I'm currently reading a book called "Indian Depredations in Texas" which is a compilation of many short stories from the 1800's in Texas, and the issues colonizers had to deal with during those times against Indians - especially Comanche tribes which were very aggressive at the time - along with the wars with Mexico and so forth. I'm finding horrifying and fascinating the amount of fear and constant fight or flight type of state of mind everyone was under at that time - but especially fascinating the story of a middle aged woman who, after witnessing horrifying things and being captured twice, was able to run away (she was very knowledgeable on horses and knew which horse to pick), was capable of riding a total of 500 miles on her own through a mostly desert landscape, until she found people of her own culture (which first thought she was insane) and how unbelievably strong one must be to endure this type of flight. We all seem to believe it only takes strength to fight, but we rarely acknowledge the strength and resilience it takes to escape the very powerful forces that keep hunting us.
Anyway, I guess sometimes we need a good reminder of other people's courage to find our own, and I too, am mission oriented and I only find meaning in connections that share one, everything else feels too shallow, too vanity oriented for my taste.
Always good to listen to you Jill. Hopefully you got your groceries, stay warm!
One of the reasons that the empowerment of women has destroyed society and brought us to the brink of catastrophe is because, as you say, most women are not inclined to unleash vengeance on evildoers, not in real time, nor as subsequently imposed consequences. Women won't stop the attack at the point of attack, and neither will they punish the wicked evildoers later severely enough to make a dent in the criminal incentive structure.
If what you are saying is true (and it's not) all we need do is look at countries where women have absolutely no power like Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, or Iran where women are killed simply for not covering their hair properly. And you think that the empowerment of women has destroyed society???
FYI, there are many instances where women worldwide have stood up to fight and make a difference, a REAL difference. Not by seeking vengeance through violence, as men so often do, but by seeking justice, thereby leaving lasting legacies.
Rosa Parks stood up not only for herself but for all people of color in the U.S. Malala, a young girl in Pakistan, risked her life by standing up for the rights of girls who were being deprived of educational opportunities. She took a bullet to the head for her bravery, though fortunately survived and continues to fight for the rights of others who are deprived of their rights by MEN!
And how about Vandava Shiva who has taken on Monsanto, one of the most powerful corporations in the world, fighting against genetic modification of the world food system and their monopoly on the world seed bank?
And the list goes on, of women who fight for the rights of the masses (and not just for their own personal need to seek vengeance. What women have done and continue to do when not confined to their homes, as they are in Afghanistan, is to use their power, even in countries where women and girls have no power, to stand up for the rights of all!
So, PLEASE, don't speak to us so condescendingly about how empowering women destroys society. History proves that it's the men who are the war mongers, the molesters of children, and the rapists and the murderers. In a nutshell it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that most of the "evil-doers" are men and that the male abuse of power is what is destroying our world!
I will speak condescendingly to people who can't see that Islam is different most other major religions. Christianity is also different from all other religions, major and minor.
I dare say, and condescendingly so, that your ideas about how women should be treated is a Christian idea that arises from Christian principles in a Christian civilization. Even more condescendingly, I submit that bad Christianity is better than the best Islam in particular and other religions in general.
It is the perverse empowering of women that is the problem. Piling on more and more privileges whilst removing more and more accountability is a recipe for the mess we are in now.
I like Jill because she speaks a language of personal responsibility, even for women. I find that refreshing. This transcends politics, in multiple dimensions. Modern politics has become all about enslaving people, rather than what it was supposed to be about, resolving disputes and keeping the peace.
If you have a problem with Monsanto, the problem is the government that protects them, they couldn't do anything without the police and the military backing them up.
I responded to your comments about how empowering women is what has ruined society. Both Islam and Christianity have their origins from out of the biblical Old Testament. While Christianity received it's Old Testament upgrade through the teachings of Jesus, Islam did not embrace the Christ "upgrade". Both have subjected women to the rule of men. It's just a matter of degrees.
There are more than 45,000 Christian denominations globally, and over 200 in the United States. " Christian principles" have historically allowed husbands to beat their wives to the point of near death. An 1824 court ruling in Mississippi stated that a man was entitled to enforce "domestic discipline" by striking his wife with a whip or stick no wider than the judge's thumb. That was enacted because before then a husband could use anything to beat his wife with. "
There are many Christian denominations that are extremely violent and suppressive towards women, not just in the U.S. but anywhere in the world where Christianity has taken hold. Warren Jeffs, the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) is probably the most well known of these after he had been convicted for crimes against girls and women, and even boys and young men. Just like not all Muslims are evil doers, not all Christians are saints! So, to argue that the violence and subjugation against women is contained only within Islam and that Christianity is exempt from the same, is simply 100% false!
Sticking to your argument that women are the problem, you can argue till the cows come home without any basis in fact, but I present the facts. Lack of accountability has NOTHING to do with biology and everything to do with the system of power which, unless you haven't noticed, has been male dominated since the beginning of recorded His-Story! Therefore, if modern politics has become all about enslaving people, all I can say about that is that men have become very good at it by practicing on women, children and other people (men included) who they consider weaker than themselves. It's always been about MALE power, not the empowerment of the female.
If you want to continue to argue this, then how about giving us specifics about how female empowerment has caused all of our problems in a system ruled over and created by men. Make your case with fact, not simply accusations!
I didn't say women are the problem. I will say that women don't know what they're getting in to when they grab for power. I see lots of women who have lots of power who can't understand why everyone hates them. They are too dumb to understand that wielding power is a tricky business and it does not mean that you can do whatever your narcissistic vanity tells you to do.
As for religion, you said, "Just like not all Muslims are evil doers, not all Christians are saints! " Of course. The line between good and evil does not run between people, it runs right down the middle of every individual human being. Which is why the differences of religion are so important. You can tell a lot about a society by how its religion affects it. I think your assumptions of how women should be treated display the signs of having been influenced by Christian teachings, as opposed to Islamic or other pagan religions. You express the idea that women are in some sense spiritually equal with men and deserve to be treated with respect as fellow heirs of salvation through Jesus Christ. As in, in Christ there is no male or female, no Jew or Gentile, no slave or free, no distinction of barbarian or even Scythians, but all are one in Christ Jesus. But this is a spiritual status. I does not change the reality of dealing with this present world, which is hierarchical. You can't get rid of bosses. Communists can't get rid of bosses. The best that we can do is not let bosses have absolute unaccountable power; it is the job of those who follow to see to it that bosses understand that they have authority to do their job and no more.
This is the principle behind the US Constitution, you know, the one written by straight white Christian males in the 18th century.
I don't trust communist women who want to overthrow things just because straight white Christian males did them.
James you are really "all over the place" and have strayed far from your initial comment that I responded to where you said, and I quote, "the empowerment of women has destroyed society and brought us to the brink of catastrophe". Those were your exact words and then you went on to explain.
Empowerment is not the same thing as abuse of power. Power has mostly been in the hands of men and it has been abused beyond measure, and religion has been instrumental, whether it be Islam, Judaism or Christianity , all are male dominated and are rooted in the same source, which is the biblical Old Testament. I was not comparing women and men spiritually. Male or female, we are all human beings. Our differences are our physical biology and our conditioning. One is not smarter or better or more deserving of respect and opportunity for self expression and growth than the other. But the power structures have historically silenced women into submission, and that is what I talk about when I talk about the abuse of male power.
That's not to say that there have never been women who have achieved positions of power, nor is it saying that women never abuse power. What I've been saying to you from the beginning in response to your original post is that empowerment is not the same as power and the abuse of power, and that women are not the ones who have destroyed society and brought us to the brink of destruction, as you had stated. Women have NEVER had that much power! For godness sake, we have not even gained power over our own bodies which men still have control over!!
You're right, I should have put it this way, "The empowerment of women without the commensurate accountability has destroyed our society."
Empowerment IS the abuse of power when there is insufficient accountability. Power in the hands of anyone is inevitably abusive. If you're trying to tell us that women don't abuse power, there's no use talking to you.
What I see is women demanding power and then using it for extremely selfish reasons, like demanding the right to commit abortions. Women want control over their bodies, and they don't care who dies as a result. Sorry, I have no sympathy for that, and it fully explains to me how women are able to destroy society as part of their pursuit of their vanity.
Violence used against criminal violence is good violence if it is the only remedy. If the violent perpetrator can be talked out of it, that's swell. But when peaceful means fail, that's the time to resort to violence. As George Orwell put it, the rest of us sleep snug in our beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf.
I'm certainly not saying that violence is the panacea to solve all problems of life. Violence is an aberration, good violence is merely an aberration applied to solve the original aberration.
I had to punch bullies a few times in junior high school, I found it very annoying to have to resort to violence. I kind of hate people who make me resort to violence.
I'm currently reading a book called "Indian Depredations in Texas" which is a compilation of many short stories from the 1800's in Texas, and the issues colonizers had to deal with during those times against Indians - especially Comanche tribes which were very aggressive at the time - along with the wars with Mexico and so forth. I'm finding horrifying and fascinating the amount of fear and constant fight or flight type of state of mind everyone was under at that time - but especially fascinating the story of a middle aged woman who, after witnessing horrifying things and being captured twice, was able to run away (she was very knowledgeable on horses and knew which horse to pick), was capable of riding a total of 500 miles on her own through a mostly desert landscape, until she found people of her own culture (which first thought she was insane) and how unbelievably strong one must be to endure this type of flight. We all seem to believe it only takes strength to fight, but we rarely acknowledge the strength and resilience it takes to escape the very powerful forces that keep hunting us.
Anyway, I guess sometimes we need a good reminder of other people's courage to find our own, and I too, am mission oriented and I only find meaning in connections that share one, everything else feels too shallow, too vanity oriented for my taste.
Always good to listen to you Jill. Hopefully you got your groceries, stay warm!
That sounds fascinating! I love learning about real women in history and their lives. Thank you for sharing that!
One of the reasons that the empowerment of women has destroyed society and brought us to the brink of catastrophe is because, as you say, most women are not inclined to unleash vengeance on evildoers, not in real time, nor as subsequently imposed consequences. Women won't stop the attack at the point of attack, and neither will they punish the wicked evildoers later severely enough to make a dent in the criminal incentive structure.
If what you are saying is true (and it's not) all we need do is look at countries where women have absolutely no power like Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, or Iran where women are killed simply for not covering their hair properly. And you think that the empowerment of women has destroyed society???
FYI, there are many instances where women worldwide have stood up to fight and make a difference, a REAL difference. Not by seeking vengeance through violence, as men so often do, but by seeking justice, thereby leaving lasting legacies.
Rosa Parks stood up not only for herself but for all people of color in the U.S. Malala, a young girl in Pakistan, risked her life by standing up for the rights of girls who were being deprived of educational opportunities. She took a bullet to the head for her bravery, though fortunately survived and continues to fight for the rights of others who are deprived of their rights by MEN!
And how about Vandava Shiva who has taken on Monsanto, one of the most powerful corporations in the world, fighting against genetic modification of the world food system and their monopoly on the world seed bank?
And the list goes on, of women who fight for the rights of the masses (and not just for their own personal need to seek vengeance. What women have done and continue to do when not confined to their homes, as they are in Afghanistan, is to use their power, even in countries where women and girls have no power, to stand up for the rights of all!
So, PLEASE, don't speak to us so condescendingly about how empowering women destroys society. History proves that it's the men who are the war mongers, the molesters of children, and the rapists and the murderers. In a nutshell it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that most of the "evil-doers" are men and that the male abuse of power is what is destroying our world!
I will speak condescendingly to people who can't see that Islam is different most other major religions. Christianity is also different from all other religions, major and minor.
I dare say, and condescendingly so, that your ideas about how women should be treated is a Christian idea that arises from Christian principles in a Christian civilization. Even more condescendingly, I submit that bad Christianity is better than the best Islam in particular and other religions in general.
It is the perverse empowering of women that is the problem. Piling on more and more privileges whilst removing more and more accountability is a recipe for the mess we are in now.
I like Jill because she speaks a language of personal responsibility, even for women. I find that refreshing. This transcends politics, in multiple dimensions. Modern politics has become all about enslaving people, rather than what it was supposed to be about, resolving disputes and keeping the peace.
If you have a problem with Monsanto, the problem is the government that protects them, they couldn't do anything without the police and the military backing them up.
I responded to your comments about how empowering women is what has ruined society. Both Islam and Christianity have their origins from out of the biblical Old Testament. While Christianity received it's Old Testament upgrade through the teachings of Jesus, Islam did not embrace the Christ "upgrade". Both have subjected women to the rule of men. It's just a matter of degrees.
There are more than 45,000 Christian denominations globally, and over 200 in the United States. " Christian principles" have historically allowed husbands to beat their wives to the point of near death. An 1824 court ruling in Mississippi stated that a man was entitled to enforce "domestic discipline" by striking his wife with a whip or stick no wider than the judge's thumb. That was enacted because before then a husband could use anything to beat his wife with. "
There are many Christian denominations that are extremely violent and suppressive towards women, not just in the U.S. but anywhere in the world where Christianity has taken hold. Warren Jeffs, the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) is probably the most well known of these after he had been convicted for crimes against girls and women, and even boys and young men. Just like not all Muslims are evil doers, not all Christians are saints! So, to argue that the violence and subjugation against women is contained only within Islam and that Christianity is exempt from the same, is simply 100% false!
Sticking to your argument that women are the problem, you can argue till the cows come home without any basis in fact, but I present the facts. Lack of accountability has NOTHING to do with biology and everything to do with the system of power which, unless you haven't noticed, has been male dominated since the beginning of recorded His-Story! Therefore, if modern politics has become all about enslaving people, all I can say about that is that men have become very good at it by practicing on women, children and other people (men included) who they consider weaker than themselves. It's always been about MALE power, not the empowerment of the female.
If you want to continue to argue this, then how about giving us specifics about how female empowerment has caused all of our problems in a system ruled over and created by men. Make your case with fact, not simply accusations!
I didn't say women are the problem. I will say that women don't know what they're getting in to when they grab for power. I see lots of women who have lots of power who can't understand why everyone hates them. They are too dumb to understand that wielding power is a tricky business and it does not mean that you can do whatever your narcissistic vanity tells you to do.
As for religion, you said, "Just like not all Muslims are evil doers, not all Christians are saints! " Of course. The line between good and evil does not run between people, it runs right down the middle of every individual human being. Which is why the differences of religion are so important. You can tell a lot about a society by how its religion affects it. I think your assumptions of how women should be treated display the signs of having been influenced by Christian teachings, as opposed to Islamic or other pagan religions. You express the idea that women are in some sense spiritually equal with men and deserve to be treated with respect as fellow heirs of salvation through Jesus Christ. As in, in Christ there is no male or female, no Jew or Gentile, no slave or free, no distinction of barbarian or even Scythians, but all are one in Christ Jesus. But this is a spiritual status. I does not change the reality of dealing with this present world, which is hierarchical. You can't get rid of bosses. Communists can't get rid of bosses. The best that we can do is not let bosses have absolute unaccountable power; it is the job of those who follow to see to it that bosses understand that they have authority to do their job and no more.
This is the principle behind the US Constitution, you know, the one written by straight white Christian males in the 18th century.
I don't trust communist women who want to overthrow things just because straight white Christian males did them.
James you are really "all over the place" and have strayed far from your initial comment that I responded to where you said, and I quote, "the empowerment of women has destroyed society and brought us to the brink of catastrophe". Those were your exact words and then you went on to explain.
Empowerment is not the same thing as abuse of power. Power has mostly been in the hands of men and it has been abused beyond measure, and religion has been instrumental, whether it be Islam, Judaism or Christianity , all are male dominated and are rooted in the same source, which is the biblical Old Testament. I was not comparing women and men spiritually. Male or female, we are all human beings. Our differences are our physical biology and our conditioning. One is not smarter or better or more deserving of respect and opportunity for self expression and growth than the other. But the power structures have historically silenced women into submission, and that is what I talk about when I talk about the abuse of male power.
That's not to say that there have never been women who have achieved positions of power, nor is it saying that women never abuse power. What I've been saying to you from the beginning in response to your original post is that empowerment is not the same as power and the abuse of power, and that women are not the ones who have destroyed society and brought us to the brink of destruction, as you had stated. Women have NEVER had that much power! For godness sake, we have not even gained power over our own bodies which men still have control over!!
You're right, I should have put it this way, "The empowerment of women without the commensurate accountability has destroyed our society."
Empowerment IS the abuse of power when there is insufficient accountability. Power in the hands of anyone is inevitably abusive. If you're trying to tell us that women don't abuse power, there's no use talking to you.
What I see is women demanding power and then using it for extremely selfish reasons, like demanding the right to commit abortions. Women want control over their bodies, and they don't care who dies as a result. Sorry, I have no sympathy for that, and it fully explains to me how women are able to destroy society as part of their pursuit of their vanity.
Society is not being destroyed by women wanting a life beyond taking care of others.
We are all being asked as spirit in human to evolve.
You are asking the wrong questions as are most.
Why do humans use violence to solve problems is a better question...
Violence used against criminal violence is good violence if it is the only remedy. If the violent perpetrator can be talked out of it, that's swell. But when peaceful means fail, that's the time to resort to violence. As George Orwell put it, the rest of us sleep snug in our beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf.
I'm certainly not saying that violence is the panacea to solve all problems of life. Violence is an aberration, good violence is merely an aberration applied to solve the original aberration.
I had to punch bullies a few times in junior high school, I found it very annoying to have to resort to violence. I kind of hate people who make me resort to violence.
😊