Things I Don't Get:

[Namaste Jesus]

Not sure what category to put this in. Didn't seem to quite fit into any of those listed so I post it here:

I had an amusing conversation with some of the members of my Temple last night regarding things that go on in the world that we find incomprehensible. Here's my top three.

Pedophiles: Without a doubt, children are the world's greatest resource. Everything is so simple and uncomplicated in their eyes. I've never failed to come away with a fresh perspective after talking to them. There is no greater joy in this world than knowing the love of a child.

Sexually speaking however, I find the grubby little nose pickers completely and utterly disgusting. How anyone could possibly be aroused by them is beyond me.

Why alcoholism and drug addiction is considered a disability in the US: If someone accidentally shoots themselves in the foot and can no longer work, they can apply for and get monetary disability compensation, making them eligible for additional government subsidies like medical care and low cost public housing. If however, it can be proven that this individual's injuries were the result of willful actions, not only will his disability claim be denied, he will likely be brought up on criminal charges.

On the other hand, if he willfully decides to abuse drugs and alcohol, destroys his family, loses his job and everything he worked for, society is expected to pay his way for the rest of his life. In my view, drug and alcohol addiction are self-inflicted injuries and should be treated as such.

Chickens: My wife's family lives in a rural area of Fiji. At any given time there are at least a dozen chickens running around. They're put in a coop at night to protect them from the mongoose, but have free range during the day.

Now, these chickens are not pets. They're food. Two or three meet their demise for that purpose each and every week. Mind you, this is all done in plain sight of the other chickens. In other words, they all know what fate will eventually befall them. Yet, they all stay on the property and never attempt to run away. Why?

At first I thought it was because they get fed. Then I realized that no one was actually feeding them. Their diet was mainly composed of fruit and seed. Fruit is found in such abundance in Fiji that the excess just falls to the ground and the chickens gobble it up. Thing is, they can get fruit anywhere. They have no reason to stay in the compound awaiting certain death. For crying out loud you feathered gits, run away!

Anyway, what is it you don't quite get?

 

[Tadashi]

First of all, I express my deep sympathy for anyone struggling with any type of addiction.

Having said that, I largely agree with NJ about personal responsibility.

I don't have an extensive knowledge of alcoholism, and I believe everyone's physiology is different and some are way more susceptible to developing addiction than others, that I understand. But I don't think anyone can get hooked on alcohol with a couple of months of moderate drinking (a few drinks a week)...

What I'm trying to say is that the development of alcoholism is rather gradual... there should be some warning signs before one becomes an out-of-control alcoholic... am I mistaken?

I used to drink a lot and did binge drinking too... my culture kind of encourages men to drink, or the more he can drink the stronger the man he is or something... But one morning I woke up in my buddy's room and didn't remember how I ended up there... Staggering at the fact that I didn't remember anything at all, I significantly cut down my drinking... I won't drink more than a half bottle of wine (or sake) at one night ever since. That's my rule now.

So, my question is... people who've developed severe alcohol dependence... did they pay due attention to earlier warning signs? If they ignored them because they wanted to keep having fun, are they not at fault?

In the same sense, if one feels a strong urge to molest a child, shouldn't he voluntarily go through castration? I know it's a drastic measure, but if you consider that you may totally ruin someone's life if you didn't do anything about it...

Even if alcoholism and pedophilia are a genetic disease/disorder due to one's physiology, doesn't he still have the obligation to take every precaution he can in order not to harm others due to his problem?

As for the chickens, I don't think they know what death means. I don't think they're capable of the thought that they can find food anywhere else. If they've found food here, that's where they'd remain. (I hope I didn't offend some smart birdies and get cursed to be reborn as a chicken in my next life! )

Tad

 

[Namaste Jesus]

As for the chickens, I don't think they know what death means. I don't think they're capable of the thought that they can find food anywhere else. If they've found food here, that's where they'd remain. (I hope I didn't offend some smart birdies and get cursed to be reborn as a chicken in my next life! )

Tad

On my earlier visits to Fiji I didn't understand the language or culture all that well so I spent a lot of time watching the chickens. I used to think as you've said that they had no sense of death and that their actions were largely instinctual. That is until I started watching this young laying hen.

Every morning like clockwork she would lay an egg. Afterward she began rolling the egg end over end toward the place where they used to dump the spent ashes from the cooking fire. She'd position the egg at the edge of the, still warm, ashes and scamper off to socialize with her kind.

One day I asked one of the kids what she was doing and why she rolled the egg end over end rather than the other way around. I was told that she was still young and didn't want to sit on the egg so she put it close to the ashes to keep it warm until it hatched. She rolled it end over end because that was the only way to move it forward. If she rolled it on it's side, because of the egg's shape it would go in circles.

That's when I realized, these funny creatures with tiny brains must have some ability to think and reason. That's when I started to wonder why they stayed where they were.

 

[Tadashi]

Yea, for sure, that's one clever chick!
I totally agree, it is amazing that some birds are capable of such intelligence. But I'm still not sure if they can understand the meaning of death, since the ramification of death, that the life will end, is rather a philosophical concept...

Tad