Well, thank you, John! You are so kind. Funny, I don't see my life as having been particularly interesting or exciting, but I guess I do have a lot of interests and I sure have had a heck of a lot fun. Still do! LOL Indeed, I've always suspected I've had some Egyptian in me. I do know that they worshipped cats. I would have fit right in to their society, except I don't like hot weather. No fond of asps, either. And hieroglyphics aren't easy to read. Guess I'm satisfied to be a cold-weather, English-speaking Canadian! Thank you for supporting women's rights. I think living in a house full of females gives men a great perspective on women's issues and teaches them empathy and respect. We sure are fascinating creatures, aren't we? I love to hear about other people's faith journeys. Good for you, that you have found one that suits your world view and gives you purpose. It really is a fascinating exercise to abandon one's childhood religion and explore other options. I'm so glad I liberated myself from indoctrination. It wasn't easy and it took many years, but I've finally discovered "my truth." Would love to discuss this with like-minded individuals in one of the other categories of this forum. Hope to chat with you again soon!
Yes, Jaspurr. Living in a house full only of females was a knock on the side of my head. It did give me a better perspective on women’s issues. My daughters’ teen-age years were a bit of a challenge, but each one turned out exceptionally well. I have been very close to them over the years and have learned a great deal from them. Their welfare is part one of my soul contract. In your introduction, you mentioned liking stand-up comics. Me too! Over the years I collected an assortment of my favorite jokes. If you are interested, please check out my thread called “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”. It is in the “Make Me Laugh” forum. I’m glad to hear that you finally discovered “your truth”. Your journey reminds me of what a Hindu friend said to me recently about my journey: "It's better to be born into a religion than to die in one”. Incidentally, I believe in reincarnation ever since I took a deep dive into the subject. Not 100% certain about reincarnation, but very close because it makes a lot of sense to me ever since studying the Eastern philosophies and religions. Like you said, maybe we can discuss this with like-minded individuals in one of the other categories of this forum.
You seem to be very thoughtful and insightful, John. I like to think I am, too. At least I try to be. Sure, if you want to start a thread discussing religion and philosophy, let me know. Would love to have a convo about it. Who are your favourite stand-up comedians? My Number One guy at the moment is Sebastian Maniscalco. Hubs and I are huge fans. We think he's just brilliant. Saw him in concert last year on my 65th birthday...one of my bucket list wishes. Others I enjoy are Billy Connelly, Bill Engvall, Jim Jeffries, the late John Pinette (I ADORED this guy!), and of course George Carlin and Robin Williams. My favourite Canadian comic is Jeremy Hotz. Saw him in concert three times. If you've never seen him, check him out on YouTube. I'm a big believer that "laughter is the best medicine." Watching comedy on a regular basis was one of the main things that got me through the pandemic lock-downs.
@Jaspurr Miller Welcome to the forum! I can identify with most of your interests as an artist, musician, craftswoman, former standup (now sit down) comedian, and just a Jill of all Trades but mistress to none. I look forward to seeing some of your work. Our diary section offers a great place for sharing such. I might suggest you search our member, RIP Lon Tanner, for topics related to atheism and agnosticism. I don't fit any of the categories that define one's beliefs so the best way I can tell you what I believe is to say, I believe in the power of the universe and the natural cycle of things. Anytime I try to stray from my beliefs and start sashaying around like a model walking the runway or sometimes less classy and more reminiscent of a late evening mini-skirted streetwalker in a red light district and then my old ass hits the ground, I am reminded who is the boss of me ....... gravity! A mirror review of my school girl-sized boobs now requiring a pushup bra instead of a simple bralette, is also a reminder of the chain of command. One of my grandfathers was French from Montreal and that combined with my American Indian heritage accounts for my nose and lack of a photo of me from the side because of its enormity. My husband told me it was sexy, but that was after he had his hands in the cookie jar so to speak. He was suffering a sugar rush, I fear and his mind wasn't clear. Time for guitar practice, later!
Thanks, Faye! OMG, you are too funny! At my age, I curse gravity. Everything on my body has migrated south. I am often torn between donning industrial-strength undergarments and letting everything "flow" freely. The latter is much more comfortable, but can be rather unsightly. Having said that, I do have a healthy respect for the the universe and nature. It can bring me peace and comfort, and keeps me humble, knowing that its force is far more powerful than I, a mere human. And it is not the work of any god or gods. To be honest, I'm not sure how long I'll last in this group. I've spent some time reading a lot of the past posts and I'm appalled at some of the comments I'm seeing. I'm a liberal free-thinker and it appears the majority of the members here are right-wing. I'm seeing snippets of misogyny, anti-atheist, homophobia/anti-LGBTQ and veiled racism. I don't deal well with people of this ilk. I guess time will tell...
Hi Jaspurr. My favorite stand-up comedians? I lived in Ireland for 7 years and my favorite standup at that time was Hal Roach. He is in the Guinness World Records for the longest-running engagement of a comedian at the same venue (26 years). In his prime, he was incredibly funny, lots of good jokes. That leaves only Robin Williams and a few others as my favorites. Thanks for the list of your favorites. I will check out the comedians on your list. On a possible new thread for discussing religion and philosophy. If I could think of an appropriate title for the thread and what forum to put it in, I would start one. But I’m stuck because none of the existing forums work for me. Even though I believe I am close to the truth, I am open to challenging my assumptions and learning more from other like-minded members. Let me think about this some more. If you or anyone else has any comments, please jump in here with your suggestions.
Hello Jaspurr. I’m a retired biologist and the living world obviously is a big interest of mine, especially CATS! I confess that I have a thing about cats. We just adopted (after losing a 15 year old male) a female Tortie and are still watching her get acquainted with things. As is so often the case, she’s her own weird little critter. We are still trying to figure out all her quirks. There’s still some hissing with the other two and it’s been almost 2 months. Baby steps.
I will check out Hal Roach. Thanks for the tip, John. And I'm thinking you could talk about your belief in reincarnation in the philos0phy section. You might get some interesting input, or a lot of resistance. It appears to me that there are few people here who would not be receptive to the concept. I'm hesitant to discuss atheism for this reason. I'm in the minority here, and have strong opinions about religion that I know will be unpopular. Don't think I wanna go there.
Hi Thomas! Congrats on your new arrival and good for you, for giving this little one a forever home! Yes, it does take some time to assimilate a newcomer into a new environment. Some kitties adapt more quickly than others. It sometimes takes a lot of patience. It is so much fun discovering a cat's personality and quirks, isn't it? Hopefully, she'll be eventually be best buddies with your other two. We have just one cat now. He's a handsome, 15-year-old tabby and a polydactyl...five toes on each front paw! And speaking of quirky, he's the most comical cat we've ever met. He's always been hyperactive (a little less so now, at his advanced age) and a huge personality. Still keeps us laughing with his antics. He's the love of my life...next to my hubby, of course!
I think you misjudge this group. We have several here that have indicated being egoistic, a few atheists, and many of various faiths or some like myself that don't play the labeling game and defy labels. As I mentioned before our late Lon Tanner was an atheist and held true to his beliefs even to death. He had no problem discussing it. I think your responses would depend on how you present your ideas, beliefs, etc. If one is here to push an agenda, that doesn't go over well even if it is conservative Christian. If one feels that others should believe as they do, then that is a problem. I think any civil discussion is welcome here and the poster is treated with respect as long as they respect others' posts. If conflicting strong opinions or beliefs are a problem, then yes, that could lead to conflict.
I’m one of those atheists mentioned above. To me though, atheism is just a subset of my disbelief of anything supernatural. I believe the universe is governed by the laws of nature. Therefore, anything supernatural is excluded by definition. However, I had a fairly religious upbringing and don’t have any particular axe to grind. It just don’t believe any of it.
It doesn't surprise me that you're an atheist, given that you are a former biologist. Atheism is common among people who have a scientific background. I do not have that background, but I respect science. I'm just a former Catholic who became disillusioned with the church and its doctrine, which eventually led to my disbelief in gods altogether.