Thinking deep thoughts again.

[HardJedi]

I was just sitting there the other day thinking, ( what else do i have to do anyway?) ;) And it occured to me thatfor almost ANY and EVERY good action you take, there is a negative response to it somewhere. For every person you help, you are probably hurting someone else, or at least the potential is there for it.


I know I know, the whol "equal and opposite reaction" thing. But I had never applied it to HUMAN behavior before, and wasn't consiously doing so at the time. It just kinda hit me.

I don't know, what do YOU think? Heck, not even sure why I am writing this, other than I am bored and lonley LOL:banana:

[Osotogary]

Action/Re-Action. That's what makes the world go round. Your thoughts are in safe territory. I used to dwell on those things but I cannot, nor will I attempt to, change anything that I have absolutely no control over.
I remember giving a Christmas gift to someone (I thought that it was a good gift. LOL) That action, as far as I knew, was a good action. The gift was taken with a smile AND a thank you. (I thought that that was good action as well.) Two good actions...not bad and in a row. Then I see my gift being tossed, literally, in with the disgarded Christmas wrappings in the corner of the garage. Bad, bad action. What the frick? It was more like positive+positive=negative+negative because now I'm really pizzed. I didn't say a word because once I give a present to someone , it's theirs to do what they please with it. Ha!
Learned a lesson but I'm not sure what it was. That experience did save me some money because I have never spent a penny on another gift for that person again.
I know I'm not much help with your topic but what the hay. I had some fun with it as perhaps you are as well.
Gary

[Phantom Blooper]

Hard Jedi, Is this like I'm Okay,Your'e Okay? Or is it "When your up to your ass in alligators,it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp," reaction?I could react to the scientific,instead of the psychological.If you have a negative and positive end to a battery and you have a negative and positive end to a magnet.Do these items come together when you try to touch them to each other or do they slip away or go snap,crackle,bang?Or are they opposites or equals?F@#k em...if they don't like it. If one doesn't want help ,simple don't help em. If they they come and ask for help,be weary. Forgive your enemies,but remember their names.Semper-Fi! Chuck Hall:p

[Sparrowhawk]

Originally posted by HardJedi
I was just sitting there the other day thinking...

And it occured to me thatfor almost ANY and EVERY good action you take, there is a negative response to it somewhere.


... "equal and opposite reaction" thing. But I had never applied it to HUMAN behavior before, and wasn't consiously doing so at the time. It just kinda hit me.




Gosh darn you HardJedi

I remember thinking just that

but it was 37 years ago... November 20, 1967

Its funny what thoughts come to mind in a battle zone.. LOL


<hr>

From my book Dreams of Glory, Copyright 2004 Cook barela



When the shooting started, I saw Parisi jump to the dry left side of the trail as the bullets kicked up dust to his right. The enemy was firing at us from both sides of trail that led into Phu Long (1).

Bullets striking the ground in front of Aggie and I were tearing up the hard pressed ground as they made their way toward us. We also jumped to the left side of the dike and quickly sought cover in the small agricultural ditch that ran parallel to the trail. It was the only covering available.


"Stimulus equals response," I was thinking as my body smacked hard into the mud at the bottom of the small ditch. The though was a flashback to high-school days and a high-school teacher’s lesson on Newton's theory of relativity; objects in motion tend to stay in motion until acted upon by another force.


Sergeant Nelson had expounded upon that theory during our training at MCRD: "If you analyze the area where you are and look for both an advantageous position for cover in case you get hit and for spots that might present any danger, when the shi t hits the fan, you will be prepared to respond and will have already found cover. If you wait until the first round is fired to look for protection, it will be too late."

Mentally and subconsciously, I must have been searching, thinking, and cautiously preparing myself by the scene unfolding before us while we stood still on top of the rice paddy dike. Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it. Stimulus equals response. The enemy opens fire, and I hit the ground. I'd done that before.

Cook

[jonathan32]

It reminds me of the philosopher Hegal. Two oppisites produce a synthesis. All of life is a continuous cycle of oppisites in conflict producing new results which then conflict with its oppisite. Of course the concept of yin and yang also come to mind. Basically, everything is produced by conflict. Without conflict, there is no growth. To go even further, I think of Herbert Spencer and social Darwinism. Nietzsche also comes to mind. Good post, It got me thinking.

[Toby M]

Aw Man, now you went and did it HJ, the thinkers are coming out! I hope we're not gonna talk touchy-feely stuff now...(LOL)

[garryh123]

Better get my hip waders out...it's gettin deep! LMAO

[snipowsky]

Originally posted by Toby M
Aw Man, now you went and did it HJ, the thinkers are coming out! I hope we're not gonna talk touchy-feely stuff now...(LOL)


LMAO Sgt. TobyM took the words right outta my mouth!

[HardJedi]

LOL Nah, no touchy feely stuff. Exact OPPOSITE in my opinion. Thoughts Like those if carried too far could almost make you STOP feeling anything at all. Gets too dangerous to care anymore. Not too worry though, I could NEVER stop carring, no matter the consequences.


Jonathan32? Neitze? ICK! I HATE that guy! Him and Jean Paul Sartre. ( well and while we're at it, I don't think much of Immanuel Khant, either)

[jonathan32]

hey HardJedi,
Dont get the wrong idea. Existentialism isnt about not caring, the positive is that a person is totally free to make what he can of his life. I disagree with you about nietzsche. The most important message he had is the "will to power" that everyone strives for. Everyone needs to remember that a good Marine is a thinking Marine!! Superior thinking has always overwhelmed superior force!! Semper FI!!

[greensideout]

Nietzsche; "The eagles like the lambs, they think that they taste good."

Hummmm?

[Sgted]

Originally posted by Toby M
the thinkers are coming out! ...(LOL)

I thought I smelled wood burning.

[greensideout]

Originally posted by Sgted


I thought I smelled wood burning.


The wisp of oak,

the flame's flicker,

the dance of light and shadow on the wall.

When memories past,

become to much to bear,

as you sit alone by the fire,

with the 1000 yard stare.

GSO

[TRLewis]

So you're telling me if im an ******* to everyone, good things will happen to them?

[HardJedi]

never said a bad word about the existantialist philosophy, just don't like Sartre and Nietzsche. I agree that we are all free to choose, and that there is nothing inherently negative about thier philosophies, but much like with the Skeptics( Hume) they just carry stuff a bit TOO far.

[Sparrowhawk]

What is Existentialism Philosophy?


No one has ever fully explained that to me.

[HardJedi]

Well, I don't think it is POSSIBLE to FULLY explain ANY philosophy, Cook. But Jean Paul Sartre was considered one of the great existentialist philosophers, and I can tell you some of HIS beliefs.


According to Sartre:

You can never escape freedom, it is always yours.

We have no destiny, and the universe has no plans for us. If we had a destiny, then we would not really be free.

there is no such thing as the "nature" of man.

Basically, Sartre believed that EVRYTHING in our lives is OUR choice, and OUR fault. there are no exuses for ANYTHING, because things are the way they are becuase YOU choose them that way.


And I think that existentialist believe the FACT of existence is the most important thing about life itself. Not really sure on that one though

[jonathan32]

hey jedi,

That was a pretty good explanation. Here is a problem that I have thought about. I believe that man is free, but I also believe that he is naturally selfish. So if I believe that man is naturally selfish, then that is a form of determinism. Its hard to have it both ways. The only compromise is that man is free, but he "chooses" to be selfish. Another explanation is that selfish behavior is in the same category as breathing, eating, and the desire for sex, which could be considered laws. A quick point on Nietzsche is that the will to power is within yourself. people usually misunderstand that.

[greensideout]

REDNECK PHILOSOPHY: (Hobbs in 2004?)


I sit on the porch,

beer in hand,

overlooking the view of the land.

In a brief moment of thought,

with my hat and my can,

I drink beer,

therefore I am. ----lol

[HardJedi]

HOBBS!?!?! that FEAR monger? LOL pretty good one Greenside!

[yellowwing]

So what would our Marine Corps philosophy fall under? Considering our Hymn, Motto, heros, and such?

And where the hell is that young PFC Debate_god? He'd like this sh*t, too I bet! ;)

[LivinSoFree]

Perhaps our Corps is best described as a composite:

1 part bona fide cult: We shave our heads, follow our leaders with fanatical fervor, make the Corps part of everything we say, do, and own, and believe that there is none better on this earth or the next.

1 part transcendentalist/existentialist: We push ourselves beyond the limits of normal men, and in so doing, attain a higher state of awareness of what's around us and what it all means (transcendentalist). We don't believe in EVER admitting defeat or giving up, even when all seems lost ("...and only a few to my right... I will hold."), thus we refuse to admit that we have lost control of our fate, to a Marine, there is no such thing as "impossible." (existentialist).

1 part absolutist: We believe in a good and an evil, and, with only very few exceptions, there are no gray areas to a Marine. Something is either good, or evil. Period.

1 part fatalist: We accept death as an eventuality, and face it unflinchingly, as a mere occupational hazard. We do not dwell on it, yet we have accepted the possibility.

1 part idealist: We fight for a greater good that has become increasingly harder to see manifest itself in our society today, but yet nonetheless exists. We believe in the ideals of the Founding Fathers, even if they seldom appear anymore.

1 part cynic: We fight for a nation that often times rejects us as "crazy" or "warmongers" or "babykillers." Sure, we're generally well recieved in most places right now, but the pendulum will continue to swing back and forth as it always has. We fight in spite of protestors and bad press. We do it all for long hours, little pay, and our only real benefits package is the preservation of the United States of America. We have come to expect less than ideal treatment, and are suspicious of anything that seems too good to be true.

1 part Martial Artist: We are one of the few cultures left on earth that dedicate themselves seriously to the study of war and the art of making it. The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program emphasizes this way of thinking, but it's nothing new, the Corps has been doing it for 229 years.

I know I've taken some liberties with the topic... but I thought it might work. Anything I've left out?

[HardJedi]

Sure ya did! Yopu left out the Skeptics!(i.e, David Hume) Hume was a big fan of wanting PROOF for most things, and when is the last time Marine believed ANYTHING without it first being seen or expirienced? Sure, we all belive each others lies( sea stories) but thats only polite! LOL

[LivinSoFree]

Hmm... good point. Funny how we don't seem to believe that that air support is coming until it shows up.

[jonathan32]

Hey livinsofree,

That was a very good summary. One thing that I can add is that the Marine Corps is part pragmatist. We live in a results only society and the Marine Corps is no different. Pragmatism basically says that the truth is what works. The Marine Corps has always stressed flexibility. What works in one situation may not work in another. Therefore, the mission or the "result" is all that matters. Whatever it takes to win.

[femalemarine_89]

Wow.. i dont know if i should go into deep thoughts or not.. usually when i do that i get myself into a hell of a lot of trouble.. If I go there someone might have to rescue me and pull me out of the hole.

[greensideout]

Originally posted by femalemarine_89
Wow.. i dont know if i should go into deep thoughts or not.. usually when i do that i get myself into a hell of a lot of trouble.. If I go there someone might have to rescue me and pull me out of the hole.

We are here for the rescue. Let it go! ;)

[femalemarine_89]

ok ok ok.. well i have to say that my deepest thought was what beer am i going to drink, is that the bottom of the bottle I see or how much yeiger did i drink??

[greensideout]

Not much rescue needed there.---lol

[femalemarine_89]

no its what i get into when i do all of that .. lets just say the jacksonville NC PD knows me well :))

[greensideout]

Wear a smile and be glad for each day.

[femalemarine_89]

LOL.. BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT.. LOL

[greensideout]

It felt good to smile, right? :)

[femalemarine_89]

yeah it does.. hehehe.. yall make me laugh when i am in here..

[greensideout]

Well----is our "deep thought" what makes you laugh or the lack of it?---lol.

[femalemarine_89]

hey now.. yall make ma laugh.. i get my laughs here.. my deepest thoughs are why does people have to suffer for no apparent reason, why is the world round and why the hell my dog acts like a human..

[jonathan32]

We wil make you think and make you laugh. We might even make you think your laughing

[femalemarine_89]

roflmao.. yeah sometimes i wonder.. thats what is cool about most of the people i have met on here.. a great sence of humor..