Topic of the Day

[Heather Shay]

What question would you like the answer to?

[Maid In Bedlam]

What would be more world changing?

 

Real proof that there is life after death.

 

or

 

That we are not alone in the universe?

 

That should start you off

[Heather Shay]

Excellent questions. I was thinking of

 

What is the meaning of life, the universe and everything? But everyone knows the answer is 42.

[Ivy]

3 hours ago, Shay said:

the answer is 42.

Whether you like it or not…

[LusciousTheLock]

Made me chuckle as I always say the same thing to my children when they ask

[Maid In Bedlam]

They answer ris 42 but we havent asked the right question yet.

 

I love the Douglas Adams books

 

He didnt just do hitchikers guide. You should try "The private life of Ghengis Khan" and the "Starship Titanic" Good reads.

[Bri2020]

3 hours ago, Maid In Bedlam said:

They answer ris 42 but we havent asked the right question yet.

 

I love the Douglas Adams books

 

He didnt just do hitchikers guide. You should try "The private life of Ghengis Khan" and the "Starship Titanic" Good reads.

OMG, I never branched out of the guide.  Gonna download those tonight. THANK YOU!

[Heather Shay]

ditto here.... ?‍?

[Maid In Bedlam]

Before this rather interesting thread goes like the Killer thread. Lets bring it back kicking and screaming.

 

Topic and question of the day:

 

Do we have free will?

 

Also called the dilemma of determinism, Are our actions controlled by a causal chain of preceding events (or by some other external influence), or if we're truly free agents making decisions of our own volition?

 

 

 

 

 

[Heather Shay]

Woo, holy existentialism Batman. I believe in free will and I believe we are where we are with those we are with and at what time we are there for a reason. We act as messengers to others telling them what they need to know although don't know it and receive guidance from others although they don't somethings know they are giving. Signs are there but it is our freewill that allows us to decide whether or not we will use the information or not.

[Cyndee]

5 hours ago, Maid In Bedlam said:

Do we have free will?

 

 

Why yes we do, here's an anthem ?

 

 

 

 

[Jackie C.]

6 hours ago, Maid In Bedlam said:

Do we have free will?

 

Regardless of the actual answer, I'm going to choose to believe that we do. The alternative is too depressing.

 

Of course, if you look at it from the other side, that means that awful people are choosing to be awful. That's also depressing, but at least it also means that they can choose to be better. Thinking that we can all choose to be better people isn't so bad. The part where so many people don't is, but the idea that they could is comforting.

 

Hugs!

[Jani]

7 hours ago, Maid In Bedlam said:

Topic and question of the day:

 

Do we have free will?

Yes Like Cyndi, I have several versions!  

 

In all seriousness yes I think we do have free will, although not many realize it and live as such.  We just need to stop letting others affect us and the directions we take.  This sounds simplistic but we do tend to defer to others for so many things, instead of choosing our own needs and desires. 

[Heather Shay]

Well said Jani. There is only one person in the world you have control over and that is you.

[Ivy]

I think it's a mix of both.   Of course this is a non-answer.

[Maid In Bedlam]

So Next question to ponder.

 

Is luck Something you catch or is just the same as a virus you are afflicted with for a moment or is just a series of Random events that are in your favor?

 

Im still waiting to win the Lottery. Can I have some of this luck stuff?

[Jackie C.]

Combination of solid choices and random events I think. If you make good decisions, it's easier to ride the wave of probability and reach more positive outcomes. Basically, random things happen. If you're clever, you can take advantage of that. However, some instances of random chance are SO fortuitous that the forgotten cheese in the back of your refrigerator could ride it to victory. Also, people's starting positions are one of those random things that we have no control over so... yeah.

 

Hugs!

[Heather Shay]

Luck is a state of mind or is that the state of confusion? I think your luck improves when your condfidence and attitude improves and your luck deproves (deproves - must be the negetive of improves) when you confidence and attitude go south.

[LusciousTheLock]

Ooo, Luck!  Mine is terrible.  Possibly because I'm a pessimist?  Think positive, win more?  I don't know.  I do believe though, that with a pessimistic approach you cant be disappointed.   

 

I do also know people who have the most amazing luck. I know two people that won the lottery twice... Big wins too. Hate them lol.

 

One of my friends, I swear is the luckiest man on the planet. If he fell in the dung heap, he would come up smelling of roses! He was given a large house as part of his job as a grounds keeper, which was then given to him twelve months later as his employer passed away and his assets broken up. A couple of years after that, due to a railway extension being built next to the house and going through a small part of the large garden, he was paid something like £200k compensation. Two years later his wife had a major heart attack just after they took out a £500,000 mortgage to build a massive extension and swimming pool on the same house. Work was finished, and at a party to celebrate completion, his wife had heart attack in the garden. He was worried, obviously. His wife nearly died, and it was her earnings paying for the new mortgage he would be stuck with. Nope. Life insurance paid out, finishing the mortgage and his wife made a full recovery, but she was offered early retirement from her job (She's 40) and collects her full pension based on her final salary. Gits.

[Maid In Bedlam]

Topic of the day. Here we go.

 

What does make us Human?

 

You cannot use the simple "We think Therefore we are" Dolphins think as well as other animals. They use tools. So must have some process of thought.

 

What actually makes us what we are?

 

Others can feel free to post topics of the day. It cant be just me with deep thought. maybe this makes us human! The power to be diffrent and think diffrent than others.

[Heather Shay]

Theroretically we are able to pass along experiences so the next generation doesn't make the same mistakes - HOWEVER - being able to pass on experiences doesn't work because historiy keeps repeating itself every generation. I'd say the thumbs but monkeys have those and they are a better species than human kind generally speaking. Oh I know - we like to kill each other for no apparent reason.

[LusciousTheLock]

Imagination  

[Jackie C.]

1 hour ago, Shay said:

Theroretically we are able to pass along experiences so the next generation doesn't make the same mistakes

 

Except other animals teach their young as well. For example, crows will teach their young to hate humans who have wronged them in the past.

 

1 hour ago, LusciousTheLock said:

Imagination

 

Other animals can pull off this trick too. I remember gorillas and elephants painting. Other animals use improvised tools as well which shows the ability to imagine a new outcome before they implement it.

 

So on that note. what makes us human? The couple of amino acids that separate us from chimps? Maybe our breadth of behaviors? I'd say it's our ability to adapt. No other creature has exploded outwards and dominated every environment on the planet like we do.

 

We don't really think of that as being human though. We talk about art, science and compassion but other animals do that too. Well, maybe not science but really, science is just a fancy tool. I guess being human is mostly an inflated sense of our own abilities and importance. That's pretty bleak though. We should strive to be better.

 

Hugs!

[Maid In Bedlam]

An interesting little snippet to this and ongoing from the above.

 

Take science for instance. So we, well primates have been on this planet for about 315,000 years ago give or take a few. In that time we have created a world that we know to be with sceince being one of the main contributors to that world. So its taken us those years to get to where we are today. So if the basis for our evolution is time it takes.It begs the question. How come?

 

Now just as an example Elephants. or there predecessor Mamouths have been around so much longer than humans.  But you dont see elephants living in houses, Driving cars, or argueing about whos turn is next for getting the shopping. It isnt they dont have the brain capacity or the inteligence and cognitive abilities. What made us evolve so much more quickly. Which will lead me on to the next topic of the day.

 

Did Humans Get a boost from somewhere else in the galaxy?

 

In other words. Were we given certain gifts from inteligent life outside our solar system? So we became the dominate species? Such as technology and or a fast track up the evolutionary scale? and ideed if you answer we did. You also assume there is life out there on other planets but for one reason or another they decide not to have anything more to do with us for now. Which does seem a little silly if they gave us a hand. Why do they no longer do so in any main stream capacity. Ie coming down and saying "You dont want to do it like that"

 

 

[Charlize]

Our use of tools, metals and other changes in materials to suit our needs has evolved over time.  The idea of being "touched" by an alien just doesn't ring true. 

We have opposable thumbs and have learned to make and manipulate tools over the years.  Maybe it is a natural curiosity  in some that has moved us forward rather than a biological difference. 

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize