"the weak live to feed the strong"

[The Black Whirlwind]

post your thoughts.

 

[Scuba Pete]

In raw nature: Yes.

In a civilised society: No.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

My favorite quote about strength... "There is no greater strength than gentleness."

If gentle people are the strongest, no way will anyone be feeding off of anyone else.

 

[michel]

My favorite quote about strength... "There is no greater strength than gentleness."

If gentle people are the strongest, no way will anyone be feeding off of anyone else.

I either get ' You've given out too much.....' or 'You must spread.....' Grrr I can't win!!
That is lovely, Feathers, and so true.

 

[Scuba Pete]

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

[Druidus]

Not necessarily in nature, NetDoc. Remember, the Russians came up with a parallel theory to natural selection that focused on cooperation between members of the same species. It has been seen in some species.

Even in civilized society, however, the weak feed the strong. Ever heard of wage slavery? The global population of the poor can attest to the strong feeding off of them.

 

[Scuba Pete]

Druidus,

I guess it depends on what your goals are. If your goals are to earn as much money as you possibly can then sure. If your goal is to LOVE as much as you can, then no.

Matthew 20:25 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

 

[Druidus]

Yes, but if you look at the priorities of any being you see that love comes above safety:

To be safe, you will need money, in human society. Thus, it is important to gain money, to be secure in meeting your physiological needs, therefore allowing yourself to work on love and belongingness needs.

 

[Scuba Pete]

Who is Maslow, and why should I believe him??? I'll leave the pyramids to the Pharoahs.

 

[Druidus]

Abraham Maslow (April 1, 1908 – June 8, 1970) was a psychologist. He is mostly noted today for his proposal of a hierarchy of human needs.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Maslow was the first of seven children of Jewish Russian immigrants to the United States. His parents were uneducated, but they insisted that he study law. At first, Abraham acceded to their wishes and enrolled in the City College of New York. However, after three semesters, he transferred to the University of Wisconsin, where he received his B.A. (1930), his M.A. (1931), and his Ph.D. (1934) in psychology. He studied with Harry Harlow, who was famous for his studies of rhesus monkeys and attachment behavior. A year after graduation, he returned to New York to work with E. L. Thorndike at Columbia.

Maslow first taught at Brooklyn College. During this time he met many leading European psychologists, including Alfred Adler and Erich Fromm. In 1951, Maslow became the chairman of the psychology department at Brandeis University, where he began his theoretical work. There, he met Kurt Goldstein, who introduced him to the idea of self-actualization.

He retired to California, where he died of a heart attack after years of ill health.

Maslow's primary contribution to psychology is his hierarchy of human needs, which he often presented as a pyramid, with self-actualization at the top as the highest of those needs. The base of the pyramid is the physiological needs, which are necessary for survival. Once these are taken care of, an individual can concentrate on the second layer, the need for safety and security. The third layer is the need for love and belonging, followed by the need for esteem. Finally, self-actualization forms the apex of the pyramid.

In this scheme, the first three layers are what Maslow called deficit needs or D-needs. If they are not filled, you feel anxiety and attempt to fill them. If they are filled, you feel nothing; you feel only the lack. Each layer also takes precedence over the layer above it; you do not feel the lack of safety and security until your physiological needs are taken care of, for example. In Maslow's terminology, a need does not become salient until the needs below it are met.

Aggridants is a term coined by Maslow to refer to the biologically superior and dominant individual.

-Wikipedia

 

[Scuba Pete]

Real safety:

Acts 2:44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

 

[fromthe heart]

The only time I remember the weak feeding the strong is in wildlife...the weak do live to feed the strong...or should it be the weak live until the strong gobble them up. It is sort of true in society as well if you consider we are the weak mid-income and the wealthy can feed on everything we can't... I think everything in life is in personal perspective.


IMPO I believe the meek shall inherit the earth and for a wealthy man to get into heaven it's like trying to put a camel through the eye of a needle. Well...not rich except in God and friends...What more could one want.

 

[Druidus]

NetDoc:

They believed in their ultimate safety that would be granted to them, through God, so they were able to move onto "Love", "Knowledge", and "Self-Actualization", perhaps even a form of "Self-Transcendance". Religion has the capability to offer safety, as does the safety of others. In most any situation, I would do most anything to save another, even sacrifice myself. These seems to override the Hierarchy of Needs, but, in reality, it doesn't. I feel safe in my sacrifice, because I believe I will be reincarnated (even if I don't sacrifice myself), and that the knowledge of my sacrifice will enlighten my soul a little bit more.

 

[kreeden]

Define Weakness and Strenght . Is a Weasel " stronger " then a Rabbit ? They hunt and feed on them . Is a piranha stronger then a cow ? Are humans weaker then a virus ?

In ways , perhaps ? We all have our strenghts and weaknesses . Sometimes it takes more Strenght to show our Weakness .

 

[Melody]

post your thoughts.

A society is judged by how it treats its weakest members.

 

[Scuba Pete]

Is a piranha stronger then a cow ?

While I follow your logic, cattle being consumed by viscious packs of pirhana are merely urban legends, dating from BEFORE the internet.

 

[The Black Whirlwind]

in most places, yes, the weak do feed the strong (not literally feeding). The rich exploit the poor, one country attacks and subdues another for its oil (hint hint), a shark eats another shark, the tobacco companies advertise to our impressionable youth, etc etc. I dont think anything could really stop this kind of thing in the "dog eat dog" world we live in.