by: Steve Gillman
Watching the news the other day, it occurred to me that people who have "words to live by" often begin to attack and even kill others. I thought back to my own angry youth, when I could easily use words to justify violent thoughts which might have become violent actions. Words are tools, and yet it seems that they can be more dangerous than gunpowder.
Imagine two men facing each other, pointing past one another. One is pointing at a tornado that is coming, and the other at a raging fire headed towards them. Each sees their own truth and is angry at the sight of the other's hand. Each feels that the other's hand is "wrong." This may seem silly, but replace the tornado and fire with any modern issues, and the hands with words, and this scene describes how we often try to communicate.
We point past each other with our words, arguing as though we are looking at the same facts and experiences. We want to prove our words are the right ones, instead of learning to look at what the other's words are pointing at. Words are seductive, and for all their undeniable usefulness, they also can lead us away from understanding when we focus on them, when we make them more important than the truth they are meant to point at.
There Are No Words To Live By
This isn't just about communication with others. We focus on, and get trapped in a net of words that we use to explain the world to ourselves. We call things "right" or "wrong" for example, according to how they compare to our "definitions." Unlike mathematics, though, word formulas and definitions can never be so precise. They can never encompass the whole truth of reality. For example, with the least effort, you can create a circumstance where "stealing" would be right, and "helping" someone wrong.
This isn't an argument against using language or logic. It is just that both only go so far. Like a car that takes you across the country or world, they are useful, but like a car, they are only useful in certain ways, and you have to get out of them when you arrive at your various destinations. Taking a car to the lake isn't a problem, but taking it into the lake is. This is what we do when our words and logic take us to dangerous situations.
Can having words to live by be dangerous, though? Absolutely. I once heard an otherwise compassionate person say he was against animal cruelty laws because he couldn't find a logical and defensible set of words to defend them. If he saw a new machine, would he refuse to believe it existed until he could explain it and describe it? Reality, and the reality of right and wrong exist outside of words - they are not the words themselves.
I watched a man say on the evening news that we have the right to drop a nuclear bomb on Iraq, and that we should. As he explained why, you could see that whatever compassionate impulses he had, they were over-ruled by his total allegiance to his words, logic, and where these take him. It never occurred to him that maybe there is truth outside of his words and logic.
It's great to have guidelines, like "don't lie," or "we have the right to defend ourselves." It is even better to remember that these rules will someday fail us, and we will have to make new ones. Words are just tools. There are words to die by, but there are no words to live by.
About The Author
Steve Gillman has been exploring new ideas for decades. Visit his site for invention ideas, business ideas, story ideas, political and economic theories, deep thoughts, and more. Get a free gift too: http://www.999ideas.com.
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Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
by: Dakota Caudilla
Sailing or boating may seem a little overwhelming, what with the high level of technical elements involved in the sport. For example, there are things like "charts", "mainsails" and "tillers" to learn about. Whether you choose a small boat or a catamaran, whether you choose lake or ocean sailing, there are a number of things you need to master before you can start enjoying the pure pleasure of being on the water.
Getting the sailing skills you need to start sailing your own boat is easy if you just sign up with a sailing school. You can learn to sail at any age. There are no restrictions. The best schools and instructors will teach you all you need to know about sailing in a friendly and non-threatening manner.
As with all sports, sailing will get you into contact with new friends. There's a closeness that develops out at sea, however, that not many other sports have. You...
Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
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The Benefit of a GPS System
The Benefit of a GPS System
by: Donald Buske
What benefit will you get from GPS?
Global Positioning System is a navigational aid, funded and controlled by the U.S.
Department of Defense. Since GPS systems utilize 24 satellites that orbit the earth
in a grid pattern, there are always six to eight satellites that are able to
communicate with any given position on earth at any given time. What this does is
give the average consumer the power to find any place on earth at any time day or
night. Just think of the benefits this provides for a wide variety of the public.
Some of the benefits we might receive from GPS are:
Fuel economy: If you want to maximize your fuel economy you'll need a good
GPS system. Saving money at the pump as well as wear and tear on your vehicle
should be one of the main reasons why you would want a good GPS system in your
vehicle. Accurate driving directions not only will...
The Benefit of a GPS System
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Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
by: Dakota Caudilla
Sailing or boating may seem a little overwhelming, what with the high level of technical elements involved in the sport. For example, there are things like "charts", "mainsails" and "tillers" to learn about. Whether you choose a small boat or a catamaran, whether you choose lake or ocean sailing, there are a number of things you need to master before you can start enjoying the pure pleasure of being on the water.
Getting the sailing skills you need to start sailing your own boat is easy if you just sign up with a sailing school. You can learn to sail at any age. There are no restrictions. The best schools and instructors will teach you all you need to know about sailing in a friendly and non-threatening manner.
As with all sports, sailing will get you into contact with new friends. There's a closeness that develops out at sea, however, that not many other sports have. You...
Water Sports For Physical And Mental Health
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YEEEEEHAAAAW!!!! Our High and Low Speed Adventures at Boggy Creek Airboat Tours and Swamp Buggy Rides
YEEEEEHAAAAW!!!! Our High and Low Speed Adventures at Boggy Creek Airboat Tours and Swamp Buggy Rides
by: Susanne Pacher
After my rather quaint and leisurely scenic boat ride through Winter Park, a rather different boating experience was in store for me: a high speed airboat ride through Lake Tohopekaliga, provided by Boggy Creek Airboat Rides.
We got started early in the morning and took the first tour out. The temperature must have been about 45 degrees Fahrenheit or so, and in wise anticpation we both wore our Canadian winter jackets. Good thing, because it gets pretty darn cold zooming along at high speed on the airboats.
We were the first ride out of the gate, and fortunately we were provided with white blankets which kept us reasonably warm. Off we went on our 6-passenger airboat, exploring the coastline of Lake Tohopekaliga, getting a glimpse at various types of wetland birds, including bald eagles, ospreys, egrets and cranes...
YEEEEEHAAAAW!!!! Our High and Low Speed Adventures at Boggy Creek Airboat Tours and Swamp Buggy Rides
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How To Write Poetry
How To Write Poetry
by: Steve Gillman
If you want to know how to write poetry, the first thing you have to do is write some. It doesn't matter how it turns out. Your own mistakes will become your teachers. Your own writing will motivate you to greater creativity. Now, once you start the process, how do you improve it? Here are three tips.
1. Use nouns and verbs more than adjectives. Which is stronger: "She was as beautiful as a flower..." or "Roses wilted in shame as she passed by..."? "He looked at the depressing clouds..." or "He watched as dark clouds moved in, covering his sky..."?
2. Don't tell the reader how to feel. Let the words elicit the emotions directly, without explaining. "The tragedy touched them all," is more touching to the reader as "Men and women, doctor and workman... thirteen people looked upon the scene... with tears in their eyes."
3. Use dramatic and emotional words. Not all words are equal in their ability...
How To Write Poetry
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Srinagar? City of Dal Lake
Srinagar? City of Dal Lake
by: Aadil Mukhtar
If you've longed for the delights of a houseboat holiday, now is the time to try one out.
Srinagar is a unique city because of its lakes - the Dal, Nigeen and Anchar. The River Jehlum also flows through a part of the city.
The Dal, Srinagar's largest lake, has the most number of houseboats, followed by the Nigeen and the Jehlum.
As a general rule, houseboats in the Dal are of all categories, from deluxe through to D class, while those in the Nigeen are largely luxury class and those in the Jehlum largely economy class. This, however, is a generalization.
Most houseboats on the Nigeen and the Jehlum are situated on the banks of the lake, and can be accessed directly from land without the help of a shikara, while all those on the Dal require a shikara to get to and from them.
Most houseboats on the Dal are situated in long straggling rows; some face the Boulevard, Srinagar's most...
Srinagar? City of Dal Lake
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Do You Really Need A Fishing Guide?
Do You Really Need A Fishing Guide?
by: Dan Farrell
"Do I really need a guide?" is one of the most frequently asked questions from anglers going on their first fishing trip to a remote lake. It's impossible to accurately answer that question with a "yes" or a "no", but we can give you the information you need to know to answer the question yourself.
Guides can frequently be worth having as long as you know just exactly what you're getting.
For example, hiring a guide is no guarantee that you're going to catch a ton of trophy fish. The guide will take you to the places known to have fish, but catching them is still up to you.
If you don't know what you're doing, the guide can only help you so much. But, that said, if that's the case, a guide may be well worth it to you.
Since you will be arriving at a lake you've never been on before, and you only have a few days to catch fish... a guide can really be a big help. Without a guide,...
Do You Really Need A Fishing Guide?
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Words To Live By? shoes Lake tahoe
Lunchbox or Handbag?
Lunchbox or Handbag?
by: Cathy Feldman
I spend a lot of time out on the town. I have spent countless afternoons shopping for the latest fashions. I have covered mile upon mile of New York City on foot searching for the perfect shoes. I have partied into the wee hours of morning far too many times for my own good. When I am out and about, I happen to see a lot of people. I hate to admit it, but I have always paid attention to the clothes people wear and the...
Words To Live By? purses Lunchbox or Handbag? Lake tahoe
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Munro Sandals for Summer 2005
Munro Sandals for Summer 2005
by: Jeff Lakie
Munro shoes offer unbeatable comfort and value. Made in America, their sandals come in an astounding variety of fashionable colours and textiles, sure to suit your every mood. Flip-flops and mules are still popular this season, but Munro has introduced a wonderful collection of that old summer favourite, the sandal.
There is a whole host of different varieties of Munro Shoes from which to choose. If you're...
Munro Sandals for Summer 2005 Words To Live By? shoes Lake tahoe
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Now You Can Control Your Allergies
Now You Can Control Your Allergies
by: Juliette Pickup
Allergies of various types make millions of people's lives miserable everyday and the allergies control at least some aspects of the sufferer's lives. This is unnecessary since measures can be taken to keep your allergies under control. There are different types of allergies, determined by what causes the allergy. The most well known allergies are dust mite allergy, mold allergy, hay fever or pollen allergy...
vacuum cleaners Words To Live By? Now You Can Control Your Allergies Lake tahoe
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Relacore: Stress Buster or Fat Buster?
Relacore: Stress Buster or Fat Buster?
by: Peter Bracato
There has been a great amount of research confirming the link between anxiety and surplus belly fat. Elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol may contribute to this increased abdominal layer. As a result of these research conclusions many breakthrough products have appeared with claims to elevate your mood and slim your figure. Who can blame the estimated 47 million Americans who would try anything...
Words To Live By? flower
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