The meaning of life - from world intellectual traditions

Cypress said:
I think even the thoughtful and contemplative atheists (aka, Friedrich Nietzsche) have some good insights on living a meaningful life.

Pluralism is real strength of USA.

Concur the ones you have to watch out for are the dogmatic types. Religious fundamentalists and the militant atheism of the communist bloc.
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Meaningful to whom? The individual? I completely agree. To or for others, no.

OTOH, like Catch-22, being meaningful to oneself often includes being meaningful to others. Family. Friends. Colleagues. Work mates. The method of getting from meaningless and meaningful is the stretch with many paths. People who say "Only this way" aren't really at the mountaintop, are they? LOL

The short version of this is that one must love themselves before they can truly love others.
 
Dutch Uncle said:
Meaningful to whom? The individual? I completely agree. To or for others, no.

OTOH, like Catch-22, being meaningful to oneself often includes being meaningful to others. Family. Friends. Colleagues. Work mates. The method of getting from meaningless and meaningful is the stretch with many paths. People who say "Only this way" aren't really at the mountaintop, are they? LOL

The short version of this is that one must love themselves before they can truly love others.
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I agree.

My project is to keep my mind open to the world's preeminent religious, intellectual, philosophical traditions so I might possibly gain some kind of insight into universal truths and wisdom.
 
Cypress said:
... Religious fundamentalists and the militant atheism of the communist bloc.
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Sorry to break off again, but that's a new view on the subject for me. I always thought of the Soviet Union and PRC as politics stamping out religion, but never thought about an aftermath where die-hard communists would continue an assault on religions. It might explain why they focus so much on Christianity.
 
Dutch Uncle said:
Sorry to break off again, but that's a new view on the subject for me. I always thought of the Soviet Union and PRC as politics stamping out religion, but never thought about an aftermath where die-hard communists would continue an assault on religions. It might explain why they focus so much on Christianity.
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Even after they had beaten down religion, and murdered the Christian and Muslim leaders who would not submit, the Soviet government still went out of their way to mock and humiliate religion.

That always told me their hostility to religion was not strictly intellectual, in the Marxist theory kind of way.

There was literally some latent, emotional hostility there.


In the interest of fairness, I would not openly want to be an atheist in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia or Islamic Republic of Iran, on the flipside.
 
Cypress said:
Even after they had beaten down religion, and murdered the Christian and Muslim leaders who would not submit, the Soviet government still went out of their way to mock and humiliate religion.

That always told me their hostility to religion was not strictly intellectual, in the Marxist theory kind of way.

There was literally some latent, emotional hostility there.

In the interest of fairness, I would not openly want to be an atheist in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia or Islamic Republic of Iran, on the flipside.
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I watched Putin's arrest and imprisonment of Pussy Riot members after their "Mother of God, Drive Putin Away" performance.

Is that just Putin being an asshole? A reflection of hidden religious beliefs? The power of the Church needing Putin's appeasement?
 
BidenPresident said:
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Christians worship an ancient Mideastern Jew.
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Awesome. That's one example of an authoritarian POV. Do you think that was Jesus speaking or what people think he meant?
 
Dutch Uncle said:
I watched Putin's arrest and imprisonment of Pussy Riot members after their "Mother of God, Drive Putin Away" performance.

Is that just Putin being an asshole? A reflection of hidden religious beliefs? The power of the Church needing Putin's appeasement?
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Outside of 80 years of Soviet history, Russia had always been a conservative. quasi theocracy.

The leadership of the Russian Orthodox church to some extent is an arm of the Russian government. I believe the jailing of Pussy Riot was a political statement by Putin.
 
Cypress said:
Outside of 80 years of Soviet history, Russia had always been a conservative. quasi theocracy.

The leadership of the Russian Orthodox church to some extent is an arm of the Russian government. I believe the jailing of Pussy Riot was a political statement by Putin.
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The power of the Russian Orthodox church seems to have come back rather quickly since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Were they gaining power under communism?
 
Dutch Uncle said:
The power of the Russian Orthodox church seems to have come back rather quickly since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Were they gaining power under communism?
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I think it did make a comeback.

It was also always there, to some extent, under the radar, even in Soviet times.

The Russian Orthodox Church is a source of national pride, with an ancient thousand year history. To some extent, Russian Orthodoxy defines what it means to be Russian. Which is probably why the communists never really could eradicate it.
 
Cypress said:
I think it did make a comeback.

It was also always there, to some extent, under the radar, even in Soviet times.

The Russian Orthodox Church is a source of national pride, with an ancient thousand year history. To some extent, Russian Orthodoxy defines what it means to be Russian. Which is probably why the communists never really could eradicate it.
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Understood about under the radar. That's why repression of people's strongest desires doesn't work. It goes underground and become unregulated.

Thanks for the insight on the Russian Orthodox Church.
 
Pretty boy valleydickt ain’t getting off that easy.

Your taking down that pipe blondie?

I don’t play hockey and have no desire to do a



It’s kids at the rink. I live right there. It’s nothing more than whiffle ball.
I never seen anyone whine like this in all my life and it happened again
and again and again. Me and Desk couldn’t take it anymore. Out of spite
we went in his house and took his bike. Drove by and flipped him the bird.
He went home crying to his mother.
I know how you girls operate. Is it money you want? I’ll pay if I have to.
Let’s see how far you’ll go to protect pretty boy. If you need any advice
you can always go and ask D-nice.

I don’t have any friends. How about that George Costanza, works for the Big Tuna! ;)
 
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