Philosophy Now Forum

Just got back, my wife, a grandson and I, drove up to Brooklyn today to visit my 3 week old granddaughter, and the rest of her family. We had a nice visit in spite of the rain, and getting lost on the way there, we went through the lower end of Manhattan and the northern part of Brooklyn, couldn't read the street signs. Her mother brought her out after changing her diaper and asked if I wanted to hold her, I said yes and she laid o top of me, and I leaned back on the couch. We both had a good rest.

Congratulations, doc.

If you could tell her a couple of pieces of wisdom for her life ahead... what would they be?

thedoc wrote:Just got back, my wife, a grandson and I, drove up to Brooklyn today to visit my 3 week old granddaughter, and the rest of her family. We had a nice visit in spite of the rain, and getting lost on the way there, we went through the lower end of Manhattan and the northern part of Brooklyn, couldn't read the street signs. Her mother brought her out after changing her diaper and asked if I wanted to hold her, I said yes and she laid o top of me, and I leaned back on the couch. We both had a good rest.

Congratulations!

Lacewing wrote:Congratulations, doc.

If you could tell her a couple of pieces of wisdom for her life ahead... what would they be?

One he might state while she as yet cannot understand language, is that the interconnectedness of energy that some speak of has an intelligent backbone - a supreme being, one that brought her here from the aether.
The other might be, that it is to that aether that she will likely follow her Grandfather and return..

Nonetheless. Congratulations and may God keep a benevolent eye upon her.

Lacewing wrote:Congratulations, doc.

If you could tell her a couple of pieces of wisdom for her life ahead... what would they be?

"When in the company of fools, keep your own counsel".

But it's not as easy to recognize fools, as you might think.

thedoc wrote:Just got back, my wife, a grandson and I, drove up to Brooklyn today to visit my 3 week old granddaughter, and the rest of her family. We had a nice visit in spite of the rain, and getting lost on the way there, we went through the lower end of Manhattan and the northern part of Brooklyn, couldn't read the street signs. Her mother brought her out after changing her diaper and asked if I wanted to hold her, I said yes and she laid o top of me, and I leaned back on the couch. We both had a good rest.

Nice. Do you think NY is a suitable place to being a baby to?

Hobbes' Choice wrote:

thedoc wrote:Just got back, my wife, a grandson and I, drove up to Brooklyn today to visit my 3 week old granddaughter, and the rest of her family. We had a nice visit in spite of the rain, and getting lost on the way there, we went through the lower end of Manhattan and the northern part of Brooklyn, couldn't read the street signs. Her mother brought her out after changing her diaper and asked if I wanted to hold her, I said yes and she laid o top of me, and I leaned back on the couch. We both had a good rest.

Nice. Do you think NY is a suitable place to being a baby to?

No, but I don't think NYC is a suitable place for anything. But my daughter and her husband seem to be OK with it. He was raised in Rochester NY, right in the city and is used to it. She was raised way out in the woods, and that part I don't understand.

thedoc wrote:"When in the company of fools, keep your own counsel". But it's not as easy to recognize fools, as you might think.

Very useful!

attofishpi wrote:an intelligent backbone - a supreme being, one that brought her here from the aether.
The other might be, that it is to that aether that she will likely follow her Grandfather and return.

And what is she supposed to do with that?

Lacewing wrote: And what is she supposed to do with that?

Years ago my wife and I sponsored 2 of our grandchildren for Baptism because neither parent was attending church and were not eligible to do it. I have been trying to teach them, over the years, that there is no conflict between religion and science. I read the OT as Myth or Fable with important lessons and that it was written by savage men to impress other savage men, therefore may have been greatly exaggerated. FYI, I am not a fundamental literalist, I am just about as far from that as you can get, and still attend church.

thedoc wrote:I read the OT as Myth or Fable with important lessons and that it was written by savage men to impress other savage men, therefore may have been greatly exaggerated.

I, too, think there are valuable lessons in every direction we might look. In addition to fragments of wisdom in exaggerated stories, there can be insights into who we are, what we fear, how we're driven, and how blind and resistant we are. I think it's all very interesting!

On a few occasions during my adulthood, I've been back to a church environment. In one case, it was an Ananda church, and I was filled with emotion over the openness and acceptance and love for ALL. In another case, it was a fundamentalist church, and I was astounded by the demonstrated blindness and zombie-like behavior... even though I knew their hearts were in the right place! People can "do this" in so many ways.

I am really moved by presence and authenticity and connection, and I don't think that necessarily has anything to do with one's beliefs. It's simply about who one is as a person. All the rest seems like costuming. Isn't it funny how so many people think that the costume makes them what they claim/wish to be?

Lacewing wrote: I, too, think there are valuable lessons in every direction we might look. In addition to fragments of wisdom in exaggerated stories, there can be insights into who we are, what we fear, how we're driven, and how blind and resistant we are. I think it's all very interesting!

On a few occasions during my adulthood, I've been back to a church environment. In one case, it was an Ananda church, and I was filled with emotion over the openness and acceptance and love for ALL. In another case, it was a fundamentalist church, and I was astounded by the demonstrated blindness and zombie-like behavior... even though I knew their hearts were in the right place! People can "do this" in so many ways.

I am really moved by presence and authenticity and connection, and I don't think that necessarily has anything to do with one's beliefs. It's simply about who one is as a person. All the rest seems like costuming. Isn't it funny how so many people think that the costume makes them what they claim/wish to be?

I do not restrict my reading to only the Bible, in fact I read other books and documents a lot more than the Bible. I think that the modern fables of Edward Hays are very interesting, and can teach much.