tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post3029839295373798792..comments2024-03-28T18:26:13.768-05:00Comments on Althouse: Beautiful squalor — in the name of a religion seen from a distance. Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-41798200566581037102016-11-08T21:22:28.512-06:002016-11-08T21:22:28.512-06:00It's one thing to live in small rooms with ext...<i>It's one thing to live in small rooms with extreme simplicity, but it's something else to live in dangerous, unsanitary conditions.</i><br /><br />So much of trash all over, in the mud, on the ground. I never think of extreme simplicity as involving so much garbage. I think of it as a bare room with a bed, a blanket, a crucifix, and a writing table. <br /><br /><br />I Have Misplaced My Pantshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14325799399154580481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-25524721280621241472016-11-08T20:37:36.714-06:002016-11-08T20:37:36.714-06:00Yup, and make sure to visit Cuba so you can enjoy ...Yup, and make sure to visit Cuba so you can enjoy that authentic socialist poverty before the Americans come in and ruin it with their capitalist modernity! Third world poverty and squalor are simply things you *must* experience as a traveler ("tourist" sounds so yucky); you'll have wonderful photos and tales to tell your Manhattan bruvs, and they'll all wow and omg and think you're such an adventurous and empathetic soul. M15eryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17050747344760895031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-11138757288217608882016-11-08T19:23:39.049-06:002016-11-08T19:23:39.049-06:00Oh, btw, we grew up on the plains where you could ...Oh, btw, we grew up on the plains where you could see the horizon as a stark thin line, menacing at you, daring you, laughing at you from all directions. <br /><br />Oh, and blew ALL THE TIME. We missed it when it didn't. Talked about it. Wondered what it might mean in the big scheme of world events.<br /><br />And the wind, the wind did not fuck around. It cut you. Just for fun. When it wasn't blowing, we were scared even to whisper. Might stir it up.<br /><br />I miss it now. It's weird.BNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07800122398628075042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-57163790900128658552016-11-08T19:14:31.388-06:002016-11-08T19:14:31.388-06:00"Depending on the wind..."
That really ..."Depending on the wind..."<br /><br />That really resonates with me. I think that is the essence of my life.<br /><br />I shared a room with my brother growing up. He loved Dylan, but he really loved Donovan. And he was older and had more money and therefore more records, so i had to listen over and over and over to them--do you mind if I lay down on your couch for a minute?<br /><br />Dylan v. Donovan:<br /><br />"The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind"<br /><br />"ah, but I may as well try an' catch the wind."<br /><br />Over and over and fuckin' over!<br /><br />Well, I confess I preferred Donovan on this one. <br /><br />So that explains my problem. Now if you can't figure it out and tell me what sort of surf board to buy, then i want my damn money back.<br /><br />BNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07800122398628075042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-60281198612741057702016-11-08T16:05:47.630-06:002016-11-08T16:05:47.630-06:00Secular sadism - for the cause of political progre...Secular sadism - for the cause of political progress obscured through a veil of privacy. Perspective from an alternate religious/moral philosophy.n.nhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04252447117532342957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-8948609497507697142016-11-08T15:53:33.315-06:002016-11-08T15:53:33.315-06:00Funny, you take away the mountains and its the sam...<i>Funny, you take away the mountains and its the same view from the #7 train in Queens.</i><br /><br />Is that you, John? <br /><br />SukieTawdryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07219517365750894110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-89099228451362278272016-11-08T15:47:22.802-06:002016-11-08T15:47:22.802-06:00I'm not sure it's an American tendency, bu...I'm not sure it's an <i>American</i> tendency, but it certainly is a left-wing tendency. It goes hand-in-hand with multi-culturalism and the idea, as one British anthropologist put it, that putting a bone through your nose is somehow comparable with going to the moon. <br /><br />I would like to see world-wide prosperity. That requires things like electricity and potable water and sewage systems. Many of the "quaint" traditions that the left so reveres, like hauling water from the river in colorful earthen jugs atop a woman's head, will necessarily go by the wayside. I'm a traveler and there are many things that are "picturesque" about other cultures but squalor is not among them. SukieTawdryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07219517365750894110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1678366585803938622016-11-08T15:33:05.725-06:002016-11-08T15:33:05.725-06:00From the Sidney Herald:
At Yarchen Gar, founded i...<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/world/living-in-a-slum-in-the-name-of-enlightenment-20151015-gkal4b.html" rel="nofollow">From the Sidney Herald</a>:<br /><br /><i>At Yarchen Gar, founded in 1985 hard against the border of the TAR, living conditions are deplorable. Without even basic sanitation, every corner of the complex is permeated by a breathtakingly toxic smell. About 9000 nuns live in ramshackle huts on an island, while the more solidly built monks' quarters sit favourably on the surrounding hills.<br /><br />Monsoon rains bring regular flooding; on my visit ankle-deep raw sewage flowed into the streets on more than one occasion. No electricity runs to the island. Cholera and typhoid outbreaks are a daily threat. In winter, temperatures plunge to a life-threatening minus 25 degrees.<br /><br />Photo gallery<br />Living in a slum in the pursuit of spiritual perfection<br />Yet this does not deter the nuns. Winter meditation sessions, referred to as the "direct crossing", can last for days, with nothing more than a blanket to shield worshippers from the cold.<br /><br />The reward for this remarkable display of self-deprivation is the chance to learn firsthand from some of the most revered figures in Tibetan Buddhism. The current leader in residence is Asong Tulku. Tulku is a title given to a person who has reached the highest level of spiritual enlightenment; Asong is considered a living Buddha by his followers. To assist in his teaching at Yarchen, Asong is aided by senior nuns referred to as khenmos. Many nuns begin their life here at the age of just six.<br /><br />Not only do the nuns dedicate themselves fully to their studies, they are also responsible for almost all physical labour at Yarchen, constructing houses, unloading trucks or building roads. The monks, who rarely participate in physical labour here, seem to have it easy in comparison.<br /><br />Despite the living conditions, vast amounts of money are being funnelled into gigantic, ornate temples and monuments, while the slum continues to crumble.</i>Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14520113896946845614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-76080515673354766962016-11-08T15:29:43.477-06:002016-11-08T15:29:43.477-06:00PB&J,
I am a teacher by necessity, in my lin...PB&J, <br /><br />I am a teacher by necessity, in my line of work. I have the need to put people on the path to correct analysis and proper understanding, so that they may be able to do my work. I have taught a great many people. Like Althouse I am mainly a teacher. So I have this urge to correct you, because your worldview is so, so off. I can't put it another way.<br /><br />But I think that for you this may require a long trip to strange places. buwayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02388691837737324814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-48847480920266725582016-11-08T15:28:36.549-06:002016-11-08T15:28:36.549-06:00"It may seem strange, They see squalor, but I..."It may seem strange, They see squalor, but I see freedom."<br /><br />I have some friends (a married couple) that are doing fine (probably a net $25 mil), who love India. In particular the husband will go on an on about how hanging there (they have a nice place) is really living because nothing can be assumed. In particular, he once said this meant you could be run over by some motorcycle just like anyone else. <br /><br />I told him that POV seemed insane. And, I mentioned that if he wanted this sort of insecurity, there are probably plenty of hoods where he could experience that danger in American cities. Anywho, I was told that I just don't get it. On that we agreed.Sprezzaturahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14859397164637821056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-22531295558826106652016-11-08T15:20:23.951-06:002016-11-08T15:20:23.951-06:00Anywho, it's cool that Althouse struggles to u...Anywho, it's cool that Althouse struggles to understand what life means and is for folks in places not like this place.<br /><br />She does have a chunk of her mind dedicated to empathizing w/ and excuse making for America's so-called conservatives who are supposedly under the threat of some sort of undeserved something or other. So, obviously we're talking about someone w/, re the globe, a very limited grasp of the forest rather than the trees.<br /><br />Carry on.<br /><br />Sprezzaturahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14859397164637821056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-11128441291894739102016-11-08T15:01:10.185-06:002016-11-08T15:01:10.185-06:00Funny, you take away the mountains and its the sam...Funny, you take away the mountains and its the same view from the #7 train in Queens.320Busdriverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00409874234953203213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-10848580881310353702016-11-08T14:58:26.077-06:002016-11-08T14:58:26.077-06:00@IIB,
Freedom's just another word for nothing...@IIB,<br /><br /><i>Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.</i><br /><br />Just how many of those Tibetan women do you think Bobby McGee ran off & left?YoungHegelianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02723316130501823658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-72204138341976776812016-11-08T14:50:45.685-06:002016-11-08T14:50:45.685-06:00Levi Starks said...
It may seem strange, They see...Levi Starks said...<br /><br /><i>It may seem strange, They see squalor, but I see freedom.</i><br /><br />Freedom's just another word for <i>nothing left to lose.</i>Ignorance is Blisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02338942311894099159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-6776227249953811192016-11-08T14:40:40.462-06:002016-11-08T14:40:40.462-06:00Beautiful squalor — in the name of a religion seen...<i>Beautiful squalor — in the name of a religion seen from a distance.</i><br /><br />The distance is time.<br />The religion is Global Warming.<br />The squalor will be ours.Ignorance is Blisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02338942311894099159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-55684275140638565932016-11-08T14:05:19.941-06:002016-11-08T14:05:19.941-06:00It may seem strange, They see squalor, but I see f...It may seem strange, They see squalor, but I see freedom.<br />Levi Starkshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05608821881587804877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-16181541772401133952016-11-08T13:48:00.107-06:002016-11-08T13:48:00.107-06:00traditionalguy,
After 100 years of Roman Empire C...traditionalguy,<br /><br /><i>After 100 years of Roman Empire Catholicism wars of extermination of such believers, many left for this New World to live in a wilderness where they were allowed to live a personal life in Christ like Paul described.</i><br /><br />The Roman Empire was about a thousand years dead by that time, tradguy. Catholics weren't even the foe by then; it was the Nonconformists vs. the Anglicans, while the actual RC priests either hid in their holes or were caught and slowly disemboweled. Just so we're clear on what we're talking about here.<br /><br />The Pilgrims of "Mayflower" fame weren't as fine as you imagine them. They may have come here seeking religious freedom, but they certainly denied it to everyone else. <br /><br />Michelle Dulak Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18041391162535875301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-6305880856097821962016-11-08T13:36:39.841-06:002016-11-08T13:36:39.841-06:00Ann, "sanitation, adequate food and warmth, a...Ann, "sanitation, adequate food and warmth, and family love" are among the things you give up when you become a nun. The Chinese government is endeavoring to make it more difficult for the people who <i>choose</i> them to make such sacrifices. <br /><br />buwaya: I agree. These women are living as they <i>want</i> to. They aren't forced into squalor, and frankly their encampment shows that; they are living as they conceive their lives to be intended to be lived. I wish I could say the same of mine.Michelle Dulak Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18041391162535875301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-14486900576641693102016-11-08T13:34:21.276-06:002016-11-08T13:34:21.276-06:00I thought a gar was a fish from Florida.....I thought a gar was a fish from Florida.....Gahriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16795449308207016641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-79718514445429449822016-11-08T13:32:01.975-06:002016-11-08T13:32:01.975-06:00@TradGuy,
After 100 years of Roman Empire Catholi...@TradGuy,<br /><br /><i>After 100 years of Roman Empire Catholicism wars of extermination of such believers, many left for this New World to live in a wilderness where they were allowed to live a personal life in Christ like Paul descirbed.</i><br /><br />Actually, TradGuy, you might want to read up on Cromwell & the Irish Wars if you'd like to understand how holy & peace-loving your side wasn't. <br /><br />A good reason why the Anglican Church/British Crown moved away from Puritanism towards the more high church <i>Via Media</i> was because of the development of the view by the populace (a view shared by the Lutherans, Catholics, & later low-church Protestants like the Anabaptists & Methodists) that the Puritans/Calvinists were intransigent, self-righteous motherfuckers whose view of the world was "their way or the highway".<br /><br />So, console yourself with the thought that you do, indeed, fit in that Puritan tradition. <br /><br />YoungHegelianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02723316130501823658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-6735661793393109882016-11-08T13:30:06.056-06:002016-11-08T13:30:06.056-06:00The adoption of clean drinking water and sewer san...The adoption of clean drinking water and sewer sanitation is responsible for the large jump in life expectancy in the West from the 19th to 20th century. You basically pay for that on your water bill... hardly an obsession or sacrifice.<br /><br />Anyway, people do the weirdest things under the guise of religion and because it's a religion, they are supposed to be above reproach. Religion is the core of political correctness, followed by patriotism, nationalism, capitalism, democracy, veganism, environmentalism, sexism, racism, odd infinitumtumHowardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01048255624944551506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-35664074470648876302016-11-08T13:19:20.029-06:002016-11-08T13:19:20.029-06:00@Buwaya,
I am not unaware of this YH.
I know tha...@Buwaya,<br /><br /><i>I am not unaware of this YH.</i><br /><br />I know that, BP. You are a cultured & learned man. Remember, however, BP, that what we write here is not just to the individual forum member, but all of us here & thousands of lurkers to boot. It was to them much more than to you that I posted my "clarification".<br /><br />So, take my comment in that spirit. YoungHegelianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02723316130501823658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-909379512178003952016-11-08T13:09:28.080-06:002016-11-08T13:09:28.080-06:00"Jet setting progs have always found 3rd worl..."Jet setting progs have always found 3rd world people living in squalor to be picturesque and exotic"<br /><br />Here we differ - I don't see this as squalor. These women INTEND to live like this, camped in the open. This is their "rule", as a Catholic religious would put it - the custom of their order. <br /><br />Real squalor is something poor people do not choose, and I think few Americans have actually seen. I grew up adjacent to it, that is the nature of third world cities. I know squalor when I see it. <br /><br />This is squalor -<br />http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/estero_squatters.jpg<br />https://hechoayer.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/369-tondo.jpg<br />buwayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02388691837737324814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-52876216847154035882016-11-08T13:08:58.242-06:002016-11-08T13:08:58.242-06:00500 years ago Reform Christianity discovered in th...500 years ago Reform Christianity discovered in the newly translated scriptures secretly printed for distribution among newly literate middle class in their language, the writings of a certain Jewish guy named Paul in which that free man actually issued the Church an order: "It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Therefore do no submit again to a yoke of bondage." And they believed him.<br /><br />After 100 years of Roman Empire Catholicism wars of extermination of such believers, many left for this New World to live in a wilderness where they were <br />allowed to live a personal life in Christ like Paul descirbed.<br /><br />Somebody needs to slip some Bibles into Gar.traditionalguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-91611207654071210452016-11-08T13:04:39.525-06:002016-11-08T13:04:39.525-06:00As for sanitation, that's evolved into an obse...As for sanitation, that's evolved into an obsession that probably makes more people fearful than the people who are actually in danger.<br /><br />Adequate food and warmth? I'm fat, and global warming will save us all.<br /><br />I don't see how they cannot provide adequately for themselves just like monks in monasteries have forever in many religions, often living rewarding long lives of discovery and learning.<br /><br />But, then again, no porn, screw that! <br /><br />bagoh20https://www.blogger.com/profile/10915174575358413637noreply@blogger.com