Theos-Talk Archives (April 1996 Message tl00630)

Eldon writes as below:

I'd say that people's feelings are important, but their
unjustified emotional reactions to things are not. I should, for
instance, be able to express myself using the word "cat" without
regard to someone's unexpected phobia of that word. Here there is
no harm intended in the word and the reaction is clearly the
listener's psychological problem. That is different than

""trouncing upon someone's beliefs because of not liking the beliefs, without
regard to the effect upon their spiritual lives"".

You mention that an attack on people's beliefs is justified,
because if the beliefs are based upon illusion the beliefs will be
upset sooner or later anyway. That may be so, but I wouldn't
prematurely rip open a baby flower bud or cut open a cocoon, just
because "sooner or later..."

On the other hand, I'd agree with this idea in another direction.
I'd say that sooner or later people's false beliefs, beliefs based
upon illusion, will be subject to challenge and the reality of
life will make itself known.

Bee writes: I am plagiarizing Eldons post to express my similar attitude
especially in the ""    "" bit. The trouncing bit is what has deterred me
from saying any more. In the past I used to give a quote as it expressed
what I was thinking better than I could and it meant that, that particular
quote stood for an idea I was expressing not for the enlightenment of the
list as such. Some times a quote had a meaning that I found illusive and by
posting it here I thought I might have gained an insight into it from
someone's experience or knowledge. I don't mind if someone points out an
error of thinking I may be expressing as long as they don't 'rip open the
rose bud' in the process. I have heard from lurkers privately who express
the same feelings and if we don't speak to each other reasonably and kindly
then there will only be a very few left to talk on theos-l and that would be
sad. My cats have a carpeted post for sharpening their claws and it gets
into a real mess and has to have a new cover on it periodically. It saves my
furniture though. I wonder if there isn't a list somewhere for sharpening
mental claws too.
Peace to us all.
Bee Brown
Member TSNZ,Wanganui Branch.
Theos Int & L