I guess I would tell the world basically that they're a bunch of a__holes. I would tell them all to cut their guns up and I would tell people in middle eastern countries to be better to women and people in western countries to stop being so spoiled, shallow and materialistic. I'd tell people that plastic surgery doesn't look good unless it's to correct a deformity of some kind. I would tell people in the US and Canada to stop circumcising babies unless there's an actual medical reason for it. I would tell people to stop hunting for sport because it's cruel. You should only hunt if you're starving and you should be respectful to the animal and the life that you're taking. I would tell people to stop watching so many movies and TV shows. They're bullsh_t and they warp our perception of relationships and they make us delusional. I would warn kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. I would tell people that it's good to have choice when it comes to abortion and there are possibly reasons to do it. However, it shouldn't be used just because a person partied too hard or forgot to take birth control or just doesn't feel like having a baby in my opinion. I'm not talking about rape or medical complications. I'm just talking about people being irresponsible and thinking "Oh, I guess I'll just get an abortion." If you choose to have sex, then you can love and raise the baby in my opinion or at least put it up for adoption I would probably warn the world about the dangers of Trump and Kim Jong Un, Putin etc. I'm sure I would piss off a few people, but you only get one chance to speak to the planet so I would keep talking until they stop me.
What a well-thought out response. A much needed reminder that it's much better for everyone to try and get along than to continuously be at each others' throats.
Lately, the world to me is just a lot of individuals who may need to just settle down. A list of my demands and wishes is just one more person telling everyone else what to do. Let's all be still a bit. :) :) It's where I am now, at least.
Agreed. Peace has to start one person at a time, paid forward, and cultivated. My gratititude for your indulging my question.
My hope was some would use their “big moment” to express a larger message, something they hold in their hearts to the rest of humanity. In the final take here though, Welby, maybe it’s symptomatic that people are generally too reticent or apathetic to make a difference, to coherently convey what they really feel out loud, or abdicate such an opportunity because they simply fear potential criticism. The world is full of small people willing to swallow whatever falls to them and pursue little else. Perhaps this is why things are the way they are.
And I am grateful to you, too, Don Barzini. :)Your thoughts are good stuff to me, definitely. :)
And perhaps it's too similar to my posted answer but I might add this to my message to the world. Though I fail often in this, it's a goal always for me. :)
This post was edited by WelbyQuentin at July 1, 2018 10:50 AM MDT
Is this really the attention you’d want? Depending on where it’s done, people get their past and their relatives dragged out into the police blotter for saying things like this.
I posed a more or less serious question to provoke a thoughtful discussion, in retrospect it seems wasted on most of this crowd. Maybe I should sink to idle blather about tildes or wearing trash bags.
There’s some sarcasm for ya.
This post was edited by Don Barzini at July 2, 2018 1:35 AM MDT
Randy, I expected a range of responses, and felt I responded in kind to each, though I can accept that some things can be lost in print. So be it.
There appears to be a general reluctance (dare I say inability?) here to engage thoughtfully (except in a couple of obvious cases) beyond a snippet, a meme or wiseacre remark, and while that’s fine, it is rather on the cheap side.
Perhaps I am mistaken in seeking to challenge people to truly think beyond that.
I don't think you're mistaken at all. As I stated before, my perception was that you took people to task for wisecracking with you in their answers. Far from being tolerant of the range of answers, that seems to be the exact opposite. It's important to note that I'm only conveying my opinion, and I believe you have the right to express that you dislike what someone has written. Not everyone logs onto AnswerMug for the same reasons. Lighthearted banter might be all that certain folks want to engage in, regardless of the level of seriousness of the given topic. Others are serious sometimes and joke around sometimes. There might be instances where a serious-minded person responds with a quip, but it's not his or her usual tact. Who knows? (Shrug.) ~
I had a think about this... a serious one... and hopefully you will approve.. Your question was indeed a very thought provoking one and indeed those are the best kind. I know I replied with an off the top of my head reply.. why? well because that's easier and quicker.. and arguably we often do just do that, lazy and with least effort..
But I thought about it on a wider level... maybe there's more to it.. maybe there is more to it than that.. I mean if there is a pattern we can look at that... and here's what I think....
I think people are reluctant to give a speech that aims to try to change the world, make it a better place, to tell some home truths that need telling... I really do think that .. and i think it's not that we think those things aren't worth saying, or that we don't think them.. I mean trust me I could deliver a massive speech about why Trump is bad for America and indeed the world... but we know that people don't want to listen, they don't want to hear even... and we would be wasting our breath... Maybe, just maybe the best we could get away with, with people's awfully low attention span these days, IS just a wise-crack or a snippet of wisdom?
In writing this I was reminded of London's Speakers Corner.. a place where anyone can go and spout their *wisdom* for anyone who cares to listen.... I think most are not really listened to..
So there you go, there are my thoughts, such as they are. Thank you for making us think and if you can bear to, please do keep trying to make us think; like the speeches that people may not listen to - it's still worth doing because some will listen :)
This post was edited by WelbyQuentin at July 1, 2018 10:50 AM MDT
Randy D 