Xerxes Forum Elder

Joined: 15 Mar 2007 Posts: 1564 Location: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:16 am Post subject: |
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| Lester wrote: | | Also to Xerxes, I think, or hope, whichever you choose, that humanity will one day rise above the pettiness of greed, or at least realise that true and enlightened self-interest is fully actualized in communism. |
I think we are on the verge of a paradigm shift. A shift in consciousness. You can almost feel it in the air. It also shows in the way shit is unravelling for Bush and company. I mean the wheels are literally falling off of his wagon now. People are just sick and tired of being sick and tired. I believe that true enlightenment comes through Buddhism. Ever heard of Buddhists invading another country? |
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Lester Forum Elder

Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 4650
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:23 am Post subject: |
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| I don't think it's specifically buddhism, but I definately like a lot of their ideas. As for the paradigm shift, I agree, but I fear that it's just conforming with an even bigger paradigm, whereby we switch back and forth and progress is never made. |
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TrespassersW Veteran

Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 988 Location: North Carolina, USA
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:24 am Post subject: |
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| Xerxes wrote: | | I think we are on the verge of a paradigm shift. A shift in consciousness. You can almost feel it in the air. |
I've felt something in the air for some time now, and you just made me realize that it was the fact that we've been on the verge of people using the word paradigm more often.  |
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TrespassersW Veteran

Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 988 Location: North Carolina, USA
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:53 am Post subject: |
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| rynln53 wrote: | | the fact that communism is a construct and not a natural system like capitalism, leads to its down fall. The Wealth of Nations, the book that defines capitalism, was written as an examination of how money switches hands, that is all capitalism is, The Communist Mainifesto was written as a design for a new economic system, to try and control and economy totally is impossible, which is why communism will never work. |
Bingo! The strength of capitalism is that it works based on humans behaving as their nature dictates. The weakness of communism is that it requires the subversion of that nature in order to function. |
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Lester Forum Elder

Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 4650
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 12:24 pm Post subject: |
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| TrespassersW wrote: | | rynln53 wrote: | | the fact that communism is a construct and not a natural system like capitalism, leads to its down fall. The Wealth of Nations, the book that defines capitalism, was written as an examination of how money switches hands, that is all capitalism is, The Communist Mainifesto was written as a design for a new economic system, to try and control and economy totally is impossible, which is why communism will never work. |
Bingo! The strength of capitalism is that it works based on humans behaving as their nature dictates. The weakness of communism is that it requires the subversion of that nature in order to function. |
This is a logical fallacy, called an Appeal to Nature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_nature
Just because it's natural doesn't mean it's good. |
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rynln53 Newbie
Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 44
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 2:25 pm Post subject: |
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| capitalism isn't new, it is as old as civilization itself, the system of bartering that predates money is capitalistic, a person would create wares and sell them at market value, it is just that today economies are complicated, that is why intelligent leaders (hopefully) try to make laws that encourage fairness in the system. |
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Anym Forum Elder

Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 2562 Location: Jersey
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Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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| You know I think(correct me if I'm wrong) the actual closest people came communism is under the rule of Octavius Augusts Caesar when he declared food and shows(gladiator/theater) to be free. But still Capitalism was there in Greece and and Rome(it's as old as dirt.) |
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Lester Forum Elder

Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 4650
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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 2:50 am Post subject: |
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Exactly, if capitalism actually worked to make everyone happy, then why are there so many unhappy people out there? Why has unhappiness and inequality and poverty existed throughout human civilization?
Communism is a new direction, one I hope will actually lead to utopia. |
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rynln53 Newbie
Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 44
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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 3:15 am Post subject: |
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| again, utopia is literally "no place", look it up. |
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Lester Forum Elder

Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 4650
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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 3:28 am Post subject: |
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| Thats where the word came from, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. |
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rynln53 Newbie
Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 44
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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 3:32 am Post subject: |
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| why even talk of utopia? even if we could get all people to accept social responsibility, there would still be natural disaster and all sorts of other problems, why not strive for a just society? |
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Lester Forum Elder

Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 4650
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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 3:34 am Post subject: |
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| Why even talk of utopia? Because it's the perfect world, if we can never reach perfection then whats the point of even making things better? |
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rynln53 Newbie
Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 44
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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 3:46 am Post subject: |
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| nobody wants to live in utopia, people are afraid of their own true selves, that is why they surround themselves with lies and fallacies and create problems that they have to fix, nobody wants to stomach the hard reality that they create their own problems, that they must fix them. Even if a utopia could exist, after a while people would destroy it, they would not be content with things just being "fine," they need to concoct some problem. |
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Lester Forum Elder

Joined: 08 Dec 2006 Posts: 4650
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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 3:59 am Post subject: |
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| I want to live in Utopia. I agree though, people are afraid of the truth, this is a big problem, but that doesn't mean we can't actually make things better. |
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rynln53 Newbie
Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 44
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Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 5:24 am Post subject: |
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| you are correct, but more important than putting sanctions on people, but if you teach people correct values, they will govern themselves. |
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