Kirk Boyer
Recent Activity
Kirk Boyer commented on What is your counsel? on January 17, 2008, 3:23 AM
Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Being happy in general is a decision.Approach problems as if they can be solved, and try to find a solution. This process doesn't have to affect your emotions -- you don't have to let it.You will still probably be brought down by certain things, and maybe that provides the contrast that gives more meaning and effect to the positive feelings you have at other times. But getting caught-up in emotions (allowing them to strongly influence your decisions) rather than simply experiencing them is dangerous.
Kirk Boyer commented on Is flip-flopper a bad word? on January 17, 2008, 3:14 AM
Flip-flopper isn't in and of itself a bad word, but the way people often use it is a sort of perversion of what it could mean. If someone says one thing (i.e. makes a promise) and later simply contradicts it, which often happens without even much of an attempt at justification, then there should be a negative effect on that person's reputation, which a pejorative like "flip-flopper" is almost sure to have (except that it seems to be directed indiscriminately these days, even to those who are demonstrably not so). Another good reason to call someone a flip-flopper is if that person changes to and from several stances multiple times, or is inconsistent to the point that their entire stance on some issue is ambiguous. On the other hand, it is very common for people to be labeled flip-floppers who have merely been convinced and can justify a change of stance on a given issue. So I agree that the term should be approached with caution, if it must be used.
Kirk Boyer commented on What would you change about the American political process? on January 17, 2008, 3:07 AM
I think one reason the polarization has occurred in the first place is that people are becoming more and more comfortable with identifying with a certain group and not just being labeled, but labeling themselves, and following that label through decisions without giving as much thought as they would have to give if they hadn't a sort of prepared response from elsewhere. And it all seems to spiral downward; the more polarized we get, the larger the pole groups get and the more comfortable people are in not just choosing one of them, but feeling that they must be strictly in one group.
Kirk Boyer commented on I am "god." Why aren't you? on January 17, 2008, 2:18 AM
Because I don't need the idea of a "god" at all, I guess.
Kirk Boyer commented on Can people of different faiths co-exist? on January 17, 2008, 3:50 AM
How would you respond if I said there are certain things that shouldn't need forgiving in the first place? How can I, understanding that others will see this situation differently, work with them to change that goal?The example of the comic (and teddy bear in sudan!) fit this situation. I can sort of intellectually understand why there might be a clash in the first place, based on the beliefs of people involved, but thus far all arguments I've seen justifying the reactions that brought about the clash have been amazingly weak. To me, the reactions in these situations are perfectly parallel to a situation where a group of misguided college upperclassmen brutally beat some new student who accidentally misspelled the name of their beloved institution. One can certainly see the possibility that they would revere their institution to the extent that they are offended that someone could not quite know even how to express its name in writing. But is it okay to accept their viewpoint and just try to work with it toward some end? Or even less than that, to coexist with it? Why is having a belief like that (or like believing that it is bad to depict the prophet mohammed) justified in the first place?Can you help me understand? I feel convinced that you won't be able to, but that feeling is something I know it is very, very important to question.