[caliginousface]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '"')African's have thrived on this continent very many years; without aeroplanes, without trains, without skyscrapers, without all the modern development that we think when we look at the west. That that's what development means. To me, development means staying alive. Having a quality of life. Not so much alive that is surrounded by goods, things. But alive where you can live in a clean and healthy environment."
-Wangari Maathai

[threadbear]

Follow whatever fills you with passion, whether it be passionate love, or passionate indignation, just follow it. Never give up and never give in. If the only meaningful passionate protest you can manage is mental and emotional resistance, keep resisting. And good luck, sweet kid.

[caliginousface]

But the thing is I'm not totally anti-corporation. A lot of the stuff I have is corp stuff. Gahhhhhhh

[caliginousface]

I'm not quite sure where the whole belly rubbing thing started, but the Buddha I saw when I was growing up looked like this
.

[The_Toecutter]

Corporations aren't inherently 'evil', but many large transnationals have completely destroyed any semblance of free enterprise that could exist on a global scale.

[Plantagenet]

A Bhudda belly rubbing joke.

A woman was rubbing the Bhudda's belly.

"how's that feel?" asked the woman?

"Lower, lower " said the Bhudda urgently.

"Hows that feel?" said the woman in a very low voice.

[The_Toecutter]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A') Bhudda belly rubbing joke.

A woman was rubbing the Bhudda's belly.

"how's that feel?" asked the woman?

"Lower, lower " said the Bhudda urgently.

"Hows that feel?" said the woman in a very low voice.

[undertaker]

My 2 cents.

I took up my own quixotic battle against the corporations, specifically against agribusiness, by doing hobby farming. Of course when I set out with spade and hoe, I remember thinking, "this is barely a drop in the ocean, what the hell am I even trying for?" Then I went over my justification -- namely to set an example and hopefully others will follow the example and do the same, then I thought "not likely," and then I had one of those "Buddha moments" where I thought, "there goes my American habit of thinking that if it's not BIG it's not worth it. I'm just one person and I shouldn't expect to have some big impact in the world. I should content myself with a small but positive impact."

I was able to have those thoughts because of reading Tao Te Jing and some Buddhist texts. I know that Buddhism and Taoism are not identical, but to an Occidental like myself they look a lot alike. "Do your work and step back and let it go. Don't seek praise for your work, just do it because it's what is needed to be done."

And that's how I try to fend off despair.

[Aaron]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', 'A') Bhudda belly rubbing joke.

A woman was rubbing the Bhudda's belly.

"how's that feel?" asked the woman?

"Lower, lower " said the Bhudda urgently.

"Hows that feel?" said the woman in a very low voice.

[caliginousface]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('undertaker', 'M')y 2 cents.

I took up my own quixotic battle against the corporations, specifically against agribusiness, by doing hobby farming. Of course when I set out with spade and hoe, I remember thinking, "this is barely a drop in the ocean, what the hell am I even trying for?" Then I went over my justification -- namely to set an example and hopefully others will follow the example and do the same, then I thought "not likely," and then I had one of those "Buddha moments" where I thought, "there goes my American habit of thinking that if it's not BIG it's not worth it. I'm just one person and I shouldn't expect to have some big impact in the world. I should content myself with a small but positive impact."

I was able to have those thoughts because of reading Tao Te Jing and some Buddhist texts. I know that Buddhism and Taoism are not identical, but to an Occidental like myself they look a lot alike. "Do your work and step back and let it go. Don't seek praise for your work, just do it because it's what is needed to be done."

And that's how I try to fend off despair.

[threadbear]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('caliginousface', 'B')ut the thing is I'm not totally anti-corporation. A lot of the stuff I have is corp stuff. Gahhhhhhh

[I_Like_Plants]

apparently the Beats in the 1840s came to this conclusion: that being useful and constructive is one big scam, and really the best thing is to be as useless as possible.

Before you start reporting me to Homeland Suckurity, consider this: I have a mockingbird, basically a feathered jazz musician. He starts jamming at 12 noon, and again at 12 midnight. Noisy fucker. As far as I can tell, he is utterly useless. I've developed a taste for his songs, which keep me up and distract me from useful work. As far as I can tell he's really, utterly, useless.

But his kind have been around for millions and millions of years before humans, if we're unsuccessful in killing the planet he'll be around when we're gone. There's a very good arguement (a nonrefutable one) that humans like Bukowski and his ilk up to and including Ted Kaczynski were and are the sanest humans.

Don't feel bad that you don't make a good tool.

[The_Toecutter]

To the insane masses, the sanest man appears to be wholly irrational.

Ted Kaczynski, like him or hate him, was literally a genius.

[threadbear]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('I_Like_Plants', 'a')pparently the Beats in the 1840s came to this conclusion: that being useful and constructive is one big scam, and really the best thing is to be as useless as possible.