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Piltdown
Skeptic Friend
USA
312 Posts |
 Posted - 10/13/2001 : 23:42:15
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ZaphodBeeblebrox
Skeptic Friend
USA
117 Posts |
 Posted - 10/14/2001 : 00:38:13 [Permalink]
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Yes, and if her Parents had Conceived only a couple of days earlier, back in 1912, she probably would have been born a man, and would most likely have Pre-Deceased your meeting, by, at least, 5 years.
Furthermore, as she, now he, would have been in his late 20s, upon America's entry into World War II, he could very easily, have been hit by a chance German, or Japanese, bullet, back in the 40s.
Still, that does nothing, to diminish the import of what you did, in the slightest. So, on behalf of all Former Lurkers, I would like to thank you, for your Contribution!
If you Ignore Your Rights, they WILL, go away. |
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Piltdown
Skeptic Friend
USA
312 Posts |
Posted - 10/14/2001 : 03:49:30 [Permalink]
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quote:
Yes, and if her Parents had Conceived only a couple of days earlier, back in 1912, she probably would have been born a man, and would most likely have Pre-Deceased your meeting, by, at least, 5 years.
Furthermore, as she, now he, would have been in his late 20s, upon America's entry into World War II, he could very easily, have been hit by a chance German, or Japanese, bullet, back in the 40s.
Still, that does nothing, to diminish the import of what you did, in the slightest. So, on behalf of all Former Lurkers, I would like to thank you, for your Contribution!
If you Ignore Your Rights, they WILL, go away.
As Jack Kerouac once said, "Go fuck yourself."
Abducting UFOs and conspiring against conspiracy theorists since 1980. |
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ZaphodBeeblebrox
Skeptic Friend
USA
117 Posts |
Posted - 10/14/2001 : 03:50:41 [Permalink]
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Pardon?
If you Ignore Your Rights, they WILL, go away. |
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Tokyodreamer
SFN Regular
USA
1447 Posts |
Posted - 10/14/2001 : 08:12:15 [Permalink]
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Oops, I smell misunderstanding...
Anyways, Piltdown, you're probably right about these crazy acts of chance being a strong religious motivation. What most people don't realize, however, is that everything is just as amazingly connected to chance as these horrible accidents that you describe happening to you.
I think this is what Zaphod was trying to say. One could say, "Wow, if only I was 2 feet closer, this never would have happened!", but never think about the infinite little things that could have been different that would have produced a different outcome. The chain of events leading to your being 2 feet away from a stranger as she fell, eventually leading to her death, are all equally ruled by chance. Indeed, all the way back to when she was conceived, and the fact that when she was conceived, certain factors determined her sex as being female, instead of male, in which case her likelyhood of having lived to be 80 years old would have been much smaller, is as equally valid of being a determining factor of the events of this day than where you yourself happened to be.
When viewed in this light, these kinds of things wouldn't be looked upon with such overwhelming puzzlement and wonder, or at least wouldn't be singled out as having some sort of supernatural relevance.
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And if rain brings winds of change
let it rain on us forever.
I have no doubt from what I've seen
that I have never wanted more.
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ZaphodBeeblebrox
Skeptic Friend
USA
117 Posts |
Posted - 10/14/2001 : 20:59:44 [Permalink]
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Thanks Tokyo.
Furthermore, one shouldn't discount the possibillity of Homo sapiens, in its entirety, having gone extinct 70,000 years ago, when our total numbers, fell to a few dozen individuals. Thereby leaving the Neanderthals, to win, more or less, by default.
All in all, the Roll of the Dice, seems to be the deciding factor, in everything that happens.
If you Ignore Your Rights, they WILL, go away. |
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Trish
SFN Addict
USA
2102 Posts |
Posted - 10/15/2001 : 08:38:16 [Permalink]
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Hey Zapho,
I think Piltdown may have just been looking for a place to vent frustration at the vagaries of life. I thought about responding - but took it as his way of dealing with it.
Tho I can see/understand your confusion over the response. Sometimes we just need to vent at the seeming *unfairness* of it all.
Piltdown,
That's rough and a pretty shitty thing to go through. Hope you are feeling better.
"Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith. I consider the capacity for it terrifying." ~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. |
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Slater
SFN Regular
USA
1668 Posts |
Posted - 10/16/2001 : 09:58:11 [Permalink]
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Piltdown: At about the same time (the same day at least) I was in a supermarket in Manhattan. I was after shampoo. The WTC is still burning after a month and everyone in the city is getting covered with a greasy soot. A soot that reeks of rotting corpses.I had to wash my hair several times a day, and used up all the shampoo I had brought along.
As I was passing a shopping cart of a chubby black toddler, whose mom was picking out frozen food, the kid took a head first dive to the linoleum.
I caught him by one ankle as I flung my groceries into the air.
So the kid is fine only because thousands of people died which brought me thousands of miles from where I was supposed to be.
It's all nothing but chance man, just one big fucking crap shoot. Sometimes you luck out, sometimes you don't--but it's the only game there is. |
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NubiWan
Skeptic Friend
USA
424 Posts |
Posted - 11/03/2001 : 14:07:00 [Permalink]
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Its the first hand experience, that makes all the difference IMO. We, humanity, impose order on chaos, we find reasons for the way things are, from the sub-atomic, to the cosmic. We feel confident, in control of our destiny. Then we are confronted with a random chance event, such as yours, and the realization of just how fragile our "control" over events really is. There are no explainations as to "why" these things happen, its just the way things are. And yes, a godly belief would be of comfort, in dealing with them IMO, but offer no explainations, only an acceptance. In any event, commend your reaction to the situation.
"For this is Wisdom; to love, to live
To take what fate, or the Gods may give.
To ask no question, to make no prayer,
To kiss the lips and caress the hair,
Speed passion's ebb as you greet its flow
To have, - to hold - and - in time, - let go!"
-Laurence Hope-
"If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities." -Voltaire
Edited by - NubiWan on 11/03/2001 14:24:28 |
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