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It's good to see you again. I have a social nature. I just don't have anything to say at the moment. Jonathan

Many forums go through cycles. In the interim I could hum, or maybe talk about growing up in Rego Park. Is there some topic somebody wants to discuss?

Hello to you. 😀

Still here. Kinda saddened by what's happened with things, though.

Yes. I'm still around, though I've run out of things to discuss.

Seems that this forum has died. Most recent post seem to be from early 2022. Is anyone home??

I don't know his work. I understand provable to mean information that is objective, verifiable and empirical.

Connolly was an atheist. When he was describing the provable he was differing his thoughts from those of faith or belief based reasoning.

Huxley invented the word AGNOSTIC. He said that God was unknown and unknowable. The opposite of provable. The meaning of Agnostic has degraded in common usage to being undecided. I think it's still a good word. That God cannot be proved or disproved.

I know that Marx described religion as the opiate of the people and the sigh of the oppressed. He dismissed religion as nothing more than the coping mechanism to deal with a cruel world. However James Connolly who got a catholic upbringing said he was not against religion. He just based his reasoning on the provable rather than the unknowable. I kinda like that.

I would like to know WHEN is The Bookstore going to get more books from headquarters? I’ve been checking there for over a year and everything says BACKORDERED on it. And by the way, this web site seems way less functional than it used to be. I wish the people in charge would get their act together.

Thank you for elaborating!

I am not unsocial. I attend a senior center five days a week, schedule permitting. I teach a weekly qi gong class. There are ways to find community that have nothing to do with religion. No. Religion is not humanities only obstacle. If religion vanished today, humanity would still be a mess. It would be a different mess, but it would still be a mess. As for God. I am an Apatheist. I don't care whether or not God exist. I am persuaded that even the question is futile.

You and I do not ascribe to a religious affiliation so there is zero letting go required. For those who are socially oriented, who for example vacation with friends, need a friend to "go running", who have Oscar watch-parties cuz they don't want to watch alone....they need a social connection for many aspects in life. I think this is a very good thing. Most of my birth family is comprised of high socials who not only are very fun people, make life interesting and are often very generous of their time and treasure . I ain't one of them by a long shot. Quite the other end of the spectrum. But I understand they have a NEED for social interaction. As much as I need to take breaks from all of it. It is real. They need group events. For art exercise and quite possibly affirmation of ethical behavior. At work, we profiled over a thousand workers. All types represented in more than the thousand employees. I discovered, over a number of years, high socials contribute a great deal to society and productivity. The production was just as good if hired more of them than it was with fewer of them. They stopped to chat, annoying non-social people, they planned break room parties, they greeted everyone if the wanted to be greeted or not...and I clocked it all assuming they were less productive and distracting. Not true. They come too work looking forward to the social aspect even on a production floor assembling stuff. They socialize AND get their work done. They need to socialize TO GET their work done, If religion, as we know it now - vanishes, I believe your prediction ignores their natural tendency does not lend itself to your life style (possibly, I don't know you that well) or mine. Therefore, it seems highly unlikely that will occur based on human dynamics and the eclectic bunch of humans we share the planet with.... If, as you suppose, religion were the only impediment to humans advancing - you might have a point. Religion is only one entity holding back evolution. It is not an evil. It is, however, dying in its current form. What is likely to replace it, is the question. Religion, like all institutions - offers as much good as evil. Von

Of course religion is not, of itself, a pathology. You asked what will replace religion. Nothing will replace religion. We can come together, and nurtur each other, and do good with out religion. First, we must see that religion is not the only path forward. We can simply let it go. 🤔 A simple experiment. Point to yourself. Did you point to your brain? No. You pointed to your heart. You did that without religion. 😀

Is the motto of ULC sufficient? Is doing right enough? von

I have to ask. What do you mean by spiritual and spirituality?

Hmmm. Having religious beliefs is not a disease nor is it indicative of sanity or lack thereof, perhaps. Disease is a reflection of a biologic evolution not a spiritual organization, perhaps. Does the absence of religion automatically/instantly change the need of large swaths of humans across the globe to be gather for some form of group spirituality? Considering, the world is not comprised by an entire introverted population, there are those who feel most comfortable in work/life settings with others. They are recharged by gathering socially for all aspects of their life. What serves as their vehicle for recharging spiritually? thx von

We would not ask what to replace cancer. Sanity and humanity would replace religion.

The negative connotation is that religion placates the less learned into submission. The skeptical view indicates religion is nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing doing the same old greed and real estate grabs and power plays that turn human kind to the dark side. The more traditional versions promote judgments and a black and white world of rights and wrongs and good vs. evil. It fosters a mindset of like me or inferior to me. The hunch for some, is there is no longer a need for religion. Faith and hope maybe still of use but the value of religion long ago died but the remnants of the faithful are fighting even though even the find explaining it borders on credibility. If organized religion gets shelved, what replaces it? von

Is the offset to walking and resulting knee pain...less health issues in other areas? I recently found out one can "chair walk" and gain much of the same benefit. Additionally you can chair run, chair Zumba, chair dance and chair yoga. In fact, just to see if it was possible - last summer I signed up for a virtual marathon. I did the distance by moving my arms and lets while sitting. My hear rate was high enough to be huffing, puffing and sweating as per usual. With the virtual marathon - chair version - I discovered MANY international "regular marathons" permit a multi-day virtual option to include those who are staying active but not quite on par with their younger years. I gotta admit it WAS a challenge. But cool for me to compete and be times right along with everyone else. von

I appreciate this posting. That would be, on surface, a most difficult reality. I have never had biologic children. So I am not qualified to address this at some level. I have raised foster children. I have taken in siblings children when life was spinning out of control for the kid, the sibling or both. The children in my care (both blood relatives and non-blood relatives) were taken away from horrid home situations. Often abused kids. Kids born to addicted parents. Scarred children. I was not able to have kids of my own. I concluded quickly a few that were able to birth them were not as able to actually raise them, quite often for very understandable reasons. So, I am not convinced that it is completely a given that natural parents understand the responsibility of parenting and non parents are completely void of understanding. Since I was financially able to provide resources beyond the scope of normal foster parent allocations to the children, my ego would like to believe I made a difference. Part of that ego driven action including the lunacy that I could protect them at all times, or that they had the desire to be all I could see they could be, or that they had the same values or vision of the future or even remotely the same norms of what life should be... I think lots of parents act towards great futures, or believe they have a super safe and bright future available to every child - however not every child agrees with the desires the parents are yoking upon them from birth. They don't' like some foods, they shun parental notions of order, they are not born with the same hopes or humors or wants. So the best plans of the parents including truckloads of pressures to control the outside world... are (often) parental planning, in reality, beyond parent's control. Yes, there are fears and dangers. There are also kids who aren't going to appreciate your providing things that are of no concern to them. You want to protect them. (one construct) They don't agree with your version of protection. A different construct. At age two - you physically can control much. At what age is that not the case. At what age to you prepare them (and yourself) to shift some of that responsibility. How long is that transition period. How much of your conclusions and skills are helpful, and when are you simply failing at letting them take risks and fail - which too is part of growing. I am NOT implying any lines in the sand or any parent I have ever met fails. I am very much implying that we sometimes WANT to do more in life than is possible We construct demands beyond what is a reality then struggle to realize we are not wired, able, or willing to admit we need help, we are not so great as we want to be, or as able to step back when we should. Certainly I know that has been true for me. That dang ego is ridiculous. Mine is at least. von

Perhaps, therein is the fulcrum. The mind constructs wants...and the path forward - is to explore the choice of the construct. At one point the pressure of my job was alarming. I got paid a great deal of money. I had zero financial worries. However, it was obvious the long hours, constant demands and fatigue were taking a physical toll. In my mind, each day I would (mistakenly) tell myself that this would all improve as soon as I nailed down the current five alarm fire, hired more talented people, got rid of the malcontents or whatever it was my mind was telling me would be the magic elixir to fix life. My life would be easier or better if the system would change, the government would improve regulations and legislation and my spouse would stop being so darn pesky. Wrong. My needs were very simple. My wants and obligations (perceived) were quite large. My hopes for family members enormous. My desire to help them, the planet, society were MY construct. Changing the construct of the walls, shifted an opening to filter my thoughts and actions. Eventually, the wants were far less because my need to control outcomes, to help, to give was reigned in.... The ego might have been building an unsteady bit of walling off..... von