What are we all afraid of?

[AliasTheory]

 

Oh boy. It's just 'you', 'you' and 'you' all the time. Control yourself.

 

As I said, people might respect you a bit more if you weren't pointing fingers at others all the time.

[ginnyfizz]

For sure, the challenge is to overcome our own instincts and fears, and for once I find myself in agreement with Surenas, who in her latest post in this thread has given an excellent summary of what this challenge entails.

[Lisnpuppy]

*slips in quietly*

 

Overcoming our fears and mistrust is definitely a big part of all this. I also believe...and forgive me for coming on a bit cynical....that (for some) to know or understand someone absolves those who do not wish to use their minds from having to do so.

 

I don't know People X....I hear little snippets here or there....I see on tv that many of People X are doing Y and Z.....that is why I don't have money (a job, a spouse, a bar of soap carved like a tuna can...) It is ALL People X's fault....

 

Again it comes down to responsibility and accountability as much as overcoming fear. It is easy to keep separate from others so that they can be the great unknown evil...on which one blames all manner of the world's ills.

 

We all..if we wish to overcome and reach out a hand of friendship...need to look deep in our hearts and decide if we are ready and want to reach out to others. Otherwise it is nothing but an empty gesture.

[grannywils]

*slips in quietly*

 

Overcoming our fears and mistrust is definitely a big part of all this. I also believe...and forgive me for coming on a bit cynical....that (for some) to know or understand someone absolves those who do not wish to use their minds from having to do so.

 

I don't know People X....I hear little snippets here or there....I see on tv that many of People X are doing Y and Z.....that is why I don't have money (a job, a spouse, a bar of soap carved like a tuna can...) It is ALL People X's fault....

 

Again it comes down to responsibility and accountability as much as overcoming fear. It is easy to keep separate from others so that they can be the great unknown evil...on which one blames all manner of the world's ills.

 

We all..if we wish to overcome and reach out a hand of friendship...need to look deep in our hearts and decide if we are ready and want to reach out to others. Otherwise it is nothing but an empty gesture.

 

 

I agree with what you say here LisnPuppy (no big surprise there!). And that is why, I try to take it one person at a time, rather than grouping people into these "mysterious" labels. If we get ourselves too caught up into what we hear or read about People X and what they are doing, we will not give ourselves the chance to make the decisions for ourselves that need to be made. I'm afraid that that is what a multitude of people are doing right now. It may abvolve them from using their own minds. It may be sheer laziness, and for some it may be stupidity. But I fear that it is causing a greater rift in world society and politics everyday. I as one individual cannot solve the problems of the world. I know, big shock to all:laugh: . But what I can do is act as one individual to try and be a human being and behave towards other human beings as I would like them to behave towards me.

 

[Aurielius]

Surenas and Balagor, I think if you will both read my initial thread again you will find that you are both agreeing with what I said in the first place. We are afraid of the unknown, or what is different from ourselves.

That goes without saying, granny. Not by chance I've referred to "the unknown otherness", the often strange divergence from our acquired norms we're easily afraid of. This includes other cultures, colors, traditions, religions and lifestyles. And it goes both ways, granny. Any attempt to understand the otherness of the other one has thus to take enormous difficulties into account, a high degree of acceptance already in advance is required, the leopard has to change his spots first.

Since it is so rare that I agree with you, I must in good conscience state that this portion of your post makes lucid sense and I can find no fault in your reasoning. Now what follows falls more under our usual disparity of viewpoints but is still clear and succinct. I do not agree with your analysis of forum persona's but for once I understood clearly what you were getting at.

"adhibenda est in iocando moderatio "~ Cicero

Fortunately, we here on the Nexus are skilled role players, to slip into the role of somebody else, to become one with the to be played figure is thus no big problem for us. The next step, the mental transfer of our virtual skills into reality is the decisive one to investigate the unknown successfully and (perhaps) to understand what's behind the otherness of the other one. Then we are free, much stronger than before and no longer to be seized with fear, no longer to be outfoxed by preachers of hate.

 

Give the leopards a chance - they can!

[Lisnpuppy]

*slips in quietly*

 

Overcoming our fears and mistrust is definitely a big part of all this. I also believe...and forgive me for coming on a bit cynical....that (for some) to know or understand someone absolves those who do not wish to use their minds from having to do so.

 

I don't know People X....I hear little snippets here or there....I see on tv that many of People X are doing Y and Z.....that is why I don't have money (a job, a spouse, a bar of soap carved like a tuna can...) It is ALL People X's fault....

 

Again it comes down to responsibility and accountability as much as overcoming fear. It is easy to keep separate from others so that they can be the great unknown evil...on which one blames all manner of the world's ills.

 

We all..if we wish to overcome and reach out a hand of friendship...need to look deep in our hearts and decide if we are ready and want to reach out to others. Otherwise it is nothing but an empty gesture.

 

 

I agree with what you say here LisnPuppy (no big surprise there!). And that is why, I try to take it one person at a time, rather than grouping people into these "mysterious" labels. If we get ourselves too caught up into what we hear or read about People X and what they are doing, we will not give ourselves the chance to make the decisions for ourselves that need to be made. I'm afraid that that is what a multitude of people are doing right now. It may abvolve them from using their own minds. It may be sheer laziness, and for some it may be stupidity. But I fear that it is causing a greater rift in world society and politics everyday. I as one individual cannot solve the problems of the world. I know, big shock to all:laugh: . But what I can do is act as one individual to try and be a human being and behave towards other human beings as I would like them to behave towards me.

 

 

 

That being said...here is our fears and mistrust in action...given the veneer of legitimate political view and construct. I found it most interesting.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101017/wl_afp/germanymuslimreligionimmigration

[Balagor]

Mistrust does also come without any veneer.................. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Westergaard

................................................................................. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geert_Wilders

 

I try to say that hate preachers do not make it any easier for us to live together in harmony.

 

Be warned! Do contain racism and religion.

[Surenas]

[snip]

I try to say that hate preachers do not make it any easier for us to live together in harmony.

[snip]

That's because preachers of hate sermonize disharmony, the Slivovitz that drugs the mind.

The moment you start drinking that brandy, the devil's sitting in the corner, just laughing...