Couldn't agree with you more. There's the devout vegan who wouldn't think of killing an animal for food, but will protest a woman's "right" to take the life of her preborn child.
Or a governor (and legislature) who would see lives lost, and the homes of thousands destroyed, in order to save a tiny fish which adds nothing of value to the world.
One of the frequent sermon sayings of a great and longtime pastor of mine 40 years ago was this: “Some people would rather be right than saved”.
It was a harbinger of the political divide of the 21st century, of the tribalism that would render the inclusive feeling of one’s chosen society, one’s side, more important than truth itself.
I'm not sure if I understand – what's more right than faith in the Lord? Did the pastor mean, "Some people would rather be *wrong* [but within the false-graces of polite society – i.e. 'friend of the world' qua James 4:4] than saved"?
Exactly what I always thought too because I've had DIRECT experience with those like this and they helped to almost kill me and have severely harmed MANY others. They have SPIRITUAL BANKRUPTCY.
“At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful. It basically gives mean people a reason, it gives them a shield to be mean and cruel, armored in false virtue.” - Elon Musk
Woke is a way for narcists to flatter themselves by merely holding popular opinions.
We've seen this in healthcare industry. CNA's and nurses that neglect and speak poorly of patients, in their care, cry the loudest when the patient dies.
You have described virtue signaling so well. It has a dark reality
Tim - my daughter is a surgical RN. When a patient occasionally dies, there are always a couple of nurses who stand around sobbing in a melodramatic fashion. It drives my daughter crazy, as they are obviously ‘showing off’. P.S. My daughter does NOT ‘neglect and speak poorly of patients’. Just a reminder that not ALL nurses do this.
"Regarding White guilt (woke). I replied that these women are not suffering from a genuinely guilty conscience, but enjoy congratulating themselves for the sense of moral superiority they obtain by ruminating on and discussing their “guilt.” - John Leake
100% correct about not trusting those who try to use their Christian faith as a marketing tool for their business. In my experience this is a huge red flag!
Also bonus points for quoting Nabokov. He is clearly the greatest writer of English prose ever, and it wasn't even his first language. He is not an easy read, however. Suggest beginners start with "Pnin" which is short and morbidly funny!
Obviously I do not personally "know" Mr. Nabokov....But it would seem a better word for this man--I forget his character's name--would be "pedophile"...he was obsessed with a 13 year old girl....probably she had not even started to menstruate...an actual child. I failed to see any merit in this book. The character was very aware of how naive and unsophisticated this child was but was not deterred in the least. It was sad really. I am the mother of three daughters who were at a certain age--ravagingly beautiful. I was terrified whenever I saw that men were taking an inordinate interest in them. This happened with a 7th grade math teacher. I took her out of that school.
Overprotective? Possibly....they are all three happy with wonderful husbands now and in their 3O's.
The key to understanding Lolita is that the narrator is a horrible pedophile and literally insane. That doesn’t make the author a bad person. Congratulations on raising three wonderful children safely!
Many examples of Jesus taking on the virtue signalers in the public square in his day. The woman caught in adultery, as they were self righteously pointing fingers at her to be stoned by the "Law" ( pretty sure they were involved in the same behaviors) and He said "he who is w/o sin cast the first stone" and one by one, the accusers walked away until Jesus and the woman were left alone. The outward Virtuists had no regard for the woman’s life or well-being, but Jesus now cared for her most pressing needs. He did not condemn the woman but extended grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
My sister is afflicted by this. After the George Floyd incident- she shrieked on Facebook that now was the time for extreme violence. She held a BLM rally in Woodstock Vermont. The 3.5 black folks who live there were very grateful 😜. She wouldn’t know a fact if it broke her nose. She was convinced that Covid was going to take her life. She babbles about cow farts. The punch line- she is a decorated science teacher. But at least she isn’t an evil conservative.
These are the same people who are literally turning VT into a socialist state.
They’re trying to turn VT into Portland, OR…
These people are so devoid of real meaning in their lives that they look for purpose and ‘a movement’ to fill the void.
There’s no real critical thinking going on in these types of people- they take up what’s fashionable and hip in the moment. And VT is all about being ‘hip’ and trendy these days…
I grew up there…
And had the most amazing childhood- I had true freedom … in a way my own children have never known… and sadly, will never know.
The government of VT was dying to have another pandemic
They loved their mandates and lockdown and controls
Just this October …they cancelled Burlington’s Oktoberfest … because of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE)… which never panned out!
The government of VT is now run by a bunch of ‘flat landers’ … as my dad would say… ;)
Vermont could never be Portland OR....In Portland the weather is moderate and the scenery does not resemble the rocky mountains in some places. Though maybe it does...never been there. I know Vermont,though. VT has a very harsh climate especially if you no longer care to risk your life on a ski slope. I can't understand why "fashionable" people want to go there at all...unless it is to hang around some snooty ski lodge in the hopes of finding a rich husband. Actually VT barely has any people in it. There is no industry. People do have apple orchards but the hills there make it difficult to maintain and harvest. The frost comes early and the young trees are buried under four feet of snow or the harsh winds and ice storms kill them. In short you have to be nuts to live there. As your point illustrates....they were afraid of a horse disease. Isn't EEE carried by mosquitos?
"She held a BLM rally in Woodstock Vermont. The 3.5 black folks who live there were very grateful"
ha ha. I know Vermont. I spent three years there in boarding school...and you are right...no blacks to be found. I think the people who are long time residents of this area are of the nordic genotype....Swedes, Icelanders, Norwegians. What a horrible climate...unless of course you are big on ice skating, skiing etc. Sometimes the snow falls in June! Long underwear is a staple of any wardrobe...and thick scratchy sweaters. Skiing is not worth that. Waiting in the line half an hour for a lift up a steep hill and then five terrifying minutes careening straight down a cliff always with the chance of a collision with some other person moronic enough to pay for this torture. Death seems better.
Beautifully, eloquently put. Thank you for that. Immediately brings to mind the LA fire chief, the mayor of LA, Newsom, and - to be inclusive (wink, wink) - Mike Johnson.
Your observation is a piece of gold. You rip off the veneer of faith to point out the lived faith is a much deeper affair, a much more difficult set of choices. Virtue signaling is akin to deception authored by The Deceiver: smoke and mirrors intended to trap others with appearances. At the same time, victimhood can be used to trap those who truly care. The pain of having one's affinity and love alloyed by victims who are bent on trapping the spiritual man is quite substantial. One ends up failing to help... and thus suffering significantly. Another substack writer, Volodzko, recently coined the term Suicidal Empathy to accompany the idea of Victimhood. Very complex spiritual battleground out there.
Traits of the devil, concealed hatred, deceitful words, vicious attacks, false goodness, now name a few traits of humans. We are hurt by what you do not know about human nature, notice sly stunts, hidden motives and pretense. All very commonplace. It's not 'out there' it is all around us and in us.
Yes, sentimentality, and also, as Michael Shellenberger, former devoted leftist, notes in his recent interview with Tucker Carlson, a Marxist style burden of adopting guilt and nihilism and resentment of the successful (as in Let Malibu Burn) as a response to the fact that everyone is not equal is not life affirming. Life just doesn't work that way, but when people are encouraged to give up on shaping their lives by living on welfare or resigning themselves to being homeless long term, and rationalizing efforts that "cut the successful down to size," it encourages drug use, escapism, fatalism, nihilism, and other diseases of the soul. By cutting God out of the picture, leaving us all adrift, we do ourselves and our society no favors.
"encourages drug use, escapism, fatalism, nihilism, and other diseases of the soul. By cutting God out of the picture"
Yes well....we have all been repeatedly inserted into a "picture" that does not contain "God"....a random collection of atoms in a "cosmic soup" somehow realigning themselves by pure chance...finally into a highly sophisticated tool equipped for the tasks of understanding universal laws of physics and/or composing symphonies for an orchestra or inventing a metal machine that can fly across an ocean.
It's a puzzle and we are at the heart of it.
Who are we? Why are we here?
Like all the lost children found in fairy tales all over the world....
Is it really true that no one is riding to our rescue? I certainly would if I were God....
Couldn't agree with you more. There's the devout vegan who wouldn't think of killing an animal for food, but will protest a woman's "right" to take the life of her preborn child.
Or a governor (and legislature) who would see lives lost, and the homes of thousands destroyed, in order to save a tiny fish which adds nothing of value to the world.
Reginald - exactly. Whatever happened to ‘balance’?
We have DEAR LEADER here in OTTAWA, CANADA 🇨🇦 that has the ability to squeeze out tears at the drop of a hat. SINISTER!!!!!
I could have shit a better leader than Trudeau. I could not agree with you more.
Trudeau cries easily because he is "une Chatte".
Or wear leather shoes belt or bracelet
Karen - excellent example.
One of the frequent sermon sayings of a great and longtime pastor of mine 40 years ago was this: “Some people would rather be right than saved”.
It was a harbinger of the political divide of the 21st century, of the tribalism that would render the inclusive feeling of one’s chosen society, one’s side, more important than truth itself.
Not forgetting St Paul who remarked - you will know them by their actions.
I'm not sure if I understand – what's more right than faith in the Lord? Did the pastor mean, "Some people would rather be *wrong* [but within the false-graces of polite society – i.e. 'friend of the world' qua James 4:4] than saved"?
Exactly what I always thought too because I've had DIRECT experience with those like this and they helped to almost kill me and have severely harmed MANY others. They have SPIRITUAL BANKRUPTCY.
“At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful. It basically gives mean people a reason, it gives them a shield to be mean and cruel, armored in false virtue.” - Elon Musk
Woke is a way for narcists to flatter themselves by merely holding popular opinions.
We've seen this in healthcare industry. CNA's and nurses that neglect and speak poorly of patients, in their care, cry the loudest when the patient dies.
You have described virtue signaling so well. It has a dark reality
Tim - my daughter is a surgical RN. When a patient occasionally dies, there are always a couple of nurses who stand around sobbing in a melodramatic fashion. It drives my daughter crazy, as they are obviously ‘showing off’. P.S. My daughter does NOT ‘neglect and speak poorly of patients’. Just a reminder that not ALL nurses do this.
"Regarding White guilt (woke). I replied that these women are not suffering from a genuinely guilty conscience, but enjoy congratulating themselves for the sense of moral superiority they obtain by ruminating on and discussing their “guilt.” - John Leake
100% correct about not trusting those who try to use their Christian faith as a marketing tool for their business. In my experience this is a huge red flag!
Also bonus points for quoting Nabokov. He is clearly the greatest writer of English prose ever, and it wasn't even his first language. He is not an easy read, however. Suggest beginners start with "Pnin" which is short and morbidly funny!
"Lolita" was well written, but spiritually bereft. Anyone who found it uplifting might consider becoming BFF with Joe Biden.
I think you have, like many others, confused the narrator with the author.
Obviously I do not personally "know" Mr. Nabokov....But it would seem a better word for this man--I forget his character's name--would be "pedophile"...he was obsessed with a 13 year old girl....probably she had not even started to menstruate...an actual child. I failed to see any merit in this book. The character was very aware of how naive and unsophisticated this child was but was not deterred in the least. It was sad really. I am the mother of three daughters who were at a certain age--ravagingly beautiful. I was terrified whenever I saw that men were taking an inordinate interest in them. This happened with a 7th grade math teacher. I took her out of that school.
Overprotective? Possibly....they are all three happy with wonderful husbands now and in their 3O's.
The key to understanding Lolita is that the narrator is a horrible pedophile and literally insane. That doesn’t make the author a bad person. Congratulations on raising three wonderful children safely!
Many examples of Jesus taking on the virtue signalers in the public square in his day. The woman caught in adultery, as they were self righteously pointing fingers at her to be stoned by the "Law" ( pretty sure they were involved in the same behaviors) and He said "he who is w/o sin cast the first stone" and one by one, the accusers walked away until Jesus and the woman were left alone. The outward Virtuists had no regard for the woman’s life or well-being, but Jesus now cared for her most pressing needs. He did not condemn the woman but extended grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
Message for us to go and do likewise 🙏
My sister is afflicted by this. After the George Floyd incident- she shrieked on Facebook that now was the time for extreme violence. She held a BLM rally in Woodstock Vermont. The 3.5 black folks who live there were very grateful 😜. She wouldn’t know a fact if it broke her nose. She was convinced that Covid was going to take her life. She babbles about cow farts. The punch line- she is a decorated science teacher. But at least she isn’t an evil conservative.
Oy.
These are the same people who are literally turning VT into a socialist state.
They’re trying to turn VT into Portland, OR…
These people are so devoid of real meaning in their lives that they look for purpose and ‘a movement’ to fill the void.
There’s no real critical thinking going on in these types of people- they take up what’s fashionable and hip in the moment. And VT is all about being ‘hip’ and trendy these days…
I grew up there…
And had the most amazing childhood- I had true freedom … in a way my own children have never known… and sadly, will never know.
The government of VT was dying to have another pandemic
They loved their mandates and lockdown and controls
Just this October …they cancelled Burlington’s Oktoberfest … because of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE)… which never panned out!
The government of VT is now run by a bunch of ‘flat landers’ … as my dad would say… ;)
Vermont could never be Portland OR....In Portland the weather is moderate and the scenery does not resemble the rocky mountains in some places. Though maybe it does...never been there. I know Vermont,though. VT has a very harsh climate especially if you no longer care to risk your life on a ski slope. I can't understand why "fashionable" people want to go there at all...unless it is to hang around some snooty ski lodge in the hopes of finding a rich husband. Actually VT barely has any people in it. There is no industry. People do have apple orchards but the hills there make it difficult to maintain and harvest. The frost comes early and the young trees are buried under four feet of snow or the harsh winds and ice storms kill them. In short you have to be nuts to live there. As your point illustrates....they were afraid of a horse disease. Isn't EEE carried by mosquitos?
"She held a BLM rally in Woodstock Vermont. The 3.5 black folks who live there were very grateful"
ha ha. I know Vermont. I spent three years there in boarding school...and you are right...no blacks to be found. I think the people who are long time residents of this area are of the nordic genotype....Swedes, Icelanders, Norwegians. What a horrible climate...unless of course you are big on ice skating, skiing etc. Sometimes the snow falls in June! Long underwear is a staple of any wardrobe...and thick scratchy sweaters. Skiing is not worth that. Waiting in the line half an hour for a lift up a steep hill and then five terrifying minutes careening straight down a cliff always with the chance of a collision with some other person moronic enough to pay for this torture. Death seems better.
Thank God you can see this. So many are blind. How desperately America needs to
return to God and the Bible.
barbara
Beautifully, eloquently put. Thank you for that. Immediately brings to mind the LA fire chief, the mayor of LA, Newsom, and - to be inclusive (wink, wink) - Mike Johnson.
Spiritual rot is definitely at the core of society's issues.
After all, removing spirituality is an important part of removing us from the Higher.
Transhumanists want nothing more than to replace that Higher with their own artificial version, ushering in our de facto extermination... https://eccentrik.substack.com/p/transhumanism-is-the-extermination
Your observation is a piece of gold. You rip off the veneer of faith to point out the lived faith is a much deeper affair, a much more difficult set of choices. Virtue signaling is akin to deception authored by The Deceiver: smoke and mirrors intended to trap others with appearances. At the same time, victimhood can be used to trap those who truly care. The pain of having one's affinity and love alloyed by victims who are bent on trapping the spiritual man is quite substantial. One ends up failing to help... and thus suffering significantly. Another substack writer, Volodzko, recently coined the term Suicidal Empathy to accompany the idea of Victimhood. Very complex spiritual battleground out there.
So eloquently stated. Unfortunately, so true.
Traits of the devil, concealed hatred, deceitful words, vicious attacks, false goodness, now name a few traits of humans. We are hurt by what you do not know about human nature, notice sly stunts, hidden motives and pretense. All very commonplace. It's not 'out there' it is all around us and in us.
Yes, sentimentality, and also, as Michael Shellenberger, former devoted leftist, notes in his recent interview with Tucker Carlson, a Marxist style burden of adopting guilt and nihilism and resentment of the successful (as in Let Malibu Burn) as a response to the fact that everyone is not equal is not life affirming. Life just doesn't work that way, but when people are encouraged to give up on shaping their lives by living on welfare or resigning themselves to being homeless long term, and rationalizing efforts that "cut the successful down to size," it encourages drug use, escapism, fatalism, nihilism, and other diseases of the soul. By cutting God out of the picture, leaving us all adrift, we do ourselves and our society no favors.
"encourages drug use, escapism, fatalism, nihilism, and other diseases of the soul. By cutting God out of the picture"
Yes well....we have all been repeatedly inserted into a "picture" that does not contain "God"....a random collection of atoms in a "cosmic soup" somehow realigning themselves by pure chance...finally into a highly sophisticated tool equipped for the tasks of understanding universal laws of physics and/or composing symphonies for an orchestra or inventing a metal machine that can fly across an ocean.
It's a puzzle and we are at the heart of it.
Who are we? Why are we here?
Like all the lost children found in fairy tales all over the world....
Is it really true that no one is riding to our rescue? I certainly would if I were God....