Posts of the Week
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The Ongoing Creation of Self Pez - 10:38pm Dec 15, 1996 PST (#21 of 22) (Paul Zickler)
But is there really anything wrong with flying blind? When we get on an airplane, do we have to know the exact altitude, flight plan and trajectory in order to feel safe? Some do, yes. But others have been given the gift of faith. I don't think there's anything wrong with faith; I believe it's a beautiful thing. Think of a young child who relies totally on a parent, trusting in them completely. For some people, life can be a happy, unexamined experience. Time spent worrying about where the plane is going can be redirected toward learning new lessons, helping others, experiencing joy. I, like Irv, need to find patterns and connections in my life to feel a sense of meaning. Maybe I am inventing those patterns, but if they give me a sense of meaning in my own life, why does that mean I have my head in the sand? I mean, there are many Christians I know of who would be much more productive to society if they'd go hide their heads in the sand (Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell come to mind...). Does Vietnam still matter? Raison2 - 01:42pm Dec 14, 1996 PST (#8 of 17) (Dale Johnson) It also matters because conscription was enforced in our country to serve the whims of political bonding, in a direct contradiction of democratic process and a referendum held earlier in the century. In this context, Vietnam stands as an arrogant beacon to political expediency. The question of the lack of debriefing of returning vets is also relevant in our context. We shuffled them off (dictatorially), we taught them to kill, we watched them die, we shuffled some home, we put them on the streets without/with little debriefing and support and then we watched groups of people spit on them. In this social context, Vietnam stands as a indictment of stupidity and personal torment. I hope my country learnt some valuable lessons they will long remember. Are Jane Austin's novels truly "masterpieces"? Gabriela Schoch - 06:51pm Dec 9, 1996 PST (#15 of 23) Pride and Prejudice the most perfect specimen of the English novel? Sorry, but that I find a bloated exaggeration. Austen only analyses the women`s role of the women in the upper middle and upper classes of her time. She herself knew nothing about the multitudes of women in the lower middle and working classes of her day. Also it`s quite blatantly obvious that Darcy and Elizabeth will get together. Wickham is a threat only for about a fraction of the novel Amis must have been very young when he begged his aunt to reveal the ending And may I just say again that I think Austen IS a great writer, I`m not arguing that point. I just prefer some other English novels. After all, Pride and Prejudice IS soap opera at its highest level.... In Britain it was recently adapted for Sunday night TV, and was praised by drooling women who thought the actor playing Darcy was so gorgeous, and by drooling men who thought the same about Elizabeth. Almost all viewers questioned said they thought the series was "pleasant, comforting light watching for a Sunday night..." That pretty much sums up the novel for me... Let the disagreements now come through.. |
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