It is often the people who "think outside the box" who are ridiculed. This is often because people do not understand, or do not wish to understand, or are even scared at their lack of knowledge about a subject. I only know what I only know, Luci, and I think you got a mix of responses in this thread. A lot of people are very interested in how and why we are here, what is outside of our tiny little world, others don't wish to be reminded of it.
I know what you mean about the Beta chat and a lot of groups' chat. People are people. There is good in everyone, and there is bad in everyone. Sometimes the good comes out, sometimes the bad. We have to not take it personally, and just be ourselves.
It was a very brave thread that you started. I need to read up on a lot of things that have come up subsequently in the thread. (My book list is HUGE) 
It often makes me laugh out loud that people wish to climb to the top, but the top of what? Ego is a strange thing.
I am also old and tired. When I was 16-18, I would meet my young friends at certain places in my town, and the world belonged to us and us alone. We knew it all. Now the town belongs to the 16-18 year olds, and they know it all, of course. 
Ignorance can be bliss. I fear I am ignorant in many things, but what I don't understand, I endeavour to learn about, and if I ever put anyone down, it is done unintentionally.
You started a potentially interesting thread, you must focus on the like-minded within it, and discard the flippant and unkind. If someone treats you like you do not matter, better not to even acknowledge they exist, because we don't know what lies behind harsh words, not really; maybe simple arrogance, maybe mental illness.
Marigold Devin wrote:It often makes me laugh out loud that people wish to climb to the top, but the top of what? Ego is a strange thing.
I am also old and tired. When I was 16-18, I would meet my young friends at certain places in my town, and the world belonged to us and us alone. We knew it all. Now the town belongs to the 16-18 year olds, and they know it all, of course.
Ignorance can be bliss. I fear I am ignorant in many things, but what I don't understand, I endeavour to learn about, and if I ever put anyone down, it is done unintentionally.
You started a potentially interesting thread, you must focus on the like-minded within it, and discard the flippant and unkind. If someone treats you like you do not matter, better not to even acknowledge they exist, because we don't know what lies behind harsh words, not really; maybe simple arrogance, maybe mental illness.
Mari, your "you must focus on the like-minded" seems to contradict your "I endeavour to learn". Do we learn from the like minded? As as to Lucinda's focus, it does seem laser-like to me.
Madelaine McMasters wrote:
Marigold Devin wrote:It often makes me laugh out loud that people wish to climb to the top, but the top of what? Ego is a strange thing.
I am also old and tired. When I was 16-18, I would meet my young friends at certain places in my town, and the world belonged to us and us alone. We knew it all. Now the town belongs to the 16-18 year olds, and they know it all, of course.
Ignorance can be bliss. I fear I am ignorant in many things, but what I don't understand, I endeavour to learn about, and if I ever put anyone down, it is done unintentionally.
You started a potentially interesting thread, you must focus on the like-minded within it, and discard the flippant and unkind. If someone treats you like you do not matter, better not to even acknowledge they exist, because we don't know what lies behind harsh words, not really; maybe simple arrogance, maybe mental illness.
Mari, your "you must focus on the like-minded" seems to contradict your "I endeavour to learn". Do we learn from the like minded? As as to Lucinda's focus, it does seem laser-like to me.
Does it seem to?
And yes, you can learn from the like-minded, those being people with similar interests and leanings, rather than those who dismiss your beliefs, if you get what I mean.
Luci, like everyone, knows what she knows, researches what she's interested in, and just seemed to me to wish to discuss those interests. What followed was a mix of like-minded people also wishing to discuss the theories, along with "the usual" people who just wanted to put her down for wanting to discuss something a little bit out of their range of interest.
So I don't believe my statement was contradictory at all.
