Being a priest, the problem we have is that we are "poor people magnets". I live in a small village and here I know who is in need. But when I go to the city center I always have to carry a pocket full of change, you can not walk without paying the "toll"!. But it is really important to treat them with respect and care, there is never an excuse for that.
Thanks for your reply CJ, and God bless the Sisters of Mercy. I'm sure they do great work. The point of my reflection is that I think it's (usually) better to risk accidentally helping someone pay for beer than it is to risk ignoring a real cry for help.
This is good level one stuff and similar to my sentiments after college.. but read what I have shared and let me know if you still disagree. This is my life’s work: the theory and application of love superpower. (If you only knew... the words came second. It’s better that way.. truer also)
You know by now that all history has been custom tailored for your internal self limitation. History and popular culture as Trojan horses of more than just personal failure.. but societal failure. Egypt, Greece, the Persians, Rome, England, and those who suffered in WWII.. all allowed to prosper.. until it’s time to cash out. That is until the cash is enough to make no no need to hide for Goliath.. and no place to hide.. for you.
How to do this?
Destroy the root power of all civilization: the true science and philosophy in the application of love.
Never teach the four kinds of love.
(Let alone the fifth).
That last one, exaclty two people in recorded history have come to organically from personal “social scientific” observation.
“Adult love is conditional.”
Get over it boys and girls.
“Any form of love given,
without the recipient meeting the basic conditions of that love? Doing this to able bodied adults? That is more than a personal harm to the receiver.. it’s the reason for all you see around you now.
“Let me engage in rage, theft, drug use, even murder.. and if mom still says she loves me.. it is more than playing catch up for the unconditional love lost when I did deserve it (as a child).. it is proof that it’s unconditional in the first place. The rarest form of love.. extorted of the world by those still testing for it.
Money (nor the love of it) is not the root of all evil. Money, in any virtuous life-wake.. is a function of the love you put into what you do. Money isn’t evil.
Love is now
(thanks to the lazy, overconfident, superficial ones who are too busy to allow the atmosphere in which knowing becomes instrumental.)
So if love itself has become the root of all evil. It is because of the unskilled hands now proudly flailing about with this superpower.
It’s like handing Thor’s golden hammer to a unskilled, drunk, immature soul.
My foil.
You in this case today.
We and you..
smash your thumbs with this golden hammer and say
“love stinks!”
But it’s you.. you stink at love.
By design.
Until now.
Now you know.
Do you know?
-the above is from me circa 1995.
And one other according to the fast talking sage Stefan Molyneux.. who said this shortly after I began to engage with him online. Very thankful for his work finding this either way:
“The root of all evil is the want of the unearned.”
-JC 2000 years ago.
Good luck hunting for it. Maybe try the Septuagint or the Ethiopian Bible. All other revisions are suspect now, due to this omission.
Adult love is conditional..
This was my test of divine inspiration. I searched 30 years casually.. and actively... to see if any religion or philosophy had found this counterintuitive truth. It was nowhere and I understood two reasons why. Difficulty both organic and inorganic.
Despite being a near atheist once..
it was JC for the win once again.
Which form of love moves the individual towards maturity at any given time? Unconditional love is for children and even then it needs weaning:
“No, no Billy.. we don’t hit others..”
Unconditional love is for the very young, the very elderly, and the sick. It harms all others in the worst way.. from the inside out. It’s the difference between having a sale to make rent.. and just putting it on your credit card.
Now you know.
Stop harming others to feel good.
Man up.
Offer the homeless double or ten fold to clean up the parking lot. Come back a year later and he’s got a small business doing the entire street..
Much philos to you too John, thanks for taking the time to read and engage so intensely with what I’ve written.
You reference the four loves so I assume you’re familiar with agape (i.e. love that wills the good of the other). This love is the essence of God, and it seems to be the love you operate out of. Otherwise, why would you speak out so strongly against coddling people - why try to reform the homeless person instead of just kicking him to the curb, or letting them be coddled?
First question: Do you agape unconditionally, or do you will evil towards other people?
Second question: Have you ever personally carried out the scenario you propose where the homeless man, inspired by an offer of employment, reforms his life and goes on to become a contributing member of society?
The only people and organizations I know of who successfully and consistently carry out this sort of work are the ones who believe in and practice unconditional love.
My wife brings up the point that it may not always be about the less fortunate or the money but about you and the graces that may be needed for your growth: furthering a detachment from money, recognizing and acting towards someone in need, or as you point out, getting more comfortable with being uncomfortable- all of these worth paying a couple bucks.
Thanks Balco, that's a good point. The material impact is marginal. Individual protest behaviors don't do anything unless they are connected to a wider movement. Of all the ways we could solve the homelessness problem, galvanizing a society wide boycott of the homeless seems to the least reasonable, the least efficient, and most spiritually dangerous for the reasons you listed.
I can so relate to this in my formative years. But it’s reminiscent of the inside robbery which was aided and abetted by the source of most modern opinions.
Opinions which are now rigidly tied to identity. This last trick is a very useful weapon or tool for the architects of fear.
Now what is the source of most opinions.
It’s what we are allowed to know and read about.
When personal observation becomes secondary to indoctrination..
Being a priest, the problem we have is that we are "poor people magnets". I live in a small village and here I know who is in need. But when I go to the city center I always have to carry a pocket full of change, you can not walk without paying the "toll"!. But it is really important to treat them with respect and care, there is never an excuse for that.
Thank you for your ministry Padre
Most of the handouts go to alcohol and drugs and that comes from a senior sister with the Sisters of Mercy that works with the homeless
Thanks for your reply CJ, and God bless the Sisters of Mercy. I'm sure they do great work. The point of my reflection is that I think it's (usually) better to risk accidentally helping someone pay for beer than it is to risk ignoring a real cry for help.
I’m sure JB has something great stuff.
This is good level one stuff and similar to my sentiments after college.. but read what I have shared and let me know if you still disagree. This is my life’s work: the theory and application of love superpower. (If you only knew... the words came second. It’s better that way.. truer also)
“A lie...
.. by how often a thing is repeated.”
You know by now that all history has been custom tailored for your internal self limitation. History and popular culture as Trojan horses of more than just personal failure.. but societal failure. Egypt, Greece, the Persians, Rome, England, and those who suffered in WWII.. all allowed to prosper.. until it’s time to cash out. That is until the cash is enough to make no no need to hide for Goliath.. and no place to hide.. for you.
How to do this?
Destroy the root power of all civilization: the true science and philosophy in the application of love.
Never teach the four kinds of love.
(Let alone the fifth).
That last one, exaclty two people in recorded history have come to organically from personal “social scientific” observation.
“Adult love is conditional.”
Get over it boys and girls.
“Any form of love given,
without the recipient meeting the basic conditions of that love? Doing this to able bodied adults? That is more than a personal harm to the receiver.. it’s the reason for all you see around you now.
“Let me engage in rage, theft, drug use, even murder.. and if mom still says she loves me.. it is more than playing catch up for the unconditional love lost when I did deserve it (as a child).. it is proof that it’s unconditional in the first place. The rarest form of love.. extorted of the world by those still testing for it.
Money (nor the love of it) is not the root of all evil. Money, in any virtuous life-wake.. is a function of the love you put into what you do. Money isn’t evil.
Love is now
(thanks to the lazy, overconfident, superficial ones who are too busy to allow the atmosphere in which knowing becomes instrumental.)
So if love itself has become the root of all evil. It is because of the unskilled hands now proudly flailing about with this superpower.
It’s like handing Thor’s golden hammer to a unskilled, drunk, immature soul.
My foil.
You in this case today.
We and you..
smash your thumbs with this golden hammer and say
“love stinks!”
But it’s you.. you stink at love.
By design.
Until now.
Now you know.
Do you know?
-the above is from me circa 1995.
And one other according to the fast talking sage Stefan Molyneux.. who said this shortly after I began to engage with him online. Very thankful for his work finding this either way:
“The root of all evil is the want of the unearned.”
-JC 2000 years ago.
Good luck hunting for it. Maybe try the Septuagint or the Ethiopian Bible. All other revisions are suspect now, due to this omission.
Adult love is conditional..
This was my test of divine inspiration. I searched 30 years casually.. and actively... to see if any religion or philosophy had found this counterintuitive truth. It was nowhere and I understood two reasons why. Difficulty both organic and inorganic.
Despite being a near atheist once..
it was JC for the win once again.
Which form of love moves the individual towards maturity at any given time? Unconditional love is for children and even then it needs weaning:
“No, no Billy.. we don’t hit others..”
Unconditional love is for the very young, the very elderly, and the sick. It harms all others in the worst way.. from the inside out. It’s the difference between having a sale to make rent.. and just putting it on your credit card.
Now you know.
Stop harming others to feel good.
Man up.
Offer the homeless double or ten fold to clean up the parking lot. Come back a year later and he’s got a small business doing the entire street..
buys a home..
employs other homeless..
See how it works?
And rest that thumb..
much love to you (philos to you brother).
(Brotherly love.. friendship).
Much philos to you too John, thanks for taking the time to read and engage so intensely with what I’ve written.
You reference the four loves so I assume you’re familiar with agape (i.e. love that wills the good of the other). This love is the essence of God, and it seems to be the love you operate out of. Otherwise, why would you speak out so strongly against coddling people - why try to reform the homeless person instead of just kicking him to the curb, or letting them be coddled?
First question: Do you agape unconditionally, or do you will evil towards other people?
Second question: Have you ever personally carried out the scenario you propose where the homeless man, inspired by an offer of employment, reforms his life and goes on to become a contributing member of society?
The only people and organizations I know of who successfully and consistently carry out this sort of work are the ones who believe in and practice unconditional love.
My wife brings up the point that it may not always be about the less fortunate or the money but about you and the graces that may be needed for your growth: furthering a detachment from money, recognizing and acting towards someone in need, or as you point out, getting more comfortable with being uncomfortable- all of these worth paying a couple bucks.
Thanks Balco, that's a good point. The material impact is marginal. Individual protest behaviors don't do anything unless they are connected to a wider movement. Of all the ways we could solve the homelessness problem, galvanizing a society wide boycott of the homeless seems to the least reasonable, the least efficient, and most spiritually dangerous for the reasons you listed.
I can so relate to this in my formative years. But it’s reminiscent of the inside robbery which was aided and abetted by the source of most modern opinions.
Opinions which are now rigidly tied to identity. This last trick is a very useful weapon or tool for the architects of fear.
Now what is the source of most opinions.
It’s what we are allowed to know and read about.
When personal observation becomes secondary to indoctrination..
suffering will follow.
May God bless you for writing this.
Thanks Frank, thanks for reading, and God bless you too!
God, through the song we know most readily as played on the hunan instrument named Jesus? He actually said the exact opposite.
The text you cite is all but outright 100% proven to be altered. And for very clever reasons to get each to harm themselves.. and others.
Feed the body but destroy the vitality, risk, effort, and reward.
Then pat yourself on the back?
Please consider my writing above. The long one. Your future and all futures depend on us understanding that adult love is conditional.
But if not..
I will teach those who survive the end results of such clever and sweet destruction.
The state has been building more shelters.. if that worked.. more prisons would have ended all crime. No?
What’s the root?
Broken families.
Focus there.
Shame divorce as a “damnable thing” as the elder told Paul Newman in that old film which planted the seed of the “just divorce”.
Always working on us..