Thread: Killing of Australian baseball player

I know what I would be thinking the bear is thinking. I speak a little bear although my first animal language is dog. :<0)

We sit around and say that parents need to do more, but then we allow laws to be passed that prosecute parents if they discipline their children.

Kids playing games simply is not a cause for violence. Most of us watched bugs bunny and Wile E Coyote doing all sorts of destructive abuse, and for the life of me, I never had the urge to smash anybody in the face with a frying pan even out of curiosity to see if it would leave a face shaped dent in it.
I gave up on most of humanity long ago. What can we do? what can ANYBODY do to change the state of the world?
Personally, I don't think we can. But we can change ourselves.
I behave in a way that makes me proud to be a human. As long as I am proud of myself, that is all that matters. With any luck, others will watch, others will see, and others will learn from the example I hope I set.
Its all I can manage, and while some call me a pessimist, I completely disagree, and think that the fact I have not yet fallen to the practices of those who cause my despair, is proof enough of my enduring optimism.
Best advise ever is still as true today as it was when it was first uttered....
"Be Excellent to each other"

Originally Posted by 10Pups

Carl , all humans are perfect and fully understand the morality God put in them until they reach the age of about 5. From then on they are taught what is right and wrong and how to get around that to justify what they do by accident or to simply get their way. They do not learn from just their parents but from all things they see and interact with on a daily basis. This process goes on the rest of your life and to start over is next to impossible. Short of a miracle from God himself you are jaded by the experiences of life. God is in you. He is in everything. Hard to fathom those words and so you are told in everything written about God. You simply just don't know how to connect with it like you did when you were innocent from all you have learned. The more you do connect with it the harder it is to live on this planet. Why ? Because Evil is at an all time high right now. This brings about feelings of fear and anger, none of which helps you think . You merely react. What I see is more people are learning this and that would be the first step in changing things. What I have read in this thread that gives me hope for humanity is that we are all sorry and feel for each other. Even those who do not recognize what many call God have the same feelings. It does not matter if you call it God, creator , higher power, the source, or the force, it is in you. You can read all you want but the answers are inside you. Even those that do the evil have it in them. Just consider what they have learned not what they overlooked. In this country, that is run by a hybrid corporation, there is no room for what our forefathers intended to create. One nation under God is not the prime goal anymore. It does not have to be MY God, just the god within all, what ever you call it. If you don't think you have it in you it is because you haven't looked hard enough. These word/ideas I speak of are in all the books. Christian , Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, the writings of ancient civilizations long gone. It is the ruling class that has polluted these words from presidents to kings and queens to popes. Why ? To grow their kingdoms and have influence over more. Forget all that and look inside. That is were you will find the power to understand, forgive, and love. Forget all you've been taught and look at the basics. This is what is being lost. This is what is wrong.

The Mayans have a phrase they use as a salutation and it is also a lifestyle. It is " in lak'ech " which roughly translated means, " I am another you. " The extended version of the golden rule " Do unto others......" . Extended because they said it to the animals,the trees, the ground, the sky. It is the understanding that everything I do affects you and everything you do affects me. If you can, think about that some. It is the golden rule on steroids.

So as in the first post I join in sorrow, and ad, God helps those who help themselves. No miracle is going to come and save us. The miracle would be if we saved ourselves. This is what we live to learn. Every atom lives in balance with negative and positive. And so must we.

I agree with you. However, I feel there's only one God, and I think (like I posted before) that religion is not God, it's a set of rules some people made up, and people are flawed, so religion is flawed. If we just got back to the basics (without the rules and rituals) we'd be closer to the essence. BTW, I like your post so much I'm going to send you a friend request. I think we see eye to eye, actually, and I like that...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I had the Growling Tiger for quite some time... Tiger Fist Kempo

I switched it to the Ranger's battle flag for a bit

This Snarling Polar Bear has a hidden meaning that many won't understand, some will, :P but I am slowly changing all my avatars to it across all my internet connections

It was the Tiger I liked. Is it a snarling Polar Bear 'cause they look all cuddly and cute but they're also dangerous? I'm not saying you're cuddly and cute, but I suspect on the inside you are but on the outside you're all tough.

Originally Posted by Magpie

We sit around and say that parents need to do more, but then we allow laws to be passed that prosecute parents if they discipline their children.

Discipline or hit? I'm not allowed to hit an adult, why am I allowed to hit my child? I DID smack my kids, maybe because my dad hit me (a lot, he even got me to hit my twin brother with a belt 'so I know what it felt like', like that would make me sad cause I 'made him do it'). These days I think there are safer options.

This topic is creating wide ranging topics, isn't it? It's interesting, I'm very much enjoying this sharing of ideas in a respectful manner.

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

Discipline or hit? I'm not allowed to hit an adult, why am I allowed to hit my child? I DID smack my kids, maybe because my dad hit me (a lot, he even got me to hit my twin brother with a belt 'so I know what it felt like', like that would make me sad cause I 'made him do it'). These days I think there are safer options.

This topic is creating wide ranging topics, isn't it? It's interesting, I'm very much enjoying this sharing of ideas in a respectful manner.

My dad beat me mercilessly. That certainly is not any way to discipline a child. However, it should be allowed for a parent to punish, even if that requires an occasional swat on the bottom. Discipline of the corporal nature should never be done in anger. and it should never scar or bruise.
But when a child can threaten a parent with "If you don't do what I want, I will tell my teacher you abuse me" the political correctness has gone far too afield of reality. Besides. maybe if a parent had spanked their child 30 years ago, you would not NEED to hit any other adult.
And I agree! its a sweet blessing that we can actually converse here, and respect is found in all opinions.

Originally Posted by Magpie

My dad beat me mercilessly. That certainly is not any way to discipline a child. However, it should be allowed for a parent to punish, even if that requires an occasional swat on the bottom. Discipline of the corporal nature should never be done in anger. and it should never scar or bruise.
But when a child can threaten a parent with "If you don't do what I want, I will tell my teacher you abuse me" the political correctness has gone far too afield of reality. Besides. maybe if a parent had spanked their child 30 years ago, you would not NEED to hit any other adult.
And I agree! its a sweet blessing that we can actually converse here, and respect is found in all opinions.

I recently did as lot of research on smacking children (it was related to Uni studies my students are doing). I changed my opinion entirely. I prompt you to look up some research and the effects. Hitting kids (even a smack on the bottom) confuses them. Sweden (I think) has changed their laws and the evidence seems encouraging...

Never any confusion on my "end" You did what you were not supposed to, you suffered dire consequences. Nothing teaches a biting child not to bite faster, or more pointedly, than when another child bites THEM!

Originally Posted by Magpie

...Discipline of the corporal nature should never be done in anger. and it should never scar or bruise.

Yeah, but in my experience it almost always is done in anger, and it always scars or bruises, even on the inside. I'm still I think dealing with this even at my age (51), I still sort of hate my father and don't understand what he did, I was thinking of one act just the other day and don't understand the cruelty. Then again, if I saw what my father saw (he was a German soldier in WWII, interned by the Americans; he saw people tarred and feathered, etc) maybe I'd be a little odd too. I sort of understand his anger and hate and anyway I just ignore my feelings and push them deep down and kiss him of the forehead when I greet him and pretend nothing happened...

But I always push my feelings deep down; it part of the island scenario...

On this forum I'm more open, but in reality I'm The Great Pretender...

Originally Posted by Magpie

Never any confusion on my "end" You did what you were not supposed to, you suffered dire consequences. Nothing teaches a biting child not to bite faster, or more pointedly, than when another child bites THEM!

No but parents are supposed to love, and then they're hurting, but then they tell the kids they can't hurt and two wrongs don't make a right. It's confusing. Might is not right.

I'm not being all wishy washy (or maybe I am) I just at my time in life crave love and a more loving, caring world. I hate what's happening (and I do mean hate). I know it's weird to so actively hate and also crave love, but I hate all the base, dark, horrible, evil things with passion, 'cause they EFFECT me and I don't WANT to be effected.

I guess I just want to be nine years old again and reading my Big Book of Birds and wondering on nature and thinking life is beautiful. Life isn't beautiful, it's grimy and dark and soiled.

I think I need to go to Deep Creek again and throw myself in the ocean..

I Shall Walk to the ocean

I shall walk to the ocean
and be surprised if more than ten humans are there
I shall speak to God and my soul
And see what He says
and what he says
I shall reconcile and measure
I shall
I shall throw myself in the ocean
And I shall
On back
Cross formed
Arms thrown out
Eyes closed
Bobbing
reconcile and measure
It shall be done
I shall walk to the ocean and I shall speak to God