Why?

French fella’s (Camus and Sartre) are mere footnotes in that overall thought. — Deus

I think these philosophers and original authors laureates with the Nobel prize of literature deserve more respect.

Is it not absurd that there are beings who have an innate desire for meaning living in a world devoid of one? — Agent Smith

That’s one of the main complexities of human nature. The aim of surviving when we were born to die

There is only one really serious philosophical question, and that is suicide. — Albert Camus

:up: :fire:

Nothing has changed. — Agent Smith

If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change — The Leopard. Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Christian countries like Germany and Russia we find that Christianity can sometimes backfire. The Nazis countered the threat of hell by ceasing to surrender until Berlin was captured. Russia has had a troubled history with Stalin and now with Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Putin doesn't seem to fear God at all by committing so many war crimes. — Michael McMahon

Did Harry S. Truman (a President of a Christian country) fear God when he ordered dropping atomic bombs on Japan?

Did the man who claimed things do not make sense make sense? — Banno

:up: :sparkle:

Well, a lot of studies claim that the universe is expanding.

Anyway, as far as I can tell, the "universe" has, contrary to what scientists claim, contracted. — Agent Smith

Are you really sure?

To be honest, I only see involution. We have lost a lot of good habits on the basic sense of civilization and ethics. We deserve to be pessimistic because most of the youngest people do not act proving the contrary. There are exceptions, of course. But the amount of persons that do not care about anything is disturbing.

Yet then comes then question when people look for a mate to start a family that our in our society money is important. — ssu

:up: :sparkle:

Most romantic relationships stand and fall by the ability of the male to provide for economical stability, love has much less to do with any long term success. From an anthropologist's perspective it is a logical conclusion in the context of reproduction and safety of progeny. — Seeker

Agree :up:

To be honest, I even think love doesn’t exist or is just merely a state of mind where someone feels obsessed with a person. As you perfectly said, the romantic side of a relationship would disappear in long term. I like how you compare economical stability (inside relationships) with safety. Sadly, this principle is fading away in youngest generation.

Maybe if they put in extra hours every week in their training they'll get it done in less then 8 years. — HardWorker

It took you five months to answer @Cuthbert :eyes: you are a real patient person indeed.

I feel it’s my responsibility to try looking for the truth and see issues from all sides — praxis

:up: :sparkle:

we moved near the beach and really enjoyed using it a few times that year. Next year we used it once. This year we didn't use it at all. So rather than being satisfied, I am feeling kind of dissatisfied with that possession. Really I am dissatisfied with myself for not using it, or for not knowing better. — Pantagruel

Interesting. We all have had a similar experience as yours. I think this happens because of the transition of time. We are happy and satisfied when we acquired the new possession, but when we are used to see and enjoy it, the object itself becomes boring.
Paradoxically, it is worse if we decide to sell it or pass it on to another. We need to maintain it in our possession because otherwise we would suffer of nostalgia for not having the object anymore, despite if we don't even use it.

Unfortunately, being free seems to involve being free not to do what one ought to do. — unenlightened

:up: :sparkle:

No, self-confidence

We must accept our condition as sinners. — Agent Smith

:up: :sparkle:

I am not embarrassed about it

I see your point now. Yes, that’s true and I am agree. It’s automatic to have empathy with someone who is struggling.
My problem was a misunderstanding. I thought that you cannot have empathy with people if you understand them previously. But that’s a fallacy

Only good people go to heaven, — Agent Smith

Only bad people who have redeemed their sins go to the heaven :death: :eyes:

For sociopaths, no doubt. — 180 Proof

Who said otherwise? :cool:

I find empathy easier than understanding. — Tom Storm

Interesting! But how can we do it? I promise I am not kidding. I don’t see being empathetic as a fruitful or possible scenario. I only try to understand how the people act in society. For example: a drug addict. I could understand him/her of what is the cause for shooting heroin. But I wouldn’t be able to have empathy because I never experienced the fact of taking drugs.

Would it show a lack of integrity to not fact-check what Trump said? That depends on the nature of the individual or group reporting, what their principles are and what their audience's expectations are. — praxis

Good argument, indeed. Nevertheless, I have to admit that it is a very difficult issue to reach. I guess that's impossible. To be honest, we have to accept that most of the information has filters, simple. But that's not necessarily always bad. What I tried to argue is the fact that we "deserve" more transparency. How? I don't know... and this context, I am lacking of information or knowledge to keep arguing in this point but I really liked what you said.

Newspapers and News Networks are in business to make money and they will therefore cater to their audience. — praxis

This is the root of everything. They need money (millions) and rich politicians (as Trump) gives them a lot of money in order to make news just for some interests.

It's not clear if you mean that their right to free speech should be curtailed or if this is just wishful thinking, like casually saying that you don't think that people should lie — praxis

No, no. What I mean is in act of free speech, they should act objectively. If we know some information or news is "thanks" to them who provide us all the "breaking news". But... sometimes I feel they have the "duty" of lying...
I mean, it looks like that's the real nature of journalism.

BUT, I am agree with you that I should not have prejudices. It is true that there are some good journalists but they don't have so much power like the big ones.

There isnt anything difficult about it, it is actually quite simple, either it is there or it is not. — Seeker

Our task could be understanding but not empathy. I don’t see it as simplistic. One of the main complex issues in the relations between people is the fact that we don’t understand us pretty well.

It seems, at the very least, that poetic meaning is open — Moliere

:up: :100:

Poems are an artistic representation of ourselves through words. I enjoyed reading the poem of the picture of your OP. I interpret it as the beautiful essence of a normal day. Where everything happens as is used to be. Fortunately, there is nothing what can disturb our serene day.

Verses make different emotions on people. I am against all of those who are rigid towards interpreting a poem. There isn’t anyone clever than other in terms of experiencing poetry. I want share another poem with you:

[He] said:
“the sea used to come here”
And and [he] put more wood on the fire. Ozaki Hōsai.

This haiku poem gives me nostalgia because the author is missing something that is no longer with him: the sea.

has to truly resonate from within each individual and it has to start with empathy rather than rationality — Seeker

Understandable. But the example you provided is based on pure mechanism of human’s survival. The consume of meat is not meaningless. We literally need it because it has proteins and other compositions which help us to keep a healthy lifestyle.
Empathy is very complex to put in action. I don’t even have in mind any possible example. It is difficult because it is impossible to put us in somebody else's place.

when the authors of the Declaration of Independance wrote that "all men are created equal" they were talking about white men, not women nor black people — Matias

What you've written makes sense. I do think many of our country's founders were aware of the ambiguity and hypocrisy. — T Clark

Interesting :up: :sparkle:

You said:

That has nothing to do with the integrity of the press. Indeed, Trump is suing CNN because they frequently reported on his lies, particularly his Big Lie. — praxis

You mixed up integrity with the fact that CNN frequently reported Donald’s Trump Big Lie.

Should they be forced to do otherwise? — praxis

Yes. I still think media should be impartial, objective and avoid persuading people.

I did not say whether or not frequently reporting on Trump’s lies was a good thing. — praxis

Our debate started because you said I cannot prove with facts or arguments that media tend to manipulate us in order to get some benefits for some. Nevertheless, you defended that there are some media that act with integrity. Then, you put CNN reporting Donald Trump’s lies as an example.

You are using CNN as an example of integrity. OK, we can be agree here that they are trying to uncovering the lies of Trump. But… what about Fox News? They are always be a media support Donald Trump. So here is when the problem begins. Who is saying the truth? Who is acting with integrity? A trump supporter would say “CNN is lying to us” meanwhile you, that don’t like Donald Trump, say that CNN is good press because they are uncovering all Donald Trump’s shit.
Nevertheless, what are the real interests of doing so? Open the eyes of the American population or just to wreck his political influence?

UK PM Liz Truss joins first meeting of new ‘club of European nations’

Initially sceptical

Ms Truss’ decision to attend today came as something of a surprise when announced last week, as she was initially sceptical about the idea of an EPC.

She said in July that there were too many organisations in Europe and that existing bodies should instead be made more effective.

Her Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has also said more recently that the UK does not need“to be a member of more institutions in the European sphere”.

She is even more Eurosceptical than Boris Johnson.

The British government also reportedly asked that the name be changed to the ‘European Political Forum’ – possibly to avoid associations with the ‘European Community’, an earlier name of the EU – but other European governments appear to prefer the term ‘community’. :yikes:

They just use their influence. Being a powerful politician is intimidatory.

I shared with you an article about "Dreyfuss case" but I guess you didn't read it or didn't understand it because that article explains very well how powerful groups use press and journalists but I going to use another example and try to convince you.

The 1991 Gulf War and the following Iraq crisis is a perfect example. This conflict started because of the war between Iraq and Kuwait, right? Well it turned up everything in a more complex issue. Don't you remember the fallacy of "Iraq holds nuke weapons"? Why there was an interest in such lie?
The powerful members of NATO needed to use a fallacy, through journalists and newspapers, to the intervention in Iraq. "News World Order" was the title of another program in the series; it focused on the media's complicity in promoting the war, as well as Americans' reactions to the media coverage.

Years later in 2003:

Despite this lack of physical evidence, on 19th March 2003 President Bush announced the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, informing the public that the Iraq Regime threatened peace with weapons of mass murder.
Of course, the US and its allies never found WMD’s. Speaking before the World Affairs Council in 2006, Bush stated that he “fully understood that the intelligence was wrong, and [he was] just as disappointed as everybody else" when U.S. troops failed to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq

Link and facts: Bush, The Media & Misinformation Surrounding the Iraq War

Dumb Christians read Jesus like a peace-and-love hippie. He was (is?) terrifying — Moses

:yikes:

Well it is always free upon the people to interpret the image or Jesus Christ. This prophet was always been a figure with a lot of controversial debates (some even doubt about his own existence).
What we should interpret or understand the figure of Jesus is subject of another thread indeed!

The cost of freedom is evil. — Agent Smith

:up: :sparkle:

I am not defaming "Breitbart" on a public forum (I don't even know who is he). What I intended to argue is the fact that news are a very powerful political lobby. They can help you to reach the top or destroy your career.
I understand that there could be transparent journalists but they don't tend to work in big media as CNN, NY Times, BBC, etc...

Shouldn’t news networks be allowed the freedom that you have? — praxis

Absolutely. But... are they really free? We the citizens end up receiving the "real" freedom thanks to their "independence"

With despair, true optimism begins: the optimism of the man who expects nothing, who knows he has no rights and nothing coming to him, who rejoices in counting on himself alone and in acting alone for the good of all — 180 Proof

:up: :100: :sparkle:

You would be surprised at the amount a good pimp will pay for clothes for his hoes. — Merkwurdichliebe

:up: :sparkle:

They invest in show their products in the storefront.

I sometimes remember things which in actuality happened at a different time, happened to different people, happened elsewhere, happened in a different way, or never happened at all. — Tom Storm

I experience the same sometimes. It is weird because I even have memories of people I don’t even met in my life but somehow they are allocated in my awareness. It is a strange feeling. Whenever I have nightmares, I experience the same… it appears places and people that I am not really sure if I ever been with them.

. You seem to be suggesting that a far-right party controls Breitbart. Who would that be exactly and how do they enforce their control? — praxis

Every political group needs to be heard by the population. It is not the same if I express myself in the streets rather than spread all my speech in news and media which catch up millions and millions of citizens. Every clever politician controls a newspaper or journalists to control all the citizens.
You asked "who" are they exactly and how they do it. It is very difficult to know because those powerful groups tend to act in the shadows or as a "ghost writers"

For example: Nazi Germany is well known as a good example of spreading propaganda about Hitler. But... Hitler himself was not the main responsible for these actions. It was Goebbles. This Nazi politician was "Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda"
Why he did that? Because he understood they only way of maintaining III Reich and going to war was manipulating the people. As much as we know it today.

I recommend you to read this: Dreyfus affair. One of the main examples of fake news and manipulation by the press and journalists.

Here is a link to a compass website:https://www.compassonline.org.uk/about/our-story/
I include it just so you can perhaps read the brief contents of the 'our story' first page. — universeness

Thanks for sharing it with me. Very interesting :up:

'what are your biggest priorities/concerns?' and 'What common ground can we occupy to help change things for the better?' I fully support this approach. — universeness

It seems they really care about people and not maintaining the status quo. I wish them the best. These are the public representatives we truly deserve. Someone who ask us how to make the things better. It looks like the citizenship can take more part in it.

A group called Compass in the UK is making some strong in-roads at the moment. Another group called momentum is also still doing very well. — universeness

So interesting! Are they capable to finish the bilateral system?

Spain doesn't have a wealthy elite? — frank

Not as other countries such as Japan or USA. Yes we have an elite but these are only bourgeois persons whose rents come from king's favours or Fraco's era.