Comments on: Politics and the startle response http://www.bodhipaksa.com/archives/politics-and-the-startle-response random thoughts of a western buddhist Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:43:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Stephen http://www.bodhipaksa.com/archives/politics-and-the-startle-response/comment-page-1#comment-54988 Stephen Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:55:04 +0000 http://www.bodhipaksa.com/?p=995#comment-54988 Gosh, truly mindboggling. I have never felt any belief in God myself, but i have known large amounts of thoughtful, intelligent Christians and other theists, who are wise and aware that their faith is but a flawed human attempt to try and know what they see ultimately as a wondrous mystery. They also tend to be some of the most decent and compassionate people i know. But the dogmatic "we know what God thinks and everyone else is wrong (and coincidentally he's also a socially conservative republican)" approach truly pushes my limits of empathy beyond breaking point. What indeed are the neurochemical origins of bigotry and arrogance; now there is a nature/nurture debate if ever there was one! Here's fingers crossed for history being made tomorrow, even on the other side of the Atlantic the tension is becoming quite unbearable. The prospect of one of the most exciting events in political history seems so near but the anxiety of the polls being wrong and it all being snatched away is palpable - it's at times like this that I wish I did believe in God and the power of prayer! ps greatly like the new design, very fresh, though i loved your comment about the samsaric nature of being very happy with something for a while and then disatisfaction creeping in for no apparent reason, i am in touch with that human flaw! kind reagrds Stephen Gosh, truly mindboggling. I have never felt any belief in God myself, but i have known large amounts of thoughtful, intelligent Christians and other theists, who are wise and aware that their faith is but a flawed human attempt to try and know what they see ultimately as a wondrous mystery. They also tend to be some of the most decent and compassionate people i know. But the dogmatic “we know what God thinks and everyone else is wrong (and coincidentally he’s also a socially conservative republican)” approach truly pushes my limits of empathy beyond breaking point. What indeed are the neurochemical origins of bigotry and arrogance; now there is a nature/nurture debate if ever there was one!

Here’s fingers crossed for history being made tomorrow, even on the other side of the Atlantic the tension is becoming quite unbearable. The prospect of one of the most exciting events in political history seems so near but the anxiety of the polls being wrong and it all being snatched away is palpable – it’s at times like this that I wish I did believe in God and the power of prayer!

ps greatly like the new design, very fresh, though i loved your comment about the samsaric nature of being very happy with something for a while and then disatisfaction creeping in for no apparent reason, i am in touch with that human flaw!

kind reagrds
Stephen

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