How does a god know he/she is all there is?
May 9th, 2017 at 3:51:37 PM permalink | |
Evenbob Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 146 Posts: 25010 |
Lol, right. Bill Gates looks like his soul has been totally crushed as he and his wife oversee the billions in the Gates Foundation that's helping people on a worldwide scale. I could go and on with how ridiculous your statement is. If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose. |
May 9th, 2017 at 5:29:10 PM permalink | |
FrGamble Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 67 Posts: 7596 |
It easy to say when you see people wasting money and selfishly spend it on useless things when the above is true. Talk about soul-crushing, more like soul destroying. There is nothing worse for someone to have lots of money and then try to make themselves happy with it, it is sad, and crushes the soul of themselves and the lives of those you mention above. Thank God for people like Bill Gates and some other very wealthy people who use their riches to serve the materially poor. “It is with the smallest brushes that the artist paints the most exquisitely beautiful pictures.” ( |
May 9th, 2017 at 5:38:18 PM permalink | |
Evenbob Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 146 Posts: 25010 |
But money for many people DOES make them happy! It allows them to indulge in their hobbies, to keep their wife happy, to live where they want. It makes some people miserable, so you want to dump the whole human race in the same basket with them. I know far far more happy people with money than happy people without it. An so do YOU.. If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose. |
May 9th, 2017 at 7:19:13 PM permalink | |
FrGamble Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 67 Posts: 7596 |
Indulging in hobbies, living where they want, and keeping the wife happy are great. Notice you didn't say giving to the materially poor or those in need as part of your use of money, that is essential! I think we are talking about different things. You used the example of Bill Gates, imagine if Bill Gates just kept all his money to himself. He would be miserable and the world be worse off because of it. For every Bill Gates there are many others like him who are not helping and go way past indulging in hobbies, living in luxury, and keeping wives and mistresses happy. This leads to unhappiness and the type of injustice Nareed was railing against. “It is with the smallest brushes that the artist paints the most exquisitely beautiful pictures.” ( |
May 9th, 2017 at 7:25:47 PM permalink | |
Evenbob Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 146 Posts: 25010 |
Notice I didn't say a lot of things. Lets not stray from the point that you were making, that money always leads to misery. No it does NOT. As I said and you ignored, I know far far more happy people with money than happy people without it. What those with money are doing to make them happy, who cares. I know that those without it are unhappy because money relieves a lot of the stress of day to day life. Which is not a bad thing. If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose. |
May 9th, 2017 at 7:54:59 PM permalink | |
FrGamble Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 67 Posts: 7596 |
First all I did not say this. We were talking about riches and I define that as very upper class in the millions of dollars. That money spent all for oneself leads to misery for the person and the world.
You seem to be talking about people in the middle class here with enough to do the things you mentioned earlier. I still hold that if they don't use some of their wealth to help those less fortunate they will become miserable and slaves to money.
We should all care what those who have loads of surplus money do with it. The misuse of money causes great misery to everyone. Those without money can be very happy as long as they have their basic needs met. Food, clothing, shelter, and some productive work. Still to this day some of the happiest people I ever met were in Zimbabwae. They had nothing in the form of money, but they had their faith, a community, and they worked together to provide for each other's needs. Let me be clear money is not evil or a bad thing. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. (that is probably an exaggeration but that is how the saying goes.) “It is with the smallest brushes that the artist paints the most exquisitely beautiful pictures.” ( |
May 9th, 2017 at 8:08:36 PM permalink | |
Evenbob Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 146 Posts: 25010 |
Maybe, maybe not. You can't use axioms like that as a wide brush to paint everybody with. It's a case to case thing, everybody is different.
Again, you are aflow with axioms on this. Hold that all you like, religions are built on axioms.
Good for them, go live there. We need money to trade with, and to live. Like somebody once said, money may not buy happiness but I'd rather be crying in my Rolls than crying pushing a shopping cart with all my belongings in it. If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose. |
May 10th, 2017 at 6:07:16 AM permalink | |
Nareed Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 346 Posts: 12545 |
No, it's always easy to say.
That might be hard to watch, but it doesn't make what I said any harder to say.
I support Gates and others who engage in charitable endeavors. But the fact is he's already done the most he can possibly do in easing poverty, by helping drive down the price of computers and thus helping productivity at all levels. This increases everyone's wealth consistently and over a long period of time. Higher productivity is of more help to the poor than all charitable works put together. BTW, Money can't buy happiness. But it gives you the ability to choose among a wide variety of miseries. Also remember the words of that Jewish folk philosopher, Tevye of Anatevka: "Dear God, you made many, many poor people. I realize there's no shame in being poor, but it's no great honor either." Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER |
May 10th, 2017 at 12:44:43 PM permalink | |
Mosca Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 22 Posts: 730 | A god would be a set that could contain itself. |
May 10th, 2017 at 12:53:22 PM permalink | |
Evenbob Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 146 Posts: 25010 |
God is mans invention, he can be anything we say he is. Or isn't. What I never cease to be astounded by is, gods colossal failure at everything he's tasked with. Helping people in distress, healing the sick, saving children, answering prayers he promised to answer. Yet people fail to notice, they plunge ahead like god will come thru for them. If I had a lawn mower that didn't start, I'd get a new one. Common sense. If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose. |