My band director called me today.

[TubaRay]

Possibly the longest troll I've ever bothered to read. And, total crap.

Reminds me of outcome-based education...nothing's actually correct, 2+2=5 if you feel good about it, grades are merely a subjective way of putting a value on how one person (the teacher) views your work. Baloney...that stuff is worthless in a real world filled with competition.

I particularly like your example of the car changing lanes and cutting me off...you're right, I shouldn't think he's wrong...that's just my unreasonable expectations that the person in front of me should have checked his mirrors and over the shoulder before swerving into me. I'll be sure and tell the officer that one next time I get pulled over for a moving violation. Sheesh.

Then again, I might just think I'm right. I'm an asshole that way. Whoops, got you...you think I'm an asshole! Must be you...

My expectation, Todd, is that you and I could be friends. Some of this post left me just muttering to myself. I guess that belongs in one part of the triangle. To me, it sounds like some kind of lunch meat. This, in fact, can be found in your post.

[PWtuba]

I have all of life's answers.

[MileMarkerZero]

I have all of life's answers.

I can't believe I actually kept readng this after seeing that little butt-nugget...

[TubaRay]

I have all of life's answers.

I can't believe I actually kept readng this after seeing that little butt-nugget...

Ah, MileMarkerZero, these are often among the most interesting. By the way, I like the B.S. Meter. The meter would be unable to register the level of B.S. in your quote, however.

[Todd S. Malicoate]

Well, at least you have the stones to come back and defend your views. I'll give you a great deal of credit for that.

I do disagree with your views...I find them to be incredibly naive. You seem to argue that one's own perception of the world is more important that the reality of it. There is evil in the world, and evil people, a person's own opinion of that evil notwithstanding. How would you apply your view to, say, a mass murderer such as the shooter at Virginia Tech? Was he "wrong", or is it just the rest of us being so "right" that makes him wrong? It's a little harder to see your point of view when pushed to such a drastic edge.

Ironically, Todd's response only proves so much of my first post. Granted, it's accomplished through ignorance and a life view that's clearly filled with anger, but thank you for the illustration.

Glad I could help, but you should understand that you weaken your position when you call your opponent "ignorant" and comment on the content of their character (especially when you don't even know them!). I commented on the content of your post, not you personally.

Me? Household income WELL into 6 figures. Great marriage, beautiful child. Great car, beautiful home, great collection of horns. Great friends. Great relationships with all of my family. I live a fulfilled, happy life. But, yeah, I must be WAY off. What the hell do I know? I've got NO basis for anything.

Hyperbole is another weak debating technique. And nobody cares how much money you make or how much stuff you have, unless you are claiming that your life answers are the reason for all that. I'll bet you're not.

Again, thanks for coming back and clarifying your points. I hope we can debate this topic without resorting to name-calling gutter tactics.

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot to ask...you talk quite a bit about no one making a counter-argument, but I can't tell from your original post what you're suggesting the OP actually DO. Can you be more clear about that?

[Uncle Buck]

My original response was a little off. I think you have a lot more in common with this guy.

[Rick Denney]

Me? Household income WELL into 6 figures. Great marriage, beautiful child. Great car, beautiful home, great collection of horns. Great friends. Great relationships with all of my family. I live a fulfilled, happy life. But, yeah, I must be WAY off. What the hell do I know? I've got NO basis for anything.

You're the experts, after all. How you doin'?

I'm glad you aren't above a little anger of your own. Even if it is suppressed. There's a term for that, by the way: Passive-aggressive.

I don't personally recommend it.

I often get angry when I see things being done wrong. Yes, they violate my expectations of how things should be. Without such anger, however, nothing changes for the better. Personal peace and affluence is a poor motivator for improvement.

My household income is also well into six figures, and I also have a great marriage with a woman beyond what I deserve. No children, alas, but not for reasons relevant to this discussion. Great car, beautiful home, great collection of horns. Great friends. Great relationships--yup all the things you brag about (and use, passive-aggressively, as justification for your world view). I'm doin' great; thanks for asking.

When Jesus threw out the money-changers from the temple, he demonstrated that anger does have a positive role, even if we often let it rule us. We often let other emotions rule us, too, even if those emotions don't particularly bother people.

People these days seem hyper-critical of anger, and yet the practical result of all this emphasis of being "nice" (rather than being "true", "right", "principled", "firm in convictions"--whatever), is that people are angrier than ever. But having been taught that anger is their fault, they have lost the ability to express anger positively, and resort to physical abuse or name-calling--or suppression. But it's the physical abuse and name-calling and passive-aggressive behavior I don't like, and I think anger gets a bad rap.

I once taught a class in an upper midwestern state, where being "nice" and suppressing anger is part of the culture. In the final session, we asked for the opinions of the students. They provided nothing but warm, glowing praise, and clearly wanted us to treat them like friends. Then, they wrote some of the nastiest comments I've ever seen in their written (and unqualified and anonymous) evaluations, absolutely undermining any desire to be friends. I would much rather see the reverse, and the reverse has a much better likelihood of causing improvement and building honest relationships. I know your objective is to not feel anger in the first place, but I submit that since Adam and Eve bit into the apple, the knowledge of sin and and desire to express it has been the inescapable result.

Rick "always leery of using worldly results to justify spiritual points of view" Denney

[gwwilk]

[TubaRay]

I'm with you on this one, Wade. I know I don't have all the answers in my life, much less everyone else's. Furthermore, I believe there are some absolutes in life. So I will watch this thread with some interest. Let's see where it goes. This thread has failed to make me angry, so far. Maybe later....

[Rick Denney]

Furthermore, I believe there are some absolutes in life.

As you know, that will get you in big trouble, these days.

Rick "absolutely sure of that" Denney

[sloan]

I have all of life's answers.

But...can you match them up with all of life's questions?

[sloan]

Furthermore, I believe there are some absolutes in life.

As you know, that will get you in big trouble, these days.

Rick "absolutely sure of that" Denney

There can be no negatives in your life if you have absolute values.

[lgb&dtuba]

I have all of life's answers.

42

[Nick Pierce]

I have all of life's answers.

But...can you match them up with all of life's questions?

I like that. Is there a wittiness contest here I can nominate you for?

[Matt G]

We are language.

Language is the primary means by which we communicate what we feel and think to others.

By this statement, I am willing to guess you possess an intelligence quotient of 95. Read some Wittgenstein to figure out what language really is.

[Mark]

When a band director calls... He could be in the house with you. Run for the front door screaming and don't stop to save your tuba!

[sloan]

We are language.

Language is the primary means by which we communicate what we feel and think to others.

By this statement, I am willing to guess you possess an intelligence quotient of 95. Read some Wittgenstein to figure out what language really is.

Wie würde Wittgenstein wissen?

[PWtuba]

I have all of life's answers.

42

Just a clarification. I did not write that.

Didn't want any confusion.

[SplatterTone]

I like that. Is there a wittiness contest here I can nominate you for?

Hallelujah! I HAVE A WITTINESS!!

[lgb&dtuba]

I have all of life's answers.

42

Just a clarification. I did not write that.

Didn't want any confusion.

Quite correct, sir. VoiceofReason did and I have corrected my post accordingly. I quoted a quote that had it wrong.

My apologies to you.