Well, folks I'll address everything new in a minute, but I have to bring up a new topic.
Quote:
JosephM 02-13-2003 06:20 AM
Everyone will overcome the loss. It's life. Just keep hope that there is a better place out there beyond the physical world.
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Yes, I agree that people overcome loss as you said, but what the hell. Do we really need to perpetuate this archaic mythology that there's an afterlife? Isn't it enough to be a good person in this life and see that for its own rewards? I look forward to seeing your responses.
Now for old news:
A Snotdgrass:
How does trading one life for another make a difference? You're just substituting your known quantitative value for someone else's unknown quantitative value. Yes, I understand RISKING your life--that makes perfect sense, but I'm speaking specifically of all out sacrifice (or odds so close as to make it the same).
I understand courage and bravery, but there is definately a fine line between that and martyrdom, and that line is where there is no positive benefit from taking such a course of action. I don't see how -1+1 is any different than 1-1. There is still no net effect, and thus you are accomplishing nothing. Yes, our emergency services risk thier lives, but do they sacrifice them? I'd hope our best and brightest would think through a little more if they KNEW they were going to die.
Sean330: (Hey, I saw your team at regionals last year
)
Anyway, again, you'r RISKING, not SACRIFICING your life. Yes, risking your life is heroic, but dying is no more heroic--in fact its exactly as heroic--you're just dead. I admire your bravery and courage to go out every day (or however many days you work--I know a lot of emegency service people work 3-16 hour shifts, 4-12 hour shifts, and crazy stuff like that a week), you're taking a calculated risk, but there's no guarantee that you'll die, and a very high chance that you'll save at least one life.
And please, NEVER lay your life down before mine--while I would be able to bear it on my conscience, I'd be forever harassed for not visiting your grave every year. If you lay down your life for me and another person, okay. I respect your analysis that no life is more valuable than another, so I can't see how an exchange is anything more than a kind gesture to a random stranger. Does it make you a good person? Yes. Does it make you a hero? I would say no, but many would. Again, the reason I say not is because your original set out goal had no net positive impact. True, it had a positive impact for saving a life, but it also has an equally negative effect of taking your life away. I refrain: 1-1=-1+1. Really well spoken post, by the way.
Doanie8: I believe that us all coming from different circumstances makes us able to come to better conclusions on our own. The more voices that speak, the more ironing out that can be done in thot processies, the more new ideas can be brought to light. As I observed at a diversity training course once: the problems submitted were only solvable by the fact that everyone there came from a different background. And although I try not to disrespect others' beliefs, I sometimes do by accident (my inner thoughts are quite a bit ruder--and less accurate or considerate than my outward ones), or say something that can be interpreted as such. I apologize for having done so in the past, and my inevitable repitition of the disrespect.
Again, in general, these people aren't morons if they're saving more lives than they're losing. I never even
inferred that. I made perfect clarification that I meant in a one for one case. And for that matter, how come FAK never gets any flak? His wordage is by no means as clear.
PsiMatt: Your poems don't reall apply. I see no incredible risk to speaking out against the execution of others. In fact, I remember lots on the history channel about people who joined WWII to fight specifically to stop the haulocoust(sp?), and they weren't sacrificing thier lives--they were only risking them. Again, clear defined line. BIG difference between giving up and risking life. And it's not like I don't care--there's just nothing I can do about it. I'm not going to sit and sulk about every person who ever died every moment of my life--that's counter productive. Again: IF I CAN DO NOTHING, I WILL TRY NOT TO WORRY. Not giving up my one life for another person's one life doesn't make me uncompassionate--it makes me a person who has a mythodical and ordered sense of logic and reasoning. Again, setting out to accomplish nothing is niether noble nor courageous (although it might be brave).
As the flavor text on one of my favorite Magic cards reads:
Urza convinced many Dominarians not only to set aside their differences, but embrace them. (Bonus points to anyone who can name that card.)