Philosophy Now Forum

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 10:36 am**

“I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed.
A man who takes away another man’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred,
he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. […]
The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.” - Nelson Mandela

“You must not hate those who do wrong or harmful things;
but with compassion, you must do what you can to stop them —
for they are harming themselves, as well as those who suffer from their actions.” - Dalai Lama

They suffer, by not nurturing the light of compassion and unconditional love -
that it doesn’t permeate their being.
To look upon existence, in all it's shades, with open heart and say,
'I accept, and hold it to my chest.
I am grateful to be - and grateful to be amongst & with you'.
To genuinely accept all without hatred - to nurture loving-kindness.
To seek the health, wellbeing, empowerment and flourishing of all -
that their happiness, is your happiness.
To wake each day, believing and living, in accord with life being a gift.

Those without love, deprive themselves of unity with the sublime -
which is the greatest injustice that falls upon them.

But compassion & love says, we don’t want this for them.
We don’t wish their suffering, but if they are without love, suffer they will.

'Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues,
but the parent of all others.' - Cicero

-

To embrace it all.
To accept all of existence,
and not curse the heavens for any of it.
It all had to be -
it's a package deal.

=

As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom,
I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison. […]
For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains,
but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. - Mandela

Compassion is the wish to see others free from suffering. - Dalai Lama

I can do no other than be reverent before everything that is called life.
I can do no other than to have compassion for all that is called life.
That is the beginning and the foundation of all ethics. - Schweitzer

If you have any sense my friend, don’t plant anything but Love. - Rumi

To love is not to ask anything in return,
not even to feel that you are giving something-
and it is only such love that can know freedom. - Krishnamurti

We are one, after all, you and I,
together we suffer, together exist
and forever will recreate each other. - Teilhard de Chardin

-

To confront oneself with truth’s severity,
builds a resilience to complacency or entitlement.
It also provides the soil for appreciation -
as each moment may be contrasted by it’s lack,
by it’s own transience.

ChatGPT

Q (me): Is a wilting flower not as poignant as in bloom?

A: Yes, a wilting flower can be seen as poignant in its own unique way.
While a blooming flower represents vitality, beauty, and growth,
a wilting flower carries a sense of fragility, impermanence, and the passage of time.
It can evoke emotions such as nostalgia, melancholy,
or even empathy for the fleeting nature of life and its transient moments of beauty.
The contrast between a wilting flower and one in full bloom can
highlight the cycles of life and serve as a reminder
to appreciate the present moment before it fades away.

-

'Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it.
Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it.
Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.' - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hate is a poison, and love the antidote.

A person is too complicated to hate.
Hate a person, and you'll learn to hate people.
Your enemy's heart is a mirror of your own -
and of anyone you love.
Hate can only get you so far.

If hate were enough, why would we love at all?

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:13 am**

Ben JS wrote: ↑Sat Apr 12, 2025 10:36 am “I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed.
A man who takes away another man’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred,
he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. […]
The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.” - Nelson Mandela

“You must not hate those who do wrong or harmful things;
but with compassion, you must do what you can to stop them —
for they are harming themselves, as well as those who suffer from their actions.” - Dalai Lama

They suffer, by not nurturing the light of compassion and unconditional love -
that it doesn’t permeate their being.
To look upon existence, in all it's shades, with open heart and say,
'I accept, and hold it to my chest.
I am grateful to be - and grateful to be amongst & with you'.
To genuinely accept all without hatred - to nurture loving-kindness.
To seek the health, wellbeing, empowerment and flourishing of all -
that their happiness, is your happiness.
To wake each day, believing and living, in accord with life being a gift.

Those without love, deprive themselves of unity with the sublime -
which is the greatest injustice that falls upon them.

But compassion & love says, we don’t want this for them.
We don’t wish their suffering, but if they are without love, suffer they will.

'Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues,
but the parent of all others.' - Cicero

-

To embrace it all.
To accept all of existence,
and not curse the heavens for any of it.
It all had to be -
it's a package deal.

=

As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom,
I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison. […]
For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains,
but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. - Mandela

Compassion is the wish to see others free from suffering. - Dalai Lama

I can do no other than be reverent before everything that is called life.
I can do no other than to have compassion for all that is called life.
That is the beginning and the foundation of all ethics. - Schweitzer

If you have any sense my friend, don’t plant anything but Love. - Rumi

To love is not to ask anything in return,
not even to feel that you are giving something-
and it is only such love that can know freedom. - Krishnamurti

We are one, after all, you and I,
together we suffer, together exist
and forever will recreate each other. - Teilhard de Chardin

-

To confront oneself with truth’s severity,
builds a resilience to complacency or entitlement.
It also provides the soil for appreciation -
as each moment may be contrasted by it’s lack,
by it’s own transience.

ChatGPT

Q (me): Is a wilting flower not as poignant as in bloom?

A: Yes, a wilting flower can be seen as poignant in its own unique way.
While a blooming flower represents vitality, beauty, and growth,
a wilting flower carries a sense of fragility, impermanence, and the passage of time.
It can evoke emotions such as nostalgia, melancholy,
or even empathy for the fleeting nature of life and its transient moments of beauty.
The contrast between a wilting flower and one in full bloom can
highlight the cycles of life and serve as a reminder
to appreciate the present moment before it fades away.

-

'Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it.
Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it.
Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.' - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hate is a poison, and love the antidote.

A person is too complicated to hate.
Hate a person, and you'll learn to hate people.
Your enemy's heart is a mirror of your own -
and of anyone you love.
Hate can only get you so far.

If hate were enough, why would we love at all?

Weird the way humans will idolise and idealise other humans. I wonder how many of those people practiced what they preached.
Gandhi slept naked with his grandniece in his 70s to 'test his willpower' (yeah right).
Martin Luther King was a serial philanderer.
Nelson Mandela, another serial cheater who treated his family like crap.
I have serious doubts about the Dalai Lama.
I suppose I should be thankful you didn't quote Mother Teresa, a vile and sadistic con artist and thief.
I assume they are all men?

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:20 am**

Examine what is spoken, not he who speaks.

-

If gravity is true, then it remains true regardless of who speaks it.
Assassinating the character of someone who speaks of gravity,
does not affect or relate to the principles of gravity.

One can learn from anyone, if one keeps a sharp eye.

That you think character assassination means anything in the context of establishing truth,
is very telling of your capacity to think critically and differentiate between significance, and insignificance.

An admirable effort, though.
Don't be defeated - missteps are an opportunity for learning.

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:27 am**

Ben JS wrote: ↑Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:20 am Examine what is spoken, not he who speaks.

-

If gravity is true, then it remains true regardless of who speaks it.
Assassinating the character of someone who speaks of gravity,
does not affect or relate to the principles of gravity.

One can learn from anyone, if one keeps a sharp eye.

That you think character assassination means anything in the context of establishing truth,
is very telling of your capacity to think critically and differentiate between significance, and insignificance.

An admirable effort, though.
Don't be defeated - missteps are an opportunity for learning.

It's the idealising of these people I take issue with. I thought I made that clear. Plus, preaching something and telling others how to behave and not following your own words makes that person a hypocrite.
You wouldn't be quoting those people if they weren't idealised. It's not as if the quotes are THAT earth-shattering. No one is going to quote Hitler or Stalin, even if they happened to say something that was true

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:30 am**

Ben JS wrote: ↑Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:20 am Examine what is spoken, not he who speaks.

Love, Forgiveness & Acceptance

Here’s an example of truth mixed into the formula:

Don’t Think Twice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iHhWh9FtsQ

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:48 am**

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:27 am It's the idealising of these people I take issue with. I thought I made that clear.

Ben JS wrote: ↑Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:20 amOne can learn from anyone, if one keeps a sharp eye.

I quote them because they're influential -
but primarily because I think they're right.

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:27 amPlus, preaching something and telling others how to behave and not following your own words makes that person a hypocrite.

I act the asshole.
When I act like an asshole, and insult people -
It's usually a small grain of truth exaggerated for effect.

I do it because I think it's the most effective way to get under particular people's skin,
such that my words will sit with them longer [when they're not receptive to other approaches].
This is the strategy I've adopted.

It destroys my credibility and reputation.
Fortunately for me,
I was never here to establish credibility or reputation.

I want to influence what I consider positive change,
and I'll readily put on the devil's advocate mask.

I don't think I should do it -
it's not respectful or being forthright.
I don't hold ill will towards anyone,
but I do act the idiot -
because I am an idiot.

An idiot makes do.

I confess, though -
especially in my ILP days,
I've lost my cool and genuinely acted the fool.

...

But guess what,
the message of this thread doesn't rely on my character,
just as the message of this thread doesn't rely on any character.
I ought act more accord with these words, right?
You think so?

Or that I'm hypocrite,
and the thread is also unfounded nonsense?

===

Walker,
That's a lovely song, friend.

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:52 am**

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:57 am**

Good talk, friend.

The words still stand beyond your misgivings regarding them.

And to speak further to my awful character,
everything in the OP is cut & pasted from my past posts -
so I'm just regurgitating old thoughts..

But it speaks to the fact I still act awfully,
even after having recognizing the OP's contents.

Best wishes,

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:59 am**

Ben JS wrote: ↑Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:57 am Good talk, friend.

The words still stand beyond your misgivings regarding them.

And to speak further to my awful character,
everything in the OP is cut & pasted from my past posts -
so I'm just regurgitating old thoughts..

But it speaks to the fact I still act awfully,
even after having recognizing the OP's contents.

There it is. What do you mean, 'speak to'? That makes no sense.

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 12:02 pm**

no idea

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 12:04 pm**

The Sun (2014)
-

A fragile little being.
My limbs easily twisted by winds -
my eyes blinded by light and dark alike.
Yet if a true path is revealed,
that's where I'll be.

I'll grow, shed the misery,
and let the sun burn my skin.
I'll absorb and burst open with it's energy.
I'll be a conduit; a magnifying glass,
and burn away the fortresses of others.

When the sun goes away,
I'll remember it in my warm little heart,
then entrench my chest with
all the mud and debris I lay in.
But I wont ever forget,
the treasure that lies within.

And when the sun emerges
as it always does and will,
it will sing to my heart..
and I will once again be
ripped out of the misery,
lifted into the sky,
and completely and utterly
absorbed by it's power and beauty.

And each time the sun comes and goes,
I'll thank the sky and earth for being my home.

[In this particular instance, the sun can represent truth.. but also a couple of other things.]

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 12:18 pm**

Ben JS wrote: ↑Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:48 am Walker,
That's a lovely song, friend.

The possibility of tough but truthful breakup songs could cause long-term relationships.

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 12:20 pm**

accelafine wrote: ↑Sat Apr 12, 2025 11:13 am

To love is not to ask anything in return,
not even to feel that you are giving something-
and it is only such love that can know freedom. – Krishnamurti

Don’t short change Jiddu Krishnamurti.
His illicit love affair adds a bit of context to his insight.

However, in terms of unconditional love it is an interesting motto for forum participation.

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 12:42 pm**

Come to think of it, most of the few sane people on this forum have been women. What is it about 'philosophy' that attracts the insane?

Posted: **Sat Apr 12, 2025 12:42 pm**

Love is holding something within one’s heart.
That existence itself is improved by the presence of the loved.
That one’s will, is to preserve the loved - to give it more life.
That one acts to the interest of the loved, in a selfless manner.

" 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. " - Tennyson

" To love and be loved is the feel the sun from both sides " - Viscott

" Love is always bestowed as a gift -
freely, willingly and without expectation.
We don’t love to be loved; we love to love. " - Buscaglia

A contemporary[?] of Dylan:

Summer's End
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XLaIFTmJF8

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