PETA for, against or just love animals?

[Fuzzy]

Kai said:

Sometimes I just want to scream and shout, 'I'm not like you! I want to be different, I want to be sane! I don't want to be human!' I rebel and push against anything I can, trying to create some control. And the more I fight the harder it gets to get peace. True, I get some control, but it comes at a heavy price. I wish the world didn;t suck so much. It just seems that every step we go forward, we realize that we are two steps farther back than we thought. It's a never end process.

If you want to be different and reach high you reach high, sure it isn't easy but then again if something is worth doing/having is it ever easy? As long as you keep your head down and work hard, no matter what people say you just keep trying. The world needs more people willing to make a difference, even if it's a drop in the ocean at least it's one more rather than one less ;D

[Kai]

Still it is so easy to forget about that one drop. Otherwise more people would try to do something. The world dose not like people going against the flow. Besides, I am a creature of pride and rarelly do anything with my head down. I believe in never showing regret to anyone you don't trust. You have to walk with pride. The best you can do is keep your claws out, and pick your battles to the best of your abilities.

[thealmightyq]

kai said:

Still it is so easy to forget about that one drop. Otherwise more people would try to do something. The world dose not like people going against the flow.

I would have to disagree, to an extent. Nihilism has always been a popular movement among young people for a reason. (just take a look at the sixties and today. I can honestly say that a good fifty percent of the teenagers I've met on internet forums today are atheists of some sort) People who go against the flow are oftentimes seen as intelligent, original, and innovative by much of society. Of course, there are limits to this, but to say "the world does not like people going against the flow" or "the world does like people going against the flow" are overly simplistic statement that try to put world attitudes into a single statement and analyze human behaviors with one-sided views of the picture. While atheism is looked down in many areas of society, atheists are viewed by another large portion of society as being "freethinkers" who are generally more intelligent than the religious conservatism that blindly believes the tales of its history.

Besides, I am a creature of pride

If I am correct, are you saying that you feel that you are greater than the general populace of humanity and take pride in that? I don't mean to misrepresent you, I'm genuinely honest. If that is the case, I have to say this:

Pride and comparison of others is one of the most easy ways to have your self-esteem implode in front of your eyes. I am not saying this to be mean, but I know this from cold, hard experience. When you gauge yourself in comparison to others, you are creating tension between you and the community that you are embedded. Of course, to break away from what other people think and do things that inevitably lead to tension is necessary at times, but an attitude that leads to elitist thinking on one's part is an attitude that is self-centered instead of centered on the welfare of others. I've had to teach myself to think, every day, "What can I do to love others and help others out?" I've found that this attitude is much more conducive to a proper self-esteem and sense of community. We in America are becoming too individualistic for our own good. At an early age, we are learning to ignore the contributions others have made to create who we are today (If I can read, I have to thank my kindergarten and first grade teachers. If I have had several years of experience with fractions, I have to thank my first grade math teacher. Think of all the teaching others have had to give me for me to be able to properly write a compelling essay! If I never had anyone helping me, never had anyone teaching me, I would truly be a pathetic creature of selfishness, incredible ignorance, and low morality.) We need to stop thinking about ourselves and what we can get and start thinking about what we can give to others instead. This sort of mindset is what the great social reformers of our era almost always had, especially when they ran into hardship because of their commitment to the good of others. We need to judge evil for what it is, but we need to learn to walk in love instead of comparison of ourselves with others.

and rarelly do anything with my head down. I believe in never showing regret to anyone you don't trust.

Why is this? Yes, showing regret opens yourself up to hurt and humiliation that you oftentimes may not deserve. However, somebody has to rise above the moral cacophony and ring true with proper, loving action eventually. It's like what the Bible says:

Proverbs 25:21-22

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the LORD will reward you.

The phrase "heap burning coals on his head" is a two-fold reference: It refers to the shame that is created when knowing that the one you are mistreating is consistently behaving within the boundaries of love and kindness better than you are. (Trust me, I've experienced this shame many times in my life! I remember when I was an atheist, I almost hated my older brother because he was a very devout Christian. I thought he was an idiot, and I let him know it. He would always respond by saying "Jon, God loves you. " and I would always walk away in disgust. I can honestly tell you I felt guilty over those confrontations for quite some time to come). At the same time, it is possibly a reference to an Egyptian ritual, whereby one would symbolize one's repentance of evil by carrying a basket on one's head filled with burning coals. As such, the passage may also be saying that doing these things will eventually win over your enemy to your side. Yes, this passage refers to something different from what you are referring to, but it is the same concept: You should always walk with hearts of love and "let your light shine before men." (Matthew 5:11)

You have to walk with pride. The best you can do is keep your claws out, and pick your battles to the best of your abilities.

No...this view is so wrong. I am not trying to be mean when I write this; I am trying to be governed by agape love (that's Christian, god-like love, expecting nothing in return for good deeds and loving others unconditionally) when I write, and I hope my tone never steps out of this. If it ever does, that is a huge failure on my part. However, your attitude towards the world is, as far as I can see, the exact opposite of what a healthy attitude should be. The world is not a battlefield where we're meant to always be looking out for fights and confrontations with possible enemies. Yes, we will have enemies, but we must not view life this way. You will be hurt by those who revile you; I know I was many, many times. Yet I almost always found out that those people always had troubles, hurts, heartaches of their own. They had their own problems, and oftentimes it became obvious that their bitterness towards me was merely an outlet for the pain they contained inside of them. If I had been loving to them (most of the time I wasn't...), I could have influenced them, over the long time, for good, because I would have been showing them how to be good by example and allowing them to feel love from someone they regarded as an enemy. When you want to reap a crop from a field, you plant seeds, and then you have to wait for those seeds to sprout before anything happens. Our deeds, loving actions for others, and behaviors are the same way. If something changes about that person, it's never instantaneous. It always takes time. Think how I might have benefited the world: The world would have another soul who is filled more and more with concepts of love and charity partly because of my actions. Love oftentimes does lead to needless hurt, but love almost always creates more love. We should not view life as a battlefield; we should view life as a job incomplete: There is so much for us to do in this world, so much for us to change, so many people to help, so let's get to it! That, I believe, should be our attitude. This attitude is so much purer, so much happier, than having to stand on your toes all the time waiting for someone to lunge out and strike you. To quote my mother, who is a very wise woman: "If you always keep your heart guarded and never take a step of faith and lend it out to someone else and take chances, you'll never get anywhere in life." In closing, this is one of my favorite quotes. It's from a poet named Kent Keith. It really is beautiful:

1. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
3. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
9. People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
10. Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.



Just my two cents.

TheAlmightyQ