:-D
My bagster, I like your summation and your declaration that YOU have the God-given right to make up your own mind about what is true and not true. YOU DO!! In fact, the largest percentage of us on FReeRepublic , IMHO are all about trying to figure out what is true.
Some of us see different facets, and are very convinced that other facets contradict them, so we see people here get into high dudgeons about defending their perceptions. Perfectly understandable and even sometimes appropriate. However, many of us are beginning to learn that at times other facets are not necessarily contradictive of our perspective, but rather would enlarge our view, if we can grow enough to let them.
About being in a high dudgeon. I’m really good at dudgeoning, I find! - and hope I am quicker recognizing it when I discover it in myself. There just is no time to dudgeon, even though it can be very satisfactory to my feelings. Most generally when I indulge in dudgeoning, I feel vey foolish if I discover I have been in error. For me, best not to dudgeon! If you ever see me dudgeoning, you MUST tell me!
Finding Truth (and consequently, exercising the freedom to find it) is a difficult process, and sometimes during the process it is also true that there actually ARE erroneous concepts we hold which ARE NOT TRUE.... so if we have the courage to examine EVERYTHING we can finally arrive at greater elements of truth. But there are carloads of things to sift through! It is a daily challenge in my own world. (Or at least it should be! LOL!) How marvelous it is when shining jewels of Truth are found - whenever and however we manage to obtain them!
But still, I have found so often that the people I disagree with here on FR are sincerely desiring to find Truth and to express it. Knowing of that sincerity causes me to love them, even in the midst of the clamor and disagreement! It’s a noisy process being free and exercising it!
Hmmmm well, I “went off into blue sky” there a bit, as my very patient Darlin would say. Thanks for your kind words - and your own patience. You, bagster, cause people to think. I enjoy the full charging glee you bring to your explorations!
I find the philosophical discussion of "truth", what it is and how it is arrived a fascinating and fundamental one.
Thank you for indulging me. I could talk about this all day long with a fellow philosopher. And you are a very good one.
Your gung fu is strong. :)
re: dudgeon, truth, making up one’s mind
One problem that Trump and the good guys are going to have is convincing people who *KNOW* that their guy is the good guy and the other guy is the bad guy. We can help.
Think about this: So many of us despise 0vomit and know he’s a bad actor. Also the Clintons. So many libs despise Bush 43 and know he’s a bad actor. Also Bush 41. What is probably going to be revealed is that ALL of them are bad. (At least that is what I am seeing, based on all I’ve read lately.) So we need to be able to acknowledge to the libs that yes, indeed, they were right about Bush and we were wrong to support him. (Or if not “we”, then those other knee-jerk conservatives).
Then we need to show them how “our” evil guys were in league with “their” guys and that all of them together were screwing us all and screwing the USA.
I believe this will do a LOT to help them open their eyes to the evil of their “favorite” candidates.
The point is NOT that we were right and they were wrong. The point is that there is a LOT of evil and corruption and it is bad on both sides of the aisle and we ALL need to open our eyes and critically examine the facts. We need to open our minds and not cling to our traditional/historical favorites in the face of hard evidence.
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>> Finding Truth (and consequently, exercising the freedom to find it) is a difficult process, and sometimes during the process it is also true that there actually ARE erroneous concepts we hold which ARE NOT TRUE.... so if we have the courage to examine EVERYTHING we can finally arrive at greater elements of truth. - TEXOKIE
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Best FReegards,
g