Onah

[H2O Man]

"We must seek out spiritual people because only that is going to help us survive. We have a great force -- a great brotherhood. This brotherhood involves all living things.And that, of course, includes us all. We are talking about the natural world, the natural force, all the trees, everything that grows, the water. That is part of our force.

"But when you gather spiritual force in one place, you also gather the negative force. We begin to perceive the enemy now, the power and presence of the negative force.

"There is a great battle coming."
-- Onondaga Chief Oren Lyons

As I read DU:GD lately, I am reminded of this quote from Oren. It's from the 1980s. But I think that it holds equally true today.
There are good people who participate on this forum that might find the quote to be offensive. For example, many intelligent people are not religious, and may not consider themselves to be spiritual. Yet they almost certainly share many of the same values as Oren, which he defines as spiritual. Values such as respect for the environment, treating people with respect, and having compassion for those who are suffering.

Still others may take offense to the use of the word "brotherhood." I have a couple "live" recordings of John Lennon performing his song "Imagine," where he added "sisterhood" to the line about "a brotherhood of man."

It would be easy for me to dismiss some of the nonsense in the on-going "battle of the sexists" on DU:GD as simply being the product of bitterness. Certainly, the hostility we witness here all too frequently is the power and presence of the negative force. Yet, if I simply dismiss the concerns of that segment of the DU community, or make mean-spirited replies, then I, too, am adding to that force.

There are about a half-dozen people here who, for many years, I had at least a casual internet friendship with. I opt to avoid speaking with them these days, because I think they have betrayed what little sense of trust I consider necessary for such internet friendships. Without doubt, they feel the same about me.

Still, I do not question either the sincerity of their agenda, nor do I think they should be limited in their ability to promote their beliefs. It is what it is.

At risk of sounding a bit preachy here, I would suggest that others consider how they respond to others here, whom they may strongly disagree with. It may be that doing so could reduce some of the meaningless quarrels that have been taking up quite a lot of space here lately.

Peace,
H2O Man

[monmouth3]

1. "Trash this Thread" is a wonderful tool. Saves the BP from rising, etc...n/t

[H2O Man]

3. That's a good option.

I haven't used it, or put anyone on "ignore." But I think those are useful options.

There are a few DUers who I simply ignore, though.

[Autumn]

2. As always H2O Man you bring out the heart of the matter with your words.

Thank you.

[H2O Man]

4. Well, thank you!

I appreciate your kind words.

[Beringia]

5. I have not

participated in these "young girls in bikinis" threads, but I do appreciate the energy that goes into them from the woman's side. Though there may be some hypocrisy, I don't think it has to do with prudery as some people claim. I do think some males are using the topic to take over the "pool hall", or the venue here and are insensitive about the issues discussed. I also think some of the women in the forefront of the arguing are kind of like the person at the front who takes on the group of bullies, who would otherwise feel it is okay to say whatever they want to say. So in a way, those women at the forefront create a safer environment, because they make their presence felt.

[H2O Man]

7. Very interesting.

Your perception is different than mine, but I know it is just as valid as mine. That's the advantage that DU offers all of us, each and every day: we can be exposed to different ways of viewing all types of things. And not take those differences as some type of personal insult -- or see issues in such stark black and white contexts that we can't identify the truth in other people's beliefs.

As always, I really appreciate that you take the time to read and respond to my posts here. I absolutely enjoy the opportunity to talk with you. Thanks!

[FourScore]

6. Emotions can run high.

I posted something yesterday which was removed by jury. The jury decision was the right one, and I felt so ashamed of myself after it happened. It was the first time in the 10 years I have been here that something I wrote was removed.

I decided to try it again, but this time I wrote a more thoughtful piece. It struggles to be seen, with less than a thousand views, and very few people are posting on it. During the day, as it was dropping like a stone while more inflammatory posts thrived, I switched the title to "MORE T&A!!!" and view count went up by 100 people within 35 minutes. I switched it back to it's boring title of "It's so much more complex..." I'm more comfortable with that.

I love your posts H2O Man. I would be heartbroken if I have ever offended you.

Peace.
FourScore

[H2O Man]

8. Not that you ever

would .....but you could not offend me if you tried! For you have long been one of my favorite friends on this forum.

It can be hard to be patient with people. More, it can be most difficult to be patient with ourselves. But it is essential, for we all make mistakes, including some of the things we post on this forum.

If you just had something zapped, for the first time in a decade of participation, then you've set the bar pretty darned high. That's far more important than having one thing removed.

Keep up your good work!
Your friend,
Patrick

[FourScore]

9. Thank you. What a wonderful post to wake up to!