Thank you Neil, for this poignant view of psychodrama seen from the
point of the witness, one step removed and asking why...

On Apr 28, 1:37 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote:
> [from C.S. Lewis 'The Screwtape Letters' - 1942]
> It sounds as if you supposed that argument was the way to keep him out
> of the Enemy's clutches.  That might have been so had he lived a few
> centuries earlier.  At that time humans still knew pretty well when a
> thing was proved and when it was not; and if it was proved they really
> believed it.  They still connected thinking with doing and were
> prepared to alter their way of life as the result of a chain of
> reasoning.  But what with the weekly press and other such weapons we
> have largely altered that.  Your man has been accustomed, ever since
> he was a boy, to have a dozen incompatible philosophies dancing about
> inside his head.  He doesn't think of doctrines as primarily "true" or
> "false", but as "academic" or "practical", "outworn" or
> "contemporary". "conventional" or "ruthless" ... Make him think it is
> strong, or stark, or courageous - that is the philosophy of the
> future.
>
> Lewis, of course, is taking the urine.  The Enemy is The Church and he
> is writing in irony (we perhaps know him better as the author of the
> Biblical saga 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe').  Molly's World
> would be very welcome, yet even in there we would have to be cautioned
> against manipulation like the above and lingering Genghis Khans.  Even
> tolerance can turn into a dreadful weapon in human affairs.
> Deconstruction, in part, teaches a key caution on the "objective-
> bureaucratic voice" many confuse with dispassionate argument.  It is
> wary of engagement in any rush to knowledge, but has broadly failed to
> spot its own rules of engagement - perhaps most farcically in its
> plaudits to authors announcing the death of the author.
>
> Words are little in comparison with a desire to shake my friend Vam's
> hand over a matter of simply decent engagement which would remain
> silent in the embrace.  It would be good if India or England had had a
> close fought victory in cricket and both of us experienced the
> meaningless history in buying a drink for the "loser".  It might be
> better still if the match was played in a Pakistan free of strife and
> a world free of poverty - a poverty properly defined to understand the
> poverty of Western "riches" as much as that of an Indian population
> hoping politicians will put enough food on their tables and a roof
> against what the sky brings.  We need new arguments and action engaged
> with them.  The lack of this Slip, is my disappointment with an
> academe that hacks out old nonsense, forever re-packaged - we should
> be laughing at it but also reconstructing the chain of reason in
> knowledge of its modern failures.  In this sense, there is no need to
> be ready for enlightenment as an individual, yet need to recognise
> this is an old, failed fiction with much in common with dreadful
> cosmetic adverts urging 'because you're worth it'.  What we need to
> engage with is kept silent and we may need laughter to reveal it
> because we are traumatised to silence through the politesse and
> etiquette of old arguments that serve to miss the point.
>
> On 27 Apr, 19:24, Tinker <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > God you Turn me On!
>
> > :-)
> > peace & Love
>
> > On Apr 27, 11:18 am, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > Very good Molly, it is a recognition of the spark of life that
> > > energizes the heartbeat, gives breath to the soul and allows for the
> > > free mind.
>
> > > On Apr 27, 6:48 am, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > I think a person who voices this phrase is either in love with his
> > > > golden shadow, found his godhood, or in a sleazy bar with his mind so
> > > > blurred by mind altering substances that they haven't a clue as to
> > > > what is really attractive.  Knowing you, Slip, you have just come from
> > > > a campfire where you were contemplating the finer things in life, so I
> > > > guess, one of the first two would apply.
>
> > > > On Apr 26, 7:15 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > Molly, what do you think of the expression, "God you Turn me On".
>
> > > > > On Apr 26, 3:38 pm, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > > practically
>
> > > > > > On Apr 26, 4:00 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > > > I find arch to be creative with a humorous flair, a sort of toying
> > > > > > > with ideas, another dimension of linguistics, a provocation of 
> > > > > > > mind
> > > > > > > and an experiment in mentalism.  Possibly, one's repetitious 
> > > > > > > immersion
> > > > > > > in academia livelihood has a dulling effect on extra dialectic
> > > > > > > engagement.  I'm always thankful for his presence in the forum and
> > > > > > > look forward to his contribution to my threads and posts.
> > > > > > > Practically Signature Slip
>
> > > > > > > On Apr 26, 2:30 pm, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > > > > and practically signature Orn to illustrate with authority.
>
> > > > > > > > On Apr 26, 3:15 pm, Chris Jenkins <[email protected]> 
> > > > > > > > wrote:
>
> > > > > > > > > It's practically signature Neal to deconstruct without 
> > > > > > > > > engaging.
>
> > > > > > > > > On Sun, Apr 26, 2009 at 11:00 AM, ornamentalmind
>
> > > > > > > > > <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > > > > > > Neil, as is the case quite often, your post appears to be 
> > > > > > > > > > from a place
> > > > > > > > > > of disillusionment. Not that I wish a Pollyannaish point of 
> > > > > > > > > > view, but
> > > > > > > > > > with as much insight as you have, I have great hopes for 
> > > > > > > > > > future offers
> > > > > > > > > > presenting more practice in wiping the excrement from those 
> > > > > > > > > > not so
> > > > > > > > > > rose colored glasses.
>
> > > > > > > > > > The throw-away lines you like to close with, while 
> > > > > > > > > > containing a tad of
> > > > > > > > > > a pedagogical Bill Porter (O. Henry), are so lightly 
> > > > > > > > > > presented as to
> > > > > > > > > > become more ethereal than instructive.
>
> > > > > > > > > > On Apr 26, 1:28 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >> We have two toilets, but also water rates.  What is given 
> > > > > > > > > >> with one
> > > > > > > > > >> hand is taken away with the other.  Poverty easily becomes 
> > > > > > > > > >> the Monty
> > > > > > > > > >> Python joke, until one sees real people living in a 
> > > > > > > > > >> 'shoe-box' in a
> > > > > > > > > >> central reservation in Sao Paulo.  In serious vein, we are
> > > > > > > > > >> overpopulating and producing spurious notions of 
> > > > > > > > > >> meritocracy and
> > > > > > > > > >> democracy as merely superior forms of human resource 
> > > > > > > > > >> management.
> > > > > > > > > >> One might see it this way:  We are merely vessels for the 
> > > > > > > > > >> survival of
> > > > > > > > > >> our genetic material.  Thus one dominates the world with 
> > > > > > > > > >> CIA-assisted
> > > > > > > > > >> marketing of banal but standardised software, steals eggs 
> > > > > > > > > >> from one's
> > > > > > > > > >> partner, transplants one's DNA into such eggs and speeds 
> > > > > > > > > >> the result
> > > > > > > > > >> off into the vastness, ensuring the survival of one's DNA. 
> > > > > > > > > >>  There is
> > > > > > > > > >> now no need for the human world at all.  Victory is 
> > > > > > > > > >> assured as soon as
> > > > > > > > > >> one gets a gullible politico to push a red button.  Quite 
> > > > > > > > > >> what the
> > > > > > > > > >> purpose of the triumph of one's DNA is in such 
> > > > > > > > > >> circumstances might get
> > > > > > > > > >> more debate than it does.
>
> > > > > > > > > >> On 26 Apr, 05:30, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > > > > > >> > Dang! I left out the toilet, my home has two full baths, 
> > > > > > > > > >> > I'm living
> > > > > > > > > >> > like royalty!!
>
> > > > > > > > > >> > I'm going to borrow that Ghandi quote for the collective 
> > > > > > > > > >> > mentality
> > > > > > > > > >> > thread, thanks!
>
> > > > > > > > > >> > On Apr 25, 11:14 pm, ornamentalmind 
> > > > > > > > > >> > <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > > > > > >> > > A poster on the wall at work:
>
> > > > > > > > > >> > > If your home has something other than a dirt floor you 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > are in the top
> > > > > > > > > >> > > half of the world’s population.
>
> > > > > > > > > >> > > If your home has a roof, a door, windows and more than 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > one room, you
> > > > > > > > > >> > > are in the top 20%.
>
> > > > > > > > > >> > > If you have refrigeration, you are in the top 5%.
>
> > > > > > > > > >> > > If you have a car, a microwave, a video, a computer 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > and this toilet
> > > > > > > > > >> > > has a cubicle door, then you are in the top 1%.
>
> > > > > > > > > >> > > “We must be the change we want to see in the world.” – 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > Mahatma Gandhi
>
> > > > > > > > > >> > > On Apr 25, 5:58 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > In further retrospect I have to say that there were 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > many times I
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > realized the poverty in which my youth had developed 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > but now I realize
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > when witnessing the abject poverty of third world 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > countries that I am
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > living the life of luxury just by the mere fact that 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > I can walk over
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > to a sink and get water, take hot showers, have a 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > refrigerator and a
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > microwave oven.  We can take life for granted which 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > is why the wealthy
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > and privileged keep hording.  It is basically the 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > concept of relative
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > deprivation.
>
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > On Apr 25, 7:16 pm, archytas 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > Maybe 'read' was a typo for 'ride' Slip.  I get 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > confused easily these
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > days - good job you are about to fix my 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > intentionality.  Boys' Town
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > was obviously a privileged place - our first car 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > was a borrowed
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > Vandenplas Princess with bald tires, followed by a 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > Morris Oxford my
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > brother fixed.  England was always a poor place 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > with memories of
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > walking, waiting for buses that came sometimes, 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > though we often spent
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > our fare money on a shared bag of chips, eating 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > them whilst clinging
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > to the rear door rail of the bus sparking our 
> > > > > > > > > >> > > > > clogs.  Credit was
>
> ...
>
> read more »
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