2ndRateMind

Thank you. So do I! Best wishes, 2RM

Look up Alan Turing. Or, indeed, Ada Lovelace. I think you will find we Brits had laid the intellectual foundations for computer technology, long before Bill Gates or Steve Jobs or Steve Wozniak ever arrived on the scene. Though I will concede that the transistor was a key development, and we have Americans to thank for that. Best wishes, 2RM.

Yes indeedy. Believe me, I have a lot of projects in mind to alleviate social woes, but they all depend on me having some capital to invest to kick-start them in the first place. So, I write software, for now. Best wishes, and thanks, 2RM.

That's all completely sound advice, if somewhat Machiavellian. But 'The Prince' was sound advice for rulers, at that time, also. I wonder, therefore, how you might distinguish between corporate 'green wash' and genuinely environmentally friendly businesses, so that the consumer can readily distinguish between the two? Best wishes, 2RM.

Of course! A reminder of business fundamentals never goes amiss! Best wishes, 2RM.

Well, I am pleased to report that last week, I sold my first software app on ebay. It didn't make me rich, at a retail price of £14.95 ($19.41) but it is a start. However, I am concerned to make my micro-business 'ethical' from the get go, believing that will be more cost effective in the long run than attempting to graft ethics on to a going concern business at a later stage. So, of my £14.95: £3.36 goes to sales commission. £0.84 goes to supporting economic development projects in Africa. £2.64 goes to printing and burning the DVD. The rest goes to general business expenses. I wonder if you have any tips for me, on how to make my business ethical, environmentally sustainable, and generally people centred, rather than profit centred? Best wishes, 2RM eg: Pay policy such that no one earns more than 7 times the lowest hourly rate. Purchasing policy such that, for any given project, local suppliers are preferred to national suppliers, and national suppliers are preferred to international suppliers.

Best wishes, for your sealing. May you both live together as long as you want, and want to as long as you live together. Blessings, 2RM.

Oh, @Vort and I are old sparring partners. I'm afraid he has given me up as a lost cause, a waste of time. I'm just inclined to challenge his evident contempt for people who do not see the world quite as he does, as demonstrated by his use of such words, on this thread alone, as 'cowards', and 'cynics', and 'fools'. Derogatory (and insulting) terminology does not strike me as a response appropriate for a Christian, in this day and age. Best wishes, 2RM.

Thanks for that insight. Best wishes, 2RM.

OK. Here's my line of thought, by way of justification: @Vort has a point of view. @Vort thinks his point of view is objectively (eternally) true. @Vort cannot conceive of any reason why others might differ from his point of view, other than that they are fools. Hope this helps. Best wishes, 2RM.

So, is everyone who differs from the world-view according to @Vort necessarily a fool? Best wishes, 2RM.

Interesting you should think this. It is clear to me from the Bible that it uses metaphors and similes liberally, not to mention myths and fables. And Jesus' preferred teaching method was in parables, stories He never pretended ever actually happened, but which nevertheless conveyed something of the truth about reality. Best wishes, 2RM.

Quod erat demonstrandum. (QED). Best wishes, 2RM.

Thanks for that. It was a useful reply. Best wishes, 2RM.

I had always loved this poem as consummate literature, to the extent that I learned it off by heart. And so, one dark winter's night, when all my material ambitions were dust, and the world seemed particularly challenged by a lacking of sympathy and empathy, I found myself reciting it, for consolation. Yet, as the words ran through my mind, they were not by way of mere pleasure of form, content and expression, but as open-hearted prayer. And, much to my consternation, God answered that prayer, not by saving the world as I wanted, but by saving me. And by invading my heart with His love. And so I became a Christian. Odd that Housman, an atheist and a homosexual, should be the agent of my salvation. But God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform. Best wishes, 2RM *AE Housman, An Easter Hymn, 1936

So, I heard of an anecdote concerning Stephen Fry, a much loved English actor and comedian (and, as if that matters, a homosexual). Apparently, on one visit to the US, he ended up in Salt Lake City, and subscribed to a tour. His tour guide eventually got round to the topic of the eternal family. 'When you die', she insisted, 'you will be reunited with all your family'. Wag that he is, Fry asked: 'But what happens to you if you've been good all your life?' His question, I understand, did not go down well, and he found himself ejected from the tourist group forthwith. Nevertheless, despite the dry humour, I think there is an underlying point that needs to be addressed. Families can be fractious things, and often we hurt the most those we love the most. And vice versa. So, is the eternal family, in these days of divorces on demand, family breakdowns, disfellowships and excommunications, unconventional family arrangements, and so on, really a viable concept? Or is the eternal family a metaphor for how our relationships should be with the whole of the human race? Best wishes, 2RM.

I rather think we should let our children choose their own names, maybe at baptism, or Bar Mitzvah, or (if they're old enough) christening, or some such ceremony. Meanwhile, we could just call them daughter 1, 2, 3 etc, or son A, B, C, etc. If they did, I think there would be fewer Ophelias, or Hermiones, or Clytemnestras, or Reginalds, Rodneys, and Cyrils. And that might not be an altogether bad thing. Best wishes, 2RM.

Precisely. The difficulty that arises, however, is disentangling historical fact from myth, or fable, which convey their truths in a fictional manner. And that is where I think a logical approach, aka reason supported by evidence, has a significant role to play. Best wishes, 2RM.

Brill! Best wishes, 2RM.

'tis true; love is a wondrous thing... Best wishes, 2RM.

Hmmm. Liberal that I am, I would not even censor hate speech. I find hate speech as hateful as anyone, but I think it is better expressed, and out in the open, where it can be dealt with by general disgust, than it is suppressed, and secret, where it will fester and infect the social milieu. Best wishes, 2RM.

Hmmm. You guys are allowed to contribute your thoughts to this thread, also. Jesus' sacrifice is only sensible if one loves, and shares in His love for the world and it's people. So you are welcome to submit your perspectives, this Easter season. Best wishes, 2RM.

Thirded. Best wishes, 2RM.

...finding the beauty of God in the most unlikely places... Best wishes, 2RM.

Hmmm. Why do we still have liberals? (To phrase the question in a nationality neutral form). Maybe, because God and Jesus are both liberals. I merely suggest the possibility for the purposes of discussion. So far as I can make out, their characters are both consistent with 'letting people go to Hell in their own way', even if interpreted differently by the various authors of the various scriptures. So far as I can make out, Jesus did not ban anything; just made it clear that there are only two fundamental requirements; to 'Love God', and to 'Love each other'*. If we can only get those two properly in place, I don't think God or Jesus care very much what we get up to. Best wishes, 2RM. *Mark 12: 30-31, Matthew 22: 36-40, Luke 10:25-28 KJV