Bigthink - User Ideas Feed

Why was the hole in the ozone layer ignored until now?

Bigthink — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:49:21 +0100

: The hole in the ozone layer was found by scientists in the 80s but it has been ignored until now. Why all of a sudden do we care?

Re: What is your definition of God? 100 words or less.

Bigthink — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:54:09 +0100

: How do you define something that is generally excepted as undefinable? That would be a great question. Honestly, I would like to think that I have a good answer to this question but it would be so hard to try and put soemthing that is so huge on a minute scale. If you try and define something then that makes it more real and on your level but God or Buddha or Allah or whatever is incredible and giant that taking it apart bit by bit would make it something that would be equal to any one of us so then there would be nothing "all powerful" or something like that to believe in. Humans have an innate need to believe in something, even Atheists, if we didn't, life wouldn't be pretty. So with that, I decline defining god because I find it to be impossible and honestly to be a very irrational thing to do because it could destroy belief, not religion, belief which is the very basis of our existence. Incidently, if this makes no sense, I apologize, but I think I did a pretty good job.

Uncomfortable Topics

Bigthink — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 01:23:37 +0100

Do you ever find yourself in an uncomfortable position whenever someone brings religion into the conversation?

Re: stop the genicide in sudan!!!

Bigthink — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 04:50:00 +0100

: There's a quote in the movie Blood Diamond when, if I can remeber this correctly, the natives were discussing the war caused by the diamond trade with other countries. They said something along the lines of, "Every time they (they being the European countries) find something new here -- salt, gold, diamonds -- a war always follows. Let's just hope they don't find oil.' Politicians put a ridiculous amount of effort into covering up the horrible realities and giving us just the basic facts, things you hear on the news. When people of some high social importance go to these countries, they say they go to show us the 'truth' but form what I've seen they just get the abriged version, not the whole story. It is horrible that genocide is even happening today, but we have become neutral to it. If someone mentions the Holocaust, my experience is that everyone around shuts up and pays attenntion, but you mention the genocide in Africa, a few peopel will say, "Oh, that's sad," or, "I wish I could do more to help," and that's that. Keep in mind, this my personal experience. Obviously, a reevalution of myself and the people I associate with wouldn't hurt. But thos that do help I think have the biggest hearts in the world, and those that make a lifetime effort helping these people have indescribable amounts of humility and kindness. Of course, I have a few conflicting opinions. The main one being is that sticking our nose in other people's business is not always the fstest way to solve problems. My parents always told me when I was perfect, I could tell other people what to do. Every nation today has inumerable amounts of problems and I think we should be working from the inside out, first the problems at home, then the problems over there. Clearly, if this was done things like the conflicts in Iraq (no, its not a war, quit calling it that) and the threats of nuclear war and WMDs would not exist, and people would be friendlier. But, I am all for the help anyone and everyone is giving to stop the genocide in Sudan, we as a world just need to take time to fix things at home, too. Taking baby steps never killed anyone, and it could even help stop the killing now.

Re: What is your favorite quote?

Bigthink — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 21:11:32 +0100

"It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees." - Emiliano Zapata

"A life lived in fear is a life half lived"

"Such is life." - Ned Kelly's final words

"I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."- the French Soldier in Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Re: Re: Who are you?

Bigthink — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:02:32 +0100

: I am Lucy the cynic, the indie rock kid, the comedian, the artist, the intellectual, the problem solver, the psychiatrist for her friends, the referee for her family, the introvert, the aspiring film director. I am Lucy with subtitles yet to be discovered.

Re: Where do human rights come from?

Bigthink — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:41:24 +0100

: In school they tell you that you are given John Locke's three unalienable rights: life, liberty, and property. But no idea is necessarily a new idea. I think it was understood that we as humans beings deserve certain rights all the way back to the days we were walking on all fours. Even animals that we view as insuperior have a better idea about the 'rights' guaranteed to them. Humans are the only creatures on earth that kill in cold blood, while the lion will kill the antelope to live, even if it seems cruel thats how life works for them. We put people in chains because they go against the rules we created or even because they disagree with us, while the eagle will share the sky with the sparrow and let them be free. The only right we seem to acknowledge is property, because as animals we are instinctually territorial. So, I think human rights may have come from animals.