h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Someone told me to "be gone". In a forum I started, no less. That's never happened to me, even in real-time human life, nevermind digital-twin keyboard Fenchurch life.

And while the preceding words leading up to the "be gone" made sense in their own context, at the same time it didn't.

Because who *can't* turn their thumbs up or down at others? We're by nature social beings, and that just comes along with it. The idea is to not have your opinions so rigidly set that you can't learn more about things with an open mind.
It's like molding a clay figure of someone you've seen once or twice. You may have a good idea of what you think they look like, but don't fire the sculpture until you've seen the person up close, or you'll have a sculpture that may look like someone else altogether. You may not, but if you truly *want* to sculpt a good likeness, keep it malleable.
I suggest never ever making it permanent. Permanence is dumb, anyway.

Don't take it too personally, Fenchurch! It doesn't sound like a really antagonistic thing to say, even if it was - and not everyone can like you ALL the time: it gets exhausting.

I like the point about permanence, but I do see some disadvantages with infinitely malleable opinions. If you don't have ANY principles, then you have no basis on which to build new opinions. Some things you must believe strongly, in order to make sense of anything else. Even the strong beliefs can be changed, if you structure them right, but it will take a bit more effort than trying to convince yourself that the disembodied and opinionated person who tells you to "be gone" is actually OK, for example.

Your own strong beliefs you merely have to DEMONSTRATE the wrongness of, with some recognisable (and usually unpleasant) consequence for yourself, before you will discard them - you can't usually be argued out of them.

This sounds like a load of dingo droppings...

Right, now that I've looked at the actual forum, I can have a bit more of an idea what I'm saying.

I still don't think it's that bad, 'though. More bombastic, fulminatory [there's THAT WORD!] and self-consciously self-righteous than anything else. Sound like a bit of overkill, to me...

I think the sillier comment is that these ideas are "dangerous"

The Q obviously never took part in an organized debate where he/she had to argue on the side he/she disagreed with

It wasn't that bad... just odd. I wasn't expecting it.

I completely understand what you mean about having principles. It just occurs to me that life and getting along would be a lot easier if your principles are fairly general, you know... ideas of honour, good vs. evil, honesty, etc... with leeway to different ideas.

There's a short story by Mark Twain called "Heaven or Hell?" that reminds me of this. I don't know if either of you have read it... it's about these self-righteous women who are against lying, stealing, cheating, etc. in *any* situation, and are confronted with the worst of them... I don't really want to give it away, but it just explains things well. One of my favorite quick stories, in fact.

Stories? Books?......I've heard of those things. In fact, I think I used to read books, back when I hadn't been introduced to H2G2. I used to eat and sleep also.....

Any idea of a book it might be contained in? It doesn't sound too difficult to find...

Well I've got it in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog and other Short Stories"... although I'm sure there are huge Shakespeare-esque collections of his works around that have it as well.

Frink: Well, you could eat *while* at h2g2... you see, it does help you survive and all, but at the same time I've gone through 2 keyboards in 3 months because of all the crumbs. I can't help it if I like toast and jam now, can I?

Why I love the internet: I found an online version of the story, and it's the original text as far as I can remember. The actual title of the story is "Was it Heaven? Or Hell?" and if anyone's eyes are up for a little strain (it'd be about 7-8 book pages, not long at all) it's http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/ReadingRoom/Fiction/Twain/MarkTwain/heaven-hell .

Interesting.

I am not sure that the story has direct application here, and I'm not sure that the consequences of compromising or altering your principles on the Internet could be quite so severe as in this case, but it is interesting nonetheless. I suspect Mr. Twain [sic] haad his head screwed on right...

Well it was just more of a general thing- an example of being open to bending the rules, even if they're your own. Maybe I did get a little off subject (nothing new)- but it is a good story!

Did you ever read, "Captain Stormfield's visit to Heaven"? That's one of my personal favorites by Twain, along with "The Mysterious Stranger".

You can find all this stuff (and more) at project Gutenberg:

http://www.gutenberg.org


da Baron
Mind where you wipe that booger!

Hey Fenny! I just read your forum and am pretty offended!
That's like coming into someone's house, eating a big dinner and then complaining about the meal and the decor! Civility is something that makes the forums here at h2g2 so nice...
Everyone I've encountered so far has been really friendly and quite helpful! Even in the most heated debate, one should know the importance of tempering one's language before pressing the submit button!!

Keep your chin up! There's a lot of folks with fish out there who respect you for who you are!!

Yes, the person in question was definately a cad and a bandercoot! As well as a possum, a gekko, and a salamander!



da Baron
loves his fishy and Fenny!

Far too rude. Even I get tolerated, which is saying something.