Comments on: I am… http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/06/18/i-am/ by Hemant Mehta Sun, 27 May 2012 21:47:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Tim Mills http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-197639 Tim Mills Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:30:50 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-197639 This begs to become a blog meme. Excellent work Derek. Thanks for pointing it out, Mike. And please, people, try to recognise the difference between time to critique minutiae and time to enjoy a beautiful sentiment. This begs to become a blog meme. Excellent work Derek. Thanks for pointing it out, Mike.

And please, people, try to recognise the difference between time to critique minutiae and time to enjoy a beautiful sentiment.

]]> By: Christophe Thill http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-188496 Christophe Thill Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:18:34 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-188496 This is a great text. But, sorry, this is false : "I believe in the right of all people to seek monetary gain by their own means and increase their standing in society through honest work. I am a Capitalist." No, you're just pro-economic freedom. This is not capitalism. Capitalism is not simply the freedom of private individuals to earn their life the way they choose. Actually, it's not a matter of private individuals. Capitalism requires the use of capital. Capital is money used for the purchase of production factors. A part of it must be used to pay the wages of salarried workers. At the root of the profit you'll make is the difference between those wages and the value of what is produced. That's capitalism. It's roughly simplified. But there are more explanations in books. One of them is rather famous under its original German title: "Das Kapital". You can call it crap, but not before you've read it. This is a great text. But, sorry, this is false :

“I believe in the right of all people to seek monetary gain by their own means and increase their standing in society through honest work. I am a Capitalist.”

No, you’re just pro-economic freedom. This is not capitalism. Capitalism is not simply the freedom of private individuals to earn their life the way they choose. Actually, it’s not a matter of private individuals.

Capitalism requires the use of capital. Capital is money used for the purchase of production factors. A part of it must be used to pay the wages of salarried workers. At the root of the profit you’ll make is the difference between those wages and the value of what is produced. That’s capitalism. It’s roughly simplified. But there are more explanations in books. One of them is rather famous under its original German title: “Das Kapital”. You can call it crap, but not before you’ve read it.

]]> By: Maria http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-188299 Maria Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:50:26 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-188299 that was well written that was well written

]]> By: Derek http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-188180 Derek Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:38:04 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-188180 On second thought, Al makes a good point. I do actually see wisdom in veganism/vegetarianism. I did try being a veg for a time, but I was mostly miserable and I just didn't have the discipline to keep it up. Coulda been I just didn't know enough vegetarian recipes, or maybe I just like steak too much. *shrug* Soymilk ain't half bad though and I'm lactose intolerant, so at least something came of it. On second thought, Al makes a good point. I do actually see wisdom in veganism/vegetarianism. I did try being a veg for a time, but I was mostly miserable and I just didn’t have the discipline to keep it up. Coulda been I just didn’t know enough vegetarian recipes, or maybe I just like steak too much. *shrug*

Soymilk ain’t half bad though and I’m lactose intolerant, so at least something came of it.

]]> By: Linda http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-188148 Linda Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:18:53 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-188148 Derek, It's beautifully written... very honest and thought-provoking. Yes, some people just cannot accept someone's genuine expression just the way it is expressed. Our thoughts evolve and change... Mine will probably have changed yet again by the time I finish writing this comment. Thank you for not changing your original thought to appease potential readers. And thank you for sending me off on my own thought journey for today... :) Derek,

It’s beautifully written… very honest and thought-provoking. Yes, some people just cannot accept someone’s genuine expression just the way it is expressed.

Our thoughts evolve and change… Mine will probably have changed yet again by the time I finish writing this comment. Thank you for not changing your original thought to appease potential readers.

And thank you for sending me off on my own thought journey for today…

:)

]]> By: Derek http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-188055 Derek Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:11:37 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-188055 To the couple people on here who are trying to analyze and correct, there are several places I left open to objection and criticism because I didn't feel like writing a thesis justifying each -- that would really screw with the intent of the piece. Everyone else, thanks so much for your kind words and praise. You're all just too freaking generous ;-) I admit I wanted so badly to strip out about half of it after my first draft, especially the religiously charged language and the abortion clauses. I stopped myself though, realizing it needed to speak for itself so I let it be. And thanks to Mike for reposting this. Hell, I just had this piece forming in my head one morning before work and decided to get it typed out and it seemed "cool" enough that I posted it on my blog. I never expected it to be a hit. To the couple people on here who are trying to analyze and correct, there are several places I left open to objection and criticism because I didn’t feel like writing a thesis justifying each — that would really screw with the intent of the piece.

Everyone else, thanks so much for your kind words and praise. You’re all just too freaking generous ;-) I admit I wanted so badly to strip out about half of it after my first draft, especially the religiously charged language and the abortion clauses. I stopped myself though, realizing it needed to speak for itself so I let it be.

And thanks to Mike for reposting this. Hell, I just had this piece forming in my head one morning before work and decided to get it typed out and it seemed “cool” enough that I posted it on my blog. I never expected it to be a hit.

]]> By: Al http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-188038 Al Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:28:31 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-188038 "I believe that no self-sufficient living organism should have to fear a superfluous death for the selfish desires of another." I am a vegan. “I believe that no self-sufficient living organism should have to fear a superfluous death for the selfish desires of another.”

I am a vegan.

]]> By: Mike Nicholson http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-187980 Mike Nicholson Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:24:46 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-187980 I like that, it's a nice piece of writing. Unfortunately I think Derek shoots himself in the foot by applying the religious labels based solely on the values those religions advocate. Believing that you should love your neighbour and be excellent to each other does not make you a Christian. It just makes you a nice person. Likewise, believing that the relentless pursuit of material goals contributes to increased suffering does not make one a Buddhist, simply observant. Cheers Mike I like that, it’s a nice piece of writing.

Unfortunately I think Derek shoots himself in the foot by applying the religious labels based solely on the values those religions advocate.

Believing that you should love your neighbour and be excellent to each other does not make you a Christian. It just makes you a nice person. Likewise, believing that the relentless pursuit of material goals contributes to increased suffering does not make one a Buddhist, simply observant.

Cheers

Mike

]]> By: miller http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-187908 miller Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:14:08 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-187908 Great thoughts. Like I've always said, it's not the particular words or labels that are important, but what we mean by them. Great thoughts. Like I’ve always said, it’s not the particular words or labels that are important, but what we mean by them.

]]> By: Gregory http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-187855 Gregory Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:41:02 +0000 http://friendlyatheist.com/2008/06/18/i-am/#comment-187855 Thank you, Derek. This write up really hit the sweet spot of the bat for me, given my own struggles with labels. It inspires me to want to write down my own "I Am" and lay it all out there. I'm reminded of the great Walt Whitman line: "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes." Thank you, Derek. This write up really hit the sweet spot of the bat for me, given my own struggles with labels. It inspires me to want to write down my own “I Am” and lay it all out there.

I’m reminded of the great Walt Whitman line: “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes.”

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