A Conversation for One in a Million

Thought provoking

Post 1

Also Ran1-hope springs eternal


Thank you Pinniped,

What a nice way to celebrate Mothers day. Making us think about All the mamans and papas who have formed us.

All of it is true, and you have written it so succintly and dispassionately. Probably my one criticism of it. Particularly when our forebears went out to "claim foreign lands".

How much grief and sadness that has caused. And yet, it has also helped to spread "our" heritage. But do we ever wonder and think about the other heritages which we are either ignoring or destroying?

Also Ran1 smiley - schooloffish


Thought provoking

Post 2

Pinniped


Thanks AR1
The brevity and the absence of judgement were products of editing. The original was rambling and subjective - I like this better.
Like most of what I attempt here, it's a personal exercise in writing rather than a manifesto. Catalysis of ideas is more rewarding that actual persuasion, don't you think?
You gave me a shock over the 'foreign lands', something I was sure I hadn't intended to convey.
I was relieved when I saw the phrase was 'claiming huge tracts of a virgin planet'. For me, that infers a more interesting and more genuinely innocent wrong, the one we perpetuate. The crime, if there is one, is more against the planet and its future generations than against indigenous populations.
Civilisation has more nearly repented for subjugating other peoples than it has for damaging the planet. I think so anyway.
The idea in my head when I wrote that paragraph, though, wasn't that at all. It was the scale of achievement of some of our ancestors when set against our own. We modern-day softies tend to think we live in a time of miracles. Well, perhaps so - but they're other people's miracles, and some of the other people are long dead.
I visited someone the other day who was preening herself about her new home cinema and its wizzy features. Given that she asks neighbours to change her lightbulbs (nothing to do with infirmity either!), I confess to a certain amount of amusement.
Pinsmiley - smiley


Thought provoking

Post 3

Also Ran1-hope springs eternal


Hi Pinniped smiley - smiley

Sorry I missed your reply. Interesting that you were particularly thinking in far more general terms of the planet.

I would certainly agree with you, that the damage we have wronght, and the way we have abused it is probably worse that spreading our civilisation.!!!

I was very interested the other evening to see a programme on TV in which it was stated that it was not Columbas who discovered America, but the Chinese - really more than a 100 years before Columbas. Funny that was never recorded 0 except that there are complete maps - and in the British Museum no less, showing the voyage.

Light bulbs - silly lady. It is something which I always did but now find difficulty in doing !!. But then I do not have any new-fangled wonderful equipment!!.

Regards

Also Ran1 smiley - schooloffish


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