I've always heard about vietnam. Everything that happened and went on, how the American people acted when they finally returned back to American soil, but I never really took an interest. I was indifferent towards the facts of the History of War. I woke up an hour and a half ago, (3am) and some flick was on about vietnam. I began to watch it. I hate feeling sad and stuff. It's not my thing. I'm typically just not a sympathetic person. Let me explain that. I don't sympathize with grown people who can do something about their circumstances or situations well at all. They know better and they can just do something different if they really desire change.

So I was watching this. I get VOM magazines, I've seen christians heads split open in them, but that didn't bother me bad. I think because they died for what they believed, and it's my desire to be a martyr too. I believe there's just no higher call.
On to the point. Our government, sent our people over to another land to fight and die for a cause that wasn't all that believed in. We're doing it now too. Not as many deaths, yet, but not as much news coverage either.

We kill each other. We fight on command. Some of us for a cause we feel justified in. We take what isn't ours from those that have what we want. The war's inside of us. Then some blame God.

To keep ourselves from suffering too much grief over our actions, and destructive habits, we try to equalize it. Send missionaries to the nation, get em 'born again'.
It's nice and what not. Get them born again, so we can kill them, and feel like we did them a good deed?

What about America? We fight ourselves daily. Some places people 'hit up the streets'... but can I be honest? In most cases, we're too concerned about living a physical life, than putting our lives on the line and going out at night to the city and preaching the gospel, even though it will cost people their physical and spiritual deaths.

There's too much hypocrisy in this world.. and to be honest with YOU and myself.. I hate being a part of it. I'm no better than anyone, i'm no less either. We're bound together in our struggles. Learning to rage war within and without. Putting up defenses, hardening ourselves towards loving and being loved. I'm not trying to sound like some modern hippie, but we're going to detroy ourselves, if something somewhere doesn't change somehow.

I don't care who you are.. I LOVE YOU.. can't we band together and change our generation before it remains in the wrong hands only to be destroyed? Or have we all become too self-consumed and indifferent to consider one another and the future generations?

This is probably going to have to be moved to Humanities?

I get VOM magazines, I've seen christians heads split open in them, but that didn't bother me bad. I think because they died for what they believed, and it's my desire to be a martyr too. I believe there's just no higher call.


You'd be pleased to know that a whole slew of Muslims share that same sentiment.

"It was always my wish to turn my body into deadly shrapnel against the Zionists and to knock on the doors of heaven with the skulls of Zionists."

-22 year old suicide bomber who left behind a 3-year old son and a 1-year old daughter

Please, Shellz - let's not nurture this kind of mindset. Surely you can do the Lord's work without having to be vainglorious in martyrdom. It was Camus who said that martyrs had to choose between being forgotten, mocked or used. As for being understood: never

That was deep, and that's the first time I've ever truly been open to anything you've ever said to me. That was good. (I swear I'm straight.) But your philosophical mind captivates me.

I never understood suicide bombers mentality.

Being a martyr is fine and all for some people. But something I have noticed about god is that he never likes to do the same thing twice.

We had our joan of ark.. time for something different.

Ok so we are called to give our lives to god. Its the idea that god gives to us. And lets us choose what to do with it. And we need to try and understand we dont know what we are doing and thus give it BACK to god to do as HE (or she lol) wishes.

So god wants to use our lives, the gifts given to us, for a purpose. thats fine.


Also We know god is not an all peaceful god. The christian bible has plenty of war references.

So god will go to war from time to time.

But to assume that god wants you to destroy this gift of life, in his name seems like a waste. I dont doubt that every suicide bomber beleaves they are justified. But I do doubt that every one is truly listening to what god is telling them.

Is the same thing as this: So your dad gives you a car. You go our and wreck it, you trust your father and take it back to him. You admit you screwed up and he loves you and gives you a BETTER car. you still get in fender benders but you have learned and you drive better now, in a way your father taught you.. matyrdom is saying. Oh there is this guy that is slandering your father, you father must HATE him and I should DRIVE this car through his house.

This is without consulting your father, or asking him what he truly thinks, or wishes YOU to do with that car. if anything.

Martyr doesn't equate to murder/suicide against those who don't believe...it means sacrificing one's self for a cause...what is more effective though, HellzShellz: dying for a cause, or living for a cause? Both are sacrifices for a cause...either way it requires total commitment and self-sacrifice, but you can accomplish a lot more living for a cause than dying for one.

I've always heard about vietnam. Everything that happened and went on, how the American people acted when they finally returned back to American soil, but I never really took an interest. I was indifferent towards the facts of the History of War. I woke up an hour and a half ago, (3am) and some flick was on about vietnam. I began to watch it. I hate feeling sad and stuff. It's not my thing. I'm typically just not a sympathetic person. Let me explain that. I don't sympathize with grown people who can do something about their circumstances or situations well at all. They know better and they can just do something different if they really desire change.

So I was watching this. I get VOM magazines, I've seen christians heads split open in them, but that didn't bother me bad. I think because they died for what they believed, and it's my desire to be a martyr too. I believe there's just no higher call.
On to the point. Our government, sent our people over to another land to fight and die for a cause that wasn't all that believed in. We're doing it now too. Not as many deaths, yet, but not as much news coverage either.

We kill each other. We fight on command. Some of us for a cause we feel justified in. We take what isn't ours from those that have what we want. The war's inside of us. Then some blame God.

To keep ourselves from suffering too much grief over our actions, and destructive habits, we try to equalize it. Send missionaries to the nation, get em 'born again'.
It's nice and what not. Get them born again, so we can kill them, and feel like we did them a good deed?

What about America? We fight ourselves daily. Some places people 'hit up the streets'... but can I be honest? In most cases, we're too concerned about living a physical life, than putting our lives on the line and going out at night to the city and preaching the gospel, even though it will cost people their physical and spiritual deaths.

There's too much hypocrisy in this world.. and to be honest with YOU and myself.. I hate being a part of it. I'm no better than anyone, i'm no less either. We're bound together in our struggles. Learning to rage war within and without. Putting up defenses, hardening ourselves towards loving and being loved. I'm not trying to sound like some modern hippie, but we're going to detroy ourselves, if something somewhere doesn't change somehow.

I don't care who you are.. I LOVE YOU.. can't we band together and change our generation before it remains in the wrong hands only to be destroyed? Or have we all become too self-consumed and indifferent to consider one another and the future generations?

This is probably going to have to be moved to Humanities?

Humans are greedy.. it is our animal instinct. why do people think we are so different from animals? We need food and water, we have an innate desire to mate.. and it's just on a more complex level because our brains allow us to think outside the box. but really, we aren't so special.. we look out for #1 in most cases..

EDIT: I say this, but still I acknowledge that it would be a very very sad fact if everyone who prays is talking to no one..

Martyr doesn't equate to murder/suicide against those who don't believe...it means sacrificing one's self for a cause...what is more effective though, HellzShellz: dying for a cause, or living for a cause? Both are sacrifices for a cause...either way it requires total commitment and self-sacrifice, but you can accomplish a lot more living for a cause than dying for one.

To die is justified if there is no better way to fulfill your obligations.

To die is justified if there is no better way to fulfill your obligations.

Um, what obligations would there be?

We have all been given two great gifts--life and free will. Thus, we have no obligations save those we choose to undertake.

God, being infinite, neither wants nor needs anything from us. (I refer not to the paranoid and petty deity portrayed in the Bible and other essentially obsolete tomes, of course.)

The war's inside of us. Then some blame God.

Succinct thought! Serendipitous? Many teachers describe this as the 'war' within between soul and ego. Yogananda's translation of the Hindu Bible, the Baghvad Gita, is about the battle between soul and ego with spirit facilitating! There is a wealth of other teachers past and present like Eckhart Tolle (who has it nailed!) and David Hawkins. For mine the ego is the enemy! This entity that creates negative thoughts of past and present bringing torments unsettling the present. The truth does set free and recognising the core of the problem is "The war's inside of us"; not in an external deity, but within one's very being.

To keep ourselves from suffering too much grief over our actions, and destructive habits, we try to equalize it. Send missionaries to the nation, get em 'born again'.
It's nice and what not. Get them born again, so we can kill them, and feel like we did them a good deed?

Insightful, but is it always true?
I don't care who you are.. I LOVE YOU.. can't we band together and change our generation before it remains in the wrong hands only to be destroyed?

What is your Love?


Or have we all become too self-consumed and indifferent to consider one another and the future generations?



The ego is only concerned with it's 'self'. Those awakened to their true nature - awareness, eternity, infinity, are able to transcend it, yet for many, and from what you are writing - YOU, there are moments of clarity! You are on an eternal, infinite, spiritual journey travelling by the vehicle of awareness. The life of most revolves around the identity given them by others, name, family and national tradition. There is a family ego, a national ego and events like Vietnam echo the conflicts within families and neighbours as you refer to in the troubles near to home. And then there's the damage done by the do-gooders, whose premises for action often predestine further suffering for those they try to help.:)

The people asked Jesus what was the work of God. His answer "To believe in the one he sent". This thought is repeated more than any other in John's gospel. Jesus taught about the battle between soul and ego in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus in his soul wanted to do the will of spirit, but ego created conflict within and he sweat tears of blood representing the suffering we all endure when torn by desires and aversions born of egoic wants and needs.

All that is required is for each individual to awaken. Be Awareness: in this moment be aware of all your senses, smell, touch, taste, see, feel. Feel Eternity: the energy of which your being is composed is eternal. See Infinity: life in it's infinite forms within and without. Taste immortality, touch your soul, smell the roses:D You do not actually have to do anything! Simply believe.:)

The very act of believing in a higher power, whether it be love personified or some other aspect of the Eternal, Infinite, Awareness, will elevate consciousness and strengthen the body. Like smelling a pleasant aroma the very thought of higher being lifts any mood. This is all that's needed! It's like hot and cold, cold is the absence of heat, ignorance is the absence of knowledge, suffering is the absence of love.

"All we need is Love, sweet Love, it's the only thing there's too little of." No need to change the world, "Change your Heart it will astound you." "Love lifts us up where we belong."

Cheers:)

I believe non-believers and atheists to be on the rise in America...

Looks like you both failed in your causes, thus your life. The good news is, it does qualify you for Matyrdom............Chuck, tell them what they have won.

Ntohgin.

The very act of believing in a higher power, whether it be love personified or some other aspect of the Eternal, Infinite, Awareness, will elevate consciousness and strengthen the body. Like smelling a pleasant aroma the very thought of higher being lifts any mood. This is all that's needed! It's like hot and cold, cold is the absence of heat, ignorance is the absence of knowledge, suffering is the absence of love.

Cheers:)

Belief? Isn't that a process or "doing" not "being"? No, belief is useless. To experience, to observe, to live, that is what's useful. Belief in a higher power? Why not a belief in a transcendental, unified consciousness?

But yes, I get what you're trying to say.