Praetorian_Brow

If it was a simple survival of the species thing, women shouldn't have gotten the vote. Haha, I amuse myself too much. I think some ideas of gender roles are being threatened here and I am sure in the not too distant future, the Proclamation for the Family will be brought as evidence against the shocking decisions of the two adult fighters.

The irony of the dim witted statement is not lost on me.

If the outcome is as obvious as you make it to be, why would she sign up for it? I don't disagree that the match is a bad idea, but your knee-jerk comparison to domestic abuse is a bit much, considering she knows what she is getting into and most likely, has a skill set that is not that of a domesticated chained to the kitchen housewife. Having trained with women in the military, I will say that I have respect for their gender abilities, even if we handicap them with our male notions of what they can and cannot do.

ThinkGeek :: Stuff for Smart Masses

I am flattered that you took the time to arrange that. To debunk the question mark; No.

Its a theory, as by default, one would wonder if God cursed white people for white skin, regardless of the fact that pigment is based on location and adaptation. One would imagine Adam and Eve were dark skinned, given that I doubt they lived anywhere but the equator. Science or not, truth or not, I disagree that a blanket statement of truth, automatically stifles dissent and ignores context as well as the understanding of the author and interpretation of the reader. Just as we don't believe in original sin, I don't believe it would be prudent to believe such a curse is as obvious as we make it to be.

I do not believe forgetting is part of the process, as lessons are learned and trust abused. Those experiences and feelings are personal and cannot be taken away. I used to believe that I hadn't forgiven until I forgot, so when I always remembered, I thought I hadn't forgiven. Not so. I believe the intention of forgetting, is to say that we will not burden another with our interpretation of their mistakes, recognized or not. I also used to believe that forgiveness was only attainable when the other person was amenable or willing to speak to me, but not so, as forgiveness is a personal choice that has nothing to do with anyone else. Learning to trust, is another process, that can start with forgiving, but is not necessarily apart of the forgiveness process. Forgiveness is just the atonement process applied. I really struggle to forgive myself and I suppose that is why I appear bitter, as believe me, I forgive others more than I forgive myself. Then again, if we treat others as we treat ourselves, then who is to say I understand how to forgive.

No comparison intended, just a general observation. As in divorce court and in general church setting, its usually the women who are given more consideration, so its not surprising that this forum would be any different. You just observed that men whine, which I suppose women don't. Perhaps it is presentation. I, as a man, see things as is, but in my experience, women present things as they believe will garner the best social outcome. Anyway, I digress and shall withdraw. Why does she feel alone, is it simply because she feels ignored by her husband? What are her needs that aren't being met? There is more going on than meets the eye, as in all cases, but I am curious for more details to determine my e-advice. Writing is a good step, scrappingmom.

Its actually interesting to note that women who want divorce, are usually supported on these forums, but men seeking divorce are given the rack and pinion. Double standards. Perhaps it is presentation though, as it seems one gender is more likely to present themselves in a more socially accepted light. 21 years is a long time for your "needs not to be met". What are your needs that are not being met? I think there is more to this situation than has been described.

I would hate to work on Christmas and have always hated working Christmas Eve, so its not fair for me to demand that of other people. Its a huge stretch to offer the theory that someone is doing someone a favour by generously donating their time and money to a business on Christmas day, or any other day for that matter. I kind of picture pity money for the service that they are selling. Its as if you are doing more of a service than they are, by giving them money. I am scratching my head.

I find it ridiculous that gay marriage has been associated with end of the world scenarios. I don't really believe any religious or moral grounds will precede apocalyptic scenarios as the domino affect tends to start with war, which in almost all cases is usually just robbery on a large scale. I suppose that is a type of ethical dilemma, but in this case, I think practical reasons would supersede any religious or moral justification, even if the justification is used as fuel for the fire. Economic collapse, then war because someone will refuse to pay, countries devastated, billions dead, sanitation and medicine collapse, leading to plagues, defaulting the worlds population back to less than a billion which was the norm before the industrial revolution. Those who depend on electricity to live, will probably die the quickest. The usual calamity stuff, not much different from all the previous calamities, just that the next one will be global and the scale unprecedented. When will it happen is anyone's guess, but hey, I survived Y2K, so I can survive the next one, right?

Sargent and Greenleaf- Offers safe locks, electronic locks and biometric locks According to a DEFCON 19: Safe to Armed in Seconds: A Study of Epic Fails of, S&G are a good brand of locks to purchase. The video has language and other unsavoury references, but theses guys are very well informed.

I believe a lot of people knew it was racism, but didn't want to believe the church culture was capable of it, so it became a defensive faux pas to mention the subject. When I broached the subject with some sensitive members, they get upset quickly, but what surprised me is that when I broached the subject with people within the church who have a quiet confidence, they agreed with me that it was institutionalized racism and somewhat ridiculous to believe it was God's will. Thank you for the links!

Honestly, I would rather be flawed, as once perfection is attained, there is not much point in progress. In reality, the statement, "no one is perfect", is a positive statement that everyone is equal in their own struggles. I think true perfection is when we recognize flaws within ourselves, accept that and compensate in a constructive manner. The flaw will always remain, but we will be stronger for it. Besides, cracks let in the light.

Same results, disappointment. Learning to walk past rejection is the point, regardless of who it comes from. Even if it is a lifelong crush, it doesn't change the dynamics of rejection by stating its a girl he really likes.

Didn't the missionary field teach you about rejection? Believe me, its better to ask, get rejected than to live with regret that you missed an opportunity. I would know, as even with military training, I didn't ask and inevitably, the woman who I eyed, went with someone who did ask. Icing on the cake is that some of them wanted me to ask them. Chances are, the woman is eyeing you too, but more shy than you are and determined to believe its the man's job to initiate conversation. Believe it or not, its better to be yourself when asking out, as in forget about all the nervous stuff and just....be yourself.

Calling it a sin is to prevent those who abhor sin from committing suicide. Consider it a road block of sorts. Taking anyones life is a sin, but that is another can of worms. Ignoring the impact on family, friends and society could be considered a sin, as the fallout tends to be extremely painful and bitter. Who goes to "hell" is generally a fantasy of judgement and I highly doubt going to hell is as cut and dry as people make it out to be.

You're human are you not? I am incredulous that you yourself are baffled. Apparently you are seeking an understanding of the subject, greater than what you know, which I gathered was a perpetuation of the attitude that somehow the human condition is foreign to you. Do you really want to know what its like? Or do you want to be one of those spectators who can classify who and what are to be done with those people you deem mentally ill. I was inferring that you have distanced yourself from the subject, meaning that your distance itself is thinly veiled perpetuation of the stigma. If you really want to know what its like, go visit the mental ward of the local hospital. Or visit a nursing home, or visit your neighbour. I promise you that if you were to listen, rather than classify people, you would be astounded to learn what real despair is for people. I have visited mental wards for family and friends and considered admitting myself, so if you want proof, its personal. I resent your tone, that you can seek the solution for your rationalization of what mental illness is, therefore quoting me, correcting my grammar does not detract from my interpretation that your stance on the subject is less than enlightening. Sure, my points are counter-productive to your aims, but I do get the satisfaction of knowing that I identified that your stance on the subject as callous. I read your initial post and I interpreted the thesis as a declaration that the mentally ill are at fault for themselves and you cannot understand why they don't fix themselves. Perhaps I misunderstood your tone and I am in error for my assertions, however from personal experience, telling someone they are counter-productive rarely results in the person coming to an epiphany that the person is simply in error. I gathered that you are confused on the subject, as it took an apostle for you to rearrange your stance on the matter. Forgive my offense.

I am baffled at the attitude that mental illness is a mystery to people, as if they need to distance themselves from an infectious disease and they themselves are incapable of being ill. All one has to do to understand, is to imagine an unrelenting nightmare for some psychosis and remember a perpetuation of their worst emotional state for some depressive states. As with most things, it is far easier to distance ourselves and rationalize someones situation as product of their environment and undeserving of our regard. I applaud that you are approaching the subject Vort and impressed that your tone is trepidatious and bordering on sympathetic, but I can't help but be reminded that your idea of mental illness is a throwback to conversations I have had with my father. My father at one time, told me that if only I was to fix myself, I would be more responsible. This is the same man, who believed if only his wife got help, that his marriage would be healthier. The really sad part of the situation with my family and mental illness, is that my father is living self denial, believing that he himself is incapable of being ill. He has serious unresolved baggage from his childhood that impacts his emotional and mental well being, but has convinced himself that he is incapable of whatever stain his children has. Sadly, he doesn't seem to understand that his behaviour and who he is, contributed to his children's mental health issues, more than so than my mothers. The comparison between mental health and physical health is a comparison that is attempting to dispel the social stigma that mental illness is taboo and is also seeking to promote that people should seek help when required, not suffer in silence. Unfortunately, promoting the issue like that seems to inadvertently lead people to assume that mental illness is as curable as the common cold. If anyone knows anything about the influenza virus, they will laugh at that statement. Therapy is not simply a six week event, where a person will walk away healed like a broken leg, it is a life long process for most people. I honestly believe, everyone is and is capable of being mentally ill on some level, realized or not, as our collective interpretation of mental stability seems to change over time and with the culture. Not too long ago, melancholia was a common malady and was even written by Aristotle. Today, we call it depression, but as always, the human condition has changed little in thousands of years. I pray for the day that mental illness of any degree of severity receives the same compassion from Jesus, as did leprosy. As always, empathy is usually lacking in those who fear what they are capable of.

I have been on the receiving end of someone who freaked out on a regular basis and believed her anxiety was her spiritual inspiration. My mother pointed out that she was bipolar, just like my mother is. Imagine walking along with a woman, admiring the changing leaves on the trees and all of a sudden she backs a garbage truck into him and says its her anxiety, he doesn't understand her, its her inspiration and thats how she feels. You feel like he doesn't trust your inspirational feelings, but I would hazard a guess that he has grown wary of your anxiety and your evidence. I recommend that you look into therapy, or ways of managing your anxiety, but most importantly learn to manage who its dumped on.

Third date at the temple, where you got revelation for marriage, all in a month and he just got back from his mission and is still not back to reality. Mormon crazy is my term for that. I do not disagree with your feelings or your interpretation of revelation, but I do disagree with your rational and as previously mentioned, you should definitely slow the bus down. I know women who believe it is there right to "shop", have no qualms with making out with those dates and using the men for food and activities. When 50 men was mentioned, I thought of one particular woman who justified making out with over 50 guys, while reciting the mantra of accepting no baggage herself while conveniently overlooking her own. I am still astonished to this day how many people in the dating scene lie about themselves or dilute their past and believe their opinion of the other person negates their own ugliness of character. Looking back at who I have dated, I realize that who I was and who I was not, was merely an excuse for the women to carry on doing their own crazy thing. Everyone changes, marriage does not solidify someones character. On this forum, you will get the embittered, the man eaters, the divorced, the abused, the diehards, the happily married, the hypocrites, the service oriented, the people who have learned the hard way, but as always, advice is free from everyone, but rarely applied to themselves. Be true to yourself and your feelings, but also take the advice and experience given here with a grain of salt and be grateful for the rare moments of happiness that you have felt in your few years. Best wishes.

This is the honeymoon infatuation stage, before the bubbles pop and the rainbows turn into shades of grey. It is a very good idea to keep the relationship for a year, as you will see all aspects of who he is. I think the true test is finding out the negatives of the person and still remaining committed. What is happiness to you? His attention of you or your own feelings of contentment?

It always amazes me how much people as well as myself, focus on the negatives of the other person from their perspective, which more often than not is out of context and hearsay. What interests me is how often people are rarely honest about their own issues or baggage when seeking relationship advice, as everyone has them. Do not prolong his agony, simply because you see him as a useful tool to overcome your own loneliness. I have also noticed that social standing is a main driver for some people, as being with someone has more status than being without someone. Not surprising, considering marriage is the highest social tier within our culture. Know what you want, but keep in mind that knowing what you want does not necessarily make you in the right. My experience, as noted by those among us, has embittered me and left me with the knowledge that most often, the fairer sex, is anything but. Home is where the heart is.

Perhaps and duly noted. In some respects, I admire your ability to summarize and track my obvious bitterness regardless of the origins, however, I will state that my intent is less obvious than simply being as rash as you have observed. Forgiveness is essential and it is an admirable trait that all should possess, with Finrock and yourself, demonstrating such traits it behooves me to apply your summation and think on it. Thank you for the honesty of all.

Yes. I spoke with my Islamic co-workers many times on this topic. Religion, regardless of sect or accepted differences has far more in common than not. I learned recently that the only real difference between Shi'ites and Sunnis, was that they disagree on who succeeded Mohammad as the prophet, yet they kill each other over it. Catholics and Protestants did the same thing. Funny how the people proclaiming falsehoods, tend to focus on other peoples believes, rather than their own core ones.