Forums > Social Discussion > The paradox of our age
Login/Join to Participate5,300 posts
Location: everywhere
We have bigger houses but smaller families;
more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees, but less sense;
more knowledge, but less judgement;
more medicines but less healthiness.
We've been all the way to the moon and back,
but we have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbours.
We have built more computers to hold more information,
to produce more copies than ever,
but we have less communication.
We have become long on quantity,
but short on quality.
These are times of fast foods but slow digestion.
Tall man but short character;
steep profits but shallow relationships.
It is a time when there is much in the window,
but nothing in the room.
the Dalai Lama
Holistic Spinner (I hope)
1,189 posts
Location: Edinburgh
Written by: Wild Child
many people find an emptiness in their lives
It has been said that folks would find more meaning in their lives if human beings were just slightly down the food chain.
According to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle of Quantum Dynamics, we may already be making love right now...
1,662 posts
Location: Bristol
do you think that's the reason we go to war so much?
keep the population down and experience what it's like to be hunted?
I had a dream that my friend had a
strong-bad pop up book,
it was the book of my dreams.
1,189 posts
Location: Edinburgh
Written by: Tao Star
do you think that's the reason we go to war so much?
keep the population down and experience what it's like to be hunted?
But dragons would be so much cooler.
According to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle of Quantum Dynamics, we may already be making love right now...
1,662 posts
Location: Bristol
yeah. you could have dragon handlers who taught them just to traget annoying people.
or or, how about this.....all outgoing presidents/prime ministers get all thir achievemnts weighed against their f**k ups, and if the latter outweight the former they get wasted! woooooo!
*goes off to find a course on dragon handling*
I had a dream that my friend had a
strong-bad pop up book,
it was the book of my dreams.
4,308 posts
Location: York, England
Helping others is tricky tho. There's a balance. People need to do things for themselves as well. They also need the oppurtunity to be able to....
Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive
Shalom VeAhavah
New Hampshire has a point....
Pooh-Bah
1,762 posts
Location: York University, United Kingdom
Dragon! Dragon! Dragon!
What, you mean it hasn't happened yet? Bugger... I was looking forward to KF Bush
(And in the spirit of PC-ness
I have to say that that's just my opinion. And if you STILL have a problem, read my signature) After much consideration, I find that the view is worth the asphyxiation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
1,662 posts
Location: Bristol
Written by: Kyrian
Helping others is tricky tho. There's a balance. People need to do things for themselves as well. They also need the oppurtunity to be able to....
ok then, how about, the dragon handler refers to me & if i didin't like them much, then they get wasted. It's foolproof system.
I had a dream that my friend had a
strong-bad pop up book,
it was the book of my dreams.
4,308 posts
Location: York, England
Ah yes, giving orders to subordinates. The best system anyone ever came up with.
Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive
Shalom VeAhavah
New Hampshire has a point....
Star Trekker
1,733 posts
Location: Cheshire, United Kingdom
Read a fantasy series recently that brought up this subject - the humans ended up with the choice of killing the last male dragon or releasing it to mate. If he mated, dragons would once again prey on humans - not out of malice, just cos they're food, same as cattle and dragons have other things on their minds more important than pathetic humans.
guess which they chose? Of course it was the dragons, and of course it's a work of fiction....
'The last rays of crimson on the spindle tree as the cerise fruit splits and reveals its orange seeds in a gloriously clashing colour scheme no-one would ever dare to wear'
Euonymous Europeus
Pooh-Bah
1,762 posts
Location: York University, United Kingdom
Which series was it? Sounds like my kind of book... (I'm kinda twitchy about dragons...)
After much consideration, I find that the view is worth the asphyxiation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia
in an attempt to keep this mildly on topic,
Sethis, you are correct, the 4 schools of Tibetan Buddhism do represent only one tradition of Buddhism. Was there implication that tradition headed by H.E. 14th Dalai Lama represent the only?
Please try to understand that the Dalai Lama appeals that the practice of Buddhism is precisely *not* denying emotional states, that the lesson is there is a middle way between asceticism and hedonism!
to really deny emotional states or to totally give in to emotional states misses the point of the 'middle path' between the two that Buddhism represents.
Again, the beautiful topic that Rob started - that could be interpreted as the 'duality of humankind's progress' i feel is the Dalai Lama's attempt at pointing out the difference in spiritual and physcial technology. For example, in his homeland (that sovreign nation that does not belong to China) there are many devices developed to cause spiritual merit, prayer wheels that offer prayer when spun, prayer flags that offer prayer when the wind pushes their cherished colourful patterns against the sky. His teachings extoll that we would benefit from finding a middle path to our progress.
Now I would looooooooove you long time to continue discussing Dharma with youse, particlarly the discourses into
-the particulars between each branch whithin and outside of the traditions that H.E. heads.
-the central role reincarnation (an related karmic issues) plays in buddhism (since buddhism is a set of tools to reach nirvana (the freeing of oneself from reincarnating in samara))
-llamas. they're bigger than frogs you know.
-perceptions of what buddhism allows and doesn't, particularly with emotional states, diet.
There is enough ideas there to take to a Buddhist forum, but i respeck Rob too much to further shift this thread off topic, so i'll risk exploding and refrain from following the many beautiful tangents in the above 4 pages!
ps Psyrush, have you heard Mr Peculiar's new album?! omg!!!
Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always
Pooh-Bah
1,762 posts
Location: York University, United Kingdom
No, I was just respectfully pointing out that HH doesn't represent the views of all Buddhists, because many people are unaware that Buddhism is just as varied as, say, Christianity, in the number of denominations that it has. (I'm pretty sure that the Pope doesn't represent all of Christianity!
)Like I said, all schools of Buddhism are excellent religions, but i remain to be convinced that any of them have got "It all" if such a thing is possible.
After much consideration, I find that the view is worth the asphyxiation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
Star Trekker
1,733 posts
Location: Cheshire, United Kingdom
Written by: Sethis
Which series was it? Sounds like my kind of book... (I'm kinda twitchy about dragons...)
I hope you've read the Anne McAffrey Dragons of Pern series....
But this one is by Robin Hobb - the Farseer trilogy sets the scene, then the Tawny Man trilogy carries it to the end - as an aside there's the Liveship Traders trilogy which happens in the middle and in the same world but is a separate tale entirely - just near the end of book 2 and left the thing at my bro's in Kent!
Sorry -
- please resume... 'The last rays of crimson on the spindle tree as the cerise fruit splits and reveals its orange seeds in a gloriously clashing colour scheme no-one would ever dare to wear'
Euonymous Europeus
coming to a country near you
4,696 posts
Location: home of the tiney toothy bear, Australia
isnt it re-birth, not reincarnation?
(the diff being that reincarnation is hinduist, rebirth is the buddhist belief of karma continuing on to another lifeform)
"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"
jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia
again, i would love to into the prolonged conversations between Buddhism and Hinduism as they devleoped in India and the surrounding regions and the resulting differences in each concept of reincarnation, but again, let us do a favour for future HoP users' searches by having said discussions in it's own thread
Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always
6 posts
whether or not this is a quote from His Holiness I can only guess but it is certainly an enlightened view. As to how we can fix it. We can start with our own attitude if you do something good for somebody they in turn may do something good for somebody else so you have a form of instant karma
keep the faith
love and good will
6 posts
wise words mr. Bender and avery well abridged version of the dharma.
it seems you are on the path to enlightenment I hope your path is clear and easy to follow
keep the faith
love and good will
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia
maybe once bill reaches enlightment he will realise that nutella is much better than vegemite
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?
4,308 posts
Location: York, England
Just fixing the title, don't mind me....
Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive
Shalom VeAhavah
New Hampshire has a point....
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia
you do realise you didnt actually change the thread title right?
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia
If you see the Buddha in the street,
give him some yummy yet incedibly delicious yeast spread (that may or may not be derived from the process of beer brewing) on toast.
While we're discussing the Dalia Llama's lineage, i'm totally stoked about joining a tibetan lineage, there's a temple an hour's drive from my house. i look forward to taking part in the empowerment ceremony later this year, to finally, officially join a Buddhist community. (Dharma -particularly the emphasis on compassion and tolerance- has resonated so much with many things that have made sense in this life, plus i feel the connection with the horrible displacement the people of Tibet have felt since 1949, my family having been refugees too)
Tennzin Gyatso would teach that there is room in this world for both delicious sweet hazelnut spreads and divine salty yeast spreads too
yummy!
Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always
4,308 posts
Location: York, England
I was making it not say "vegemite rocks" in the index anymore... it certainly worked when I did it, did someone change it back?
cheers,
K.
Keep your dream alive
Dreamin is still how the strong survive
Shalom VeAhavah
New Hampshire has a point....
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