What is spirituality?

[Smit]

how are they different than Stephanoupolis?

Different from a travel influencer? Product I guess.

[beej]

Yeah I know, lots of people make a lot of money by being "influencers" but it just seems strange to me.

Having said that, I like to watch travel videos on Youtube, and if the people are able to make money somehow off that, good for them I guess.

But if it's a Facebook or Instagram influencer making money from whatever they're doing I consider that different than somebody who is paid for running around "pwning" college students.

Kirk was doing it while he was college age, does it just bother you that he aged out and kept doing it?

[Bucky Cornstarch]

you sort of bring up an interesting point. Can the left have a hero that they look to and say, I want to be that guy? The reason I ask is because, if you keep progressing, you look at the heroes of old and find something lacking in them. Woodrow Wilson was a know racist, Kennedy was a womanizer, MLK has even been disparaged by some on the left (especially BLM) in the last few years because he advocated for a color-blind society and peaceful protests. Abraham Lincoln was disparaged for executing native Americans and colonization. Progressivism seem to want perfectionism, and perfectionism is always found lacking. I might be wrong on all of this, or maybe just looking too far left, maybe the mainstream Democrat still has heroes, if they are in imperfect. But I wonder, especially with the Democrat Socialists, who do they look up to?

On the subject of imperfect leaders, did you vote for Trump?

[beej]

On the subject of imperfect leaders, did you vote for Trump?

I did not.  at least, not in 2024.

[Del.]

I did not.  at least, not in 2024.

I bet Bucky hit the floor on that one.

[TylerBeer]

you sort of bring up an interesting point. Can the left have a hero that they look to and say, I want to be that guy? The reason I ask is because, if you keep progressing, you look at the heroes of old and find something lacking in them. Woodrow Wilson was a know racist, Kennedy was a womanizer, MLK has even been disparaged by some on the left (especially BLM) in the last few years because he advocated for a color-blind society and peaceful protests. Abraham Lincoln was disparaged for executing native Americans and colonization. Progressivism seem to want perfectionism, and perfectionism is always found lacking. I might be wrong on all of this, or maybe just looking too far left, maybe the mainstream Democrat still has heroes, if they are in imperfect. But I wonder, especially with the Democrat Socialists, who do they look up to?

Regular people living their lives with compassion. Don't need someone paid to be a hero, to be someone's hero.

[beej]

Regular people living their lives with compassion. Don't need someone paid to be a hero, to be someone's hero.

I appreciate the honesty.

But that begs the question then. if someone considers themselves progressive. What are you progressing towards? I'm just thinking that if you were going to try and make a case to a conservative like me, who does in fact have some heroes, I can look to them and say, that's what I want to be. Or that's what I wish our country to be.

But if we are just trying to be kind or compassionate, while those are worthy goals, sometimes you have to lock up a prisoner forever, or you have to tax someone you'd rather not tax. Or lay off an employee that you'd rather keep. You can't always invite a homeless man to come live with you and your children.  I'm just saying at some point we can't always be kind.

[jstell]

Exactly. I can quit smoking but I can't stay quit.

I quit smoking every day, maybe twenty times, sometimes for more than fifteen minutes.