Branching Thread

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Hmm we all say it'd be nice and jolly for us to all realise we were in this together and to just live our lives.

But as long as we have different nations and we're not just united as Earth, it's never going to happen.

There will be wars.

[Broccoli]

I am originally from Russia, but I live in Austria now and my boyfriend is Austrian. So after watching some of the Austrian television he was quite sure that there are a lot of homeless children in Moscow, hiding in all the dirty places, etc. We visited the city this summer and didn't see any at all.

It is very true that the media tend to exaggerate things or show them in a bad light. Of course there are problems but one can't really understand or solve them sitting far away.

[SunsetG|rl]

But as long as we have different nations and we're not just united as Earth, it's never going to happen.

There will be wars.

And even united, as one earth we would still have fights on colour of skin or anything else. War is in the nature of humans.

[Asphodel]

The problem is we're too damn smart for our own good. With intelligence, comes the realization that you can steal, or kill to become wealthy and show off power.

[SunsetG|rl]

I think that it is exactly the opposite. We're too stupid. We only use too little of our brain. And I do think that if we were really smarter we could make it so that nobody would need to steal or kill. And I think that being smart makes you a better man. Makes you want to be satisfied with what you own. Cause stealing and killing comes from money and power. Being smart makes you happy with what you already have. So you don't want more money or power.

That's my point of view anyway. And I feel I've said it in a quite confusing way.

[Asphodel]

I think what your talking about is wisdom. If you are wise, you will be happy with what you have. If you are smart, you simply can walk straighter than an ape. If we were dumb we would never have wars, 'cause we'd be dumb.

"I don't know how the third world war will be fought, but I do know how the fourth one will: with sticks and stones,"--Albert Einstein

[SunsetG|rl]

Yes I agree...Wisdom is what I was talking about. But would you consider an ape dump? Or a lion dumb? They fight...over food, over teritories... All to be the one to have a better life. I think being smart would rather keep us from war.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

I suggest you look up what dumb means.
It doesn't mean just stupid.

[b.scheller]

There is a fundamental difference between Wisdom and Knowledge. An individual could be wise and yet unknowledgable and the vice-versa.

I wouldn't readily call animals wise, they have no potential of thought. When looking at the size of a brain of a cat or a dog, it is obviously and painfully clear that their brains are too small for "thought" to exist. It is more or less instinctual.

[Broccoli]

When looking at the size of a brain of a cat or a dog, it is obviously and painfully clear that their brains are too small for "thought" to exist. It is more or less instinctual.

You surely don't want to say that the potential of thought depends on the brain size? I guess an elephant has a bigger brain than a human being, and still its thinking can't be compared to that of people. Besides, it has been proven that human intelligence has no connection with the size of the barin.

[b.scheller]

Well, I don't think intelligence relies on the size of the brain, but certainly some functions do. The size of our brain compared to that of a mouse, or a dog is much bigger, thus it allows for a thought process to exist.

[Asphodel]

Yes I agree...Wisdom is what I was talking about. But would you consider an ape dump? Or a lion dumb? They fight...over food, over teritories... All to be the one to have a better life. I think being smart would rather keep us from war.

They are not creating war, they are acting on the will to survive. If they were smart, they would start wanting to become wealthy and such and would kill more.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

I suggest you look up what dumb means.
It doesn't mean just stupid.

Common error. Things sound much harsher here. For instance, if I'd added an emoticon, would you have jumped to the same conclusion?
Let's check.

I suggest you look up what dumb means.
It doesn't mean just stupid .

Looks a little nicer really. I meant no offense, I rarely do. If you see something that you interpret as an insult, for future reference, just don't bring it up. It's probably just soeone wording something incorrectly.

Those posts were deleted, and I'll do this one too in a few days.
Sorry.

[Asphodel]

Yeah, except if you find something that's truly and obviously an insult.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

If that occurs someone else will probably step in at some stage.

Anyway, unless within a week this thread has got a point... It's out.