Mandatory viewing material

[eFlare]

I can not force you to do anything but, if you could, please watch this video. It is 3m:31 in length and, in my opinion; time well spent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p86BPM1GV8M

That is all.

[Lenc]

It almost makes me not press the destroy everything button

almost...

[Jason Tandro]

The man was a genius.

[Freedan]

If everyone could hear that, they may step back for a minute and wonder why we spend so much time and energy fighting amongst ourselves. We fight, we kill, and go to war... for what? Does anything get accomplished?

Thinking about how this place is so significant to us, and so insignificant in the grand scheme of things is a pretty humbling thing.

[psychokind]

Freedan wrote:

We fight, we kill, and go to war... for what? Does anything get accomplished?

because there is no light without darkness!

Quote:

Thinking about how this place is so significant to us, and so insignificant in the grand scheme of things is a pretty humbling thing.

we're so damn significant, since theres nothing else out there until now. if you are the only village in the desert, you're pretty much significant!

[Blade]

psychokind wrote:

Freedan wrote: We fight, we kill, and go to war... for what? Does anything get accomplished? because there is no light without darkness!

Terranigma quote
But darkness is not the opposite of light, darkness is just where no light is.

This guy's speech reminds me of mental trips I did when I was younger...closed my eyes and faded away into the universe, looking back at the earth which gets smaller and smaller and insignificant. 't helps to get an outside view of things/problems. Other than that, it's nothing (philosophically) new to me.

[Lenc]

Blade wrote:

psychokind wrote: Freedan wrote: We fight, we kill, and go to war... for what? Does anything get accomplished? because there is no light without darkness! Terranigma quote But darkness is not the opposite of light, darkness is just where no light is. (philosophically) new to me.

Not entirly true. If there was no darkness light as a word would lose it significance and vica versa. So in a sense there can be no light without darkness.

[Blade]

Philosophically maybe yes, but practically not, I'd say...

[Lenc]

Blade wrote:

Philosophically maybe yes, but practically not, I'd say...

Practicly? Is it practical to have a word, understanding of darkness or light when your entire exsitence is in either one of them not, but not both?

[Freedan]

psychokind wrote:

Quote: Thinking about how this place is so significant to us, and so insignificant in the grand scheme of things is a pretty humbling thing. we're so damn significant, since theres nothing else out there until now. if you are the only village in the desert, you're pretty much significant!

Significant only to ourselves, not in the grand scheme. Everything we've done in our history has affected only ourselves... we're just now starting to leave our own boundaries.

When we start to move beyond our own planet, colonize a few others, maybe spread through our galaxy a little, then there might be something to that 'significant' claim. Until then, we're just a group of people on a rock as far as the universe is concerned.

Quote:

because there is no light without darkness!

"If we don't kill each other, we can't be happy"?

That saying might apply to unavoidable tragedies, but not to ones we make ourselves.

[chicken]

he's acting like that "tiny blue dot" isnt worth anything. true, we shouldnt kill ourselves and stuff but sometimes there IS something worth fighting for... i wouldnt say killing but you never know

[psychokind]

Freedan wrote:

Significant only to ourselves, not in the grand scheme. Everything we've done in our history has affected only ourselves... we're just now starting to leave our own boundaries. When we start to move beyond our own planet, colonize a few others, maybe spread through our galaxy a little, then there might be something to that 'significant' claim. Until then, we're just a group of people on a rock as far as the universe is concerned.

well, there is no such thing as a "grand scheme", only in our minds, which makes us the only significant thing again and as long as we're the only group of people on a rock in the universe, the universe is practically made for us.

Quote:

"If we don't kill each other, we can't be happy"? That saying might apply to unavoidable tragedies, but not to ones we make ourselves.

well, exactly. who cheerishs life without death? it is in thousands of different ways important that there painful things like war, death and cruelty. mostly economic reasons. but the main reason should be what I said, theres no happiness without sadness.

[Freedan]

[quote="psychokind"]

Quote:

"If we don't kill each other, we can't be happy"? well, exactly. who cheerishs life without death? it is in thousands of different ways important that there painful things like war, death and cruelty. mostly economic reasons. but the main reason should be what I said, theres no happiness without sadness.

I find I'm perfectly capable of enjoying life without ending someone else's.

As for those two bolded statements, again, I say... that applies to unavoidable tragedies, not man-made ones.

Quote:

well, there is no such thing as a "grand scheme", only in our minds, which makes us the only significant thing again

Of course there is, and it isn't difficult to imagine it. You did so yourself, with that 'universe is made for us' bit.

Consider it from a universal perspective. If humankind went extinct tomorrow, would it affect anything other than our planet? Aside from the whole expanding thing, I can't see things being any different for it.

[inferiare]

Moved this to debate island for the time being. Carry on.

[psychokind]

Freedan wrote:

I find I'm perfectly capable of enjoying life without ending someone else's. As for those two bolded statements, again, I say... that applies to unavoidable tragedies, not man-made ones.

that's true, but I didn't say enjoy life, I said cheerish life. are you happy every time you drink water? no, because it is taken for granted you have enough water. most people would say "I'm so happy we live in peace" or sth like that, that's what I meant. if there's no death, there's no reason to be happy about life itsself.

Quote:

Of course there is, and it isn't difficult to imagine it. You did so yourself, with that 'universe is made for us' bit. Consider it from a universal perspective. If humankind went extinct tomorrow, would it affect anything other than our planet? Aside from the whole expanding thing, I can't see things being any different for it.

universal perspective = your personal perspective. the universe doesn't "think" or have a perspective. thinking like that is self-centered. you don't want to be significant, you think the universe doesn't find you significant, which makes you significant in defining significance