Fear Or Love (you Decide)

[Smiling JOe]

The Dalai Lama makes a persuasive argument that compassion is the true nature of humans, rather than aggression or fear. Part of his argument is the love a mother has for her child, and a child for its mother. It's interesting that you brought up a mother's protectionism.

Good points. Fear and love may be nothing more than perspective.

 

[Ocean breeze]

Good points. Fear and love may be nothing more than perspective.

Kurt & SJ: Great observations.

Fear & Love, when playing their balanced roles, work together. Their natural purpose is to both protect & enhance our well-being. Anchored in poise, fear gives us a warning; then Love steps in & saves the day. Fear gives way to courage, motivated by Love. Subservient to Love, they play their balanced roles.

But when our motivating love is overly narrow or selfish, fear gives way to hatred, & an aggressor-violence begets violence to no end. So we need to develop a deeper, broader, more expansive Love. ... and the courage thereof.

The most nobly human weapon against our enemies, is to turn them into friends. We can start by showing the more receptive cultures that surround the hate-mongers that we are not the enemy, but that destructive attitudes are. We are fellow human beings, & at least potentially, their friends.

Fear & Love both have their rightful places. It's a matter of balance & proportion. So the more specific question becomes: What should be our main motivating power, fear or Love?

Let's choose Love.


"Brotherhood is the spontaneous outcome of true perception."
~ Meher Baba

 

[SON]

And if you can't remember all of the above
remember what I always say,

There are two kinds of people, The paranoid and the Dead
-SON;-)

 

[Ocean breeze]

And if you can't remember all of the above
remember what I always say,

There are two kinds of people, The paranoid and the Dead
-SON;-)

If that's how you summarize my musings, I disagree -- with myself!

I didn't mean to justify fearfulness at all, but to minimize its role in the path of Love. Caution is good, carefulness is great, but fear is for the birds!

When thinking of its natural role, I remembered the practical "fight or flight syndrome" of animals. That instinct includes humans, but we also transcend it through the great qualities of protective compassion & fearless Love. So I'll sum-up these thoughts with just one line from the first paragraph of those musings:

Fear gives way to courage, motivated by Love.


"More words count less." -- Lao Tzu

 

[SON]

I Like it.

You and Lao too.

" Essential knowledge spoken concisely is true eloquence"
-unknown

 

[Bob]

The only violence I'm promoting today is against the ennui machine....TV. Here's the electronic Nuk for kids of all ages. 150+ channels of on demand fear.

 

[savvytangerine]

Few? James Kopp, Paul Hill and Eric Rudolph represent a few. And they were not vindicated by their holy book.

Okay...

"A Daily Telegraph surveyshowed that 6% of British Muslims fully supported the July 2005 bombings in the London Underground."

"A public opinion survey released following the election indicated that nearly 75% of the Palestinian electorate believe that Hamas should change its policy regarding the destruction of Israel and 84% of Palestinians support a peace agreement with Israel. Among Hamas voters, 73% of respondents supported a peace agreement with Israel."

After a little searching the highest numbers of violent, or terrorist oriented Muslims I found was 40%. (These statistics would be linked to a certain area... etc)

Let's go with the high number. 40% of Muslims are everything you think they are. Well - that leaves 60%. I think that constitutes a majority.

Now I know one of the joys of the internet is if you search long enough you can find anything to back up your claim. You may come back at me with numbers stating that 85% of Muslims are or support violence.

My point was and will continue to be --- please think twice before you say something that is a generalization of an entire people. Stereotypes, especially when created by fear or feed fear, are harmful to all.

 

[SON]

I'm pretty sure that 9 out of 10 dentists would agree with what your saying

 

[savvytangerine]

I'm pretty sure that 9 out of 10 dentists would agree with what your saying

But it is that one that disagrees that really matters... right?

I think that is what someone else is trying to tell me.

 

[SON]

no wonder your a SoWal Beaches Forum