Personal Questions

[RCMerchant]

^My brothers were in there, a number of times. Richie (who shot himself) twice, and Glenn, who escaped and went to San Francisco. He's a Nazi now. My brother Mike was too, come to think of it. He went to prison for stabbing a women, then the nuthouse for attacking a women and her son from his church in a shopping mall with a baseball bat. He pulled a knife on me about 15 years ago when he came to visit and lost his meds. He was arrested. My son called the cops. I explained to the cops he lost his meds. He's a very quite religious man now. But he can go off like a bullet. He's on anti-psychotic dope to keep him stable.
So yeah- I know a little.

[ER]

What do you think about the "divine ratio"?

[indianasmith]

God's fingerprint on the universe.

[RCMerchant]

What do you think about the "divine ratio"?

Some really complicated math stuff. I hate math.

[ER]

^ You know what I have often thought, is that a divine being that could create math and insert this ratio into even the tiniest objects would surely be too complicated and logical to have authored the codes held by most religions. But then again, I don't know. Maybe God is above such things but the point is that humans are no and that's why God would demand those observances of us. A rabbi I enjoy listening to claims that God /G-d, ha, is "infinite everything": infinite joy, sorrow, wonder, fear, love, infinite all things, including infinite loneliness, so perhaps aspects of human religions do move something in such a being if there is some element within God that needs us. One thing I have long accepted is that (at least in this lifetime) I will never have the answers to the questions which have been at the forefront of my mind for most of my life.

[RCMerchant]

How old are you? Don't be shy- I'm about to be 61.

[ER]

I'm proud to say I am forty-four, which is significantly farther than I thought I'd get. I have squeezed every drop out of life's lemons, and savored its champagne.

[Rev. Powell]

55 in 2 days. I'll be eligible for discounted movie tickets!

[Alex]

49 and wondering how I got here. I've been feeling a lot recently that I've won at life.

[Trevor]

56 this September: my bad start in life meant I wasn't supposed to be here that long - plus all the other crap I've been through in my life but here I am. 😊

[indianasmith]

59 and still wondering how that happened!

[Jim H]

I turn 40 in October. 

[Rev. Powell]

Do you enjoy discussing/debating/arguing politics, and if so, why or why not?

I'm generally a big "no," at least on forums. I find the only way to discuss these things fruitfully is in a one-on-one situation with a reasonable person (whether I agree or disagree). When it goes public, people have too much pride invested: they don't want to lose, they want to "beat" the other other side. But people never come to any sort of agreement or epiphany, and there's never any winner; everyone leaves with their opinion reinforced in their own minds.

[Trevor]

Do you enjoy discussing/debating/arguing politics, and if so, why or why not?

I'm generally a big "no," at least on forums. I find the only way to discuss these things fruitfully is in a one-on-one situation with a reasonable person (whether I agree or disagree). When it goes public, people have too much pride invested: they don't want to lose, they want to "beat" the other other side. But people never come to any sort of agreement or epiphany, and there's never any winner; everyone leaves with their opinion reinforced in their own minds.

Having been born in a country where politics and propaganda ruled and then moving to one where everyone was governed by Nazi like laws, I prefer not to discuss politics of any country, so no. Any other subject, no problem.

[ER]

No. I find the activity tends to lack attachment to facts, degenerates quickly into personal attacks, rarely rises above the airing of emotions. It's a fruitless and usually unpleasant pursuit and boring at that. It appeals most to people who enjoy anger.