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bobbyfiend · 1 year ago

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Remember what, exactly?

I've seen this quoted at least three times in the past couple of weeks, once here on tumblr and other times on facebook:

You shall remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you went out of Egypt, how he happened upon you on the way and cut off all the stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear God.

[then some stuff about how someday you might want to forget but don't forget!]

Dvarim 25

I mean, it's powerful. The people (all self-identifying as Jewish) who posted this wondered what it meant to "remember" or "not forget." And then every one of them came to the conclusion it meant Jews are always under threat, their enemies are vicious and heartless, and they are constantly surrounded by people who will murder them with no conscience or empathy.

What. The. Fuck.

How do you not even consider that the meaning might be "Don't be like Amalek"?

Of course, there's also the fact that there are an awful lot more passages in the Torah, Talmud, etc. that explicitly call for nonviolence and perspective taking.

I'm not super knowledgeable about Torah etc. I grew up conservative Christian. That does mean that I spent a good deal of time studying Rabbinical opinions here and there to try to understand the Old Testament, but for slightly (cough) different reasons.

On the other hand, I fucking know how to do basic critical thinking.

Imagine reading only 3/4 of Ender's Game and thinking it was an instruction manual.

Imagine going to your local Christian church and hearing,

"Brothers and sisters, remember how the early Christians were thrown to lions and murdered in their homes. Remember how the saints were tortured and killed without remorse or mercy. What lesson should we learn from these events? That's right: don't trust anyone except Christians, and buy more guns."

TBF there are some Christians who think like this. They are wrong. This thinking, ironically, is behind a lot of Christian antisemitism: "The Jews murdered our God! Never forget!" is how you get multigenerational antisemitic prejudice and violence.

Okay, your ancestors were persecuted horribly. There can be a lot of ways to incorporate that into how you live your life right now, and how you think about the world. How do you get to a place where the only interpretation you can possibly think of is, "everyone's out to get us so we need to always be ready to get violent?" Hell, even Jews right now are calling for compassion and de-escalation.

An "enemies are everywhere and they will kill us as soon as look at us" mentality is how the Mountain Meadows massacre happened. I was LDS (i.e., Mormon) for 40+ years, so I've been on this propaganda-to-information ride. Some Mormons, BTW, still do see themselves as marginalized, persecuted people. It's kind of ridiculous, but this persecution complex drives social and political behavior.

"Enemies are everywhere" and "Remember what these assholes did to our forefathers" is how you get blood feuds. It's how you get an endless cycle of violence. The history of European law has an important arc from before the middle ages through the 16th century (ish; apologies to historians) of gradually moving away from blood feuds toward the rule of law itself. "You killed my sister so I kill your whole family" was gradually replaced by "No matter how hurt you are, you don't get revenge; the state will impose a reasonable consequence and you will deal with it." The prevention of revenge has been very, very good for the world.

But when it's nations, who prevents revenge? Who stops the blood feud? (Note: If you say "the UN" you get partial credit and are invited to write an extra research paper on the history of the UN).

Imagine a reasonable response to the horrific Hamas attacks on Israel. Imagine a response aimed at ending the cycle of violence, instead of "you murdered some of our women and children so we will murder all of yours." What would such a response look like? It's a very tough question to answer fully, but the answer probably doesn't look like dehumanization, bombing, displacement, and starvation.

I am imagining 100 years from now Palestinians (if there are any left) will be telling their children,

You shall remember what Israel did to you in Gaza, how they expelled you from your homes and bombed you on your way and killed women and children with bullets and starvation, how they prevented international aid when you were faint and weary... Never forget.

Y'all better hope their takeaway is "don't be like Israel."

Actually, I'm pretty sure something like this has been told by Palestinian mothers to their children for almost a century. I don't think the cycle is going well. I think the people with more power have a chance (they have always had a chance) to work toward de-escalation.

#israel #palestine #hamas #mormons #lds church #violence #revenge #blood feud #deescalation #cycle of violence

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koiandjelly · 5 years ago

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So Fila’s actual past isn’t very detailed, because she’s not a main OC, and I haven’t spent a ton of time actually thinking about her as a character lol. 98% of my Creativity goes to my original content characters, cuz someday when I finish actually crafting my worlds, I’m gonna write a book. I’m aiming for the lofty goals of making a full, fleshed out, intricate— just fuckin’... a whole ass Multiverse system comparable to the Lore content of Tolkien’s works, or The Elder Scrolls— gah fuck y’know what, I’m changing this post from being about my Fantasy Life OC to being about my creation baby, the effort of about 6 years (I am 20 years old, and although I didn’t know it at the time I started, I was 14 when I made the shitty Fire Emblem Manakete rip-off race that I’m gonna actually now talk about, because holy fuck this ain’t gonna fit in a parenthesis “btw have some info” bubble)

A’ight so I have a hard time keeping track of time, especially in a large scale across years. Apparently it’s related to being severely depressed without medication (communication error on my part, my parents are very lovely and helped me ASAP when I spilled the beans) while also having moderate to severe ADD. So, ya know, keep in mind that I was yet another terribly depressed 8th grader when I talk about my creation’s early days. I wouldn’t experience that time of my life for any sort of payment ever. It was goddamn miserable, because when I was midway through the age of 14, not only did the aforementioned depression spring up, but I also realized I was bisexual (And I live in the infamous state of Alabama, for reference. Don’t fear for me though, I was too unnoticeable to be bullied if anyone did know, and my wonderful mother, whom I love and cherish with all of my heart, is one of the few Christians that actually... like... do what their own God tells em to. That is, Jesus. I’m an atheist and have a general discomfort about the idea of super powerful entities actually existing irl, but I do agree with the stuff I’ve heard and remember from a decade ago in Church about Jesus. Good guy. But yeah my mom not only accepted me and reassured me when I came out, but she’s gone even further and is of the opinion/fact that lgbt folks are, really, good and normal and that God created them, so she really genuinely just... loves and accepts me. There’s no “I love you despite of this” in the equation and I am so grateful. But again. I digress)

Pause after that sidetrack, to recap, all of my medical issues began to emerge about 6 months before I turned 15. Including what I hate most, the emergence of my Fibromyalgia and Sjogren’s Syndrome, and for an added kick to the flesh, an undifferentiated connective tissue disorder. Meaning, as what I understand it to be, a nameless chimaera of many symptoms in a way that the disorder either is it’s own thing, or just can’t easily be recognized as any one disorder. And I had anxiety. If I recall correctly on *that*, forgive me cuz it’s been a while since it’s been diagnosed/brought up in a significant way, I have or had either general anxiety *and* social anxiety, or just lightweight versions of both, or something, but at the time I was horribly shy and I couldn’t even talk to the teacher after class about schoolwork, even though I tried rationalizing it to hell and back that I shouldn’t be scared— as you’ll guess, shit didn’t work out til I got medicine for it, because no amount of logic and rational thought will change the fact that I was struggling because of a literal disorder, an error of the brain, and as with that walking with two shattered femurs ain’t gonna work, trying to talk when the talk machine broke... ain’t going to goddamn work.

God. I am rambling a lot. But anyway, shit fucking sucked as a teen for me, because I got that wombo combo, prepare for trouble, make it double, precision strike at my existence as a person during fucking already difficult puberty— I am rambling. It’s 4:55am as of this sentence lmao. I had a nasty cocktail of both mental illness and physical disorders pop up once puberty hit me, so I, through many events starting from loving to draw as a toddler, to play pretend stories of heartbreak, betrayal, and death as best an 8 year old could understand via playing with Polly Pockets, and all the creative power I inherited from my Dad, plus the motivation borne through a need to escape, I started making my own characters.

So, to return to the present state of my creations, which will now be referred to as Bounding Beyond the Stars, or BBtS, I’m gonna get some things out of the way. Just to clarify, yeah? I have created my worlds in a way that is specifically meant to stand apart from the irl universe as we know it. I’m certainly not a knowledgeable researcher with any level of comprehension on Spacial law and quantum physics and shit like that. So hey, if something ever seems... like, off, or wrong? Unless it’s pretty obviously wrong in the “hey you just googled how a thing works, and misunderstood it, and made a detail based on a failure to understand stuff and that’s dumb in a catastrophic way that even a high school level viewer would notice...” kind of mistake, then hey, shoot me a message. But if some sort of universal rule seems fucky in the way that it doesn’t make sense, but isn’t a catastrophic structural error... well, Imma use that sentence to start a better one. For an example of a catastrophic error, perhaps... this: “This planet has no seasons cuz of its shape and axis! And it is also like twice as big as Earth!” That would be catastrophic alone because anyone with a grasp on planetary gravity or something, may go and think “if it’s that big, gravity’s gonna be way more intense”. And you’d be right! Which is why I usually account for those things with... *Magic*.

Before I split this post for Length reasons, and I’m sorry the majority of this was me rambling about how my general experience with life sucked from ages 14-17, I’mma state something very important about all my creations.

Magic, which will be explained in depth at a later point, is a fundamental, essential, and omnipresent force of not just any one universe in my Multiversal Trio. It is a key piece of Reality itself, as magic is the flow of many multiples of millions of unique and mysterious energies, concepts, and laws existing anywhere that Is.

To end this post, I’m going to put a quick summary and explanation why I’m rambling about any of this: The rant about my age and circumstances at the start are relevant because it’s necessary context for the tone and type of writing my creations are built upon. The foundations of BBtS are borne from a sometimes angsty, sometimes genuinely upset 14 year old who found escape in the art of Creation. There have been many, many, many heavy edits, rewrites, scrapped info and ideas, and even more info built upon it. It used to be pretty pointlessly edgy in a lot of ways, and redundant in grimdark, morphing into *grimderp* plot devices and character traits. The way it’s written today, I like to think the lore of my many high fantasy-alien societies, and all its denizens and creators and whatever else, are still written to be dark, be dangerous, even angsty... but more skillfully so, with the sort of nuance a 14 year old wouldn’t really even begin to understand. Cuz I still like high stakes stories with real consequences and character deaths when appropriate. And I enjoy characters who have tragic pasts, but now that I’m older and I’ve seen and read about and done so much more— I can write that stuff *better*. And more over, what I’m most satisfied with, is that I’m more in touch with myself as a person, and I’ve evolved many of my personal beliefs and ideals and all the things of the world I can have opinions on. But most of all, I’ve reached a point where I have consumed enough content from others to where I have figured out how to write something that should be interesting, and maybe a bit new, because I put a looot of Damn focus on identifying, and understanding, writing structure, cliches, plot holes to avoid, character traits to handle differently, and just generally making something that’ll appeal to both me, and my audience, should I get that far.

#original content #ramble #long ramble #worldbuilding #personal history #long post #fantasy #sci-fi #science fiction #it’s currently 5:24am as i think of appropriate tags lol #sleep deprived #late night/early morning thoughts

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nykhaela-ackerman · 4 years ago

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QuaranThoughts: A Glimpse Into My 2020 Psyche

It seems like it’s almost been a year since everything suddenly changed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Overall, 2020 has been filled with one tragedy after another. Starting off with the eruption of the Taal Volcano, threats of World War 3, the pandemic crisis, issues of racism, government incompetence, and many more events that shook the whole world. As someone living through such seemingly historical events, I felt anxious of what the world will come to be in the future, as long as what could happen to me. There were even times wherein I felt so anxious and restless because not only did I fear for my own safety, but also for thinking about what the point is in all this.

I felt sad and helpless for living in such a world wherein fighting will never stop, and that it only seems like a pipe dream for governments to be competent enough to deal with certain issues. Not just in the context of the Philippines, but for the world in general, it seems as though no matter what happens, humanity will always be at war with one another, regardless of there being weapons or not. “Humanity will never stop fighting itself until it shrinks to a size of one or fewer,” said Erwin Smith, though he may be fictional, I believe that his words hold the truth. Humans will always find something to fight about, no matter how insignificant a few things might seem and vice-versa.

This world of ours is a dog-eat-dog world, you can’t really trust anyone, not even yourself at times. So, in times of global crises, who will you turn to? The government who seems to only prioritize maintaining the positions they hold? The church with their false promises of comfort? Your school or university that even rids students of scholarship opportunities due to fears of spending too much money despite being owned by a literal billionaire? Your family who you may or may not even feel comfortable living with, depending on your relationships with them? Your friends who you don’t even know if they truly care about you? Yourself, who’s not even sure about your identity or reason for being alive? All we know is that we don’t know, after all we’re just human beings who were suddenly thrown into this world and now have to deal with the chaos that comes with existence.

Anyway, before I end up getting way too depressing or overshare too much of my personal existential crisis, let me go back to talking about the pandemic. So first of all, I would like to share my own personal experiences and sentiments about being in quarantine, before I delve deeper unto more meaningful thoughts in terms of its effect on society. As a lazy introvert who never liked going outside nor have never experienced going anywhere without any family members, I personally do not mind the thought of just staying indoors all the time. As a matter of fact, I even feel relieved that I don’t have to actually socialize or interact with anyone because of how socially awkward I am and how I just don’t feel comfortable with dealing with social cues and all that stuff. Also, one of the reasons why I prefer online classes is also because of my personal self-image and self-esteem issues.

During online classes, I don’t have to show the rest of my body nor wear an uncomfortable uniform whose buttons could burst anytime while worrying about the weird looks I get from people. In addition, I can express my thoughts easier during recitations or presentations during online classes because I do not have to deal with the social anxiety that comes with having to stand in front of a crowd and think about things like maintaining eye contact or monitoring bodily gestures and such. I could also sit however I want more comfortably, while also not having to worry about using the bathroom during class because I can easily do it at home while wearing Bluetooth headphones so I wouldn’t miss out on class. However, the fact that I can think about all these things is a sign that I seem to be privileged enough to actually be able to consider having to deal with online classes instead of face-to-face classes as a better situation personally. This doesn’t mean that I don’t acknowledge the plethora of issues that others are facing because of it, I was just sharing things from my perspective.

Upon observing what my fellow students have been posting on social media, along with the many news articles out there, I have been dragged back into reality. Not everyone is lucky as I am to have WiFi and gadgets at home to be able to comfortably deal with online classes. Many are struggling to buy load for their cellular data so they can attend classes, others are also suffering from how the pandemic crisis affected their families financially, causing them to likely even drop out and work instead of pursuing their studies. In addition, there are also those who have to deal with balancing the already exhausting mountain-loads of schoolwork, along with helping out around the house with chores or taking care of their younger siblings or ailing relatives. I then realize that there’s more to life than academics, and that there are bigger problems out there in the world that take priority.

Also, upon further reflection, I have realized that not everyone has access to such technologies required for online classes, especially for those who live in far-off areas; those who go to decrepit public schools, those who live in tribal communities, and those who live with a seemingly inescapable sense of poverty looming over them. As a citizen of a third-world country who has been more exposed to foreign media, there were time s that I have forgotten that the educational norm for the Philippines is way different than that of those living in first-world countries. I have remembered how there are many people in this country of ours who lack capabilities to enroll in academic institutions for high quality education, along with not even having enough finances to even survive living in the slums, and yet they are expected to have the resources to deal with online classes. Also, what about children who can barely even read or write? Do they expect them to be able to send emails at the ripe age of five?

I think the heads of such universities or schools are forgetting that students and teachers are also human beings in need of breaks and that just because we’re at home doesn’t mean we have all the time and energy in the world to just do nothing but deal with academics. Even machines can overheat or explode due to overwork, there needs to be a time to cool down, so that we may spend even just a little bit of time to be just people, to just be ourselves and live our life beyond the confines of stressing over exams, quizzes, modules, grades, and such. There’s more to life than just slaving away and doing what you’re told to do, school shouldn’t be a medium to train people into becoming tireless slaves who will always bend to the will of those in power. As a matter of fact, because of spending almost all of my time dealing with academics, I barely have anytime to explore who I am and what I want in life; I don’t even see a future for myself beyond graduation, I can’t even see myself as not living as a student. Just because I have seemingly good grades does not mean that a bright future is automatically guaranteed for me; how am I supposed figure out how to survive in the real world while I further continue to lose the will to live as time goes by?

While I sit comfortably at home as I pursue my other hobbies or stress over deadlines of activities, many people out there are starving and struggling to look for jobs, and many are fighting for their rights to be treated as human beings instead of yet just another number in the ever-growing mortality rate due to the pandemic or even because the government silenced them for speaking against those in power. The world is at war with itself, and yet there are many of us who act like frogs sitting in a tub of water without realizing they are slowly being boiled alive. We’re not in a sauna or in a relaxing hot spring, we’re in a living hell where of everyone is exposed to the same amount of fire. They may say that we’re all in the same boat, but we’re actually in the same ocean in midst of a storm; we’re all on different boats, some may be lucky enough to have yachts or cruise ships, while others are struggling to stay afloat on a piece of driftwood. Even if this pandemic crisis someday comes to an end, the struggles of humanity never will.

This then begs the question, “Why do we even try so hard to survive in such a cruel world? What’s the point in living? Why even try if we’re all just going to die?” Personally, there are many times wherein I contemplated just taking the easy way out and I still do; I know I’m still young but it doesn’t invalidate how tiring it feels to be alive, and how it will just continue to get even more tiring and difficult as I continue to live. Well, as Mikasa Ackerman puts it, “the world is cruel yet beautiful at the same time,” so if we truly want to see how such a world can show such beauty, we must continue to try to survive in this world we were born into so that we may find what it means to genuinely be free. After all, as Eren Jaeger puts it, “if we win, we live. If we lose, we die. If we don’t fight, we can’t win. So fight. Fight,” so that we may be able to see a world worth living in. Fight, so that we may be able to live someday in a world where we no longer need to fight, as illusory or delusional as it may seem.

Before I bombard you with any more Attack on Titan references or depress you with my own personal issues, it may be time to end this essay of mine. Overall, whether it be a global pandemic crisis or any other issues surrounding human conflict, it cannot be denied that this era we’re living in will be a part of human history for future generations to read about. Even if it seems that humanity’s cycle of hatred, greed, and incompetence will never end, we must still strive to make this world of ours somehow worth living in so that we may alleviate suffering, as we continue to grow and evolve as beings aiming to find the meaning of being. No one may know which paths we may take, nonetheless, we should still try to break down these walls, overcome these barricades, and dedicate our hearts so that we may proudly keep moving forward as we fly with our wings of freedom towards the scenery of true liberty. If we just sit here, do nothing and just wait for our corpses to start rotting, what’s the point in living?

Disclaimer: This is just an exercise for our Digital Publishing class submitted to @bertongbigtime. Thank you for understanding!

#acm4305 #acn4305

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randykopplin · 5 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://randykopplin.com/doing-what-you-want-with-your-money-is-a-fundamental-right/

Doing What You Want With Your Money Is a Fundamental Right

Since the birth of Bitcoin, crusaders fighting for the separation of money and state discovered a new payment tool that bypasses the nation state’s control over the monetary system. For over ten years now, lots of people have been using digital currencies to hide from prying eyes of governments in order to free themselves from a system that contributes to insanity.

The Separation of Church and State Has Proved Humans Can Remove the Monetary System From State Control

It can take years, decades, and even centuries for humans to realize certain concepts used within society are immoral. Things like genocide, chattel slavery, and religious persecution have all been deemed unethical. Over the last century, throughout a great majority of countries worldwide, the separation of church and state has become the norm. The concept of the separation of church and state started during the Saint Augustine of Hippo era (between 354 – 430 AD). Augustine discussed the subject in the book called “The City of God,” in Chapter 17, and defined the proper roles of religion and country. All the way up until medieval times, most leaders of nations states were kings and were appointed by the church to rule because of an idea called divine right. Things really started heating up in the Western Hemisphere, when citizens from England wanted to escape the church’s state-dominated rule by fleeing to the colonies located in the U.S.

John Locke was one of the first to introduce the “enlightenment era” which involved individual sovereign rights and the separation of church and state.

During this period (the 1600s–1720) the political philosopher John Lockeestablished the “enlightenment era,” which initiated the idea of separating church and state as well as other individualist ideas. Other well known philosophers like Montesquieu and Pierre Bayle also argued for separation of the two entities. Locke’s writings about the social contract and sovereign rights declared that nation states do not have the authority over an individual’s conscience and therefore forcing them to follow a certain religion is immoral. Locke’s views became a primer for the American revolution and his literature helped form the U.S. Constitution. The third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, wrote many articles on the free exercise clause and he was quoted for coining the phrase “building a wall of separation between church and state.”

“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state,” Jefferson wrote in 1802.

Many economists and scholars worldwide believe the state’s interference with money is the main reason the current monetary system is a failure.

Cryptocurrencies Are Priming a New Enlightenment Era

Well before Satoshi Nakamoto unleashed the Bitcoin network, individuals have been pushing for the separation of money and state. Austrian economists and libertarian philosophers believe that money deserves to be privatized and removed from the surveillance of the nation states. There are a great number of reasons why money needs to be depoliticized, and most of the citizens from nearly every country are aware that something is wrong.

This is why the inflation rate in Venezuela is one of the worst cases of hyperinflation in modern history, at 10 million percent. It’s why huge Occupy Wall Street protests were staged worldwide in 2012 after the 2008 recession, and why the French recently protested in Paris. Governments and the central banks, controlled by a small group of people, have created a system so manipulated that 1% of the world’s population controls most of the wealth, land, and commodities. The collusive arrangement between the bureaucrats and banks is allowed because the citizens are told these entities work for the common good of man. However, the central banks and politicians are the ones who have funded decades of war, financial sanctions against peaceful people, pollution, and the growing police and surveillance state.

Because bankers are extremely close with the political oligarchy, no banker has been jailed for severe and systematic financial crimes. But bureaucrats have no issues with arresting thousands of peaceful people for using marijuana or spending their money privately.

Over the years there have been multiple methods of bypassing the state’s dominant control over money, but some people have been threatened and even caged for trying to use a new money system. For instance, Bernard von NotHaus was arrested in 2007 for creating the Liberty Dollar, a private currency that was issued in minted metal rounds. The U.S. government then warned the public that the people could not issue metal coins that resembled the coins of the United States or of foreign countries.

Bernard von NotHaus is well known for creating the Liberty Dollar and being arrested for creating a private currency that competed with the U.S. dollar. Liberty Dollars were also represented by paper notes as well.

During this same time frame, the cypherpunks were busy discussing and producing different forms of electronic currencies to be used on the internet. The following year, after von NotHaus was arrested, the global economy imploded and bureaucrats rushed to bail out the banks. While things seemed extremely dismal, on January 3rd, 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto unleashed a new payment tool that could help bolster monetary freedom and separate money from the claws of the state. The software’s genesis block is a testament to this goal as the embedded metadata reads:

The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.

Global Citizens Have Realized the Monetary System Is Unethical, But as With the Church, Governments Will Encroach Until They Are Removed From the Process

Satoshi never commented on why he chose to add this message, but the headline stems from the January 3rd, 2009 edition of The Times. The newspaper detailed how British politicians told citizens that they would bail out the banks in order to stimulate the economy. Despite the protests in major cities across the U.S. and U.K., the biggest central banks bailed out the financial institutions with taxpayers’ money. More than ten years later after a bunch of quantitative easing (QE) and manipulating interest rates, the world’s bureaucrats and central planners have failed again. Economists are worried that there’s an impending recession on the way in 2019, and some expect it to be worse than the 2008 crisis. Thankfully, Nakamoto’s vision and subsequent technology have spurred another avenue for peaceful individuals and organizations to escape the threats of monetary control.

One optimistic thing about the creation of Bitcoin is that ever since it was introduced, people are not being thrown in a cage, like Bernard von NotHaus for creating their own currency. There are now 2,000+ cryptocurrencies competing and anyone can participate.

Cryptocurrencies are another opportunity to participate in the counter economy just like using methods of barter and trade, and the use of alternative currencies not controlled by nation states. Since the separation of church and state has become the norm, digital currency proponents think that money and payment tools are also tethered tightly to the conceptions of identity and self. This means no one should tell you how to spend your money, no one should be able to monitor your use of funds, and no one should throw you in a cage because you want to keep your financial transactions private. Humans should be able to do whatever they want with their money and cryptocurrencies allow for them to do this in a permissionless manner. In 2019, residents of planet earth should at least understand by now that the separation of money and state should be a fundamental right in the same way spirituality should be chosen or not chosen freely by a sovereign individual.

Using cryptocurrencies like bitcoin cash (BCH) can help people avoid the state and remove themselves from the manipulated monetary system.

The problem is the nation states and the banking cartel understand that if you remove money from the state’s control, then their power becomes extremely weak. Without being able to steal from the population, governments wouldn’t last very long and the market would quickly realize that they would rather pay for competitive goods and services, instead of supporting failing monopolies. Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies give humans a tool that promotes the idea of being independent and free from the subjection of political power over money and monetary choices.

Using cryptocurrencies and alternative payment tools to bypass the state is a fundamental right and people should continue to fight to remove the monetary system from the state’s control. Money needs to be protected from government encroachment so free-markets can flourish. Some people may never use digital currencies to circumvent the state, but over the last ten years, there’s a growing number of people using these tools for that very reason. Someday, if all goes well, humans may see true free market concepts bolstered by cryptocurrency solutions that will galvanize a network of free and voluntary exchange.

What do you think about the separation of money and state being bolstered by cryptocurrency solutions? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

by Jamie Redman

Randy Kopplin

#automatedmarketing #content #inboundmarketing

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ourwhimsicalfriendship · 7 years ago

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Staircase, her thoughts on marriage and his never ending innocence.

I found him sitting at the emergency stair, crouching, hugging his knees and buried his head in the space between his chest and knees. He looked back when he heard my footstep walking down the stairs, then quickly turned back into his crouching position. I sat beside him quietly, feeling like someone stabbed the center of my chest with a wooden chopstick. It was such a rare sight to see, seriously, he is like, the epitome of a happy kid. Sure, just like any other teenager, he also feels angry, sad, devastated and all at times but like I said, he always appeared to be composed regardless of his mood. Perhaps that was why it hurts so bad seeing him that way.

I put my hands around him and placed my head on his shoulder.

“You know that there’s so much thing I’m not sure of, but for a sweet kid like you, I’m sure that everything will turn out to be okay,” I told him.

He said nothing and we stayed that way for a while.

“Can I ask you something you would hate?” he finally said something.

I let go of him and crouched, held my knees then put my head on the top of my knees, looking at him.

“How do you know I would hate it?”

“I don’t know, I just never asked you this kind of question before.” he turned his head slightly, facing me.

“Do you really want to know?”

He just looked straight into my eyes with that bright and round eyes.

“Okay.”

“When are you planning to get married?” he asked. I could see then as of why he thought I would hate his question.

“Me? No plan, I gave up the idea of marriage.”

“You will change your mind once you found the right one.”

“Well, maybe.”

“When did you gave up the idea?”

I just smiled at him. I couldn’t bring myself to tell a seventeen years old kid that I gave up the idea of getting married the moment I finally realized that love is not enough to be in a marriage. In fact, I think marriage only has a little business to do with love. That marriage, in reality, is not just between two people. That I, this bad daughter, don’t have the confidence of becoming a daughter to another set of parents when I can’t even be a good one for my own parents. That I, this twisted personality, don’t have the confidence of building a happy home for my children. That I, this insecure person who neither have the ability to love my own self nor tell the difference between love and obsession, don’t have the confidence to be in love- and most importantly, to stay in love.

While you reading this, you might come to a conclusion that I came from an unhappy marriage of my parents. I might draw the same conclusion if I were you. But to tell you the truth, my parents has the greatest love story that worth to be written in a book. Ah, perhaps that’s how I painted the idea of marriage so beautifully in the core of my heart, so beautiful that I gave up the idea that I will have the same kind of love on my plate.

Oh, crap. I scrolled up to read this post midway and I feel like some kind of bitter person- which for the record I always knew it but still amazed by how negative I can be, oh, the other side of my head keep telling me I am not negative, just realistic. Hey, this is totally unrelated to this particular story I am currently writing but just a short disclaimer, I am trying to be completely honest and open about how I think- at least on this blog- but sometimes I found it hard to do, despite the anonymity. The social anxiety disorder keeps telling me that people who read this will think that I am just sad and pathetic (which is a very sad truth, I have to admit), that I should put a makeup on my real thoughts so it will come out less ugly. Tell it to fuck off is no simple matter, you know? I won’t need my shrink if it’s that simple for me.

“If you ever change your mind, I hope it will be ten years from now.” he stared blankly into the wall in front of us.

“Don’t you think it’s a little bit too late?”

“I think only then I can confidently take you away from the church or something. You once said that a friendship between man and woman will eventually end when one of them get married- or at least that how society works around you. So the best way to keep your best friend is to get married to your best friend, right? I want to keep you around.”

I felt the urge to laugh that time, just how innocent this kid’s heart can be- but I held it in because I knew that it would annoy him.

“You’re talking shit again. You will change your mind once you found the right one.”

“No, I won’t!”

The kid just doesn’t know yet. I know for a fact that it was just a momentary feeling. I mean, I used to feel that way all the time, but see how I turned to think now. So again, I just smiled at him.

“You know kid, we are all growing up doing things we said we would never do.”

He didn’t say anything, perhaps digesting my words.

“Hey, rather than ended up marrying me as an old hag, you can always hire me as your manager when you became a top star musician- or an author. I can also be around that way,” I said.

“A manager should at least have a decent social skill, you know.” he patted my head and laughed.

Just like that, the Lion Cub came back to his usual self; sweet and bright. If I ever change my whole perspective about marriage and building a family someday, I wish I can raise my child to own his quality as a person.

(adapted from a scribble on her journal, February 2017)

#ourwhimsicalfriendship #lioncubandladybug #excerpt from a book i'll never write #journal #story #short story

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stevedonnellyfaith-blog · 5 years ago

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The Value of Keepsakes (Post 103) 8-26-15

I spent a good part of the last 48 hours in an angry stew. My progress on writing was ground to a screeching halt by a virus on the new laptop I bought for my job search. I think I vaguely remember purchasing an Anti-virus disc as part of the package, but I don't believe I ever installed the software and I expect that it has now been lost in the move. Usually, Nicholas, my IT guy handles problems like this for me but he began the first five classes of his college career yesterday, so I haven't asked for his help out of respect for what he is trying to accomplish. Usually I would switch to Pam's old laptop as a back-up, but Natalie informed me that it no longer recharges so that plan was out. It is quite a frustrating situation, especially, as I only use the laptop at home for the newsletter so there is no real reason for me to expect to get infected. Natalie and Stephen both use the laptop as well so I should have made the effort to protect my device; there is nothing so frustrating as to look over both shoulders in search of a culprit to blame while only discovering your own visage in a mirror staring back from every possible vantage.

Of most concern to me was the idea that I might have let Natalie down with respect to the pictures that I have been saving for her. Usually Pam was the picture taker in our family, but I have made more of a point of collecting family images since Pam became ill. Because Pam was adopted as a child, she had very few baby pictures and she was sensitive about it. My mom had given us albums of pictures from my childhood and a good sized box of my "better" efforts from grade school. I don't go through my albums or keepsake box very often, maybe once every several years, but when I do, I usually find certain pictures or items that remind me of happy times long ago. The memory thread to other items and pictures is lost to me, though. If it is a piece of homework completed for a teacher long forgotten, I usually discard the paper and whittle down my collection still further. Someday, after I am gone, the box will probably go straight into a rubbish bin, although Natalie may go through it piece by piece. I leave that choice to her. An old puck from an Ohio State hockey tournament long since played might become a paperweight on her desk or it might roll right into the trash truck however she so chooses. The thought of losing a cache of pictures of her that I had saved in no other place just bothered me. Finally, I successfully transferred them to a back-up drive today during my lunch hour and felt much better.

Natalie shares my broad but not limitless sentimentality while Stephen would horde everything he has ever touched. By contrast Nicholas and Abby are both more sensible than the other three of us. Because they packed up the family house in Brentwood, it will be interesting to see what made the cut. I had set aside boxes for them that included too much of their school work and other stuff, not knowing what memories were tied up in which pieces of paper and which toys, clothing items and curios from their childhood. Nicholas admitted that he tried to sift through some of the boxes in Pam's and my closet unsuccessfully. He said that he associated too many of the items in some of the boxes with happier times so opening the memories randomly was like occasionally being punched in the face. They were on a tight deadline and just couldn't afford the distraction. I was pleased, in a way, by his reaction; in at least some cases I must have saved the right stuff.

Abby is a tougher nut to crack with regard to sentimentality. I got her a couple of music boxes for her birthday the other day that turned out to be dud gifts. I had always remembered the music boxes that my grandfather had given my mother for Christmas and birthdays. They were in no ways useful to her, but they fascinated us as children. I remember pulling out her dresser drawers in increments to form a staircase so that I could reach the fragile ones that were stored beyond my grasp - they made furniture quite a bit sturdier in those days. I guess my burglary was a comical mix of Mission Impossible and the Nutcracker Suite. That kind of exploit must happen a lot with kids as my antics could have been from any number of the plots from the television show Rugrats. Of course, we surely broke a few of Mom's keepsakes, but she does still have quite a few things still that I remember being stored up high back in the days of my indoor clandestine Lara Croft-like archaeological expeditions.

Natalie told me that she wants music boxes for her next birthday so I may have gifted my wrong daughter. She is attracted to the same items that I also appreciate, so my cache of keepsakes may not all end up decorating a landfill or thrift shop. In the end, I expect, all my stuff will all eventually be discarded down to the last puck as mementos are sifted by successive generations of varying tastes. I have not collected Bugatti's.

Words can sift down as well. What my grandfather wrote in his newspaper evokes emotion in me because I knew the man. What I write might interest some of my grandchildren, but others will collect stamps, baseball cards or whatever innovative pastime replaces those tried and true favorites. Whatever they consider my legacy to be, their interest in me will be voluntary. My goal remains to pray for my children and grandchildren beside my wife in heaven. The keepsakes serve as reminders only of where I have been, without real intrinsic value in themselves. I chuckle to myself at the dreams of wealth that I once entertained. Stephen told me the other day that he hopes to buy a Tesla and a motorcycle one day. I now have an understanding that the riches that await even the person in the very last seat at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb are well beyond the imaginings of Bill Gates or the richest Saudi oil Sheikh.

The Wedding Feast makes me think of the subject about which I originally intended to write. Because I have come to discern some of the value of the Eucharist, I now possess only the greatest pity for the many modern people who are leaving the Church about hard sayings that they refuse to understand. John 6:66 describes for us that even in the presence of Jesus himself, many 1st century Christians chose to abandon the Bread of Life. No one knows whether any of them would likely have stood with The modern Church in the face of the debates over abortion, same sex marriage or contraception, but they couldn't abide by the idea of the Real Presence even as the Living Word declaimed the doctrine to their very ears. Others have left the fold over the centuries chasing various other fads, trinkets and heresies. Many continue to leave over a selection of worldly issues that misunderstand the very essence of Christianity . We are not of this world, but were made for the next.

Not all those leaving The Church are leaving because Catholicism is too conservative. Unfortunately, for instance, one of Pam's relatives is an active dissenter against Pope Francis because the man who sits in Peter's chair is not a fan of unbridled capitalism. I pray for Pam's relative and don't really I understand or share that point of view. Certainly, like Francis I prefer capitalism to socialism which is always atheistic, corrupt and exploitative. With regard to Francis' statements about capitalism tending towards enslaving and exploiting people, I wholly agree. Once Americans became capitalist only and ceased being Christians except on dress-up days, then pornography, prostitution and abortion slipped the leash and greater proportions of men and women began to generate wealth without regard to how many souls are being eviscerated for the sake of healthy balance sheets.

Pornography is now a multi-billion dollar industry, drug cartels dominate whole Latin American countries, and baby parts are bought and sold as a commodity, but profits are good. I plan to continue to listen to what Pope Francis says as well as the Bishops who most clearly articulate opposition to the most spiritually corrosive aspects of our society. Bishop Barber is a good one, but I will be especially pleased to see Pope Francis shaking the hand of Archbishop Chaput in Philadelphia. Also please encourage your Protestant friends to support Rev Franklin Graham's efforts to facilitate a Christian renewal in America. We need it.

#God #Jesus #The Holy Spirit #The Virgin Mary #grace #hope #faith love #memories #sentimentalism #keepsakes #The Wedding Feast #Heaven #The Real Presence #Eucharist #The Bread of Life #Archbishop Chaput #Franklin Graham

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coin-news-blog · 5 years ago

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Doing What You Want With Your Money Is a Fundamental Right

New Post has been published on https://coinmakers.tech/news/doing-what-you-want-with-your-money-is-a-fundamental-right

Doing What You Want With Your Money Is a Fundamental Right

The Separation of Church and State Has Proved Humans Can Remove the Monetary System From State Control

John Locke was one of the first to introduce the “enlightenment era” which involved individual sovereign rights and the separation of church and state.

During this period (the 1600s–1720) the political philosopher John Locke established the “enlightenment era,” which initiated the idea of separating church and state as well as other individualist ideas. Other well known philosophers like Montesquieu and Pierre Bayle also argued for separation of the two entities. Locke’s writings about the social contract and sovereign rights declared that nation states do not have the authority over an individual’s conscience and therefore forcing them to follow a certain religion is immoral. Locke’s views became a primer for the American revolution and his literature helped form the U.S. Constitution. The third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, wrote many articles on the free exercise clause and he was quoted for coining the phrase “building a wall of separation between church and state.”

Many economists and scholars worldwide believe the state’s interference with money is the main reason the current monetary system is a failure.

Cryptocurrencies Are Priming a New Enlightenment Era

Global Citizens Have Realized the Monetary System Is Unethical, But as With the Church, Governments Will Encroach Until They Are Removed From the Process

Using cryptocurrencies like bitcoin cash (BCH) can help people avoid the state and remove themselves from the manipulated monetary system. Did you know you can purchase bitcoin cash (BCH), bitcoin core (BTC), ethereum (ETH), litecoin (LTC), and other coins using Buy.bitcoin.com? Head over to our Purchase Bitcoin page where you can easily buy cryptocurrencies in minutes.

Source: news.bitcoin

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optimisticheartbarbarian-blog · 6 years ago

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Undertale dating. Write only if you are serious! Oksana. Age 25 My new photos and sexy videos here >>>

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Oksana Undertale dating

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Greater Manchester News How the church is working with experts to help survivors of sexual abuse Survivors will be able to access funding for specialist therapists and a faith-based support group. If you’re into horseback riding but you’re also into partying on the weekend, include photos of both. Putting false information about yourself is really easy because online dating sites do not verify the information. Ask New Question Anonymous Answered 63w ago Almost all of the dating apps show users from around your area but you may not know if that user is still active. Your answers are an important part of the matchmaking process and being honest gives you the best chance of meeting someone compatible. Increasingly, state licensing boards post online the names and general description of the offense of mental health professionals found guilty of an ethics charge. However, making time for both your romance and your friendships is vital to maintaining balance, happiness and healthiness. These apps may not be super popular yet, but apps like these (ones that use mobile platforms to facilitate in-person connections) could easily end up being the future of online dating. Setting a limit of one or two hours for your date gives the other person some space, doesn't crowd them from the beginning.

The feminists are going to hate me on this one, but I think “I am woman, hear me roar” has done us a disservice in the dating department. That’s because talking on the phone can serve as a gut-check, giving you a blind glimpse into her personality before wasting your time, money, spirit or heart on a date that is bound to go sour. “If you have met someone on a dating app, the usual protocol is to first text and then talk on the phone before asking someone on a date. In addition to the detrimental effects of upholding limited views of relationships and sexual and romantic desires, stereotypes also lead to framing social problems in a problematic way. While Match has reams of cards and thank-you notes hung around its headquarters for every wedding and child it helped create, it also hears from plenty of users who have had bad dates and blame the company. “Part of dating is the up and down,” she says. “We live with all that psychology, and they’ll have to, too. I have thick hair, I usually get it cut very short, then let it grow out for months, then go short again--and he's a master at cutting my hair into different short styles that grow out super well with minimum styling effort on my part. I will be honest I don't get how it's more chillax or cautious to not call himself your boyfriend but what's important is that what you have makes you happy, not how you label it. The goal of an email is to get her to read the whole thing and want to reply with something other than “I’m going to have my big bad bouncer friend come over to your house an smash your face in you piece of crap!”.

Undertale dating

I hope the ending would be more well written because since the beginning of the story everything was great! However, since then, people’s expectations have changed regarding what they expect from products like hair mousse and defining curls has taken precedence. We will not be able to provide support for the functionality of such products or services. 6. TERMINATION WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO ANY OTHER RIGHTS. WP Dating.com may terminate this EULA if you fail to comply with any term or condition of this EULA. Read More Advice John Aiken Letting go of past relationship hurts One of the most important things you can do before jumping into the world of dating is to make sure you've let go of the past. Apparently, these badges are supposed to indicate how active you are on the site and they’re used to decorate your profile, but outside of that, they have no other use. Plus, we offer more features, it's free to respond to emails, we have the Color Code Personality Test, more members with photos, and more.

Men are attracted to confident women who get the concept of “interdependence.” Interdependence requires that you’re both independent and dependent; that means you create sacred space for your relationship as well as sacred space for your work, passions and friends. They met last year in the Celebrity Big Brother house, stared a showmance and left in a relationship. To make the area less cluttered you can sort conversations to first show those that are contain unread messages (the default setting), recent conversations, members nearby, or favorites. If we’re only in love with a list of qualities, well, then our love will drift to anyone who has those qualities. There is no standard time scale to run through these progressions, but the speed at which the situation in the couple wants it to be. Although Facebook imports and uses information derived from your Facebook account, it does not post anything on your feed. That’s game was so hard!” Literally every other message is the standard “hey” “how are you” “how is your week?” messages. But date feels weird at65 i be in november for me If ladys feel and need it more power to theme Its never to late I am ok i had planty in my life beffore I still dress stylist and act young becouse i have yo g brain Every one is defrent I had good looking boyfriends now i dont wan old men next to me Maybe companion friend but not sex.

European dating site

Thoughts of having to make eye contact with my date and being in a public place start to take over and fuel the bully as well. She has been featured in campaigns by a number of major brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors and Chanel. The remaining four girlfriends are Michelle Cannes, Barbara Schternvart, Helena Wankstein and Katie Zhan. Our website matches up singles locally, so it's never a hassle to make the transition from online dating to dating in person. If you would prefer to find singles in your local area, join sports teams, organizations, or any recreational activities you enjoy. Types of military discounts include discounts for active duty military, veterans, retired military personnel, and military spouses or dependents.

Teens dating

The somehow arrives in the form of a contest--the grand prize: a date with Tad Hamilton--and the someday is now. The question is whether these gentlemen will be satisfied to wait for a hypothetical conversation early if the influx of female profiles will be enough to get them to use the application. What's not: Not everyone is super-active on Facebook, so you might not be able to see what your friends are up to. I haven’t had any major problems with the app, but I have met some pretty cool people, so don’t sleep on bumble ya’ll. I worry that if I don’t change how I feel when he does decide to date I won’t be able to stay his friend and I will loose him. To put it in perspective, I’m so quiet and shy I have no one to explain this too other than this thread of replies that someone may or may not read. That night at the bar resembled one of those “roundtable” discussions you see on an American Sunday morning political show such as Meet The Press.

Dating together

Now that they are heading to different colleges, they are going to share a memorable goodbye kiss. Th. Valentine's Day Slacking 2014 Sarah and her handsome husband, Tim, are preparing to enjoy a romantic date at a fancy restaurant to celebrate their love for Valentine's Day. Just 3-4 to put in my purse or in my pocket and refer to when we start looking like that elderly couple in the restaurant that remains in silence throughout the meal. This ties in with the shift towards spending less time on the internet and quickly moving to real world interactions. But Western publishers are still apprehensive because of past failures and the large up-front script translation cost with an unsure audience. Salsa Lessons This happy couple has always wanted to go salsa dancing, but they've never been able to find the time. As others have said the best you could hope for is to get fired and if it cost them the client the firm might even sue you. We are involved in the process of long distance matchmaking and we will use a variety of methods to facilitate that end.

#undertale dating

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ishadyfartcollector-blog · 6 years ago

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The Transhumanist movement is made up of people of various political leanings. There are those who skew left-of-center, those with a more libertarian mindset, and there are even some who are archly conservative. But they all share a belief that science and technology can be wielded to cheat death. And they’re all completely tone deaf.

I first came to Transhumanism in my work as a journalist. In my career, which has spanned a decade of reporting and editorial writing on the intersection of human rights, policy, and science, nothing has raised my hackles as much as this movement’s quest for immortality and the ignorance of the inherent inequality of the discussion around that idea.

It was actually this ignorance, or perhaps willful callousness, that made me pivot my career to focus on bioethics, in which my main areas of research are biohacking, DIY science, and fringe technologies. I overlap with Transhumanist interests more often than not in my career. And it’s not all negative. In fact, I very much agree with the other maxims of the movement, including self-experimentation and morphological freedom, and I enjoy investigating the ethical challenges associated with using scientific knowledge to enhance the limits of the human body.

My disagreement with transhumanists isn’t that they want to be immortal. That goal has been a popular pastime of the wealthy, fearful, and bored for at least a millennia. It’s not the quest for immortality that seems unreasonable to me.

It’s the timing.

We live in an age where civil liberties are constantly under threat. People are in fear of being assaulted, detained, or even killed by state-sponsored actors from municipal police forces to ICE. It seems that our freedoms are eroded daily in favor of catering to the fleeting temper tantrums of one man. Trying to unleash radical life-extension strategies in this political climate is at best vain and misguided, and at worst offensive to anyone who doesn’t possess freedom over their bodies, or doesn’t possess the privilege to even think about living forever.

Some of us are just trying to make sure we’re alive at the end of the week.

Memento mori? Nah, bro.

There are several so-called “life-extension” technologies, some of them absolute bunk, others questionable-but-possible, and some theoretical-but-perhaps-legitimate. None of them are currently able to keep us alive for longer than a normal human lifespan, which currently hovers around 80 years old in most developed countries.

There is simply no logical reason to invest money in being frozen.

It’s true, we have already used modern medicine to extend our lives significantly over the past couple decades, and by some estimates, the first person to live to 150 has already been born. But radical longevity enthusiasts aren’t just hoping for an extra century or two. The moonshot is true immortality, and the investments by Randian billionaires into tremendously questionable efforts by private companies seeking secret ways to avoid dying are staggering — perhaps even reaching into the trillions of dollars.

Cryonics, or the idea that a dead body can be frozen at extremely low temperatures and resurrected at some point in the future when technology has evolved to bring frozen people back from the dead, is a big-ticket theory with Transhumanists. There are global conferences dedicated to the study of cryonics, a technology that is said to preserve tissue so well that this tissue is essentially still alive. Or so the story goes.

Max More, one of the original founders of the modern transhumanist movement, and the author of a 1990s Transhumanist manifesto, owns and operates Alcor, one of the country’s largest cryonics facilities. There, those hoping to simply press pause on their deaths and join humanity as a reanimated corpse can buy a tank for themselves, their loved ones, or their pets, for a pretty price. Alcor charges a minimum of $200,000 for whole-body preservation. (The running price of preserving a loved one at the Cryonics Institute, another major operation, starts at $35,000.)

Unfortunately, cryonics is bullshit.

Scientists agree that the freezing process damages cells irreparably, by creating what are essentially cellular icicles. Not to mention that reheating a human body — cells, membranes, and so on — also mangles the many proteins and pieces that comprise us. One BBC investigation into cryo-preservation pointed out that organs often need different temperatures and environments to maintain functionality, something we know from preserving them for donation.

There is simply no logical reason to invest money into being frozen. It doesn’t work now, it likely won’t ever work, and by the time it ever does work, no one who was frozen now will be able to be successfully resurrected.

A similarly dubious technological attempt at dodging death is brain uploading. This concept is basically just the plot of Transcendence. A major proponent of brain uploading is Transhumanist luminary Martine Rothblatt,the founder of SiriusXM satellite radio and the highest-paid female CEO in the country. When the time comes, Rothblatt would like to upload her wife, Bina, to the cloud — a project that is already underway with Bina48, a social robot that has Bina’s personality — and her own Twitter account.

The concept behind brain uploading is that someday, everyone will be able to upload their entire consciousness and personality to a server and preserve themselves digitally, only to be transferred at some point into some other vessel, if they so desire. (Popular options are humanoid robots or similar household objects.)

This is a fun pastime for people who can afford it, no doubt. Talking to robots is awesome. (My kid’s first word will likely be “Alexa.”) And AI and robotics technologies are progressing at an incredible pace. However, true mind uploading is incredibly far off, because there is no evidence that personality traits reside within brain tissue, and there is no proven way to harness memories or creativity, or any of the other things that make you “you.”

Still, one provocative start-up is currently enrolling patients who want to try out this tech. (You just have to die first).

The most realistic-seeming life extension technique lie somewhere in the realm of regenerative medicine, a fringe of largely theoretical ideas based in real science that is progressing rapidly. Aubrey de Grey, the famed Cambridge gerontologist, who is also a figure in the Transhumanist movement, leads this charge. He is followed by a number of stem cell experts, geneticists, and otherwise legitimate characters who have taken up the mantle of the study of genetics and telomeres.

Telomeres are the timekeepers of human genes. They are small capsule-like pieces that make up the bottom of chromosomes and are often described as the little plastic nubs at the end of a shoelace. Their length appears to be indicative of lifespan because they seem to shrink as humans age. The longer the telomere, the longer you’ve got on the terrestrial plane, or so the theory goes.

This is real science, and there are plenty of legitimate aging studies underway that involve measuring telomeres and to see how they correspond to aging and disease. Unfortunately, there is a lot of bad science surrounding the theory as well.

Liz Parrish, the CEO of a company called BioViva, claims to be the first person to have elongated her telomeres through gene therapy that she perhaps performed on herself, possibly in Colombia. The details are foggy, but what’s clear is that BioViva’s science is happening without any regulatory oversight, peer review, or pre-clinical trials.

After she allegedly used gene therapy to reverse her body’s aging process, Parrish plastered the internet with blog posts claiming she was “Patient Zero”for this unproven and untested idea. Genome editing pioneer George Church, who despite being listed as a scientific advisor for Parrish’s company, referred to her gene therapy project as “a one-person show” in an article in MIT Technology Review.

I understand natural curiosity, the thrill of science, and the quest for innovation. But Transhumanist leaders have made science into a circus.

It is irresponsible, if not actively harmful, to pursue radical life extension as a serious goal, while so many Americans fear that they won’t be able to make through the next few years.

Zoltan Istvan, formerly the head of the Transhumanist Party and self-described “science candidate,” traversed the country campaigning during the 2016 presidential election in a vintage RV decorated like a coffin. Because becoming immortal and alleviating existential risk was his actual campaign platform. Most recently, Istvan also ran for governor of California, and once again suggested that governments should divert more resources into scientific and technological research to “cure death.”

Istvan, like so many other life extension advocates and Transhumanists, is a supporter of the concept of “morphological freedom,” or the idea that anyone has the right to do what they will with their own body. I also believe in morphological freedom, and I feel privileged to have it. But until every American also gets the chance to enjoy freedom over their bodies and choices, I remain exceedingly skeptical about investing outrageous sums into longevity research or prioritizing it above the needs of living people.

Until every American can say that they enjoy morphological freedom, including every woman who wants access to safe, affordable reproductive care, I don’t want to hear about Peter Thiel or Larry Page spending billions on flimsy science for life extension. Only 28 states require insurers to cover contraception, and 6 states moved to ban all abortions in 2017, while a further 28 states introduced legislation that would “ban abortions under some circumstances.”

Instead of funding life extension, let’s fund pro-choice candidates, build health clinics, and train midwives. Let’s fight for all women to have control over their own bodies.

Until every American has the freedom to live without fear of the state impeding their natural lifespans, I don’t want to hear about funding brain uploading initiatives. Nearly 1,000 people were shot by police in 2017. People of color actively fear for their lives every day in this country, from militant police forces and unwieldy federal immigration officials.

Instead of talking about the rights of the wealthy and educated to dabble in dubious science, let’s focus first on making sure that everyone, regardless of class or color, can feel safe on our streets.

Transhumanists list “curing death” as the number one item on their political platforms. To the people researching life extension, death is a “disease.” But I have never heard any of the people advocating that they have a human right to live forever also demanding universal healthcare. In fact, there is an ongoing debate within Transhumanism about whether universal healthcare is a human right at all.

In the U.S. in 2016, 3.2 million children did not have access to health insurance. In Zoltan Istvan’s home state, California, that number was 268,000.

I don’t see longevity supporters rallying for these causes. I don’t see them en masse wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts, telling GOP senators to leave the ACA alone, carrying signs for Planned Parenthood, or building a float for Pride. But they will rally across the US to “oppose death.” And raise $28,000 for Istvan to build a mobile coffin.

Without also advocating for civil liberties for others, longevity proponents can be seen as a truly unethical example of what happens when the uber-privileged from Silicon Valley lose touch with how bad things really are. It is irresponsible, if not actively harmful, to pursue radical life extension as a serious goal, while so many Americans fear that they won’t be able to make through the next few years.

Forever isn’t even a consideration.

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mallorymwebb · 7 years ago

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20 Things I’ve Learned by the Age of 20

Today is my birthday and I’m incredibly grateful that God has allowed me to live on this earth for another year! I know I’m still pretty young, but I wanted to share with you 20 things I’ve learned so far. I’m still in the process of learning and living by some of them, but I hope you can learn from them as well! (I’ve included some of my favorite Bible verses, lyrics, and quotes in this post.)

1. Surround yourself with people that are only going to bring out the best in you. In Proverbs 27:17, it says “as iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.” I always want to be around people that are going to sharpen me to be my best; not dull me down. In the past, I’ve been surrounded by people that love to gossip and talk negative towards other people. The more time I spent with those people, the more I started to act like them. It just wasn’t the type of person I wanted to be. When I met the friends I surround myself with now, they spoke with such loving and kind words and they constantly encouraged other people. Suddenly, I didn’t want to gossip or talk negatively anymore because their ways rubbed off on me. They also encourage my dreams and the gifts God placed in me, constantly pulling me towards His divine plan for my life. Those are the kinds of people you want to be around; not the ones that bring you down or push you away from the love of God. Pastor Joel once said this in a sermon: “you can’t hangout with chickens and expect to soar with eagles.” I love that quote because it’s so true and it gives us a perfect picture of who we should surround ourselves with. If you want to “fly high” and do all that God has called you to do, you must surround yourself with people that have the same vision as you and the people that can see what God has placed in you.

2. Enjoy the little moments and never take a single one for granted. One of my favorite things to do is go outside and write in my journal, whether it’s on my front porch steps or on my pool deck. In those moments, I stop, look around at all that God has created, and just soak it all in: this very present moment. In this time that we are living in, everything is so rushed and fast paced. We go from one big moment to the next barely even stopping to think about where we are right now. I also love to go outside at night and look up at the stars. I feel so happy and grateful when I see those twinkling lights in the sky. Sometimes it’s like time stands still and nothing else matters. It’s the little moments like that. I understand that not everyone loves nature, but there are tons of other little moments that you can enjoy such as just being with your family and friends. There are a million moments to enjoy and be thankful for; we just have to recognize them!

3. “Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.” (Ephesians 4:26) This is definitely something that I try to remember every time I get into an argument with someone I love. The Bible specifically tells us not to go to sleep angry at someone. I’ve read somewhere that if you go to bed angry, over time your heart will begin to harden and you will harbor unforgiveness. That’s not what I want to do. I want a soft heart that forgives quickly, so it’s always my mission to apologize, make amends, or forgive that person before I go to sleep. It’s not always an easy task, especially when you are as strong-willed as I am and don’t believe it’s your fault. But it’s worth it when it’s all said and done and you’ll feel ten times better when you can lay your head on your pillow at night and fall asleep with peace and forgiveness in your heart.

4. You don’t have to be at every outing, you can be alone sometimes and that’s alright. There’s this acronym called FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) which I sometimes struggle with. I used to think that if I was alone, I was missing out on all the fun. Snapchat and Instagram don’t help it either. In today’s society, everyone is constantly posting on social media what they’re doing. They take a video or a picture of the happy moments - of them having fun for everyone to see and you’re sitting at home and suddenly, you feel down about yourself. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? But it’s okay to be alone from time to time. You don’t have to be with your friends 24/7. You can just be with your family sometimes or you can be by yourself. These are the moments that I find myself becoming closer to God because it’s just Him and I. (sidenote: you also don’t always have to post what you’re doing on social media. Enjoy the moment just as I mentioned in number 2! :) Don’t live it all through a camera lens. You will never get that day back so enjoy it through your own eyes.)

5. We should always thank God for waking us up every morning. This is something I’m currently working on and want to make a habit of. Every morning when we open our eyes and get to live another day, we are very lucky (actually, we are very blessed). Sadly, not everyone will get to see another day. And I know that sounds very harsh and depressing, but it is true. Everyday that we are alive and well, we are blessed and we should live like that - always grateful. :)

6. A broken heart isn’t always a bad thing. I know this one doesn’t really make sense, but let me elaborate. When someone breaks your heart, it hurts.. terribly. I’ve been there, done that. I completely understand. But when you give all the broken pieces of your heart to God, He will take them and build something new. He will make you whole again and change your desires to want to honor Him and seek after Him. When you change your perspective and realize that everything happens for a reason and God always has your best in mind, it makes better sense and gives you peace in your soul. In Psalm 34:18, it says “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” My heart is not broken and hasn’t been for a few years now, but I just felt like I needed to add this for anyone that is going through a difficult time, whether it be a broken heart over a person or some news you just found out. This season won’t last forever and you will be happy again. “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5) That’s the Bible verse that gets me through any tough time because I know that the night won’t last; the sadness won’t last. Better days are coming!

“But the hard times are golden ‘cause they all lead to better days.” - Be Alright, Ariana Grande

7. Do what you love to do. God has given us all different gifts, talents, passions, and hobbies. Embrace what you love to do and don’t be afraid to be yourself. I absolutely love writing in my journal prayers to God. I love going out on my pool deck at night and stargazing. I love going to church every single week, more than once. If there was a church service every day, I’d be there! I love redesigning my room over and over again and I love scrolling through Pinterest for hours, dreaming about the house I want to build someday. I love listening to music everywhere I go and I love writing songs from time to time. These are all of the things I love doing. If you enjoy doing something, do it. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re weird because you like doing something that they don’t. You’re not weird. You’re unique and special and God created you the way you were supposed to be created. Find your passions and go for it. :)

8. “All you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” This is definitely one of my favorite quotes. If you really think about it, it makes so much sense. Many times we want to do something, but we don’t do it for two reasons: either we are lazy or we are scared. There’s a great lyric from an Andy Mineo rap (haha) that says “fear kills more dreams than failure.” It couldn’t be more true. Don’t let fear hold you back from all that God has called you to do. Your purpose and destiny is far greater than that. I know it’s much easier said than done and I’m definitely still learning this one, but we must trust in God. Plus, He hasn’t given us “a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) Take that leap of faith and face fear head on. You never know what incredible things you’ll discover on the other side. :)

9. If you feel you should do something, do it before it’s too late. I learned this one the hard way. I don’t want to go into much detail because it’s very personal, but let’s just say - for weeks (maybe even months) I felt a tug on my heart to do something, but I put it off and before I knew it, it was too late. I will never get that opportunity back again and it will haunt me for the rest of my life. I know that it was God and I should have listened to Him. I just want to encourage you that if you feel a nudge at your heart to do something, please do it before it’s too late. Don’t procrastinate. Do it now and you will never have to live with regrets!

10. People’s opinions about you don’t determine who you are. This is a difficult one to learn because it’s easy to get caught up in what man thinks of you, rather than your Heavenly Father. So many of us start to believe this lie that our value comes from our appearance, how many likes/followers we can get on instagram, or even our grades in school. I know I struggle with these things from time to time and if you don’t, then you are very blessed! But the truth is, what people say about us and the numbers we see on our screens do not define who we are. The love and grace of God defines who we are. And we are His children; sons and daughters of a great King. Don’t forget that! You are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” :) (Psalm 139:14)

11. Surrender your will and plans to God. Often times we love to plan out our future (or at least I do). I dream of so many things that I’d like to do or that I’d love to happen, but the truth is, we can plan all day, but for the most part, things will never work out the way that we intended them to. That’s why we have to give everything to God and live in the moment. In Proverbs 16:9, it says, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” You see, God is in control of the whole universe. He holds our lives and our future in His hands. If we surrender all of our plans into the hands of God, He will work them out for our good. Our plans will turn out better than we could have ever dreamed up on our own because the One that created us is in charge of it all. When you think of it that way, it lightens your load a little bit, doesn’t it? You don’t have to worry about the future because it’s God that guides us and determines where we should go. He has your best interest at heart and He’ll get you to where you need to be in His perfect timing.

Another good Bible verse is Proverbs 16:3, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.”

12. When you get what you’ve been praying for (and wishing for), don’t ever take it for granted. During the time that I was brainstorming a list of the 20 things I’ve learned by the age of 20, I had a dream. In this dream, a prayer was answered that I’ve been praying for quite some time and I remember writing down “when you get what you’ve been praying for, don’t ever take it for granted.” Obviously, it hasn’t happened yet, but when it does I’ll be sure to remember this one. I began thinking of how this could currently relate to my life and I realized there are many prayers that God has answered for me. It’s sometimes easy to forget to be thankful long after God answers our prayer, but we should always remember to do just that. There was a season in my life when I couldn’t drive to my church because I was scared and inexperienced, but I wanted to be able to so badly. Throughout that season, I prayed and prayed about it and it took patience and some things changing in my life, but in time, God answered that prayer. I remember all the nights I was upset because I couldn’t be at the young adult services. Now I’m driving there every Sunday night. Sometimes it can be mundane for me, going every single week, but I constantly have to click back and remind myself that at one point this is something I really prayed for and now I get to live it out. There was also a time in my life - right after I graduated high school - where I really didn’t have any friends to hang out with. Pretty much everyone moved away for college and I was left at home by myself. I began praying for God to bring friends into my life that were good for me and sure enough, in time, He did. Now I have many friends and I never take them for granted. Every person in my life is a blessing to me! So when God answers that prayer that you’ve been praying for, for a long time, don’t forget to continually thank Him for it. :)

13. Always treat others how you would want to be treated. This is something that my mom has always taught my sister and I. In the Bible, it says “do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.” (Matthew 7:12) - it’s the golden rule and something to always live by. I try to be kind to others because I know how it feels when someone is rude to you. I’ve experienced it many times and I never want someone else to feel that feeling. I truly believe that you should treat others equally, no matter who they are - a celebrity or a custodian. God loves them just the same and you should love them, too. This world is already full of negative, hateful people and we need more kind ones full of love. In the wise words of Ed Sheeran, “Love could change the world in a moment.” (from the song: What Do I Know)

14. God has big plans for you and I. “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) That’s a very popular Bible verse and many of us have heard it tons of times, but sometimes we don’t really think about it or even believe it. Well, let me tell you, it’s completely true. It doesn’t matter how old you are, whether you’re 12, 17, 36, 55, or 80 years old, God has a plan specifically for you and He wants to use YOU to bring His love and word to people. You were placed on this earth at this time for a reason - just as it says in Esther 4:14, “perhaps this is the moment you were created for.” Isn’t it beautiful to think that God could have put you in any time period but He chose to put you in this specific one? That means you have a gift or a talent to use right now to reach people all over the world. Trust and believe that He has wonderful plans for you, if you just give Him a chance and let Him use your heart.

15. Even if God doesn’t answer our prayers, We should still continue to seek Him. This is something that one of my pastors at church, Pastor Nick, preached about a couple of weeks ago. He spoke of the story in the Bible about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If you don’t know the story, I’ll sum it up for you quickly: basically King Nebuchadnezzar wanted these three boys (and everyone whom he ruled over) to worship his golden statue and if they didn’t, he would throw them into a blazing furnace. Well, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worshipped God and they weren’t going to bow down to anyone else. They told the king: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But EVEN IF he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18) That takes faith to say something like that. The ending is a happy one though; King Nebuchadnezzar ordered some of his men to throw them into the furnace. But God didn’t let them die. Suddenly, King Nebuchadnezzar looked at the furnace in amazement, watching FOUR men walk around in the fire, unharmed and one of them was the Son of God. It took a lot of courage for those three boys to say that even if God didn’t rescue them from the fire, they would still serve Him and only Him. Often times we pray for certain things and when God doesn’t answer them or it doesn’t go our way, we give up on Him or we become angry and bitter. I’ll be completely honest with you: I did this years ago when I was younger, naive, and immature. Something that I prayed for and wanted for so long did not come to me and when I realized I wasn’t going to get it, I gave up on God. I told Him, “I still believe in You but I just don’t know if I want to continue following You.” Obviously that did not last long because God’s grace and love always beckons you back in (and what I thought I wanted God knew it wasn’t His best for me). I’m a different person now than I was then, but I tell you this to make a point: often we view God as a magic genie that’s just going to grant our wishes but He is much more than that. He wants a relationship with us. Pastor Nick said this and it changed my heart forever: “You didn’t start following Jesus so that He could give you everything you want. You started following Him so that you could just be with Him.” It’s changed my perspective and opened my eyes a little wider to the idea that He just wants me to be in His presence and love Him. So even if I never get married, even if I never have children, even if I never build my dream house that I’ve been dreaming of for so long, even if the songs I write never see the light of day, and even if I never write that book, I will STILL seek the One that rescued me, the One that gives me grace, and the One that loves me because He just wants me to be with Him.

16. Patience. Honestly, this is one that I’m still working on and probably will always be working on. I’m apart of a generation that wants everything now and if they can’t have it now, they get annoyed and antsy. This is the age of the internet where you can get all the information that you want right at your fingertips and you can order something and it will be at your house in no time. These are the days of “no waiting.” But when you want God’s best for your life and you desire the things that He wants, you will almost always have to wait. I’ve heard this saying many times: “God’s timing is not a microwave. It’s a crockpot.” And that couldn’t be more true. In this time of waiting on the dreams God has placed in my heart, He is teaching me to be patient and trust in His perfect timing. It’s not easy. There are many restless nights where I have to ask God for His strength and peace because my heart gets weary, but I know it’s all for the best. Patience makes you appreciate the prayer more when He decides to answer it because you had to wait for it. It also allows you to draw closer to Him while you are waiting and that’s a beautiful thing.

17. You should always be growing. And I don’t mean in the physical sense. I’m talking about mentally. I love this concept that we always have room to grow; we’re never the absolute best versions of ourselves, but we’re always striving to be just that. I’m human, I’m not perfect in anyway, I’ve made many mistakes in the past, and I will continue to make mistakes. But I love the idea of learning from them and becoming a better person. I love learning in general - about myself, about new things - and I’m entering into my 20s, a new chapter in my life! I’m so excited to learn about who God wants me to be and where He wants me to go and to just continue growing in my faith and becoming a kinder person. :)

18. Have manners. This one may seem a little insignificant compared to the others, but it means a lot to me. My parents have raised me to always say “thank you”, “no thank you”, “yes ma'am/sir”, “no ma'am/sir” and to just be polite all around. I’m definitely going to raise my children to do the same as well. :)

19. Nothing else will fulfill you like the One that created you. I’ve wrote a blog on this before called “Jesus is the Something More You’ve Been Looking For” if you want to check it out. I don’t want to repeat myself, but in the past, I have searched for things to fill my heart that couldn’t do that. Many days I’d feel depressed and anxious for no reason. It wasn’t until I realized that God was the only One who could fulfill my heart because He created it. I like to imagine that we all have a “God-shaped” hole in our heart and every time we turn to worldly things such as money, alcohol, drugs, sex, or even people to fulfill it - it just goes straight through. But when we choose to pursue God, we find that He fills it up and we no longer will feel empty inside.

20. God loves you. This seems like a given one, seeing as I’ve been a Christian my whole life but I didn’t truly believe that God loved me unconditionally, until a few years ago. Growing up, we went to many churches and I sort of had this perception of religion and God as an exchange - “I do this for you and then you love me in return.” But the truth couldn’t be farther from that. The truth is, God loves us no matter what. He doesn't want anything from us except a relationship. Religion makes you think that you must do something in order to earn God’s love and grace, but He gives it freely if you just believe in Him and accept His son, Jesus Christ, into your heart. You don’t have to work for His unconditional love or His grace. I used to think that, so when I messed up, I would automatically think God doesn’t love me anymore or He’d rather not use me for His plans. That’s a lie that Satan whispers to you. When you make a mistake, you ask for God’s forgiveness and get back up. Let His wonderful grace wash over you and keep going. But that doesn’t mean you should take advantage of the grace He gives to you. You should strive to do things that honor Him; things that are pure and good. But there is nothing you can do to make God love you more. He already loves you, in this very moment - whether you just made a mistake or didn’t. He wants you just the way you are. You are enough. And He will never stop loving you.

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junker-town · 8 years ago

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When football goes away, what do we do with our weekends?

We asked St. Louis Rams fans and, surprise, Sundays weren’t ruined.

Football is about rhythms. The snap, the catch, the throw. The hit, the crunch, the thud. The drums of the high school marching band beating steady, the speakers of NFL stadiums pumping out top-40 hits. The refs blowing whistles, the players making guttural sounds as the huddle breaks. The stands chanting names, clapping hands.

As a fan, you feel these cadences somewhere in your chest. Maybe the pit of your stomach. They define your Sundays. They bleed into your Monday nights, your Thursday nights, your Friday nights, your Saturdays. For those who love it, football is a metronome that ticks throughout the fall to structure the weeks and order the days. It ticks back through time, too, anchoring you to your school, your family, or your home.

All sports do this, but football has become Sunday Service in America in a way that basketball, baseball, and hockey — with their massive, sprawling schedules and nightly games — have not.

So what happens when football goes away?

There’s no real way to figure this out, because football is woven into American culture like the stitching on a Starter jacket. But as people start to ponder the future of the sport — will parents let their kids play while evidence mounts that, hey, football might not be so great for you? — it’s a valid question to ask.

The best simulation of an America without football is to check in with the fans the Rams left behind in St. Louis a year after the team relocated to Los Angeles. I thought about finding a high school or college that no longer had a program, but I wanted to talk to the biggest group of people who had suddenly lost the team they loved. Rams fans (well, mostly ex-Rams fans, as it turned out) seemed like my best bet.

I put a call out on social media and got emails from more than 60 people. There wasn’t anything scientific about this. I didn’t target any particular cross section of any particular demographic, so the responses aren’t necessarily true for the entire region, nor is it indicative of what taking away a team elsewhere might be like.

But it is a glimpse into a collection of fan psyches. St. Louis wasn’t the biggest football town, you might argue — not compared to Dallas, Boston, Pittsburgh, or Green Bay. The Rams weren’t that good. It still was a football town, though, one that is now suing the NFL for a whole lot of money. And many people still loved the Rams.

The split was ugly. It left a group of angry, disillusioned, and bitter fans in its wake, many of whom described it like a nasty divorce. The ones I talked to took the time to answer an eight-question survey, often with close to 2,000 words. They wrote about their families, their team, their time, and their new, post-Rams lives. Many of them said writing it all down was cathartic. Their responses are below, edited only for length.

Several themes came through my inbox. Some weren’t surprising, such as how painful it was when the Rams left.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It was kind of like it was like a divorce. That’s the best way to put it. Where you’re trying everything you can to get your spouse to stay, trying to go to counseling, trying to buy them a new car, trying to work it out. And they just want nothing to do with you because they’ve got a girlfriend in L.A.

— James Kendall, Western Kentucky

It was a mixture of anger and sadness. With everything that happened in Ferguson a few years ago, it is hard seeing St Louis completely trashed by a slime ball like Stan Kroenke (who somehow is in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame). I was angry at the NFL for allowing the farce of the relocation process to take place. Their "guidelines" are a joke designed to give political and legal cover to greedy billionaires that simply extort local governments and fans dedicated to their hometown team.

— Alex Kuhn, Wildwood

All sorts of things. Extreme anger, mainly, which I expressed in my mind by visualizing me Ric Flair chopping Stanley Steamer Kroenke's throat into oblivion. Also, I went through a semi-severe depression for a few days. I cried some the night after the relocation was announcing, sobbing in my bed until my now fiancee reminded me that real people die every day and maybe that would be something more worth crying for. I then ignored her and weeped some more, until the a copious amount of tears ran down into my neckbeard and made me feel like a wet dog. That was my cue to stop.

— Zachary Poelker, St. Louis

Many were somewhat devastated that their kids wouldn’t be able to grow up with the same team they had. Some felt they were losing the franchise that connected them to their parents at St. Louis itself. Almost all of them said it was harder than they expected it to be.

I’m 18, and I’ve been a fan for all my life because my dad is from St. Louis. I’m currently a high school in senior. I go to school about 30 minutes south of San Francisco. [...] My dad loves the city and my grandparents live there but for me the heritage of the city will always revolve around sports. Currently, I’m in search for a new favorite NFL team. Now that the Raiders are out of the question (because they are moving from the Bay Area), I’m going to have to turn to the 49ers or the Chiefs because they are the only other Missouri team. I was planning to be in St. Louis a lot more, specifically at this sports bar named Lester’s with some of the best fans in the world: Missouri sports fan.

— Ellie Lieberman, San Francisco

I have a 9 month old son. My wife and I found out she was pregnant about a month before the relocation vote had happened. It's is really sad to think I'll never be able to take my son to a game in our hometown. [...] Some of my best memories of time with my Father were from the 99 Rams season. The Rams had been a pretty rough team to watch in their first few years in town. It reached a point where every Sunday, my dad couldn't give tickets away at Sunday church. But when 99 rolled around, we had Marshall Faulk, we had Holt, Bruce, Hakim....it was on. I went to every playoff game at home. I remember dropping to my knees at our house during the Super Bowl praying to GOD PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T LET THE TITANS SCORE. The Greatest Show on Turf in my opinion was the most excited team to watch of all time.

— Christopher Marischen, St. Louis

Many fans said they weren’t sure what they’d do with themselves on Sundays before the season started, but ultimately found that life without a team wasn’t so bad.

I thought I was going to still watch football. My dad and I watched it every Sunday for years. But I ended up doing everything else. I went to MO Wine Country with friends. I went to special events. I went to parks. I went to family events. I drove up to Chicago to watch the Cards-Cubs at Wrigley. It was the best Fall I have had in years. I accomplished so much and never wasted a Sunday on the couch.

—Jeff Dreste, St. Louis

I'm a proud family man. I'm happy to spend time with my daughter and wife.

— Daryl, St. Louis

I thought I’d sleep, eat terrible food, and watch terrible 80's movies featuring Michelle Pfeiffer on the CW because I am too poor to afford cable. And I ended up sleeping, eating terrible food, and watching terrible 80's movies featuring Michelle Pfeiffer on the CW because I am too poor to afford cable. Oh I also go to the grocery store on some Sundays now, maybe about twice/month, which beats my previous high of never going to the grocery store ever so…

— Zachary Poelker, St. Louis

The Super Bowl was the first NFL game I watched start to finish last season. I watched here and there during the playoffs, mostly as background noise, and if I was with somebody who was watching a game I wouldn't storm out of the room in protest. But mostly, I stopped caring. I'd run errands or watch other sports or watch Netflix. It's actually pretty amazing how much more productive of a person I was--it turns out that drinking beer at 9 a.m. on Sundays was not the most efficient use of my time.

— John F., St. Louis

About half of the responders said that they kept watching the NFL but chose new teams like the Titans, Chiefs, and Packers (a few people said they went with Green Bay because the team is publicly funded). Others shifted their focused to root for college programs. Some said they hoped St. Louis got an expansion team again someday.

But a lot of them just ... well, stopped watching football. And some of those people said that they could easily imagine a world without the NFL, since that’s basically what their lives had become. For many, fantasy teams were the only reason they paid any attention at all.

Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images

At the end of the day, football is just a game, and I refuse to let the greed of a few disrupt my life. The sun still comes up in the morning, I still have a family and a job, and St. Louis still has franchises like the Cardinals and Blues that are run with fan-interest in mind, not just the financial interest of a crooked owner. I miss caring about the NFL. Much of my pigskin interest has transferred over to Saturdays and the college game. Hopefully my love for the NFL will return at some point, but right now I feel like a guy who just got dumped by his girlfriend for a richer, flashier guy who will take her for granted and never love her the way that I did.

— David Jones, Fenton, MO

As you can tell with my other answers, the rhythm of my life has not be disrupted at all. I've got more free time on NFL Sundays than ever. I can now spend more time and energy on NCAA football and rooting for my not-so-good Mizzou Tigers. :)

— Ben Choi, Columbus, MO

"Rams" had become part of my friends and my lexicon of language. Sort of tongue-in-cheek, but we used "Rams" as a replacement for anything positive. "You got a 98% on your biology final?! Rams!". Honestly, that is the only real rhythm disruptor. Outside of a long-running joke, the only hangup was finding a shelter to give the dozen or so Rams shirts and jerseys I had collected over the years.

— Timothy Barnes, St. Louis

I hope in my lifetime the NFL ceases to exist - not because they took my team away, but that process definitely opened my eyes to the creepy machinations of the league and allowed me to critically see all the complete shit they are able to get away with. Of course, 'my' team moving pales in comparison to real-life issues affecting actual people - like player safety, long-term healthcare of ex-players, co-opting cancer awareness drives to make cash, bilking municipalities into subsidizing billionaires' clubhouses, using 'patriotism' to make cash / pump up the USA's military-industrial complex, mishandling off-field issues involving players, et al. Those are all real issues that this sociopathic league gets away with every single year. Shame on me, I suppose, for not turning against the league until it affected me personally.

— Jack Kelly, St. Louis

Aside from making money, the one thing that the NFL seems to be best at is angering large portions of the country. Some Rams fans even said they started rooting for the Patriots — perhaps the most hated team in the league — because they were also battling the NFL.

If you make people hate you, they won’t wish you well. That’s not surprising. But what was surprising to me was how many of those people: a) said they were living happy lives without football, and b) were as surprised as I was by that turn of events.

This is a fairly simple takeaway. You might think, “Well, yeah, of course it’s not the end of the world, it’s just a game,” but I think that underestimates just how much it means to people. How baked into the schedule of people’s lives it can become.

The fact that many fans seemed relieved to realize they were capable of structuring their lives themselves is important. It shows that a league constantly trying to snake its tentacles as firmly into as many fans’ hours as it can might not always have as firm a grip as you might imagine. Many fans said they were happier now that their Sundays were free of Stan Kroenke and Jeff Fisher (although everyone’s are now free of Fisher — 7-9, baby). They spent more time with family and friends. Caring less — or not at all — about football gave them stretches of free time that they previously thought they didn’t want.

When I started this, I was expecting only negative reactions to the void football left. I was expecting people to say they missed their personal connection to the league, that they wanted their team back more than anything they put in its place. I assumed the American appetite for the NFL was insatiable.

Instead, I found a small pocket of people in a small corner of the country who have learned the (very) hard way that life goes on without football. And that sometimes, losing the thing you love can actually set you free.

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kalachand97-blog · 8 years ago

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New Post has been published on Globeinfrom

New Post has been published on https://globeinform.com/we-can-carry-others-out-of-darkness-column/

We can carry others out of darkness | Column

At some stage in the Easter season, which is well known till Pentecost, on June 4 this year, we’d locate that clergymen and ministers take the time to remind congregations of the meaning of the symbols utilized in baptism. They may speak of water, oil, candles, garments, the move, and the Holy Scriptures.

For me, I discover the white garment a powerful symbol as it means that the man or woman baptized has put on Jesus Christ. People who are baptized can trust that they’re one with Christ. Any such image implies that if certainly, we are one with Christ, we are to stay as Christ lived.

These days, I had the privilege of speaking at the memorial prayer within the Parish of St. Mark in Rothschild for one of the victims of the current tragedy in the area. We gathered to remember the lifestyles of Karen Barclay. In preparing my feedback, I used to be struck with the significance of Karen’s baptism. Karen put on Jesus Christ, symbolized with the aid of the white garment.

Jesus is recognized as Savior and Redeemer. Easter tells of his demise and rising, his saving us from the demise of sinfulness. If indeed we end up one with Christ, we too are to be saviors. Karen becomes able to be a savior through her love for others and her attentiveness to the desires of others. She lifted others up.

It seems that humanity appears for saviors, be it in our political life or private lifestyles, looking to locate a person who will carry us up out of darkness. Part of the Easter birthday celebration, then, is to take on the function of savior in our day by day lives via taking note of the wishes of others. We will do that politically, socially and privately. We are able to save others by an outpouring of affection that is grounded in divine love, as exemplified with the aid of the life, loss of life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Alleluia!

Analyzing within the Darkish

In numerous of the articles I’ve written, I have bemoaned the fact that our kids are not being taught well and that we are spawning a dumbing down of America. A number of my principal points had been that there may also come a time whilst we haven’t any electricity and consequently, no functionality of using our cell phones, computers, and a myriad of different digital devices. I used to be less worried about our time-saving conveniences and extra involved about our children now not being capable of function without the devices they rely on.

Lately, I ran throughout a piece of writing that designated the brand new imaginative and prescient of schools. one of the high faculties has carried out away with textbooks because the content material is absolutely virtual. they’re trying to combine online publications with head to head practice. one of the excessive faculty principals changed into quoted as saying, “To be educating children with a blackboard and chalk in an age in which you don’t should memorize the 50 capitals of the 50 states due to the fact you could Google it actually quick.”

This questioning is so mistaken that it is no surprise our kids are becoming mentally lazy. There are lots to be stated for being able to memorize things. The old expression is real: use it or lose it. In case you don’t use your memory every day, sooner or later you may not be capable of taking into account essential info that might be essential on your lifestyles. no longer the whole thing is on Google; some things you just must store in your head for future use.

I recall Studying a e-book approximately a soldier who had back from conflict. He turned into injured in an explosion and had misplaced all his facial features. He could not communicate or listen so he had no way to talk what he turned into feeling. As he laid on the medical institution mattress, the best aspect that also functioned became his mind and he suffered widespread frustration because he realized that he had in no way used it. He hadn’t study any books and hadn’t been interested in getting to know something and now he had endless years ahead of him with nothing to occupy his thoughts. He stored wishing that he had memorized something in order that he may want to have something to consider in place of this big desolate tract of nothingness. The e-book had a considerably have an effect on me and from that point on, I kept trying out my reminiscence on the whole lot I examine and heard.

Due to the fact youngsters are now not required to memorize information and save lots of portions of data of their heads, we have to now take obligation for generating a technology of youngsters who have to be entertained via expensive gadgets and who could have problem functioning without them.

We have most effective to observe what is happening in Japan to see that our children might not be able to deal with surviving herbal failures. As of the previous day, one of the newscasts said there had been 5.6 million homes and not using a power. Without a doubt put, they can’t use their computers or get at the Net. They cannot use their cell phones and they can’t text all of us for solutions to private or commercial enterprise problems. If the Japanese youngsters have been knowledgeable as poorly as American kids, they wouldn’t actually have discovered the way to write in longhand so that they could not report what has happened and how it has affected them.

For the people in Japan, whose children are still being taught traditional abilities, they have got an part. In the event that they have a flashlight, they can nonetheless study an e-book, write a letter, calculate their fees, and contend with something odds and ends that you’ll accomplish inside the Dark.

For the humans in The united states, maximum things would come to a standstill. our youngsters are being taught to read matters on a computer display screen in preference to in books. each person who has a love of Studying will inform you that your comprehension is extra cute when your eyes are searching down at a broadcast web page than searching up at that identical page. Each time I have had to edit a book or a person has edited one in every of my books, We’ve got always commented on the fact that we need to do a printout of the pages so that We can appearance down at the pages to capture the errors. The publisher of the newspaper who printed my weekly Recommendation column must have used his PC to edit his column because someday, his headline in ambitious print declared that someone whom he widespread become his “roll” model.

Full textual content Preaching Sermons – Bible Take a look at – The Four Columns of a Christian lifestyle

The 4 Columns of a Christian existence

As we all realize, you can’t build a valid shape without first laying an excellent foundation upon which We can erect the main columns a good way to preserve the weight of the relaxation of the constructing. Similarly, the 3 monotheistic faiths (Judaism, Muslim, and Christianity) all have predominant pillars that assist the weight of the edification in their ideals. The Jews have 5 pillars of faith[1], the Muslims have 5[2], and Christians have 5.

Now, I am not going to go into details about the pillars of other faiths, but we do need to realize the five pillars of Christianity. We’re going to do this because I am sure that if we requested all of us right here what the 5 pillars of our religion are, in different words, what we base our religion on; most people may also bet perhaps two or 3, however now not all. So, what are the five pillars of our religion?

5 Pillars of Christianity:

1. The virgin birth of Jesus[3]

2. The deity of Jesus[4]

3. The blood atonement of Jesus[5]

4. The bodily resurrection of Jesus[6]

5. The second one coming of Jesus[7]

Those are the fundamental pillars of our religion, that is, the columns that support our perception in God, His Phrase and His redemptive paintings. but now we need to ask; what columns assist the weight of day to day living? There are Four columns that aid the load that the arena produces in our lifestyles; therefore, this will be the topic that we’ll be exploring these days. these days we can explore the 4 columns that we have to build upon the inspiration.

I. Prayer

As I’ve stated and repeated many times, prayer lifestyles is an thing of our Christian lifestyles that we regularly pay very little attention to, or absolutely brush aside. And in most cases that is something that occurs because of our impatience. I say this due to the fact even though sometimes the Lord solutions our prayers at once, this isn’t always always the case. And that is something that leads many to think that God does not concentrate, or that He is not aware of what takes place to us. In other phrases, impatience leads many to end up discouraged and forestall praying. But the truth of it’s miles that prayer is the simplest weapon that we have to shield ourselves against the powers of darkness. however more importantly, prayer unleashes blessings in our lifestyles. I say this because prayer brings peace, deliverance, and miracles. The exceptional instance that I will use to illustrate the factor that I am attempting to make is what took place to Peter, while he turned into imprisoned to be done for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ[8].

Prayer brings peace into our existence. Permit’s take a closer look at what happened to Peter so that you better understand what I am announcing. In Acts 12:five-6 we discover that we’re told: “… Peter was consequently saved in prison, however consistent prayer changed into presented to God for him via the church. 6And when Herod was approximately to bring him out, that night time Peter changed into snoozing, bound with two chains between squaddies; and the guards before the door have been maintaining the jail… ” As We are able to see, Peter was thrown into prison chained to 2 squaddies, and changed into ready to be performed. What mindset did this guy demonstrate? was Peter begging the King to spare him? changed into Peter worried and frightened? The answer isn’t any! As We are able to see in These verses, Peter become napping. How turned into this possible? How can each person sleep with so much anxiety? He should sleep for two reasons. Number one, he knew that his lifestyles changed into not within the fingers of guy but in God’s palms. Range , “… regular prayer changed into provided to God for him by way of the church… ” Our prayers and the intercessory prayers of our brethren unharness peace in our life. Inform the individual sitting subsequent to you: prayer produces peace.

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lifeandthings · 8 years ago

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Marriage Equality and Christianity.

[ I wrote this in 2013 when all those equals signs were being put on everyone’s Facebook profile pictures for marriage equality.]

This has been on my mind for a while now, but since I got a few good responses to the FB status I just posted about marriage equality, I thought I would elaborate. I do this in hopes of reinforcing the opinions of some of my fellow Christians who agree with me but don't know how to say it. I know that there will be many who likely disagree. There always are, but I will do my best to articulate just how I think the relationship between God, marriage, and the government appears to operate, and how I feel we can best evaluate and support each institution with the grace and love of Jesus Christ.

First, this is the status this post is stemming from: Today is a very controversial day and because I am involved in every social networking site around, because I grew up in a very conservative town, because I now live in a very liberal city, my whole day has been inundated with yays and nays and encouraging words and harsh words. I just wanted to say to those of you who are arguing against marriage equality, I agree with it. I wouldn't have said that even a year ago, but I feel as if I'm learning more about who I am and what I believe and I know that this is the right position for me to hold with regards to God, myself, and the state. I believe that the government exists to be fair to every one of its citizens. It is not here to conform to the Bible, no matter how much anyone wishes it was. Despite my own choices, ideals, and beliefs, I don't care that almost everyone else in the country holds different beliefs. I am no better than they are. I think that marriage was designed for a man and a woman - biology makes that evident, but for reasons that are beyond some people's control, they are romantically attracted to the same sex. As far as the government is concerned, they should be treated equal. How or whether they respond to God is their choice, not the choice of mine. I hope that makes sense. I'm just rambling. :) If you feel like God should smite me, that's fine. I know what I believe. (The following is something I tagged on in a comment...) The Word of God is my own authority, but unfortunately it is not the authority of 90% of the USA, neither is it the final authority of our screwed up government. Equality of all men, something I feel that Jesus would have encouraged, is not about what I believe. It's about the fundamental human right to choice. We choose what we want to do with our lives, who we want to marry, whether we want to follow Jesus. If we didn't have those freedoms, I don't know how I would live, so I don't want to restrict those freedoms to only "most" of the population. Man, I hate how easy it is to get worked up over this, but I do, and I wouldn't even call myself a flaming advocate. I know that I could very well be wrong, God may disapprove, but I feel otherwise, and that is a decision I will stick with.

Second, this is why I said it.

The government exists to help enforce our God-given rights and freedoms, our unalienable rights, those which no one should ever be able to take away from us. The essence of these rights is basically the freedom to choose where we go and what we do with our lives. If the government were to prohibit any of the citizens in the country they represent from having access to any unalienable rights, they would be a bad government. I think that freedom to marry is something that should be granted all citizens.

If gay marriage was to be outlawed, gays would essentially be forced to conform. What is that? So what if they are attracted to the "wrong people." Being homosexual is probably not genetic but it's definitely not a choice either. It's a result of many factors, I'm sure. The right to choose whom you marry is not something that should be restricted from anyone. And if we say that other people need to abide by our own personal standards, that's like saying "I think eating animals is wrong, and you should too."

Marriage is not mentioned in the Constitution, so it is up to the states to decide their stance on gay marriage, but I still believe that it falls under the banner of the unalienable freedoms you should share with your fellow humans. If some of the population has the opportunity, all of the population should have that same opportunity. Everyone should always have the same opportunities - it's up to individuals how they use their opportunities.

Now, since I said I was writing this for fellow Christians, this is when I pray you'll read carefully. Jesus never forced Himself on anyone. He spoke of His Father's goodness, mercy, justice, wrath, perfection, and love, and then left the invitation open for anyone in the whole wide world to accept Him. Accepting the invitation, choosing to follow Jesus from that moment forward, that is the true joy of Christianity. But. He never forced Himself on anyone. He knew that every person's soul would benefit from looking to Him, but he never forced it. We have the freedom to choose Him.

Let us apply this same logic to the possibility of marriage equality in the United States. To deny homosexual people the state-recognized right to marry, just like any of us straight people do, is essentially forcing those people to abide by our set of rules, by God's written code of conduct. The problem with this is, the Bible, God, Jesus, the church, is not their highest authority. They chose that. They chose not to place God as their highest authority. We can't change that, no matter how hard we try. That is between them and God. It's their CHOICE. They should be allowed to choose their own path.

To ban the ability for gay people to marry is like Jesus saying, "You MUST love me, because I know what's better for you than you do." That is by far, so, so true, but who wants to follow someone who says that? The great beauty in Christianity is that we all have a choice. God gives us a choice to love Him or hate Him. If we encourage the government to enforce what homosexuals see as inequality for some of it's most kindhearted and loving citizens, what kind of God are we representing? Would you want to follow Him? We are only pushing more people away from the good news of Jesus.

We are all in love with Christ because of a choice we made, someday ago, and we relish the freedom that we had to make that choice, that God did not force us to love Him. How could we deny another person their right to choice?

I think I understand both sides of this debate fairly well, but I urge each of you to just pray about what you believe. Let God open your heart, mind, eyes, everything, and if you still don't think that God wants you to encourage gay marriage equality, that's fine, that's awesome. As long as you commune with God and let Him lead you, I'm a very happy camper. I just want to put this idea out there for every Jesus-lover to consider. I thought I knew what I believed until God prodded my heart to think outside the box I've always known, to consider everyone with empathy and love those I don't necessarily agree with.

Sorry if I stepped on any toes. Jesus loves you. Also, please correct me if I said something wrong or rude. I don't want to lead anyone astray.

#marriage equality #Christianity #gay marriage

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