside looking in that direction but didn't think much of it. I got up to my office and logged onto my computer, and a few minutes later my wife called to ask if I was ok. That's when I first learned what had happened. I looked out my window and noticed that the cloud was much darker now and realized it was the smoke from the Pentagon. Of course, not much else got done that day. People were starting to get very frightened. I was trying to get onto news websites, unsuccessfully at times, until we were dismissed from work. I rode my bike home through the traffic jam and a lot of people who were walking away from the Pentagon.

30

What should replace twin towers?...

by Brummie in

jw
friends

...a memorial to the victims or thriving business offices?.

would building offices show a disrespect for the victims or would it be a good idea in the sense that it shows the usa are picking up where they left off and not being deterred by the terrorists?.

brummie

maxwell

Looks like its going the way I think it should go. Rebuild large office buildings for functionality. Respect the victims by including a memorial. That real estate is much to valuable to become solely a memorial site. I also think rebuilding sends a signal that we won't be knocked down permanently.

26

Opinions on drugs?

by digderidoo in

jw
friends

while i was in the 'truth' i and a few of my peers were curious about the effects of certain drugs.

as a teenager during the rave scene of the late 80's early 90's many of the 'worldly' kids were doing ecstasy, smoking weed and becoming heavily involved in the drugs scene.. when i left the 'truth', this curiosity got the better of me and i started smoking weed and eventually tried ecstasy, speed and lsd.. while all drugs can be abused (and i have abused some) i am of the opinion that the use of drugs can be a good experience, if used moderately.. i was wondering whether others have experienced drugs since leaving the truth, i am interested to find out what opinions people have on them good or bad.. i also wondered whether people feel that cannabis should be legalised.

my opinion is that people in power shouldn't tell me what i can and can't do with my own body.

maxwell

I've always thought before that all illegal drugs are simply bad all the time. Personally, I have no interest in trying any drug and I sure I ever will. I'll have a drink now and then, beer, wine. I've tried a few more exotic things when I have been out. But I have no interest in finding out what its like to be drunk. If I were challenged to a drinking contest, I would immediately forfeit.

Now, I still think weed is probably mostly a bad habit, but maybe not any worse than cigs. I watched part of a program on the History channel last night about how drugs became illegal. Weed was legal during prohibition. But later weed along with many other drugs became illegal and sometimes the motivation wasn't simply because its harmful to the users although I don't think that can be denied for many drugs. A few months ago I was with a few ex-JW friends and a couple of them decided to smoke a little weed. It didn't seem to be the horribly negative experience that it is sometimes made out to be. They smoked a little, got a little giggly, but as far as I could tell this was not a regular habit for them although they were both experienced in its use. They're both responsible people on their jobs as far as I can tell. If a person uses it occasionally and doesn't become addicted or allow it to affect their work, family life, etc., I can't see how its any worse than people addicted to cigs or alcohol. I can see a lot of drunks and alcolholics doing much worse in their personal life due to psychological dependence. And some people have much stronger addictions to cigs.

76

Jessica Lynch Book Trouble

by Panda in

has anyone seen the news about jessica lynch's book (which isn't even written yet).

on the news last night the father of one of lynch's company of soldiers was on tv stating that since his son was part of her experience that she should share the profits from her book.

his son was killed in that battle in iraq.

maxwell

Panda said,

Euph and Max: I see you both mentioned the idea of some future contribution for her slain comrades. Don't you think that her life is in such turmoil now that she won't even think straight until this book thing is done? Do we see Spielberg directing? Thanks for posting.

I can't make any guesses about her mental condition, but as far as a book that is for the most part autobiographical, if I understand this correctly, she has no legal responsibility, neither, in my opinion, any moral responsibility to share the proceeds. As others posters have said, anyone else has the right to write their own books and let the chips fall where they may. I did wonder whether a movie might require whoever makes the movie (not Jessica Lynch, she can't control payments to anyone except herself to some extent) to pay for the rights to tell the story of others who were involved in the incident. But that is still kind of cloudy to me, considering that many of the others involved are still in the Army legally unable to profit from their position and that a movie could be based on the book. I'm not familiar with any precedents.

73

Have YOU Ever Met Up With Anyone Famous

by RAYZORBLADE in

have any of you on this forum, ever met up with anyone considered famous?

i've met a great deal of people over the years.

one of my most memorable: dennis leary, drinking a few pints with him as he sang "margaritaville" from the jukebox.

maxwell

I met Rufus Thomas once. Not one of the most famous singers but a fairly well known funk and soul singer. One of my high school teachers actually knew him and had him come to our school and give a little pep talk. Some of us stayed after his talk and met him. I was fortunate to get the encounter on video tape. We had another teacher who was always video taping school assemblies and I got a copy from him. I went to see him perform later after I graduated from high school, but I wasn't able to get close to him during that performance but definitely enjoyed the show.

Recently I met David "Fathead" Newman. Probably even less famous than Rufus Thomas, but he's well known in the jazz world as a great saxophonist. He was playing at a small jazz club here in DC and I he had CD's for sell there, so I bought one and had it autographed.