battosai
Well-Known Member
well, that and the applicable life metaphor. aesthetics are important in philosophy as well.
The Myth of the Free-Market HMO
- Thread starter Dankdude
- Start date
medicineman
New Member
So now all you have is a jar filled with rocks, pebbles and sand, No fuckin wonder you want to drink beer, hell I think if thats all I had I'd go for the tequila, or whiskey, maybe some Mad Dog 20-20. Your metaphor doesn't register with me, I've been too busy trying to dig out of the sand pit!
battosai
Well-Known Member
it means this. focus on the important things in life and you'll be fullfilled. likewise, if u whine and b1tch all the time you will be miserable. your life is what u make it, regardless of your situations. hows the saying go.. like is 90% perception 10% circumstance?
ViRedd
New Member
7x sez ..."How would one go about eliminating ego without destroying the human spirit in the process?i don't see how the two are connected Vi."
Ego and the human spirit are connected. They are both part of human nature. Its ego that causes one to strive for success. ... to be the best that one can be. Success can mean different things to different people. Mother Teresa was successful and Bill Gates is successful. You can bet that Mother Thresa and Bill Gates both had/have egos. It doesn't necessaraly have anything to do with monetary success or possessions. My point was ... if ego is destroyed/supressed, as Med and Dank would do through government force, the human spirit is destroyed in the process to a large degree as well.
Vi
Ego and the human spirit are connected. They are both part of human nature. Its ego that causes one to strive for success. ... to be the best that one can be. Success can mean different things to different people. Mother Teresa was successful and Bill Gates is successful. You can bet that Mother Thresa and Bill Gates both had/have egos. It doesn't necessaraly have anything to do with monetary success or possessions. My point was ... if ego is destroyed/supressed, as Med and Dank would do through government force, the human spirit is destroyed in the process to a large degree as well.
Vi
Dankdude
Well-Known Member
No Vi but there was no need to interupt the flow of the discussion.
medicineman
New Member
Hey man, I think you've invited me to leave this forum a couple a times, chill out. When things aren't going your way you sure get excited, and you've been repeating your self lately, are you doing too many cookies, or have you been to see the widow again.~LOL~
Dankdude
Well-Known Member
Funny I remember a Mod who was Mr.Censorship when things weren't going his way.
Kind of like the republicans who like to bait and switch so they can distract people from what's really going on.
Watch when the republicans want to pull something that is unethical, they bring up abortion or gay marriage.
Kind of like the republicans who like to bait and switch so they can distract people from what's really going on.
Watch when the republicans want to pull something that is unethical, they bring up abortion or gay marriage.
ViRedd
New Member
Coudn't have been me, Dank. If you remember, I was the one who stood staunchly against censorship.
I agree with your opening post, by the way. The reason medical care is so expensive is because of government intervention in the market place. Drug costs also.
Vi
medicineman
New Member
I agree with your opening post, by the way. The reason medical care is so expensive is because of government intervention in the market place. Drug costs also.
Why do we Americans pay 2-5 times as much for the same drugs being sold to Mexico, Canada, France, Australia, Etc.? Could it be corporate greed~LOL~?
Why do we Americans pay 2-5 times as much for the same drugs being sold to Mexico, Canada, France, Australia, Etc.? Could it be corporate greed~LOL~?
7xstall
Well-Known Member
ok, in the most literal sense, i agree with you; ego - the one described by Freud, is always part of the process of not only success, but failure and everything in between.
my point is that feeding the ego and/or cultivating it and ignoring the other components of our psyche causes us to revert, socially, back to a childlike mentality where it's all "me", "mine" or doesn't matter.
Bill Gates time and time again set aside his desire to be right, get credit and would listen to others, still does, why do you think he gave up the CEO, COO spots? ego would have him sitting at the head of the table.
his goal: "To enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential."
the MS focus has always been outside itself. 1980/90s MS motto: "Empowering people."
Enron motto: "Respect, Integrity, Communication and Excellence." all ego, looking inward all the time...hmmm.
the human spirit is what allows us to overcome ego. ego doesn't care if we are the best, it only cares that other people think we are the best!! ego just wants trincets and reminders of what we have where human spirit can thrive on only thoughts of what we have given. when you're dying do you ponder that hella expensive speaker, that denon or nakamichi receiver or is there something a bit less tangible that you would probably think about?
my original point was, is, that we have to start telling our corps to grow up. in the 60s society started to be suspicious of corps, in a huge leap of intolerance and disrespect for other perspectives a large segment of society labeled corp workers as "the man" and attributed all social ills to everything corp... that paved the way for the lowest demoninator to flourish. we should be able to regard everyone as not only capable of doing good in whatever vocation they choose, but we should expect it! we have to start to encourage people instead of always expecting the worst.
write letters, make calls, do your part before there isn't a part!
ViRedd
New Member
Well, of course I agree with what you've said 7x. In a perfect world, where all is one with The Spirit, there would be no ego. In a world like that, ego could/would die and just fade away. All would be done, to the best of one's ablility, to take care of one's fellow man. But, we don't live in the Spirit World and man will be man. I deal with egoists every day and they can be pretty sickening for sure. Their idea of successful negotations is ... they win and everyone else loses. If they only knew how much better off they would be with a little less ego and a lot more compassion they'd be suprised. Look where its gotten Bill Gates ... I believe he's now the richest man in the world.
Vi
Vi
medicineman
New Member
All would be done, to the best of one's ablility, to take care of one's fellow man. But, we don't live in the Spirit World and man will be man. Uh, Vi, that is the lamest excuse for plutocracy I've ever heard. "Man will be man" kinda like saying so fuck it, we can be the Piggies and it will be alright, the creator gives us a pass on ignoring poverty and the human condition. Bill Gates isn't ignoring it, and there's a perfect example of your rich philantropists not being able to solve the worlds dillema. It involves everyone of stature giving a portion af their earnings (Taxes) to make a better world The more you make, the more you give. There needs to be some changes made to the tax structure, like throw the rich banker assholes out of the equation, And then a rigorous accounting of the spending of taxes, with civilian oversight, by a myriad of intelligent people from accountants to clergy! Then maybe we could overcome the "man will be man" myth. Man will be man because he can get away with being greedy and stingy, he needs to be admonished for his behavior, Mama, whack his pee-pee!
7xstall
Well-Known Member
man will be man, yeah, but can't we all be better men.. i'm just saying we need to ALL take steps forward and not wait on others, it adds up fast in this information age. you can force people you're around to think in terms larger than themselves for a moment and that's you doing your part..
people already have detailed info on where tax money goes but no one pays attention until John Stossel reports on something he likes. i'd say more hands in the pie makes for a bigger mess Med. what about a smaller pie and people having more of their own pies? then they can manage it themselves.
this country was great until people stopped "doing" and started expecting someone else to do it.
people already have detailed info on where tax money goes but no one pays attention until John Stossel reports on something he likes. i'd say more hands in the pie makes for a bigger mess Med. what about a smaller pie and people having more of their own pies? then they can manage it themselves.
this country was great until people stopped "doing" and started expecting someone else to do it.
medicineman
New Member
people already have detailed info on where tax money goes but no one pays attention until John Stossel reports on something he likes. i'd say more hands in the pie makes for a bigger mess Med. what about a smaller pie and people having more of their own pies? then they can manage it themselves.
This would work for the upper middle class to upper class just fine, but the people on the bottom don't even have a pie pan, let alone a piece of the pie. It is these very people that need to give more because they have more. Or you just don't get it. Try talking generosity to these upper crust people. they see the lower class as losers, lazy dolts that have nothing better to do than bitch and fuck off (Quote ViRedd). How can you convince them these are people just like them that deserve a chance in life. I realize there are a few people that are mentally challenged, but the majority of "losers" are socially challenged!
This would work for the upper middle class to upper class just fine, but the people on the bottom don't even have a pie pan, let alone a piece of the pie. It is these very people that need to give more because they have more. Or you just don't get it. Try talking generosity to these upper crust people. they see the lower class as losers, lazy dolts that have nothing better to do than bitch and fuck off (Quote ViRedd). How can you convince them these are people just like them that deserve a chance in life. I realize there are a few people that are mentally challenged, but the majority of "losers" are socially challenged!
7xstall
Well-Known Member
these people you categorize as losers, and i do understand you're doing that in a reciprocal way, do need help. i'm just saying we dissolve our responsibility to our fellow man with these beaucratic machines.
all people like Vi want is accountability, they want to see that their $ is doing something and not evaporating.
all people like Vi want is accountability, they want to see that their $ is doing something and not evaporating.
medicineman
New Member
I'm, all for better distribution of the taxes, we could chill out on war and war toys, reduce the military and put them on our borders, that is after we stop this mindless war and let the Iraqis sort it out, quit being the worlds policemen, we can't sustain the drain on our wealth, and the loss of our young men and women, the best of us! Accounting, I'm all for that. Vi doesn't want any of his money going to "lazy bitching dolts", his words, he'd rather see it going to bomb innocent children in foriegn lands, incredible!
ViRedd
New Member
Vi doesn't want any of his money going to "lazy bitching dolts", his words, he'd rather see it going to bomb innocent children in foriegn lands, incredible!
Med ... can you provide a link to the post where I said that?
Remember when I said that while in Las Vegas I bought the hungry guy his choice of a meal? Remember that his choice was two pieces of pizza? Well, if that was government passing out tax money to him, he'd only be able to get ONE piece of pizza. The other piece would have been absorbed by government's brokerage fee. When it comes to most things, charity included, the private sector is way more efficient than government.
Vi
Med ... can you provide a link to the post where I said that?
Remember when I said that while in Las Vegas I bought the hungry guy his choice of a meal? Remember that his choice was two pieces of pizza? Well, if that was government passing out tax money to him, he'd only be able to get ONE piece of pizza. The other piece would have been absorbed by government's brokerage fee. When it comes to most things, charity included, the private sector is way more efficient than government.
Vi