Friday Thoughts

In Response To Comments On My Last Post:

Thanks Kathy, Lorraine, and Laughingwolf for your comments. This morning, I've been reflecting particularly on what Laughingwolf wrote:

while i was living in vancouver, bc, a local 'artist' told the 'news media' in a week's time he would 'crush a mouse on a canvas with a cinder block, live, for all to see', then mount the canvas as a 'work of art'

the 'animal rights' groups all threatened to KILL HIM, once they found out where he lived

neither event took place, as he fled the area

from wherever he went, he said he was seeking publicity and would not have hurt the mouse... the 'rights' groups response: if they found him, they'd kill him, anyway

makes one wonder....

I began to wonder and as I did, one question led to the next:

!. Under what circumstances, if any, is it appropriate to kill another human being?
2. What is the responsibility of an ethical person when evil is done or contemplated?
3. What is beyond the limits of acceptability in man's use of animals?

As I'm writing this, I'm thinking that everything is related and everything is complex. Some of my beliefs, when carried forward, lead to absurd conclusions and ideals which contradict one another. Often practicality puts restraints on what I would consider ethical duties. Perhaps, as I have a tendency to do sometimes, I'm making things more complex than they need to be.

Weighty Issues:

My official WW weight last night reflected a gain of .8 lbs. since my last weigh-in of two week ago. In fact, I know that I "lost," then regained, an additional 4 pounds. I'm expecting more consistent self discipline from myself this week.

One of the things that I've been noticing is that so many of the people I meet are anxious to lose their weight quickly. At one level, my gut response is "What's the rush?" I don't feel the need to hurry the process. I think that's because I don't expect my life to change in any significant way once I'm back to my goal weight. This wasn't always true for me. I like it better this way.

The Optimist, Pessimist, and Rationalist:

The optimist says , "The glass is half full."
The pessimist says, "The glass is half empty."
The rationalist says, "The glass is twice as big as it needs to be."

From Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar . . . Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes
by Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein

I never cease to be amazed:

by the new stuff that technology makes possible. Right now I'm totally begoggled by the new Blogger add-on, the one that updates the latest posts written by people on your Blog List.
It sure beats clicking on the links of friends who have taken a break from blogging.