Crossbow,
"Conflict is a fascinating subject isn't it?"

I find that it is because I see/hear about it and/or deal with it in some form or another almost every day. Like you said about the ball and the man, the idea and the one holding the thought; discriminating and playing fairly are decent thoughts. When that isn't the case it's fascinating to learn and know about dealing with that without becoming a doormat nor going overboard. Some kind of balance, depending on the situation it seems like. Loving or accepting everything doesn't feel right nor quite compute.

The reason the Church claims it is demons is because it turns people away from Jesus.

But people say this is a fabrication of the Church, to control people and not let them have direct contact with God. Mediums etc diminish the Church's power and during the inquisition the Church burned mediums and the like at the stake, of course they made a big mistake by killing a Saint, Joan of Ark.

Yes I was raised Catholic and made to go to mass on a Sunday, but I was never brainwashed by my family, they are just all normal folk.

Its my own fault this mess im in, I basically brainwashed myself about 8 months ago by reading into religion online.

Before it all happened I never thought about death or worried about religion, I was just a normal teen.

Cheers

Volu wrote on Nov 28^th, 2011 at 3:24pm:


We can accept and love conflict. See it as an opportunity to learn and grow, to exercise qualities and virtues such as fairness, leniency, mercy, strength, courage, restraint, discernment, to know our cause, identify benefits, to exercise force with love, love our enemy, test our resolve, put others and our cause above our self, overcome our weaknesses, etc, and all while under pressure. Is easier said than done of course, but recognising conflict's opportunities and payoffs does make it more interesting, takes the dread out of it and makes life a serious sort of game. Conflict is life. The conflict we see is life accelerating to a speed where its innate ever existent conflict becomes noticeable. Conflict is there anyway, in life, its just to slow, small or large to perceive by normal sight. Buts that's probably not strictly for this thread - although Jdee is displaying internal conflict of ideas. That's progress, learning, acceleration of life. 

Crossbow, come to think of it, conflicts exist where there's (some kind of) lack of balance. Note to my smaller self: remember that one.

I agree with most of your points, though exercising the right amount of force in a given situation doesn't have to involve love. An understanding that one can get into victim or victimizer territory unless cautious will do just fine - which also signifies too little or too much force applied, and thus the remedy. I see putting others above our selves as the same deal as as putting our selves above others.

"Yes, balance is stationary. It eventually falls over anyway and just lays there. We don't want to fall for that 'seeking balance' business or we'll be sitting on our bottoms most of our life like hippies, getting nothing done and learning very little."

Do hippies talk about love on both their in and out breaths, Crossbow? I figure some hippies would figure balance is passive, but it does seem to be constantly moving by potentially addressing the polarities with their too much and too little, too soft and too hard and so on. New situations, new challenges, new imbalances to address, balance and keep in balance. Not exactly cozy time for the 'ol bum/ass.

I can't speak for us, you can't speak for me, so I won't join the group of 'we don't want to' btw.

"Imbalance is motion and progress. That is how we stand and walk; adjusting and directing our imbalance. Life is about managing imbalance."

Walking, that's one act of being in and keeping the balance. Managing imbalance, agreed.

"If we remember our love for others, then when we conflict and use force we will do so fairly."

It's a great softener, love, but doesn't work on every pair of dirty socks. Fair meets unfair - Leave, and unfair is gone. Bend over, and err.. too fair with unfair. Unfair, instant balance. Love, unfair gets fair. Love, unfair gets very unfair though the fairytale said love conquered everything.

I talked with a friend yesterday about her relationship with a guy and she told me her love for him has made it difficult to do what she thinks is right. Sinks right into the service to others concept, where the flip side is service to self. A polarized concept. A little of both, without the service/obligation part, goes a long way.

"These things are easier said than done, of course; and they are not my teachings. I learnt these things attending classes out of body. I just try to live up to them (I don't do very well) and pass a few of them on. They are interesting aren't they?"

They are while a little on the light 'n bright side. You do seem like a reflected fellow with interesting experiences, so it has been fun to read your responses and other posts.

Just to jump in here, hope no-one minds. . . why are "demons" always portrayed as negative beings?  They have a role to play in the scheme of things, too, in my experience - & I find that ANY belief systems, of any kind,  are just chains to bind the free-ranging spirit.  The original title of this post is a case in point; a conflict which has its basis in beliefs.

"And fairness is not a pushover either. Fairness is appropriateness; is an appropriate response. Not too much and not too little, but juuust right. Fairness does what is required. Fairness considers the other, is respectful, demonstrates leniency and mercy, but still does what must be done."

Crossbow, those sure are fair thoughts to have before harmonizing with action. Glad that you care to write how you think. I do think that a slap for a slap or an eye for an eye is fair enough in some situations.

"ps. Don't mind me teasing hippies. I was only poking fun. Do you really think I would dislike hippies just because they're hippies? What's a hippie anyway? You're not a hippie are you Volu? "

Do you mind the teasing about the teasing then? At least a part of your definition of hippies can be gleaned by reading 'sitting on our bottoms, like hippies'. No, got too much fire for that though passive doesn't have to make knock-knock jokes before I invite it in. Did you fancy how the hippe/balance connection was countered with a hippe/love connection?

"Besides, I wasn't really having a shot at hippies, but rather, at those who are lazy and justify it with a philosophy. There's quite a bit of that in our societies, have you noticed? Philosophy built in an attempt to justify one's own weaknesses. That's how the weak make themselves look elevated and virtuous, while inferring the strong are something less than them."

Justify one's weaknesses and weak elevating themselves can be a bit like whomever uttering..something..and become like snakes eating their own tails. There's enough laziness to go around. Ok, now that the disclaimer has been mentioned:

No action to be accountable for with follow-up consequences. Smooth sailing with no windy tucked away issues to rock the boat. Have a cigar & ride the gravy train while doing nada. Jesus saves. The ascended masters save. I/you/him/her save/s. Save it for a rainy day. It's all doom and gloom, so nevermind. Everything's love, so nevermind. It doesn't matter. Welfare - breeding made easy. Why make an effort when there's a button within reach? Awakening by merely sitting in a lotus position. Why take one's own steps while there are other's to guide, correct and live through?

Ok, enough writing and thinking. Going to sit in the recliner for the rest of the evening, but first gotta find the Milk Opener 2000 so that I can have a glass of milk without all the hard work of opening the carton.

PS1. Anyone, are Moens books available as audiobooks? How are the movies compared to the books?

PS2. The spellchecker is awesome, but couldn't be bothered to fix all the mistakes.