I find pessimism illogical (if not factually erroneous) except in specific unusual circumstances where that individual's experiences make at least somewhat (albeit still egocentrically) sensible to hold a pathetic view of reality.
The problem is, in certain cultures humans are more or less...
Language is so huge.
Not just how terms and concepts are articulated but the very structure of a language itself. A language that genders everything creates for itself more significance for this idea than one that doesn't. A language that has personhood baked into referencing all beings (not...
Yeah, and there will be a lot of collateral. But, taking a step back and being less anthropocentric about it, it's not like mass extinction events haven't happened before. And they will happen again. When nature is the entire universe, I'm pretty confident saying beyond any reasonable doubt...
If you want to be cynical about the power of the Spirits of Technology and Science, as well as the Spirits whose essence was borrowed to make something as magical as sunscreen, go you, I guess. I find it pretty awesome.
Yeah, kind of - though I'm not sure I'd frame this in a way that suggests humans are somehow not nature. Humans are nature. They came from the gods and they are gods in their own right. And like all things, they have their place. Acting beyond one's domain can have interesting consequences...
*laughs*
Yes, one is certainly welcome to shoot oneself in one's own foot and spit into the wind, I suppose. I don't recommend it such futilities.
In any case, nature-based and indigenous religions like my own don't really look at things hierarchically to begin with. It's...
Reacting against or conflicting with one's environment is still being subject to the power of one's surroundings in terms of who and what one becomes. It's true the example I gave was one of environment being complementary to who I became, but the opposite has also happened. In either case it...
I mean, to me it's not a question of "should" as that implies there's actually a choice in the matter. Humans are subservient to the gods, by matter of fact. If I stay outside in Sun for too long at certain times of year without protection, Sun will inflict sunburn on me. If I step outside...
I'd say neither - the vast majority of our lives are dictated not by internal beliefs at all, but by the tangible things that surround us in our environment. I can very clearly point at the things in my environment that opened doors to Paganism - the fact that I grew up in the woods playing in...
This isn't quite how I would frame things, but dependency on the greater-than-human world is very much acknowledged on some religious traditions, particularly those who lean indigenous or nature-based. So too is interdependency - things give and take. All are understood as partaking in the...
Just the usual - cook it up, fork it into a bowl, add some butter, some seasoning salt, and some grated parmesan. I was out of the parmesan and had to make a trip to get more. Ever since having proper parmesan I can't stand the... I'm not sure what that is that they serve unrefrigerated on...
I think that such talk is overblown - that conversation needs to be about the issue of domestic terrorism instead. On a nonviolent front, there are also conversations to be had about the impact of misogyny on domestic and public life. It's bizarrely self-sabotaging.
I've been speaking about forced birth as a form of slavery for some time... because it is. It helps account for the divide between black and white Christians on the matter - blacks understand that forced birth is a form of slavery more immediately than whites for obvious historical reasons...
Just have to avoid working with humans. Most humans in modern Western culture don't recognize non-humans as persons or as having any legal standing whatsoever, so if you get help from non-human organisms and do not involve a human you're fine. There are many non-humans to choose from who are...
That's quite the list. Too extensive too comment on specifically and some of it I don't really know what it means because I'm not part of their culture or tradition. In any case, I respect the right of each culture to maintain its sovereignty. As an outsider it is not my place to tell them...
Yeah, but why does any of that actually matter when it comes to the roots of people's very identities and ways of life (aka, the mythos of religions)? It strikes me as super weird to expect something so personal to be subjected to such... impersonal and almost robotically inhuman assessments...
What are some reasons why one would apply a uniform standard? What are some reasons why one wouldn't? Just thinking it might be interesting to brainstorm that.
I suppose I find the notion that humans would aspire to or hold such a standard to be a bit weird since that's just not what happens...
I feel the need to leave the words of Karen Armstrong here:
From - http://worldwisdom.com/public/viewpdf/default.aspx?article-title=Faith_and_Modernity_by_Karen_Armstrong.pdf
Yeah, I noticed that. Same deal with Kami - gods, in Japanese religion (Shinto). Then, various "nature spirits" (Kami, for example) in other tradition are considered subjects of worship and reverence (aka, gods) too. Demons too. Anything can be worshiped and considered a god or deity. There...