On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 8:03 PM, Steven D'Aprano<st...@remove-this-cybersource.com.au> wrote: > On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:13:02 -0400, Simon Forman wrote: > >> Sexism, racism, homophobia, religious intolerance, etc., all stem from a >> fundamental forgetfulness of our Unity in God (as I would put it) and > > Of the tens of thousands of Gods that people have invented, which is the > one we're supposed to believe in? I always forget which ones we're > supposed to dismiss as nonsense, and which one we're not.
Why the heck are you asking me? (I'd say "/you/ are the God you should believe in.") >> this is perhaps the single greatest cause of human misery. > > Okay, we're Unified in God. Great. What does that actually mean, really? > In the struggle to survive in a world of shortages, disease, natural > disasters and disputes between well-meaning but incompatible viewpoints > (to say nothing of the selfish and greedy), what practical difference > does it make? It means (to me, at least) that underlying all the BS and misery there's a reason to hope, a reality the transcends this squalid mud-ball Earth, and can overcome it completely if tapped. It's more than a symbol with meaning, Unity is a phenomenon that can be lived, experienced. It can be practiced and deepened. Done well, the practical difference it makes defies measurement. (That's why calling folks on sexist behavior is important enough to butt in on a thread on usenet with an OT reprimand. IMHO) Regards, ~Simon -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
