An evil veterinarian? (was :Re: Warning: baseball metaphor (was: [New Age

[Guest guest]

Dear Toni,

Free will. As someone put it, we can do what we want, but we can't

want what we want. The only freedom is knowledge. There is no " free

will " in the sense taught, for example, by the RCC - according to the

ridiculous doctrine of which, it is possible for human " freely " to

choose evil. No one knowingly chooses the bad - hence we laugh at the

" Dr. Evil " movie character, because we realize intuitively that the

notion of a man devoted to evil for evil's sake is silly.

The actor Will bought himself a little trouble recently by

saying that Hitler thought he was doing something good - but of course

is perfectly correct. Hitler did think he was doing something good.

The lover needs the beloved. God does not love.

Best,

Dan

> >>

> >> Dear Dan,

> >> The earth doesn't seem to be taking care of itself, if by that we

> > mean being

> >> inhabitable for all living beings, but if we mean just as a planet

> > with its

> >> own rhythm I agree with you.

> >>

> >> As for G-d, I rather think He/She/It allows his creatures to make

> > the best

> >> of what they have got. I don't expect him to pull our chestnuts out

> > of the

> >> fire. Either we have free will or we do not. Its an all or nothing

> > game.

> >> G-d, you are right hardly NEEDS you.or me..he just wants us to take

> > care of

> >> what we have inherited. He doesn't NEED your prayers or your

> > sufferings(

> >> certainly not your sacrifice or your alleluias....I agree. We need

> > to do and

> >> to have them if we are to remain sane and accept the reality as it

> > is.Our

> >> lives should be living witness to our gratitude for this wonderful

> > creation

> >> and the gift of life.

> >>

> >> We human beings try to create an omnipotent, all knowing G-d dressed

> > as an

> >> endearing old man who waits impatiently for us to sing his praises or

> >> beseech him endlessly.( I have even heard people ask G-d to provide a

> >> parking space for them)

> >>

> >> That seems out of step with our hubris which thinks we can do it

all by

> >> ourselves, anyway.

> >> Prayer is meant to be a sign of our humility in which we realize we

> > cannot

> >> save ourselves or the world alone, and we ask for the strength to

bear

> >> whatever we have chosen, for good or ill along the way.

> >>

> >> No G-d, the Creator of All hardly needs us, in my humble opinion. he

> >> delights in his creation and hopes (since he gave us free will)

that we

> >> don't make a mess of it.

> >> We however need the One to remind us that we are only creatures and

> > in the

> >> end have no overwhelming power alone to secure our own safety.We are

> >> responsible for all life if we actually understand the word " love "

> > here on

> >> our planet, knowing that the final word has not been spoken in our

> >> reality...or if it has, not many inhabitants of planet earth have

> > heard it

> >> yet.

> >>

> >> Dan, what you and I see differently is that I believe we are all

> > ONE. The

> >> ALL is the One and we are each a part of that...no way out, even if

> > we keep

> >> our singular character.

> >> This is a mystery which we intuit if we are able, and for which

> > there is no

> >> rational explanation. I accept it as grace/intuition and feel that

> > is why we

> >> are responsible.

> >>

> >> I need as a human being to be able to say " thank you " to someone or

> >> something. The amazing fact of a gift called LIFE and all the love

> > within it

> >> calls a constant desire to thanksgiving to SOMEONE, and a constant

> >> acknowledgment that it, life, is a gift.

> >> When one sees a baby born, or a beautiful sunset or a person one

> > loves...who

> >> do you thank?

> >> When we see suffering and cruelty, destruction and evil...who do we

> > blame?

> >> Ourselves, I hope, for making wrong choices and harboring fear as the

> >> primary emotion, instead of love.

> >>

> >> So, Dan I am forever hopeful, grateful and try to be loving. That is

> > what I

> >> must do, to feel myself part of the One.

> >>

> >> love,

> >> Toni

> >>

> >>

> >>

> >> From: " dwatkins5qwestnet " <dwatkins9@>

> >> To: <JUNG-FIRE >

> >> Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 9:10 AM

> >> Subject: Warning: baseball metaphor (was: [New Age

> >>

> >>

> >> > Dear Toni,

> >> >

> >> > In other words, you do not believe that human nature will

change :-).

> >> > I agree with you. Astrological changes, if any, will result at

most in

> >> > variations on a theme.

> >> >

> >> > In all seriousness, if I may be allowed my own brief rant, the big,

> >> > epoch making change in human history has imo been " modernity, " or

> >> > rather the letting loose of the modern attitude, resulting in the

> >> > runaway technology that we now all live with. This will not

free us -

> >> > it is more likely to destroy us. Not that we don't have it

coming. The

> >> > big danger would appear to be that technology will literally change

> >> > human nature, at the level of DNA, such that there will not be

human

> >> > beings anymore. That's the worst case scenario.

> >> >

> >> > Another, much better scenario is that we are reduced by our own

hybris

> >> > to " a few breeding pairs, " as I believe Lovelock has put it

> >> > (although imo " a few " could well be a few score million) and we

get a

> >> > do-over. Perhaps we will do better next time.

> >> >

> >> > In any event, it is certainly not my responsibility to care for

" the

> >> > earth. " This would be like saying, for example, that god needs my

> >> > prayers or sacrifices. The earth can take care of itself.

> >> >

> >> > You don't, btw, have to concern yourself with Sen. Obama, even

if, by

> >> > some miracle he secures the nomination. This would be like the

Chicago

> >> > Cubs winning the National League championship. They would be

all happy

> >> > and everything, but then they have to go to the World Series, and

> >> > there, waiting for them... are the New York Yankees.

> >> >

> >> > CEO's make their own deals. They have contracts.

> >> >

> >> > <rant mode off>

> >> >

> >> > Best,

> >> >

> >> > Dan

>