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People often assume that whoever their god is, that it is standing with them specifically. In the US, they often separate this view along party lines. Conservatives to some extent imagine Jesus standing with them on the border with a rifle protecting Christendom against anarchy. Even if many of those immigrants are ::checks notes:: also Christians. If a "woke" bishop calls for compassion on immigrants and is not a fan of the twice-divorced President who can't name his favorite bible chapter and forgot to put his hand on the bible when being sworn in, she's somehow the baddie rather than him, even among Christians. Progressives to some extent imagine Jesus walking around in Gaza or Haiti or Sudan attending to the least advantaged among us. He shuns the empire and tends to them. And yet, while Jesus called for pacifism and was a rhetorical saint among chill speakers, many of them find a way to mentally turn extremists into heroes. Anything the underdog society does against the dominant society is justified. Even if it's violent toward civilians. In our media rebels are cool, but in reality they often like to kill the gays or the civilians, so it gets awkward pretty fast rather than being like the cool Star Wars rebels vs the Empire. I find myself in a weird camp that almost nobody is onboard with. I'm like, "Yes, we actually need to secure our borders. We need to be more scrutinizing for our society's sake. We need slower, higher-end immigration. And we actually need to enforce the rule of law for theft on the streets." But also, "No, I don't think Jesus of Nazareth as depicted in text would be onboard with this border view. He'd view us like Rome. Let's not re-imagine him as onboard with this. We're rooting for ourselves; he'd root for the underdogs." I'm too woke for the conservatives and too based for the progressives. The US was involved with multiple coups in Latin America. We ran the reserve currency and tried to bend them to our will with their dollar-denominated debt 40 years ago by spiking the value of that debt. Some of them went into retarded socialism and rekt themselves throughout that time period too; it's not all our fault. But it's some of our fault. And then we militarily entered the Middle East. We made deals with them, funded them against the Soviets, and then turned against them. We've invaded them at like a 100:1 ratio vs them invading us with one major incidence (9/11). And as much as I am a fan of Jews as a people (as someone who grew up in Northeastern USA where Jews are relatively dense, I'd happily have them settle all around here), Israel is a state is colonial; our western powers displaced Gazans to make it and have been fighting that reality ever since. We're Rome. And like Rome, we think we are justified. And along those lines, we're probably partially right, and probably partially wrong. When you take a view, imagine every possible view opposing it. And as the US dominates as neo-Rome, I think we will realize how distant we are from Jesus the hippie.

Replies (49)

↩ replying to Lyn Alden
Among those I think the Quran delves most into what we usually think of as economics (broader scope of 'all human action' notwithstanding). I don't love some of the rigidity around interpretation there is with it or any other Abrahamic tradition even if I do understand some historical forces that encouraged that approach. The Pali Canon went a long way in perhaps getting me to that view. Stories of the infinite divisions of things in different ways can, on a level, be simultaneously true, if those divisions have more to do with perspective of the observer, looking at an underlying reality that is unified (or, as Crowley and perhaps other Kabbalists might say, is 0). At the end of the day we live in our own experiences and understanding, by which we can compare and evaluate these stories. Of the 'world outside' we can't ever really know anything. And that's fine. Knowledge is fiat, Wisdom is hard.
↩ replying to npub1qvly...km7u
Since you were apparently annoyed enough that I reacted with a downvote to go and make a random comment on one of my old notes, I'll just reply to you here. I felt like you deserved a downvote simply because what you wrote was fucking rude and stupid. Rather than explain any kind of position, you just wrote... that. So I downvoted you because I disagree with it. No matter if you agree with her views or not, obviously nobody can defend the stance that she is not smart. In fact, I'm quite confident in assuming she's way smarter than you. If you were being sarcastic/trolling/messing around/etc. then you shouldn't be so surprised that there will be people who don't understand that just from what you wrote. But I'm pretty sure you weren't.
Romans 12:18 calls us to live peaceably with all, yet in this era of escalating division, that feels like a distant dream. Micah 6:8 reminds us to do what is right, show mercy, and walk humbly - virtues that seem to have been abandoned in our current landscape. The pendulum has swung to extreme edges over the last decade. Cruelty has become a currency, with tribal loyalties replacing human compassion. Whether in immigration, geopolitical conflicts, or domestic politics, we've forgotten how to see each other as humans first. The empires - political, media, ideological - thrive on our fragmentation. As 2 Corinthians 4:18 teaches, the things we see are temporary. The heated rhetoric, the polarizing debates, the seemingly insurmountable differences - all are fleeting. What endures are the unseen things: empathy, understanding, our shared humanity. Lord knows I've been guilty of getting overheated. But perhaps our path forward lies in remembering that beneath our differences, something more profound connects us. Let us pray that somehow, someway, we can pull it together.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
You’re not alone. It’s too bad the two party system pigeon holes people. There’s always libertarians but there’s a mix of white supremacy in some of those corners. Ruling class loves to have the plebs fight along lines of class, gender, race, religion. When the plebs see that they’re stronger together, provided there is a base set of values that are agreed upon, there can be change. I don’t know if bitcoin by itself can solve this.
When you get a chance get a King James Bible with Strong's Concordance of Greek and Hebrew. You will start to pick up on the words consistently translated and at deeper levels of meaning. Amazon has a nice Kindle version or you can use this: --- AndBible: Bible Study to you. It is a powerful, yet easy to use, offline Bible study application for Android. Install it from Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.bible.android.activity Read more & more install options:
AndBible: Bible Study – Powerful Bible tools in a Free & Open Source Android App
 --- Furthermore you will see who is following the Bible and who is not. More importantly you will tap into something for yourself. There is a lot of rhetoric and misinformation going around that is most definitely not true. For insurance Jesus was opposed to soft men and considered them diseased. The specific term was malakas. --- Mat 11:8 KJV But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 03120 (StrongsGreek) ΞΌΞ±Ξ»Ξ±ΞΊΟŒΟ‚ malakovs malakos {mal-ak-os'} of uncertain affinity; soft, i.e. fine (clothing); figuratively, a catamite:--effeminate, soft. Shared using AndBible: Bible Study. (
Redirecting
) --- The Bible is very well documented and the language is not so archaic considering that modern mankind has documented two great years 26,000 years times 2 in art and artifact. The arrangement of constellations has slight variations that were only possible in a great year configuration. That's 50,000 years. So the Bible scripture is a modern document of oral tradition. Praying attention to the proponents and opposition is superficially pop culture. Deeper investigation will lead to careful insight.
If it is any solace, you are not alone when you say β€œtoo woke for the conservatives and too based for the progressives.” Your primary thesis here, I believe, is the comparison to Rome and the hubris and hypocrisy which bubbled up over time to the point where those in power were simply unable to see reality as it were. This has been my focus as well on what I view as a concerning shift toward greater aggression by American with China. There is just so much to included on that topic, but what I would share at this time is how Taiwan has been leveraged in an eerily similar way as Ukraine. While the arguments remain β€œprotecting democracy”, it is clear to anyone doing the homework that America made the decision to unilaterally change the four decade long policy of β€œstrategic ambiguity”. Unironically this was done under Trump 1.0 when he and Congress passed the β€œTaiwan Travel” legislation. Geographically, China is already surrounded in the East China Sea even without Taiwan formally in the fold. Military installations in South Korea and Japan in the north all the way down to the Philippines and Australia in the south. My assessment has been, and remains, that America β€œwoke up” in around 2015 to find that China had reached a point of being a genuine peer competitor. Attempts to compete are not viewed by American policy makers as feasible given various – and growing – domestic constraints. This then leaves a pressure campaign meant to taunt Beijing. Thankfully Xi and his team have refused to take the bait. I did have to laugh at the FT article from a few months ago where Xi literally told Von der Leyen that he knew what American policy was attempting to play at. Just a long winded way to say that I see and mostly agree with your points here. Just hoping that I am able to get the message out more widely on how what it is you shared here is playing out with China, Taiwan and America.
Word, my Nostr Peep! Nuance, complexity and a deep sense of community - through which we tackle our common challenges - seem lost. Perhaps just for a brief period, and the long arc of time will indeed bend with the weight of Bitcoin and Nostr freedom tech.
πŸ›‘οΈ
No other country is as charitable as the US. Pointing out that the US doesn’t have a perfect immigration/border policy doesn’t add anything to the conversation. There is a process to immigrate into this country. Foreigners that don’t respect our laws don’t deserve a pass just because they are poor. Jesus and God are one, and God was not shy about punishing people. Christians are not at odds with their God (which is not some hippie) by protecting their borders even if force is necessary.
absolute moratorium NOW. we dont need them. we dont want them. we didnt ask for them. human beings are not economic units of production. preserving the heritage and traditions of the white european west trumps gdp, faggot. dont you get it... its not about love or hate. its about POWER. multicultural societies weaken the shared political power of a common people with a common heritage. with no dominant defense, then come TYRANNY. diversity + proximity = war the elites know this. wake up.
Okay, I found it interesting, as I know it's not true but still, I love to think that Mahadev (a Hindu God) with his Trishul (an ancient weapon) is protecting me and my family when I hear a news of some communal clash, basically Hindu-Muslim riot, or perhaps a news of some innocent teen girl getting raped and killed. But at that same time, I am also like "Hey girl, save your own ass, Mahadev gave away his Trishul long ago!" Every time I go somewhere, specially after evening, and alone, I wish there is a strict,reliable police man standing nearby as I realize that I am not capable enough to save myself if something bad happens to me. But at the same time, I remember all the atrocities done by the Police personals in CAA protest and I am like "okay... may be just a having a peeper spray or keeping my phone camera ready would be a better option!"
↩ replying to npub1d6ds...sz2k
Krishna told Arjun that he must fight. And in the same way we got to act. But we must not be attached to the results, since the merit belongs to God. He told Arjun to focus his mind on him wile doing all the work. Same way Catholic intelectual GK Chesterton, said that our problem is not lack of modesty. But that we became modest with our convictions, and arrogant about ourselves and our own capabilities. When the man for himself is enough, he do not have the need to improve himself, to become better. So, we see nowadays a world of fragile, insecure people, who have no convictions, but got to show something to the others. In this context of world, I like to call modernity, I saw a video wich argues "aesthetics beat arguments" and makes total sense since people are focused on show something to others and that the others perceive then by the group aesthetics (colllectivism). As a libertarian I understand this feeling of being caught between crossfire, and think that things will only change, if we manage to put God and transcendency in first place. The Bible says to "look for God things first, and everything else will be added to your life". It is indeed very difficult acomplishing this, but must be the way...
↩ replying to npub1hsr4...4ths
Wow, that's really deep... πŸ™ but I still have some uncertainties... Like while deciding what to do and what not to do, we imagine the possible outcome of the action and based on that imagination, we decide whether it's a good thing or a bad thing to do. At least I do that all the time. So when Krishna says that don't worry about the result, I get confused, because if I don't think about the result than how am I supposed to know if the thing I am going to do would be good thing or not? Most of the time either a possibility of getting rewarded or getting satisfactied is what empowers me to do all the required things. How can I get that motivation if I don't think about the result at first place?
↩ replying to npub1d6ds...sz2k
This question is very tricky indeed, is also kind a doubt for me, I am/was reading Bhagad Gita with comentaries of Paramahansa Vishwananda, and eventually it pops out for me too...My personal answer for this concern is that there is a ultimate goal and an ultimate result that is God...So we should keep this in mind as the intended result of our actions, by focusing our mind on Him, it could be praying, shanting mantra, remembering images, whatever...in this way things should make sense...But of course we are not saints, there should be a long way (or not) to get there, because the plenty of this state should only be achieved by God's Grace, and by our efforts, we could only give our tries to surrender the results of our efforts to Him, we will rise and fall until the moment comes and we attain His Grace
↩ replying to npub1d6ds...sz2k
If we thing we are good enough, why would we become any better? So Chesterton says that tha man must doubt of his own capabilities, be modest about them...so in this way he will deliver his best, because he knows: what he intends to realize is not certain by his own capabilities...The man who thinks he is capable of everything, becomes useless, degenerate himself because he stop to try...he becomes demotivated, nut also, insecure...its a reflex of our time, when people start believing in things like "science is more important than philosopy or tradition" or "tradition ia not important at all"...these people deny the condition of existence of what they say they believe...I think it is something on this way
We're Rome.
Lyn Alden's avatar Lyn Alden
People often assume that whoever their god is, that it is standing with them specifically. In the US, they often separate this view along party lines. Conservatives to some extent imagine Jesus standing with them on the border with a rifle protecting Christendom against anarchy. Even if many of those immigrants are ::checks notes:: also Christians. If a "woke" bishop calls for compassion on immigrants and is not a fan of the twice-divorced President who can't name his favorite bible chapter and forgot to put his hand on the bible when being sworn in, she's somehow the baddie rather than him, even among Christians. Progressives to some extent imagine Jesus walking around in Gaza or Haiti or Sudan attending to the least advantaged among us. He shuns the empire and tends to them. And yet, while Jesus called for pacifism and was a rhetorical saint among chill speakers, many of them find a way to mentally turn extremists into heroes. Anything the underdog society does against the dominant society is justified. Even if it's violent toward civilians. In our media rebels are cool, but in reality they often like to kill the gays or the civilians, so it gets awkward pretty fast rather than being like the cool Star Wars rebels vs the Empire. I find myself in a weird camp that almost nobody is onboard with. I'm like, "Yes, we actually need to secure our borders. We need to be more scrutinizing for our society's sake. We need slower, higher-end immigration. And we actually need to enforce the rule of law for theft on the streets." But also, "No, I don't think Jesus of Nazareth as depicted in text would be onboard with this border view. He'd view us like Rome. Let's not re-imagine him as onboard with this. We're rooting for ourselves; he'd root for the underdogs." I'm too woke for the conservatives and too based for the progressives. The US was involved with multiple coups in Latin America. We ran the reserve currency and tried to bend them to our will with their dollar-denominated debt 40 years ago by spiking the value of that debt. Some of them went into retarded socialism and rekt themselves throughout that time period too; it's not all our fault. But it's some of our fault. And then we militarily entered the Middle East. We made deals with them, funded them against the Soviets, and then turned against them. We've invaded them at like a 100:1 ratio vs them invading us with one major incidence (9/11). And as much as I am a fan of Jews as a people (as someone who grew up in Northeastern USA where Jews are relatively dense, I'd happily have them settle all around here), Israel is a state is colonial; our western powers displaced Gazans to make it and have been fighting that reality ever since. We're Rome. And like Rome, we think we are justified. And along those lines, we're probably partially right, and probably partially wrong. When you take a view, imagine every possible view opposing it. And as the US dominates as neo-Rome, I think we will realize how distant we are from Jesus the hippie.
View quoted note →
Christians are called to be loving and charitable to everyone, including those at the border. However, the president has a duty to safe guard our border and screen applicants. This is part of our "separation of church and state" philosophy. Israel def seems to be one of the final relics from our colonial past. Birthed equally by evangelical Christians and the Jewish people.
I loved this rip
Lyn Alden's avatar Lyn Alden
People often assume that whoever their god is, that it is standing with them specifically. In the US, they often separate this view along party lines. Conservatives to some extent imagine Jesus standing with them on the border with a rifle protecting Christendom against anarchy. Even if many of those immigrants are ::checks notes:: also Christians. If a "woke" bishop calls for compassion on immigrants and is not a fan of the twice-divorced President who can't name his favorite bible chapter and forgot to put his hand on the bible when being sworn in, she's somehow the baddie rather than him, even among Christians. Progressives to some extent imagine Jesus walking around in Gaza or Haiti or Sudan attending to the least advantaged among us. He shuns the empire and tends to them. And yet, while Jesus called for pacifism and was a rhetorical saint among chill speakers, many of them find a way to mentally turn extremists into heroes. Anything the underdog society does against the dominant society is justified. Even if it's violent toward civilians. In our media rebels are cool, but in reality they often like to kill the gays or the civilians, so it gets awkward pretty fast rather than being like the cool Star Wars rebels vs the Empire. I find myself in a weird camp that almost nobody is onboard with. I'm like, "Yes, we actually need to secure our borders. We need to be more scrutinizing for our society's sake. We need slower, higher-end immigration. And we actually need to enforce the rule of law for theft on the streets." But also, "No, I don't think Jesus of Nazareth as depicted in text would be onboard with this border view. He'd view us like Rome. Let's not re-imagine him as onboard with this. We're rooting for ourselves; he'd root for the underdogs." I'm too woke for the conservatives and too based for the progressives. The US was involved with multiple coups in Latin America. We ran the reserve currency and tried to bend them to our will with their dollar-denominated debt 40 years ago by spiking the value of that debt. Some of them went into retarded socialism and rekt themselves throughout that time period too; it's not all our fault. But it's some of our fault. And then we militarily entered the Middle East. We made deals with them, funded them against the Soviets, and then turned against them. We've invaded them at like a 100:1 ratio vs them invading us with one major incidence (9/11). And as much as I am a fan of Jews as a people (as someone who grew up in Northeastern USA where Jews are relatively dense, I'd happily have them settle all around here), Israel is a state is colonial; our western powers displaced Gazans to make it and have been fighting that reality ever since. We're Rome. And like Rome, we think we are justified. And along those lines, we're probably partially right, and probably partially wrong. When you take a view, imagine every possible view opposing it. And as the US dominates as neo-Rome, I think we will realize how distant we are from Jesus the hippie.
View quoted note →
This is a great perspective, pointing inward. As a Panamanian, whose family came from the U.S., I am deeply connected to both nations, and now married to my U.S. wife. It is crazy when I hear the ignorance in the U.S. regarding LATAM coups, manipulation, and plain attacks on nations' sovereignty, all while using them as an experimental backyard. Kudos to El Salvador for breaking out of this cycle, or at least it looks like they have. And regarding people with their own perspective of Jesus, it is so true. Yet, it is not a decision we can make. We have one source of reference on Jesus' character, and that's the Bible. Yet, all political parties and individuals will bend it toward their view. The protection of the border is good and very much needed. But those who love (and obey) Jesus should know that His heart will also be with those who are suffering, regardless of the side of the border... or, for that matter, their political side. "Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow."β€” Isaiah Particularly like this part of Lyn post: "We think we are justified. And along those lines, we're probably partially right, and probably partially wrong. When you take a view, imagine every possible view opposing it." View quoted note β†’
Too much usage of the word retarded for progressives, too little usage of the word retarded for conservatives Scylla and Charybdis
Lyn Alden's avatar Lyn Alden
People often assume that whoever their god is, that it is standing with them specifically. In the US, they often separate this view along party lines. Conservatives to some extent imagine Jesus standing with them on the border with a rifle protecting Christendom against anarchy. Even if many of those immigrants are ::checks notes:: also Christians. If a "woke" bishop calls for compassion on immigrants and is not a fan of the twice-divorced President who can't name his favorite bible chapter and forgot to put his hand on the bible when being sworn in, she's somehow the baddie rather than him, even among Christians. Progressives to some extent imagine Jesus walking around in Gaza or Haiti or Sudan attending to the least advantaged among us. He shuns the empire and tends to them. And yet, while Jesus called for pacifism and was a rhetorical saint among chill speakers, many of them find a way to mentally turn extremists into heroes. Anything the underdog society does against the dominant society is justified. Even if it's violent toward civilians. In our media rebels are cool, but in reality they often like to kill the gays or the civilians, so it gets awkward pretty fast rather than being like the cool Star Wars rebels vs the Empire. I find myself in a weird camp that almost nobody is onboard with. I'm like, "Yes, we actually need to secure our borders. We need to be more scrutinizing for our society's sake. We need slower, higher-end immigration. And we actually need to enforce the rule of law for theft on the streets." But also, "No, I don't think Jesus of Nazareth as depicted in text would be onboard with this border view. He'd view us like Rome. Let's not re-imagine him as onboard with this. We're rooting for ourselves; he'd root for the underdogs." I'm too woke for the conservatives and too based for the progressives. The US was involved with multiple coups in Latin America. We ran the reserve currency and tried to bend them to our will with their dollar-denominated debt 40 years ago by spiking the value of that debt. Some of them went into retarded socialism and rekt themselves throughout that time period too; it's not all our fault. But it's some of our fault. And then we militarily entered the Middle East. We made deals with them, funded them against the Soviets, and then turned against them. We've invaded them at like a 100:1 ratio vs them invading us with one major incidence (9/11). And as much as I am a fan of Jews as a people (as someone who grew up in Northeastern USA where Jews are relatively dense, I'd happily have them settle all around here), Israel is a state is colonial; our western powers displaced Gazans to make it and have been fighting that reality ever since. We're Rome. And like Rome, we think we are justified. And along those lines, we're probably partially right, and probably partially wrong. When you take a view, imagine every possible view opposing it. And as the US dominates as neo-Rome, I think we will realize how distant we are from Jesus the hippie.
View quoted note →