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18 Feb 2003 @ 11:23, by sharie. Philosophy
Part I
Our human nature, human drives, human values, along with our natural environment, which is our life-support system, must be considered as our priorities in order to create a new sustainable, viable culture.
I stress these four factors listed above - rather than economic theories or scientific theories or political theories - because without our humanity and our natural environments, we will not survive.
The social architecture naturally extends from our natural state into the healthiest, happiest supportive structure we can create. And therefore depends upon 1) our humanity and 2) our natural world. Neither of which are as mysterious or as complicated as we are taught to believe.
The following summary comes from the research for my Master's Degree and my subsequent Doctoral research:
Humans have Seven Primary Drives. Each of us have various intensities of these seven drives, and we all have some degree of drive in each of the following:
SEXUAL
SOCIAL
SPIRITUAL
EMOTIONAL
PSYCHOLOGICAL
INTELLECTUAL
PHYSICAL
Factors which influence and regulate the intensity of each of our individual drives are genetic, life experience, and personal choice. To create a new civilization that will sustain us, we might begin by first considering, and then incorporating, our personal awareness of these seven natural drives in order to understand what structure is necesarry in our social architecture in order to nurture us individually and collectively.
Let us consider our human nature, and incorporate the truth of who we are, rather than allowing the false *economy* to drive our choices. As we equip ourselves with self-awareness to confront, and then assess, our own individual qualities, we become empowered to create a social architecture that will assist us with our personal goals.
The important issue is that we gain insights into who we are, what drives us, what we want, what we want to offer, and the kind of world we want to be a part of.
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 18 Feb 2003 @ 03:07, by ming. Internet
This is what I want: resources of all kinds that are filtered and ranked according to people I trust and respect.
I assume it is a complicated problem, since I don't have it yet, because I'm for sure not the first person to think about it. But I believe it can be solved, if some capable person can work out the math.
The Google PageRanking mechanism is the most successful collaborative ranking mechanism there is, which is able to successfully operate on a huge dataset. For those of you who for some strange reason don't know, Google will rank webpages not only based on what words appear in them and how prominently they appear, but based on how many other websites carry link to that particular page, and how many websites carry links to those websites, and so forth, producing a surprisingly accurate and fair ranking mechanism.
I wouldn't know how to implement that myself. But the basic formulas are available, and Google does it with hundreds of millions of pages, so of course that can be figured out.
But what I want is to do a personalized version of that kind of thing, based on choices I've made about other people, other websites, or about anything else, like books or movies or brands of shampoo. I want not just to get the aggregate 'best' choices, chosen by all websites in the world. I want the best choices by people I know, like, respect or trust, or by the people that they again know, like, respect or trust. And I want a similar, complicated huge matrix calculation that adds all of that up, just for me. And for you.
I'm also talking about involving more dimensions than just the number of links. I want to add up the qualitative judgements of people I have a high opinion of, or that I'm likely to have a high opinion of. So, the further that gets from the choices I explicitly already made, the less value they'd have.
No, I'm not just talking about Amazon being pretty good at recommending books I might want to read. They do that well, and it is a practical and working example of collaborative filtering, but I doubt that their math is very fancy, as they really just recommend other popular choices in the categories I've looked in myself.
I want the algorithm that accurately and fairly adds up the collective advice implicitly given to me by my friends and friends of friends by their aggregated choices, weighted by how trusted their opinions are in relation to me. I mean, I suspect that it is just a formula and an algorithm for calculating a ranking value. Something that can be explained in abstract math, and then we can go and figure out what specific values are included and where they'd come from. If it is impractical to calculate at this point without quantum computers, I'd like to know that too. But I suspect it is perfectly feasible to do this well. More >
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17 Feb 2003 @ 18:42, by ambika. Peace
Dear All,
This is my poem in protest--I found that I was becoming all consumed for the last few days and now here it is. And I shall now recover and return to my jolly self. Interestingly, tomorrow poets are speaking out all over the country. Sing the good songs and feel the positive prayers in you reverberating all over to all peoples of our amazing universe...
With my love and my warmest hugs -- Ambika
When Will You Remember?
--Ambika Talwar
I am a stranger to your page, to your heart
I am but words spinning in all directions
I shall pretend then to be your sister in verse
I am your sister
I am your betrayed sister
I am the sister you violated with your language
and then with your creations.
You destroyed a part of you and I am still.
I am your great-great grandmother
and I have borne you grandparents, parents
I have borne you sons and daughters
I have borne you grandchildren
and your tears of salt, that too, I am.
I am your child--that once was robust.
When was the last time you held me
in your arms and showed me the rainbow
and told me stories of all our lands? Instead,
you steal my food and give me a bloating belly,
bulging eyes, and uranium bones.
I am the window to your mortality.
You come from me and find the light
and learn the wisdom of the darkness.
You swim in my waters and feed on me.
You climb my pinnacles and claim victories.
Throughout all our histories you dance
with bandy old legs and look for fame.
I am not your fame. Nor am I your fortune--
But. All these came from me --
the tree you climbed as a child--I am that,
the puddles you played in--those pudding
pies--mudchocolatemanna in your
gurgling hands--I am that,
those rivers you sailed reminding you
that you never see the same river twice--that
too, I am--Each moment reveals the wonder
of you--I am but your mirrored moments,
a spectrum of human emotions--joy and terror too.
Am I still a stranger to your page? To your heart?
Am I a sister betrayed? A brother? A grandmother?
Who shall contain you when you die?
I am your sexing--your pleasure giver
across all lands. The stories of your birth
come from me--all kisses eternal, both life
and death, the river of torment, the anguish
are all borne of me--All religions, races and gods
are borne of me-- And right now
I am very very angry. Even in my anger,
I am fragile. Even in my anger, I am
enormously beautiful. Even in my anger
I am your destiny. And I shall not let you
destroy me, for I shall haunt you till you,
a spectral waif, beg for mercy. And no one shall
be here to forgive you if you push all the buttons.
I am your destiny--Better so in life, in sweet pleasure.
So hear my anger or you shall grow blinder.
See my supersonic cloudburst that my eyes
can no longer contain--these tears, hot and sad.
Stop!
This hatred of my body, you who were borne
of my insides, borne of my tremors, passions,
loves, ecstasy, tears, laughters, digestive juices you.
You salt of the earth! Hear, how long will
you move in your hatred of sweet pleasures
that bring you to fruition? What lies and deceits
must you weave, and pretend that you are men?
Wise men know better. Women, too.
So what have you forgotten? Why?
When will you remember that I was made
for you to protect me, to love me, to enjoy me
to nurture me, to dry my tears, to feed me,
to drink of me, to be proud of what you made of
your time with me--so I can do the same for you--
So that you can be proud
of the stories that you wove with me?
When will you remember?
I am womb. Mother of All Peoples, All Life.
I am all Womb Against Mass Destruction.
This, my proud and angry river,
I spill on the pages of your consciousness.
On the contents page, I am titled "Humility."
Come to your knees.
Read me--I am the story of all generations.
#
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[link]
(the web site is still under repair--but do keep the link for later on) More >
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16 Feb 2003 @ 12:50, by spells. Philosophy
This reply is from a member of another forum regarding the article "Rise and Fall of the New Age". Please notice how it sticks to the points presented and does not take anything personally.....actually opening dialogue that is relevant and progressive....
***********************
From: "r”
Date: Sun Feb 16, 2003 1:57 pm
Subject: Re: Rise and Fall of the New Age
"So many are sucked in by the subtle and not so subtle sort of egostrokings conveyed through these messages. And few are aware that these messages serve to dupe their readers into following a way of being that leads to a very compromised and distorted version of the True Spiritual Path. Those who are taken in by them are being scammed. They are being lured into a sort of sham spirituality, and being led down a path that is strewn with glamour and insidious deception…..a path that is skewed by a myopic focus on, by and for the personal ego self.
Unfortunately, for those who continue to be
deluded by these sorts of gloppy, gooey missives that are tailor made to appeal to the selfish graspings of those millions in the New Age scene, and
who are continuing to seek for the self, the path they are treading will not lead them to Liberation at the end of this cycle."
There is a kind of haze over the whole New Age arena. It's like a fog that keeps people distracted. People caught up in this hazy fog have all sorts of seemingly interesting and fascinating stuff that they attend to like practices, workshops, seminars, divination tools, techniques, methods and all sorts of other things that draw their attention and keep the focus of their awareness occupied. It's a real `I just wanna feel good' kinda vibe that permeates this scene.
It's like this whole luv&lite&laughter&peace&harmony-I'm-gonna-ascend-to-another-dimension-cuz-I-heard-from-a-channeled-source-that-I'm-a-cocreator-and-I-will-become-ascended-if-I-just-feel-really-fluffy-and-good-enough-about-me kind of a mindset.
This vibe is very evident on so very many of these sorts of New Age `ascension' related forums. And many seem to truly believe that
this feeling-this soppy, sort of glammed up I'm-all-powerful kind of focus on and about the self-is the way to Liberation. Unfortunately for those who have been deluded thus, it is not.
All of these new age distractions and all of this feeling impelled to just `feel good', keep one's focus directed quite pointedly only upon
what can be gained for the self. Not only that, but such focus also serves to gloss over the stark reality of what is actually happening on this planet, preventing people from ever actually seeing the truth of what is unfolding here or feeling the feelings that might arise if they actually took a brutally honest look at what is indeed going on around them here. For if they were to look up and away from their self possessed distractions long enough to shift their vision to attune to the true plight of humanity and the Earth, they might be compelled to feel the innermost feelings that lie at the core of their hazed and fogged over hearts. They might have to confront the demons that lie within them and face head on their own deepest, darkest fears.
This is why there is such a thick, gunky miasmic shroud of new age glam surrounding lists like these. Because most people are not ready to step onto the True Path of Liberation which begins with being
honest enough to look directly and without distraction to see through all delusion and look within so as to "Know Thyself".
And when someone comes along with a beacon-like laser, cutting through this fog of delusion, distraction and miasma, most of those who are still very invested in their selfish, myopic perspective will protest and shield their hazed over eyes from such radiance and say `Begone! Stop making me look there! "
Maybe if they stopped a moment to see just exactly what was being shown to them, they might realize that they have been lost in the mists of this 3D illusion called life on Earth. And maybe they would look up from their new age distractions long enough to begin to see a shard of Truth.
And maybe, just maybe, they might begin to see that the Way has never been based upon a selfish focus, but rather on a selfless one. More >
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16 Feb 2003 @ 04:24, by newdawn. Spirituality
As I drove today along the expressway I scanned the burnt countryside. A month ago the most devastating fires in living memory swept through my home town... More >
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 15 Feb 2003 @ 06:32, by justinnow. Personal Development
breatharians
- i believe people who practice LOL raise their frequency levels and become less materialisticÂ… donÂ’t you agree?
- as an aspiring breatharian you can during the "transition period" survive without eating conventional foods. learn how to absorb energies from SUN and AIR with better efficiency.
strengthen your energy field
- one way of strengthening your aura and boosting up energy level is a visualization exercises combined with:
a) cold shower – by taking that regularly it will strengthen your energy bubble which surrounds and protects your body against negative energies by converting them in to a positive ones, which you can absorb thereafter and use them to expand your energy body;
b) listen to uplifting sounds and chant mantras, by that you will adjust and/or harmonize your body frequencies to a surrounding ones. More >
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14 Feb 2003 @ 21:41, by nemue. Ideas, Creativity
I dream of a world where each can live their life without judgement, without harm and pain.
I dream of a world where we are one and all things are truly connected,
I dream of a world where we can communicate as equals with living creatures and the earth.
I dream of a world where we recognise the value of all that is around us, where we can draw upon each other be we human or animal or object and heal and grow and learn;
I dream of world without hate.
I dream of a world of plenty where to share is encouraged and where each is a winner.
I dream of a world not scarred by war, where children can be children, where the old are respected and loved.
I dream of a world where the colour of your skin, the shape of your eyes and the way you dress is honoured not the subject of hate and ridicule.
I dream of world where love and harmony are diamonds, where money and greed do not exist.
I dream of a world where music and the living landscape are the 'drugs' that sustain us.
I dream of a world where a beautiful sunset and sunrise free of pollution is revered, so each of us has a picture worth more than any Picasso of our wall of life.
I dream of a world where the trust and love shown to us by our animals is given back to each and every one of them.
I dream of a world where a beautiful tree can live its life in majesty, where the sight of a mighty Oak is the altar on which we worship.
Yes, I dream…..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At this time of turmoil I pray that peace and harmony will reign in balance with all. May peace and love over come. More >
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 13 Feb 2003 @ 23:59, by ming. Politics
It is a widely held value that people can hold different opinions, and it is sort of good to agree to disagree. Particularly if it is political opinions. It is considered noble to respect people one disagrees with.
But there are some qualities of opinions that most people don't notice. It is sometimes like comparing apples and oranges. Two opinions might be of a totally different order from each other, even though they are compared equally.
Let's take a politically and religiously very controversial issue like abortion. The typical way of presenting it is that there are two sides. For or against, basically. The people who think abortion should be legal and those who think it should be illegal. Those are not at the same logical level at all. Comparable choices would be to force all pregnant women to have abortions versus to allow no pregnant women to have abortions. Yes, that is ridiculous, but those would be logical opposites on the same playing field.
Or let's take opinions about whether it should be legal to smoke in public places or not. One side says that one should never be allowed to do so, or one would be fined or arrested. The opposite of that would be that one HAS to smoke in public places, or one would be fined or arrested. Ridiculous? Yes, indeed.
The point is that the choice of forcing everybody to always do something, or to never do something, that's a huge responsibility, and not just a matter of making a good point. You have to be responsible for it always, always, forever being the right choice. That's a real big thing. And it is fairly impossible, because you don't really know if it is always the right thing, because you probably can't imagine all the people and all the situations it applies it. So you probably just make the choice based on your own personal inclination right now, or your religious beliefs, or your idealistic political views, and you might vote for having that choice imposed on everybody all the time. And you sort of ignore the details, hoping that as a member of a government, you probably never have to be faced with those circumstances where that choice wouldn't be the right one.
So, in summary, the option that people are free to make their own reasonable choices based on the situations they find themselves in, that is not on equal footing with the option that they always have to do things the same one way, or that they never can do it a certain way.
People who believe in abortion rights do not necessarily plan on getting pregnant and getting an abortion. People who think there should be somewhere they can smoke, do not necessarily plan on smoking in all the very places that would be the most bothersome for non-smokers. They would maybe just like to be free to make some reasonable choices about it, based on the actual circumstances.
So, they're not equal opinions to have. If your option involves that I will be forbidden by force from exercising my option, but my option only is my personal choice, then our options are certainly not equal. Your option is clearly hostile to mine, but the reverse probably isn't true, even if you have trained yourself to think about it as if it is.
Most politicians don't realize the enormity of a decision to force something to be a certain way for everybody, particularly when we're talking about some sort of personal behavior or lifestyle choice.
To go to war and or not to go to war aren't equal either. They aren't just different opinions, different choices based on personal preferences. One will involve taking away the right to choose from hundreds of thousands or millions of people, because they will probably be killed. Sometimes that might make sense, if even bigger killing is avoided, but it is a very, vary hard decision, based on careful analysis of the facts. It isn't just some opinion to have.
Certain global choices don't really take anything away from anybody. Forcing all of us to drive in the right or the left side of the street, or to use 110V or 220V electricity, that is a matter of organization, and doesn't make any of us lose anything.
But a choice is a choice. Something an individual makes, or something that the people involved make in concert.
True bottom-up grassroots democracy consists of people making choices, and being quite likely to get what they're choosing. Many people will choose different things, and they will get different things. Enforcing the same choices on everybody should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. More >
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13 Feb 2003 @ 23:59, by ming. Violence, War
Question: "What proof do you have that Iraq has Weapons of Mass Destruction?"
Colin Powell: "We kept the receipts." That is a joke. But not all that much of a joke once you consider that the United States and Great Britain sold lots and lots of atomic, chemical and biological weapons material to Iraq, including rockets to deliver it with. See a list here of the companies involved. More >
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13 Feb 2003 @ 06:02, by newdawn. Spirituality
Be your own Valentine!
Love yourself, show kindness and compassion to yourself. Judge not harshly yourself or others.
Suprise yourself with a joyful experience or ask the Universe to bring a joyous surprise into your day.
Re~member, you can not do to others what you do not do for yourself.
So.....
allow the love, peace, tranquility and joy to flow through your heart, regardless of what is happening in the world around you, and what others direct to you and .... just perhaps .... this love and peace that flows through you may infect another and another with the same Divine Inspiration that can be shared by those whose hearts are open and thirsting for peace in their lives and their world.
Wishing a Peaceful Valentine's Day to all, especially those world leaders bent against peace.
Makepeace this Valentine's Day!!!
:) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) ~ (: :) More >
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