Tom Sarbeck

[Tom Sarbeck]

So Peter van Inwagen says atheists can be the angriest and most bitter of all?

He is teaching himself what he needs to believe. Full stop.

 

[Tom Sarbeck]

Does anyone else remember that, during the Cold War between capitalism and communism, when many people feared that nuclear war was imminent, Red China’s ruler remarked that China could afford to lose half of their six hundred thousand population?

They could afford to lose more than America’s entire population.

With the earth’s population now nearing 7.3 billion and growing, I see little reason to remark on the loss of only 400,000. I don’t want to go to war for so few.

 

[Tom Sarbeck]

Postscript: a newborn’s reptilian brain dominates, and no one socialized the infant Donald Trump.

 

[Tom Sarbeck]

Around 1980 after I “retired” (at age 45) and started studying socio-psychopathy, before brain scan technology developed, people who’d studied sociology preferred the former term and those who’d studied psychology preferred the latter term.

After brain scans became common, I saw reports that the former was thought to be environmentally caused and the latter ro be genetically caused.

Given that life began as blue-green algae, cyanobacteria or pond scum (your choice), and the bigger or stronger ate (or engulfed) the smaller or weaker, it seems reasonable that:

1) when the reptilian brain ruled, psycho-sociopathy was the default condition, and

2) eons later, as the mammalian brain evolved, thoughts of right and wrong behavior (morality) grew.

Your thoughts?

[Tom Sarbeck]

Regarding the premise:

Religion offers social capital and atheism doesn’t?

Atheism doesn’t require masochism; religion does.

’Nuf said.

 

 

 

[Tom Sarbeck]

Do not pray. Only you and others here will save you.

 

[Tom Sarbeck]

Self-care is a spiritual practice?

For you, Simon.

For me, self-care is entirely pragmatic.

 

[Tom Sarbeck]

Reg, the post’s being late I can believe. Your converting to xianity? Try again next April.

 

[Tom Sarbeck]

Hi, Benjie. While I usually describe Catholicism as a plantation with slaves, I can agree with your describing it as a corrupt and selfish dictatorship.

My Catholic dad started the first two of his five children—my older sister and me—in a public school before Catholic bishops decreed that Catholic parents should send their children to Catholic schools.

Perhaps because he doubted his ability to raise moral children, I was partway through first grade before he transferred us to a nearby Catholic school. Before he died he knew all of his five children had quit Catholicism.

In my opinion, what happens in Catholic schools, and perhaps in all religious schools, is child abuse. While I was in college a bit of trauma helped me free myself and I spent most of my life as an happy agnostic. At age eighty I realized that no thunderbolts had struck nearby and came out to friends as an atheist.

Are you adapting to freedom easily and well? A friend of mine has tried several times to leave the plantation but after a few weeks a need of some kind pulls him back.

 

[Tom Sarbeck]

@Simon: “I can’t help thinking that learning about religion is important. This is because, religion is important.”

C’mon, Simon; religion is important TO YOU.

BTW, the moon’s halves require each other. I like the pic but the metaphor is poor.

 

[Tom Sarbeck]

The shooters may be mentally ill, or very angry, or very something else.

They may be doing as coal mine canaries once did, warning miners of deadly gases. Shooters may be warning some of us of our serious and worsening overpopulation problem. Add their numbers to the many others engaged in killing us.

Are we sapient enough to understand the danger?

 

[Tom Sarbeck]

@mikelansing:

A person’s body might be strong enough that its immune response can defeat the effects of an infection without medical intervention.

Similarly, a person’s mind might be strong enough that one or more of its PTS stages can defeat the effects of a traumatic event without therapeutic intervention.

The French approach? The American approach requires money for therapy.

The DSMs have from time to time been changed to reflect new understandings of conditions. Homosexuality was once a disorder.

 

[Tom Sarbeck]

Sheesh, Reg. I didn’t count the number of times during my Catholic years I ate and excreted the body of …hm-mm, I forgot who they said it was.

 

[Tom Sarbeck]

The WDYYB game has a few variations.

The lonely YB character starts with a non-specific plea for help or complaint.

The WDY character tries to help and suggests a remedy.

YB says something like “That’s not good enough” and  wins the round.

WDY, not wanting to lose, tries again.

The exchanges continue, YB always winning and WDY always losing.

A bored YB might end the game; a frustrated WDY might end it.

For instance. Where I am we will soon elect a council chair and vice-chair.

YB: “The council doesn’t do anything.”

WDY, defending the council: “They did X.”

YB, attacking:“That’s nothing.”

WDY tries again,

Etc, etc, etc.

 

 

[Tom Sarbeck]

PB, I’m saying PTS (without the D) is not a disorder.

Just as the stages of the body’s immune response system are how the body protects the body from infection, PTS’s four stages—hyperalertness, emotional avoidance, physical  avoidance, acting out—are how the mind protects the mind from trauma.

As to the ‘self’, we each take one everywhere we go, so it’s not something anyone can get over.

 

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